Heirstory and Tell Mel, compared
Checked 28 October 2026
Tell Mel is an AI called Mel that telephones a parent or grandparent on a schedule and asks follow-up questions. Each call becomes a chapter of a private memoir website. There is nothing for the older person to learn: they answer the phone. It works in ten languages and promises never to clone a voice.
Heirstory’s genealogist does something close, for the whole family, and keeps it with the family’s tree. Gene, an AI genealogist, talks with each relative in a web browser. What each remembers is kept beside the people it is about, with the records that prove the dates.
The short answer
Choose Tell Mel for a memoir of one parent, told over the phone, with nothing to set up for them.
Choose Heirstory for a family record: the tree, the records and every relative’s memories, each beside the people it is about.
Side by side
| Tell Mel | Heirstory | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | A memoir of one person, by phone | A family’s record: tree, records and memories |
| How stories are told | Live AI phone calls, landline included | Conversations with Gene, aloud in a web browser or by typing |
| Family tree | No | Yes, and Gene asks about the people on it |
| Records | No | Gene searches public records for those who have died |
| Languages | Ten | English, French and German |
| What you keep | Chapters, audio and transcripts on a memoir site | A living record; download it all at any time |
| Price | US $39 to $219 once, then $39 a year to keep it online | Free to build; Gene’s work uses credits, 100 free, then from £5 |
Where Tell Mel is better
- The telephone. Mel calls, so the storyteller needs no computer or app, and a landline works. Heirstory’s spoken sittings are in a web browser.
- More languages. Tell Mel speaks ten; Heirstory speaks English, French and German.
- One payment for a set number of interview hours, and the recordings kept with the words.
Where Heirstory is better
- A family, not one memoir. Every relative talks with Gene, and what each says joins one record, beside the people it is about.
- The records. Gene knows the family’s tree and records, and asks about the people in them.
- Evidence kept apart. Every fact says whether it is proven, probable or remembered.
- Privacy between relatives. Each living person decides what the rest of the family sees of them.
- No yearly fee to keep it. Your tree, records and chapters stay free for as long as you use Heirstory.
Questions
Does Gene phone my parent?
No. Your parent talks with Gene in a web browser, or types if they prefer. You can sit beside them the first time.
Can Gene remember what was said last time?
Yes. Gene remembers what your parent said before, and picks up the conversation from there.
What happens after the first year with Tell Mel?
Renewing costs $39 a year, which keeps the memoir online and adds two interview hours. You can download the stories at any time. Tell Mel says it may take a memoir offline after its hosting ends, though none is offline today.
Who makes the AI?
Gene is Claude, made by Anthropic, which may not train its models on anything Heirstory sends, under its commercial terms. Tell Mel names Anthropic and OpenAI among its providers. Its privacy policy says families’ content may be used to improve its services and AI tools, and never to clone a voice.
Sources
- Tell Mel prices, hours and renewal: tellmel.ai/pricing, read 28 October 2026.
- Phone calls and languages: tellmel.ai, read 28 October 2026.
- Downloads and hosting: tellmel.ai/howitworks and its policies, read 28 October 2026.
- Providers, use of content and voice cloning: Tell Mel privacy policy, updated 29 July 2026, read 28 October 2026.