The best online memorial platforms: a compassionate guide for 2026
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When you lose someone you love, the world feels like it’s been turned upside down. In the midst of grief, you’re suddenly faced with a list of practical tasks that feel both urgent and overwhelming. One of the most personal of these is creating a tribute—a special place to honor their memory, share their story, and gather with others who are also grieving. The desire to make it perfect can feel immense.
This article is here to help. We’ve created a clear, calm, and comprehensive guide to choosing the right online memorial platform. Our goal is to remove the stress and confusion from this process, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: celebrating the life of your loved one.
This is more than just a list of websites. We will walk you through everything from the best completely free options to the future of remembrance—the ability to connect a beautiful digital tribute page directly to a physical headstone or memorial plaque with a simple QR code. You will learn how to compare platforms, what features provide the most comfort and connection, how to understand the costs, and ultimately, how to create a lasting legacy that can be shared for generations to come.
Our commitment to you: how we reviewed these platforms
By the team at scan2remember. We understand that choosing a memorial platform is not a typical consumer decision; it's a deeply personal act of love and remembrance. We approach this responsibility with the profound respect it deserves. Our team has spent years helping families navigate this difficult process, and our commitment is to provide you with a transparent, empathetic, and genuinely helpful resource.
To ensure our recommendations are both compassionate and credible, we established a clear set of evaluation criteria. We believe in full transparency, so you know exactly how we assessed each platform and can trust the guidance we provide.
Our evaluation criteria:
- Ease of use: During a time of emotional distress, technology should be a helper, not a hurdle. We prioritized platforms with simple, intuitive interfaces that someone who isn't tech-savvy can use without frustration.
- Cost transparency: Financial stress should not be part of this journey. We closely examined each platform’s pricing model to identify truly free services, expose any hidden fees, and clarify the value of one-time payments versus subscriptions.
- Collaborative features: Grief is a communal experience. We assessed how well each platform facilitates community healing through shared stories, photo and video uploads, and digital guestbooks that allow everyone to contribute.
- Long-term preservation: A memorial should be a lasting legacy. We investigated each platform's policies on keeping the tribute online indefinitely, ensuring the memories you gather are protected for the future.
- Modern integrations: We looked for features that meet the needs of modern families, including integrated fundraising for funeral costs or charities, event management tools, and the ability to link the digital page to a physical site with a memorial QR code.
The rise of digital tributes reflects a fundamental human need to connect and remember, a sentiment echoed by experts. The American Counseling Association's work on grieving online highlights how these digital spaces can serve as a vital source of support. Our review process is grounded in this understanding, focusing on how these tools can best serve you and your family.
Decoding the costs: a transparent guide to free vs. paid memorial websites
One of the most immediate questions families face is how much a memorial website will cost. The good news is that you can create a beautiful, comprehensive tribute for free. However, different platforms have different financial models, and understanding them is key to choosing the right one for your needs without encountering unexpected charges.
The 'truly free' model
Some platforms are committed to providing their core services completely free of charge. They are often supported by other means, such as optional donations for funeral expenses (where they may take a small percentage) or partnerships with funeral homes.
- What it typically includes: A beautiful memorial page, unlimited photo uploads, a digital guestbook, and a wall for tributes and stories.
- Potential limitations: The page may feature advertisements, have limits on video storage, or offer fewer design customization options.
- Example: Ever Loved.
The 'freemium' model
This is a common approach where a platform offers a solid free version that is perfectly functional, but holds back certain premium features for a fee. It’s a good middle ground if you want more control or a more polished final product.
- What it typically includes: All the basics of the free model.
- Common paid upgrades: Ad removal, more advanced design themes, unlimited video hosting, and custom URL addresses.
- Example: Many platforms use a version of this to upsell specific features.
The 'one-time fee' model
For families who want peace of mind and long-term security, the one-time fee model is often the best choice. You pay a single, upfront cost to create the memorial and have it hosted forever, with no recurring bills.
