Their story, in their own words.

There's a question you've been meaning to ask her. About the house she grew up in, or the year everything changed, or what she was like before she was your mom. Porchtale is how you finally ask it.

Give a Porchtale Watch a sample film

From $299. Recorded on their iPhone, edited by AI, checked by a real editor, delivered in a few days.

  • Just an iPhoneNo crew, no studio, no setup skills
  • A spoken AI interviewerAsks, listens, follows up and waits
  • Checked by a real editorEvery film, before it reaches you
  • Private, and yoursEncrypted, private links, download anytime
The time problem

You've meant to ask for years.

Most of us keep a list of questions we're saving for the right afternoon. Porchtale gives you the afternoon, the questions and a gentle interviewer, so the stories don't stay on the list.

  • Where she went when she wanted to be left alone
  • The winter he didn't know how it would turn out
  • What they know now that they wish they'd known at thirty
An older person's hands holding a faded photograph of a young couple in front of a small house, in warm evening light.
How it works

One afternoon. One film for the family.

You buy it here. They record at home with an iPhone. No crew, no studio, nothing to learn.

  1. Today

    You give it

    Pick a tier, add the stories you hope to hear, and record a short hello to open their session.

  2. About 10 minutes

    They sit down at home

    The app checks the light, the sound and the framing, and fixes up to two things. Then it says "Good enough, let's begin."

  3. About 45 minutes

    A friendly host asks

    A warm host on screen asks one question at a time, out loud, and waits as long as they need.

  4. A few days later

    Your family gets the film

    A 15-minute film in their voice, with their photos and music, checked by a real editor before it reaches you.

An older man smiling on a porch swing, with an iPhone on a small tripod in the foreground.
Setup takes about ten minutes, on the porch or at the kitchen table.
Three generations on a couch watching a film of a grandmother on a porch swing.
Premiere night, wherever your family gathers.
Inside Porchtale

Simple for them. Serious technology underneath.

Your loved one sees a friendly face and a few big words. Behind it, the app coaches the shot, runs the conversation, and hands a clean recording to our edit system.

A setup coach

Checks light, sound and framing in about ten minutes, fixes at most two things, then gets out of the way.

A live, spoken interview

The host listens for the moment a story opens up, asks the follow-up, and holds the silence. Say "Say that again" to hear any question twice.

An edit system with a human finish

AI finds the moments and builds the film's arc with photos and music. A Porchtale editor reviews every cut before you see it.

  1. 01 · RecordAbout 45 minutesCaptured on their iPhone, saved on the phone as it records
  2. 02 · UploadIn the backgroundEncrypted and resumable, even on slow home Wi-Fi
  3. 03 · TranscribeEvery wordSearchable, so you can find any story later
  4. 04 · EditAI plus an editorMoments chosen, photos and music added, then reviewed by a person
  5. 05 · PremiereA few days laterPrivate link for the family, download, and the Keep archive
An older man with a gray beard, mid-story, eyes bright with a memory.
The interview

It feels like talking to someone.

A friendly host asks each question out loud. The screen shows only a few big words, so nobody has to squint or read.

  • "Say that again."Ask out loud and the host repeats the question. No buttons to find.
  • Long pauses are welcome.The host waits. The best stories usually come after a silence.
  • Stop any time, pick up later.If a memory gets heavy, they can take a break and come back.
Questions that open doors

We ask about moments, not decades.

Early years

Where did you go when you wanted to be left alone as a kid?

If they start describing themselves instead of the place, the host asks: "What were you getting away from?"

A hard season

Tell me about a time you didn't know how things were going to turn out.

When a date or a place comes up, the host asks: "What were you most afraid of losing?"

For the family

What do you know now that you wish you'd known at thirty?

When the advice turns to "you", the host asks: "Who were you thinking of just then?"

A woman in her seventies laughing on a porch swing as her daughter listens.Watch the sample film
A sample film

See what your family gets.

A film made by the Porchtale team. Every Porchtale is shaped the same way: their own voice first, then the photos and music around it.

Recommended tech

What you'll need

Most homes already have everything. Here's what works best, and a few extras that help.

The essentials

  • Phone

    An iPhone 12 or newer

    Theirs or yours, updated to the latest iOS. Older iPhones and Android phones can't run the live host smoothly yet.

  • Storage

    About 10 GB of free space

    A 45-minute recording takes several gigabytes. The app checks the space before they start and saves as it records.

  • Internet

    Home Wi‑Fi

    The host talks over Wi‑Fi, and the recording uploads afterward in the background. If the connection drops, it picks up where it left off.

