BookByAnyone Alternative: 5 Personalised AI Book Services Compared (2026)
Book by Anyone (the "by" is part of the brand) is the largest player in the AI-personalised-book space and the one most gift-buyers hear about first. They specialise in 240-page roast-style books — long, comedy-heavy, US-based, and priced at the premium end (typically $40+ once you factor in shipping outside the US).
If you've landed on this page you've probably already seen them and want a comparison. Maybe you want a UK alternative with cheaper shipping. Maybe you want something less roast-y and more sentimental. Maybe you just want to know what else exists before committing $40.
This piece covers the five other services worth knowing about in 2026, what they're each good at, and when each one is the right pick instead of BookByAnyone.
What people actually want from a "BookByAnyone alternative"
When we look at the searches that bring people to comparison pages like this one, the wishlist clusters around five things:
- Lower total cost — BookByAnyone's $40-$60 landed price (book + shipping outside US) is at the premium end. Some buyers want a £20-£30 option.
- UK / EU fulfilment — international shipping from the US can take 2+ weeks and adds VAT/customs friction. UK-based fulfilment lands in 7-14 business days at no extra cost.
- Less roast, more heartfelt — BookByAnyone's voice is heavily comedy-driven and works brilliantly for cheeky-friend gifts. It's not what you want for your mum or a wedding anniversary.
- Hardback option — softcover-only is a no for milestone gifts. Several alternatives offer hardback.
- Faster turnaround — BookByAnyone takes 1-2 days to generate; some alternatives are under 5 minutes for the same length of book.
Each alternative below trades different things off against BookByAnyone's strengths.
The five worth knowing about
1. GiftBookStory — UK, multi-format, wizard-driven
GiftBookStory (us) is the UK answer to the same buyer. Adult-focused, 27,000-word, 10-chapter stories with a 10-question wizard. Three formats: softcover £24.99, comic-book edition £27.99, hardback £29.99. Free UK delivery, 7-14 business days door-to-door. Story generation in under five minutes, with a free PDF preview emailed before checkout so you can sanity-check the voice.
Where it beats BookByAnyone: cheaper landed price for UK buyers, faster generation, hardback option, less aggressively roast-y by default (you pick the genre — comedy is one of six). Where BookByAnyone still wins: longer books (240 pages vs ~100-120), bigger brand awareness, US shoppers don't pay shipping.
2. BookTailor — UK, comedy-heavy
BookTailor is another UK service in the same niche, leans heavier into the comedy/roast direction. Pricing comparable to GiftBookStory. Worth a look if comedy is specifically what you want and the GiftBookStory tone feels too sentimental. Their wizard is shorter (fewer questions), which gives faster generation but less personalisation depth.
3. Pooks.ai — US, goal-driven format
Pooks.ai takes a different angle: the books are organised around a goal or interest the recipient has (career growth, relationship, fitness, mindset). The story works as a kind of personalised self-help novella. Premium price point. Best for the recipient who'd actually engage with personal-development content; not the right pick for a quick "read on holiday" gift.
4. Gift A Story — US, premium price, longer format
Gift A Story ships paperback or hardcover at the higher end of the price range ($29 paperback, $49 hardcover at time of writing). 6×9 inch books, ~300 pages. Slightly slower generation (10-15 minutes) but the format is generous. US-based; international shipping costs and timing are the trade-off.
5. MyStoryBot — DIY angle
MyStoryBot leans toward giving the user the AI tools to draft a book themselves rather than producing the printed gift end-to-end. Lower price, more work for you. Worth knowing about if you specifically want to write a book about someone WITH AI assistance rather than commission one as a finished product.
Quick decision matrix
| If you want… | Pick | |---|---| | Lowest landed cost in the UK | GiftBookStory (£24.99 softcover, free UK delivery) | | Premium hardback gift, US shopper | Gift A Story or BookByAnyone | | Heaviest comedy / roast voice | BookByAnyone or BookTailor | | Faster generation + sentimental option | GiftBookStory (six genres, not just comedy) | | Longest book (200+ pages) | BookByAnyone or Gift A Story | | Personal-development angle | Pooks.ai |
When to stick with BookByAnyone
Three cases:
1. You're shopping from the US, where shipping is included in their price and the comparable services charge international shipping. 2. The recipient is a comedy person specifically — sarcastic friend, brother who roasts everyone, work-mate's leaving party. BookByAnyone's voice was tuned for exactly this. 3. Page count matters to you — if "240 pages" feels like a more substantive gift than "120 pages," BookByAnyone is the longest in the category.
When to switch
Three cases:
1. You're in the UK or EU — landed cost is materially lower with UK-based fulfilment, and the delivery window is more reliable. 2. The recipient is your mum, partner, or someone you want to gift something heartfelt to — the default-comedy voice doesn't suit. Pick a service where you can choose memoir, romance, or drama instead. 3. You want to preview the story before paying — most BookByAnyone alternatives let you see at least the chapter outline (and sometimes a sample chapter) before checkout. BookByAnyone is more "place the order, see the result." See the book wizard for what a step-10 preview looks like.
The honest take
The category is small enough that the right answer is usually "whichever service best matches the tone you want and the country you're in." There's no single winner. BookByAnyone built the category and serves the comedy-heavy, US-based, premium-page-count buyer well. The alternatives have each carved out a slice — UK fulfilment, sentimental tone, premium hardback, personal-development format.
Pick the one that matches your specific gift situation. If your mum is turning 60 and you're in Bristol, GiftBookStory hardback at £29.99 with free UK delivery is the answer. If your roommate is leaving for a new job and you're in San Francisco, BookByAnyone is the answer. The "best service" question is shaped by the recipient and the country, not by the service.
Ready to compare for your own gift situation? The wizard is free to start; it'll show you the chapter outline and cover before you commit.