- What it typically includes: All features unlocked, no ads, permanent hosting, enhanced privacy controls, and often, premium customer support.
- Benefits: This "set it and forget it" approach avoids subscription costs and ensures the memorial remains online for future generations without anyone needing to manage payments.
- Examples: Keeper, ForeverMissed, scan2remember.
The 'subscription' model
This model is less common in the memorial space but does exist. It involves paying a monthly or annual fee to keep the memorial page active and to access its features.
- What it might justify a subscription: Continuous cloud storage for a very large volume of high-resolution videos, ongoing platform updates, or dedicated technical support.
- Considerations: This model can become a long-term financial burden and raises the question of what happens to the memorial if the subscription lapses.
| Pricing Model | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truly Free | No cost, accessible to everyone. | May have ads, potential feature limitations. | Families needing a beautiful, no-cost solution quickly. |
| Freemium | Start for free and upgrade only if needed. | Premium features can be costly. | Users who want to try before they buy. |
| One-Time Fee | Pay once for lifetime access, no ads. | Higher upfront cost. | Families seeking a permanent, ad-free legacy. |
| Subscription | Access to continuous updates and support. | Can be expensive over time, risk of lapse. | Situations with specific, ongoing technical needs. |
The anatomy of a perfect tribute: 10 essential features for a collaborative memorial
The most meaningful online memorials are not static pages; they are living, breathing hubs where a community can gather to share, grieve, and celebrate a life. They become a digital reflection of the love that surrounds the person who has passed. As you compare platforms, look for these ten essential features that enable a truly collaborative and healing experience.
These features are more than just technical specifications; they are tools that help maintain a connection with the deceased. Mental health professionals refer to this concept as "Digital Grief and Continuing Bonds," where online interactions help shape an enduring relationship with the person’s memory.
Here are the 10 must-have features:
- Unlimited photo & video galleries: Memories are visual. A platform should allow you and others to upload an unlimited number of photos and videos, creating a rich, multimedia tapestry of your loved one's life.
- Collaborative storytelling / 'tributes' wall: This is the heart of the memorial. It should be a space where friends and family can easily share their own stories, anecdotes, and memories, building a multi-faceted portrait of the person they knew.
- Digital guestbook: A simple, elegant way for visitors to express their condolences, share a brief message of support, or simply sign their name to let the family know they are thinking of them.
- Service details & RSVP management: A central place to post information about the funeral, memorial service, or celebration of life. The best platforms allow you to include dates, times, maps, and even manage RSVPs to get an accurate headcount.
- Integrated fundraising: This feature can be a lifeline for families facing unexpected funeral costs or for those who wish to direct donations to a meaningful charity in their loved one's name. Look for platforms with transparent and low processing fees.
- Privacy controls: Your family’s grieving process is personal. A great platform gives you complete control over who can see and contribute to the memorial, with options to keep it public, accessible only by link, or completely private and password-protected.
- Music & playlist integration: Music is deeply tied to memory and emotion. The ability to add a favorite song or a curated playlist to the memorial page adds a powerful layer of personalization and comfort.
- Ease of sharing: The platform should provide simple, one-click tools to share the memorial page with friends and family via email, text message, or social media, ensuring everyone who wishes to participate can find it.
- Long-term accessibility: The memorial should last a lifetime. Look for a clear and explicit promise from the platform about how long the page will remain active. A one-time fee for "perpetual" or "lifetime" hosting is the gold standard.
- Mobile-friendly design: Many people will access the memorial page from their smartphones. The site must be fully responsive and easy to navigate on any device, ensuring a seamless experience for all visitors.
A compassionate review of the top 5 online memorial platforms for 2026
To help you make an informed choice, we’ve conducted a detailed review of the leading platforms, evaluating them against the criteria we outlined earlier. Each offers a unique set of strengths, and the "best" one truly depends on your family's specific needs and priorities.