  • Power

    A charger and a long cable

    Keep the phone plugged in for the whole session. A 6-foot (2 m) cable reaches most outlets.

  • Stand

    Something steady for the phone

    A small phone tripod is best. A stack of books on a table works too. Turn the phone sideways, at eye level, about 4 feet away.

    In the $49 setup kit
  • Room

    A lamp and a quiet room

    Light from a lamp or window in front of them, a little to one side. Turn off the TV and the fan. The coach helps with both, and reminds them to turn on Do Not Disturb.

Nice to have

  • Better sound

    A clip-on microphone

    Plugs into the iPhone and makes voices fuller, especially in echoey rooms or on a breezy porch.

    In Director's Cut
  • Evening light

    A soft light

    A small LED panel or a second lamp for sessions after sunset.

    In the kit and Director's Cut
  • A bigger face

    A TV with AirPlay

    Shows the host life-size across the room, for anyone who'd rather not look at a small phone.

  • Director's Cut

    A second iPhone

    For the close-up shot. An iPhone 11 or newer is fine, even an old one from a drawer. It needs Wi‑Fi, not a phone plan.

    Director's Cut needs two

You don't need a computer, a camera, editing software or any experience. The setup coach checks their phone before anything starts, so there are no surprises on the day.

"One day you'll want to hear her voice, telling it the way she always told it."Why Porchtale exists
Pricing

Give it once. Keep it for good.

Every Porchtale includes the setup coach, the interview, a professionally checked edit, and the first year of Keep.

Porchtale Film $299
  • One guided conversation
  • 10 to 15 minute film with music and up to 30 photos
  • Your recorded hello to open the session
  • Private premiere link and download
Choose Film
Most families Porchtale Family $499
  • Two conversations and a 20 to 25 minute film
  • Up to 75 photos and home movies
  • Keepsake book with a QR code for each chapter
  • The full raw interview, archived for the family
Choose Family
Director's Cut $799
An open gift box with two small tripods, a clip-on microphone and a card, beside two phones.
  • Two iPhones: a wide shot and a close-up, synced by the app
  • A kit shipped to their home: stands, a clip-on mic and a soft light
  • A Porchtale producer joins by video call to set up the shot
  • Everything in Family, cut like a documentary
Choose Director's Cut
Extra conversation $99Setup kit, stand and light $49Extra keepsake book $59
A farmhouse porch at dusk with the light on and fireflies in the yard; a girl on the swing watches a tablet.
Porchtale Keep

For grandchildren who will only know her from this.

Keep holds the finished film and the full original recording in the highest quality, a private link for the whole family, and room for every story you add over the years. Name a family keeper and the archive passes down instead of disappearing with an old account.

First yearFreeIncluded with every Porchtale.
Keep$29 /yearAfter the first year. Cancel any time and download everything.
Keep Forever$349 oncePaid once and set aside in a storage reserve, so the archive outlives all of us.
EncryptedIn transit and in storage.
Private linksOnly people you invite can watch.
You own itDownload the film and full recording anytime.
No surprisesClips are used in our marketing only if you say yes.

Our promise: you can always download your original files, and if Porchtale ever closes, every archive goes to its keeper.

Give a Porchtale

Start with who it's for.

Tell us a little about them and the stories you hope to hear. We'll use it to shape their questions, so nothing has to be typed twice.

You choose when the gift arrives: by email on the day you pick, or as a printed card you hand them yourself. They'll get a code to open the Porchtale app.

Choose a Porchtale
Up to three. "The house on Elm Street", "how she met Dad", "the year in Germany".
Questions

Before you give it

What if they're not comfortable with technology?

They only need to open the app and enter the gift code. The host speaks every question out loud, the screen shows a few big words, and they answer by talking. Many families have a grandchild or neighbor help with the ten-minute setup.

Who sees the film?

Only the people you invite. The film lives behind a private link in your family's Keep archive. We never share it, and clips are only used in our marketing if you tick a separate box saying yes.

What if a memory gets hard?

The host slows down, waits, and offers a break. They can stop and pick up another day. Your gift note also tells you they may want to talk afterward.

Do they need an iPhone?

Yes, an iPhone 12 or newer. Director's Cut uses two, and the second can be an iPhone 11 or newer from a drawer. See what you'll need.

Who makes the film?

The edit is assembled from their answers and then checked and finished by a real editor at Porchtale before it reaches you.

Pull up a chair.

Every family has a porch story. Give them the evening to tell it.

Give a Porchtale