Online memorials and memorial websites allow friends and family to remember a loved one long after their death. These unique virtual tributes feature pictures, memories, and legacy updates by the site creator and visitors. Many online memorial companies offer free services and premium fee-based options for creating memorial pages to help those who are grieving band together in their time of need.
Beautiful Tribute
Beautiful Tribute receives its funding from funeral home partners and donations, so it's free for anyone to create and maintain a memorial site with no advertising. You can easily set up a stunning, professional-looking memorial with an email address and a few minutes. While there is only one format to customize with your loved one's information, this site offers many great features. You won't be able to set up a lot of pages on the memorial, but guests can leave messages and see the basics on the homepage. Aside from the nonexistent price tag, this site's easy donation feature really sets this platform apart.
- You can upload an unlimited amount of pictures, videos, and music.
- The memorial pages have convenient buttons for sharing.
- Guests can donate to the deceased's favorite charity or a trust fund that's been set up for their children via the site.
Tributes.com
Featuring obituaries for celebrities and local citizens as reported by funeral homes, Tributes.com takes its services a step further by offering a platform for individual memorials for pets or people. The site is incredibly easy and inexpensive but does include some third-party advertising. One of the features unique to this site is the option to sign up for reminders of the anniversary of a loved one's death. You'll need an email address to get started, or to comment on an existing memorial. Guests can also connect with the memorial via Facebook.
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The "basic death notice" option costs about $20. It includes a basic obituary, pictures, and information about funeral services. Guests can share photos, written or recorded messages, or light a virtual candle for the deceased by pairing a short message with a candle illustration.
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The premium "eternal tribute" package costs about $50 and offers more customization options, such as full-screen background themes, background music, and unlimited photos. It includes a "life stories" tab where guests can participate in forum-style discussions about the deceased. Military families have access to a special military obituary format.
Keeper
Keeper provides options for families to create free online memorials for their loved ones who have passed away. They also host virtual memorial services. An individual can create up to two Keeper memorials using the free version. There is also a fee-based version that provides unlimited memorial pages and enhanced capabilities for a one-time payment of around $75. This is a wonderful option for families who like the idea of a centralized place to memorialize all family members who have passed on, to create a unique family tree resource. Both Keeper options feature a biography and obituary information and a guest book where visitors can comment. Key differences include:
- The free option allows up to five memento images and one donation link. You can also embed YouTube links to videos. The URL is not customizable and only one administrator is allowed.
- The fee-based option allows you to upload unlimited images and HD video files. It also has advanced privacy settings, allows multiple administrators, and can be used to build out an extensive family tree.
Ever Loved
Also offering free and fee-based options, Ever Loved is a great memorial website option. Use this site to publish obituary and funeral information and to communicate with people who visit the site to pay tribute to your loved one. Even with the free version, posting isn't limited to just the host. Relatives and friends can also upload their own cherished photos to the site. For a one-time fee of just under $200, you can limit who has the ability to post and restrict viewing to visitors who have a password. The fee will also remove external links from your memorial page. Other interesting features of both versions include:
- Send thank-you notes to people who post or otherwise interact with the site.
- Create a timeline highlighting key milestones in the deceased's life.
- Acknowledge caregivers who helped your loved one.
- Provide a way for people to let you know if they are coming to the funeral.
- Accept donations from people who want to help with funeral expenses.
Legacy.com
Legacy.com offers customization options like overall themes and the ability to move elements to different parts of the page, giving hosts ultimate personalization to create a truly original memorial. However, having more options means that it is a bit more difficult and time-consuming to set up a memorial on this site than some of the more basic ones. The first two weeks of hosting are free, then the site must be sponsored on an annual basis. The fee is $49 for the first year, then $19 annually to renew. Memorial sites are archived when they're not actively sponsored.
- Individual sites have a name or title created by the host and hold up to 150 photos and 30 audio or video files.
- The site has a journal section where hosts can blog on a regular basis.
- You can add an unlimited number of charity website links so guests can donate or volunteer with charities related to the deceased's death.
Memorial Matters
Memorial Matters provides a great variety of customization options. This fee-based platform doesn't incorporate advertising and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Basic features include room for up to 100 pictures, the addition of music to the background, and a standard biography. The first two weeks and creation are free. After that, you pay $5 per month, $50 per year, or $95 for an everlasting memorial. The password protection feature allows hosts to keep the site private. Additional features include:
- 50 templates in the categories of natural, religious, hobbies, sports, child, patriotic and simple colors
- Organized sections featured on the homepage in a grid pattern
- Ability to print a copy of the memorial site
- Capability to include video links to YouTube videos
- Option to send virtual flowers
Memorialize Your Loved One's Life
Each person in the world touches the lives of many, whether it be friends and family members or casual acquaintances. Even after a loved one has passed away, their presence will remain in the lives of the many people they impacted while they were alive. Creating an online memorial gives all those touched lives the chance to remember and pay tribute to the deceased in a centralized location that can be accessed from anywhere.