Comparison of top online memorial platforms
| Platform | Pricing Model | Key Features | Ease-of-Use | QR Code | Best For... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ever Loved | Truly Free | All-in-one platform, fundraising, event info, price comparison tools. | ★★★★★ | No | The best all-around free option for comprehensive funeral planning and a beautiful memorial. |
| Keeper | One-Time Fee | Collaborative memorial, timeline biography, family tree, QR code plaques. | ★★★★☆ | Yes | Creating a permanent, collaborative family history with a physical QR code link. |
| Murial | Truly Free | Modern, beautiful design, simple interface, collaborative stories. | ★★★★★ | No | Simplicity and elegance, for those who want a beautiful, minimalist memorial without cost. |
| ForeverMissed | One-Time Fee | 15+ years online, high customization, ad-free, unlimited storage. | ★★★★☆ | No | Long-term preservation and deep customization from a highly established platform. |
| scan2remember | One-Time Fee | Seamless QR code integration, simple & elegant design, collaborative. | ★★★★★ | Yes | Families who want to seamlessly connect a physical grave or memorial to a living digital tribute. |
In-depth platform summaries
Ever Loved
Ever Loved has established itself as the leader in the free memorial space, and for good reason. It offers a remarkably comprehensive suite of tools at no cost. You can create a beautiful memorial page, gather stories and photos, organize event details, and run a fundraiser all in one place. The platform is incredibly user-friendly and guides you through the process gently.
Its business model is based on optional services, like taking a small percentage of fundraiser donations or partnerships with funeral homes. The only significant feature it lacks is a native QR code integration to link the page to a headstone.
- Best for: Families looking for the most powerful and comprehensive free platform on the market.
Keeper
Keeper is a fantastic option for those who prioritize long-term preservation and family history. It operates on a one-time fee model, ensuring the memorial you build will last forever. Its standout features include a collaborative timeline of the person's life, an interactive family tree, and the ability to order a physical QR code plaque to place on a memorial site.
The interface is rich with features, which can make it slightly less intuitive than the simplest platforms, but it offers incredible depth for those who want to build a detailed, lasting legacy.
- Best for: Building a detailed family history and securing a permanent tribute with a one-time payment.
Murial
Murial is a relative newcomer that shines with its beautiful, modern, and minimalist design. It is completely free and focuses on doing the core job of an online memorial exceptionally well: presenting photos and collaborative stories in an elegant, uncluttered interface. It is perhaps the easiest platform to get started with, allowing you to create a stunning tribute in just a few minutes.
While it doesn't have the extensive funeral planning tools of Ever Loved or the deep historical features of Keeper, its simplicity is its greatest strength. It provides a peaceful and beautiful space for remembrance.
- Best for: Users who value modern design, simplicity, and a completely free, ad-free experience.
ForeverMissed
As one of the pioneers in the online memorial space, ForeverMissed has a long track record of reliability. It offers a robust, highly customizable platform for a one-time fee. You get complete control over the page’s design, privacy, and content, with no ads and unlimited storage for photos and videos.
Its longevity in the market provides a strong sense of trust and permanence. The design may not feel as modern as Murial's, but its feature set is among the most comprehensive available for a paid platform.
- Best for: Families seeking maximum customization and the peace of mind that comes from a long-established, trusted platform.
scan2remember
Our platform, scan2remember, was founded on a simple but powerful idea: a digital tribute is most meaningful when it is connected to a physical place of remembrance. We specialize in making this connection seamless. For a single one-time fee, you can create a beautiful, collaborative online memorial and receive a discreet, durable QR code to place on a headstone, urn, or memorial bench.
We prioritized making our platform incredibly easy to use, ensuring that creating this lasting legacy is a simple and stress-free process. While other platforms offer QR codes as an add-on, our entire experience is designed around this unique and powerful connection, bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds.
- Best for: Families who want to create a living tribute by directly linking a digital memorial to a physical gravesite or monument.
The future of remembrance: connecting a digital legacy to a physical memorial
An online memorial provides a priceless, central hub for memories. But as years pass, the connection between that rich digital world and the physical place where we go to pay our respects—a gravesite, a memorial bench, a cremation niche—can become faint. Future generations may visit a headstone and see only a name and dates, with no sense of the vibrant life that was lived.
This is where the future of remembrance is heading.
What is a memorial QR code?
A memorial QR code is a small, weatherproof tag or plaque that is affixed to a headstone, urn, or other physical monument. When any visitor scans the code with their smartphone camera, they are instantly taken to the full online memorial page.
This simple technology transforms a static stone into a living story.
The benefits of a connected tribute:
- A living story at the graveside: Instead of just reading an engraving, visitors can instantly see photos from throughout a person's life, watch home videos, and read heartfelt stories shared by friends and family. It turns a quiet moment of reflection into a rich, immersive experience of remembrance.
- Bridging generations: Imagine your great-grandchildren visiting their ancestor's grave. With a simple scan, they can learn who that person was, what they looked like, what they sounded like, and the impact they had on the world. It preserves a legacy in a way that a name and date never could.
- Including remote loved ones: For friends and family who live far away and cannot visit the memorial site in person, knowing that the physical and digital tributes are linked creates a powerful sense of connection. They can contribute to the same memorial page that visitors at the graveside are viewing, uniting everyone in a single circle of remembrance.
At scan2remember, we are dedicated to this vision. Our platform is built from the ground up to make this connection effortless. We provide you with the tools to create a beautiful online tribute and deliver a high-quality, durable QR code to ensure that your loved one's story is always just a scan away.
Frequently asked questions about online memorials
What is the best all-around online memorial platform?
Ever Loved is often considered the best all-around free platform due to its comprehensive features for funeral planning and memorials. For those seeking permanent hosting and QR code integration for a one-time fee, Keeper and scan2remember are excellent choices.
Which memorial websites are completely free?
Ever Loved and Murial are two of the most popular online memorial websites that offer robust features completely free of charge. They are typically supported by optional commissions on fundraising or through partnerships with funeral service providers.
What are the must-have features for an online memorial?
The most important features for an online memorial are unlimited photo and video uploads, a collaborative wall for stories and tributes, a digital guestbook, and clear privacy controls to manage who can view and contribute to the page.
How can you include people who cannot attend a funeral in person?
An online memorial page is a powerful tool to include remote attendees. You can post service details, share a link to a livestream of the service, and provide a central place where they can share their own stories and read tributes from others, helping them feel connected to the community and the grieving process.
How much does it cost to build your own memorial website?
You can build a beautiful and comprehensive memorial website for free using platforms like Ever Loved or Murial. Other platforms may charge a one-time fee, typically ranging from $50 to $150, for lifetime hosting, ad removal, and additional premium features like QR code integration.
What should you include on an online memorial page?
A great memorial page should include a biography or obituary of the deceased, a large and diverse gallery of photos and videos from all stages of their life, details about the funeral or memorial service, and, most importantly, a space where friends and family can post their own stories, tributes, and condolences.
Creating a lasting tribute in a digital world
Choosing an online memorial is a deeply personal act of love. It is one of the final, important things you do for someone, and it creates a space for a community to heal together. The right platform should make this process feel simple, meaningful, and comforting—never stressful.
We hope this guide has provided you with the clarity to move forward. By understanding the different pricing models, focusing on the collaborative features that matter most, and considering the powerful connection between a physical and digital tribute, you can create a memorial that truly honors the life and legacy of your loved one.
This is about more than just a website; it’s about building a permanent home for memories, a place where stories can be shared and cherished forever.
If you feel that connecting a physical memorial to a living digital tribute is right for your family, we invite you to learn more about how scan2remember can help you create a lasting legacy.
When you lose someone you love, the world feels like it’s been turned upside down. In the midst of grief, you’re suddenly faced with a list of practical tasks that feel both urgent and overwhelming. One of the most personal of these is creating a tribute—a special place to honor their memory, share their story, and gather with others who are also grieving. The desire to make it perfect can feel immense.
This article is here to help. We’ve created a clear, calm, and comprehensive guide to choosing the right online memorial platform. Our goal is to remove the stress and confusion from this process, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: celebrating the life of your loved one.
This is more than just a list of websites. We will walk you through everything from the best completely free options to the future of remembrance—the ability to connect a beautiful digital tribute page directly to a physical headstone or memorial plaque with a simple QR code. You will learn how to compare platforms, what features provide the most comfort and connection, how to understand the costs, and ultimately, how to create a lasting legacy that can be shared for generations to come.
Our commitment to you: how we reviewed these platforms
By the team at scan2remember. We understand that choosing a memorial platform is not a typical consumer decision; it's a deeply personal act of love and remembrance. We approach this responsibility with the profound respect it deserves. Our team has spent years helping families navigate this difficult process, and our commitment is to provide you with a transparent, empathetic, and genuinely helpful resource.
To ensure our recommendations are both compassionate and credible, we established a clear set of evaluation criteria. We believe in full transparency, so you know exactly how we assessed each platform and can trust the guidance we provide.
Our evaluation criteria:
- Ease of use: During a time of emotional distress, technology should be a helper, not a hurdle. We prioritized platforms with simple, intuitive interfaces that someone who isn't tech-savvy can use without frustration.
- Cost transparency: Financial stress should not be part of this journey. We closely examined each platform’s pricing model to identify truly free services, expose any hidden fees, and clarify the value of one-time payments versus subscriptions.
- Collaborative features: Grief is a communal experience. We assessed how well each platform facilitates community healing through shared stories, photo and video uploads, and digital guestbooks that allow everyone to contribute.
- Long-term preservation: A memorial should be a lasting legacy. We investigated each platform's policies on keeping the tribute online indefinitely, ensuring the memories you gather are protected for the future.
- Modern integrations: We looked for features that meet the needs of modern families, including integrated fundraising for funeral costs or charities, event management tools, and the ability to link the digital page to a physical site with a memorial QR code.
The rise of digital tributes reflects a fundamental human need to connect and remember, a sentiment echoed by experts. The American Counseling Association's work on grieving online highlights how these digital spaces can serve as a vital source of support. Our review process is grounded in this understanding, focusing on how these tools can best serve you and your family.
Decoding the costs: a transparent guide to free vs. paid memorial websites
One of the most immediate questions families face is how much a memorial website will cost. The good news is that you can create a beautiful, comprehensive tribute for free. However, different platforms have different financial models, and understanding them is key to choosing the right one for your needs without encountering unexpected charges.
The 'truly free' model
Some platforms are committed to providing their core services completely free of charge. They are often supported by other means, such as optional donations for funeral expenses (where they may take a small percentage) or partnerships with funeral homes.
- What it typically includes: A beautiful memorial page, unlimited photo uploads, a digital guestbook, and a wall for tributes and stories.
- Potential limitations: The page may feature advertisements, have limits on video storage, or offer fewer design customization options.
- Example: Ever Loved.
The 'freemium' model
This is a common approach where a platform offers a solid free version that is perfectly functional, but holds back certain premium features for a fee. It’s a good middle ground if you want more control or a more polished final product.
- What it typically includes: All the basics of the free model.
- Common paid upgrades: Ad removal, more advanced design themes, unlimited video hosting, and custom URL addresses.
- Example: Many platforms use a version of this to upsell specific features.
The 'one-time fee' model
For families who want peace of mind and long-term security, the one-time fee model is often the best choice. You pay a single, upfront cost to create the memorial and have it hosted forever, with no recurring bills.
- What it typically includes: All features unlocked, no ads, permanent hosting, enhanced privacy controls, and often, premium customer support.
- Benefits: This "set it and forget it" approach avoids subscription costs and ensures the memorial remains online for future generations without anyone needing to manage payments.
- Examples: Keeper, ForeverMissed, scan2remember.
The 'subscription' model
This model is less common in the memorial space but does exist. It involves paying a monthly or annual fee to keep the memorial page active and to access its features.
- What it might justify a subscription: Continuous cloud storage for a very large volume of high-resolution videos, ongoing platform updates, or dedicated technical support.
- Considerations: This model can become a long-term financial burden and raises the question of what happens to the memorial if the subscription lapses.
| Pricing Model | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truly Free | No cost, accessible to everyone. | May have ads, potential feature limitations. | Families needing a beautiful, no-cost solution quickly. |
| Freemium | Start for free and upgrade only if needed. | Premium features can be costly. | Users who want to try before they buy. |
| One-Time Fee | Pay once for lifetime access, no ads. | Higher upfront cost. | Families seeking a permanent, ad-free legacy. |
| Subscription | Access to continuous updates and support. | Can be expensive over time, risk of lapse. | Situations with specific, ongoing technical needs. |
The anatomy of a perfect tribute: 10 essential features for a collaborative memorial
The most meaningful online memorials are not static pages; they are living, breathing hubs where a community can gather to share, grieve, and celebrate a life. They become a digital reflection of the love that surrounds the person who has passed. As you compare platforms, look for these ten essential features that enable a truly collaborative and healing experience.
These features are more than just technical specifications; they are tools that help maintain a connection with the deceased. Mental health professionals refer to this concept as "Digital Grief and Continuing Bonds," where online interactions help shape an enduring relationship with the person’s memory.
Here are the 10 must-have features:
- Unlimited photo & video galleries: Memories are visual. A platform should allow you and others to upload an unlimited number of photos and videos, creating a rich, multimedia tapestry of your loved one's life.
- Collaborative storytelling / 'tributes' wall: This is the heart of the memorial. It should be a space where friends and family can easily share their own stories, anecdotes, and memories, building a multi-faceted portrait of the person they knew.
- Digital guestbook: A simple, elegant way for visitors to express their condolences, share a brief message of support, or simply sign their name to let the family know they are thinking of them.
- Service details & RSVP management: A central place to post information about the funeral, memorial service, or celebration of life. The best platforms allow you to include dates, times, maps, and even manage RSVPs to get an accurate headcount.
- Integrated fundraising: This feature can be a lifeline for families facing unexpected funeral costs or for those who wish to direct donations to a meaningful charity in their loved one's name. Look for platforms with transparent and low processing fees.
- Privacy controls: Your family’s grieving process is personal. A great platform gives you complete control over who can see and contribute to the memorial, with options to keep it public, accessible only by link, or completely private and password-protected.
- Music & playlist integration: Music is deeply tied to memory and emotion. The ability to add a favorite song or a curated playlist to the memorial page adds a powerful layer of personalization and comfort.
- Ease of sharing: The platform should provide simple, one-click tools to share the memorial page with friends and family via email, text message, or social media, ensuring everyone who wishes to participate can find it.
- Long-term accessibility: The memorial should last a lifetime. Look for a clear and explicit promise from the platform about how long the page will remain active. A one-time fee for "perpetual" or "lifetime" hosting is the gold standard.
- Mobile-friendly design: Many people will access the memorial page from their smartphones. The site must be fully responsive and easy to navigate on any device, ensuring a seamless experience for all visitors.
A compassionate review of the top 5 online memorial platforms for 2026
To help you make an informed choice, we’ve conducted a detailed review of the leading platforms, evaluating them against the criteria we outlined earlier. Each offers a unique set of strengths, and the "best" one truly depends on your family's specific needs and priorities.
Comparison of top online memorial platforms
| Platform | Pricing Model | Key Features | Ease-of-Use | QR Code | Best For... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ever Loved | Truly Free | All-in-one platform, fundraising, event info, price comparison tools. | ★★★★★ | No | The best all-around free option for comprehensive funeral planning and a beautiful memorial. |
| Keeper | One-Time Fee | Collaborative memorial, timeline biography, family tree, QR code plaques. | ★★★★☆ | Yes | Creating a permanent, collaborative family history with a physical QR code link. |
| Murial | Truly Free | Modern, beautiful design, simple interface, collaborative stories. | ★★★★★ | No | Simplicity and elegance, for those who want a beautiful, minimalist memorial without cost. |
| ForeverMissed | One-Time Fee | 15+ years online, high customization, ad-free, unlimited storage. | ★★★★☆ | No | Long-term preservation and deep customization from a highly established platform. |
| scan2remember | One-Time Fee | Seamless QR code integration, simple & elegant design, collaborative. | ★★★★★ | Yes | Families who want to seamlessly connect a physical grave or memorial to a living digital tribute. |
In-depth platform summaries
Ever Loved
Ever Loved has established itself as the leader in the free memorial space, and for good reason. It offers a remarkably comprehensive suite of tools at no cost. You can create a beautiful memorial page, gather stories and photos, organize event details, and run a fundraiser all in one place. The platform is incredibly user-friendly and guides you through the process gently.
Its business model is based on optional services, like taking a small percentage of fundraiser donations or partnerships with funeral homes. The only significant feature it lacks is a native QR code integration to link the page to a headstone.
- Best for: Families looking for the most powerful and comprehensive free platform on the market.
Keeper
Keeper is a fantastic option for those who prioritize long-term preservation and family history. It operates on a one-time fee model, ensuring the memorial you build will last forever. Its standout features include a collaborative timeline of the person's life, an interactive family tree, and the ability to order a physical QR code plaque to place on a memorial site.
The interface is rich with features, which can make it slightly less intuitive than the simplest platforms, but it offers incredible depth for those who want to build a detailed, lasting legacy.
- Best for: Building a detailed family history and securing a permanent tribute with a one-time payment.
Murial
Murial is a relative newcomer that shines with its beautiful, modern, and minimalist design. It is completely free and focuses on doing the core job of an online memorial exceptionally well: presenting photos and collaborative stories in an elegant, uncluttered interface. It is perhaps the easiest platform to get started with, allowing you to create a stunning tribute in just a few minutes.
While it doesn't have the extensive funeral planning tools of Ever Loved or the deep historical features of Keeper, its simplicity is its greatest strength. It provides a peaceful and beautiful space for remembrance.
- Best for: Users who value modern design, simplicity, and a completely free, ad-free experience.
ForeverMissed
As one of the pioneers in the online memorial space, ForeverMissed has a long track record of reliability. It offers a robust, highly customizable platform for a one-time fee. You get complete control over the page’s design, privacy, and content, with no ads and unlimited storage for photos and videos.
Its longevity in the market provides a strong sense of trust and permanence. The design may not feel as modern as Murial's, but its feature set is among the most comprehensive available for a paid platform.
- Best for: Families seeking maximum customization and the peace of mind that comes from a long-established, trusted platform.
scan2remember
Our platform, scan2remember, was founded on a simple but powerful idea: a digital tribute is most meaningful when it is connected to a physical place of remembrance. We specialize in making this connection seamless. For a single one-time fee, you can create a beautiful, collaborative online memorial and receive a discreet, durable QR code to place on a headstone, urn, or memorial bench.
We prioritized making our platform incredibly easy to use, ensuring that creating this lasting legacy is a simple and stress-free process. While other platforms offer QR codes as an add-on, our entire experience is designed around this unique and powerful connection, bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds.
- Best for: Families who want to create a living tribute by directly linking a digital memorial to a physical gravesite or monument.
The future of remembrance: connecting a digital legacy to a physical memorial
An online memorial provides a priceless, central hub for memories. But as years pass, the connection between that rich digital world and the physical place where we go to pay our respects—a gravesite, a memorial bench, a cremation niche—can become faint. Future generations may visit a headstone and see only a name and dates, with no sense of the vibrant life that was lived.
This is where the future of remembrance is heading.
What is a memorial QR code?
A memorial QR code is a small, weatherproof tag or plaque that is affixed to a headstone, urn, or other physical monument. When any visitor scans the code with their smartphone camera, they are instantly taken to the full online memorial page.
This simple technology transforms a static stone into a living story.
The benefits of a connected tribute:
- A living story at the graveside: Instead of just reading an engraving, visitors can instantly see photos from throughout a person's life, watch home videos, and read heartfelt stories shared by friends and family. It turns a quiet moment of reflection into a rich, immersive experience of remembrance.
- Bridging generations: Imagine your great-grandchildren visiting their ancestor's grave. With a simple scan, they can learn who that person was, what they looked like, what they sounded like, and the impact they had on the world. It preserves a legacy in a way that a name and date never could.
- Including remote loved ones: For friends and family who live far away and cannot visit the memorial site in person, knowing that the physical and digital tributes are linked creates a powerful sense of connection. They can contribute to the same memorial page that visitors at the graveside are viewing, uniting everyone in a single circle of remembrance.
At scan2remember, we are dedicated to this vision. Our platform is built from the ground up to make this connection effortless. We provide you with the tools to create a beautiful online tribute and deliver a high-quality, durable QR code to ensure that your loved one's story is always just a scan away.
Frequently asked questions about online memorials
What is the best all-around online memorial platform?
Ever Loved is often considered the best all-around free platform due to its comprehensive features for funeral planning and memorials. For those seeking permanent hosting and QR code integration for a one-time fee, Keeper and scan2remember are excellent choices.
Which memorial websites are completely free?
Ever Loved and Murial are two of the most popular online memorial websites that offer robust features completely free of charge. They are typically supported by optional commissions on fundraising or through partnerships with funeral service providers.
What are the must-have features for an online memorial?
The most important features for an online memorial are unlimited photo and video uploads, a collaborative wall for stories and tributes, a digital guestbook, and clear privacy controls to manage who can view and contribute to the page.
How can you include people who cannot attend a funeral in person?
An online memorial page is a powerful tool to include remote attendees. You can post service details, share a link to a livestream of the service, and provide a central place where they can share their own stories and read tributes from others, helping them feel connected to the community and the grieving process.
How much does it cost to build your own memorial website?
You can build a beautiful and comprehensive memorial website for free using platforms like Ever Loved or Murial. Other platforms may charge a one-time fee, typically ranging from $50 to $150, for lifetime hosting, ad removal, and additional premium features like QR code integration.
What should you include on an online memorial page?
A great memorial page should include a biography or obituary of the deceased, a large and diverse gallery of photos and videos from all stages of their life, details about the funeral or memorial service, and, most importantly, a space where friends and family can post their own stories, tributes, and condolences.
Creating a lasting tribute in a digital world
Choosing an online memorial is a deeply personal act of love. It is one of the final, important things you do for someone, and it creates a space for a community to heal together. The right platform should make this process feel simple, meaningful, and comforting—never stressful.
We hope this guide has provided you with the clarity to move forward. By understanding the different pricing models, focusing on the collaborative features that matter most, and considering the powerful connection between a physical and digital tribute, you can create a memorial that truly honors the life and legacy of your loved one.
This is about more than just a website; it’s about building a permanent home for memories, a place where stories can be shared and cherished forever.
If you feel that connecting a physical memorial to a living digital tribute is right for your family, we invite you to learn more about how scan2remember can help you create a lasting legacy.