Kept in Print vs zapptales
The short version: zapptales is bigger, broader and posts you a parcel. Kept in Print reads only WhatsApp, prints voice notes as ink rather than QR codes, and sells you the print-ready file so a shop near you can bind it. We wrote this page, so read the “where zapptales wins” section first — it is the honest part and it is not short.
At a glance
| zapptales | Kept in Print | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is made | Germany | Durban, South Africa |
| Chat apps read | Six | WhatsApp only |
| Voice notes | QR code, add-on, 10-year hosting | Waveform + real duration, printed |
| Videos | QR code | One still frame |
| Free version | Preview | The whole book, marked |
| The file on its own | Included when you order a book | Sold on its own |
| Page sizes | A5 | A4, A5, A6, 21 cm square |
| Dark-mode pages | Backgrounds and fonts to choose | Yes, priced separately for ink coverage |
| Long chats | Volume discount past 1,000 pages | Split into matching volumes at ~350 pages |
| Hand-bound tier | — | Heirloom, edition of one |
| Your chat afterwards | Cloud storage sold as an add-on | Deleted within 48 hours |
| Scale | 250,000+ customers | One person |
Competitor figures were read from their own published pages on 9 August 2026 and are quoted for comparison, not as a live quote — zapptales pricing and My Forever Books. Prices change; check theirs before you decide. If you find something here that is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Where zapptales wins
Three of these are decisive and you should not let a page written by the competitor talk you out of them.
Six chat platforms against one
WhatsApp, iMessage, Messenger, Telegram, Threema, Instagram. Kept in Print parses WhatsApp exports and nothing else. If your conversation is anywhere else, this comparison is over and zapptales has won it.
They will actually post you a book, today
Softcover and hardcover, an established fulfilment operation, years of doing it. Read the availability note below before assuming parity here.
A quarter of a million customers
That is a real answer to “what if it goes wrong”. Kept in Print is one person paying for hosting out of pocket. The upside is that he reads every message sent through the contact form; the downside is that he is one person.
QR codes can play a video
Paper cannot. If your chat is full of clips your mother should be able to watch, a scannable code is the correct technology and we do not have an answer to it.
Where Kept in Print wins
1. The voice notes are ink
zapptales prints voice messages and videos as QR codes, sold as an add-on that includes ten years of hosting for the audio. That is a clearly-stated ten-year clock on the part of the book people care most about. Kept in Print typesets the waveform and the real duration onto the page, the way it looked on the phone — no server, no scan, nothing to expire. It cannot play, and that is the trade. The full argument, including where the QR approach is genuinely better, is in QR code or printed waveform.
2. The file is the product, not the parcel
zapptales includes a PDF when you order a book — the file comes with the parcel. Kept in Print sells the print-ready file as the thing: exact A4, A5, A6 or 21 cm square pages and a wraparound cover sized to your spine, made to be handed to a print shop. If you are in Johannesburg or Lagos or Manila, that difference is the entire economics of this purchase — a shop near you binds it same-day and no parcel crosses an ocean.
3. You see the whole book before paying
Not a sample spread — all of it. Build the book, read three hundred pages, close the tab and never come back if you like. The free version carries a faint mark across each page and a small lockup on the cover; nothing is blurred, hidden or paywalled. This matters more than it sounds, because a WhatsApp export is unpredictable — see the photos that go missing — and the only way to know what your book will look like is to look at it.
Kept in Print’s side, live from the till:
- Print-ready files
- R349one payment, one book
- The whole book, free
- R0every page, faint mark across it
Your exact number depends on how long your chat is. Slide the calculator to your chat’s size, or drop your export in and let the studio count the pages for free.
So which should you pick?
Not WhatsApp? zapptales. In Europe and you want a parcel with no thinking? zapptales. Videos that must remain watchable? zapptales. WhatsApp, outside Europe, and you would rather have the file and a local binder? Kept in Print, by a distance. The voice notes are the reason you are doing this at all? Kept in Print — and if you think we are biased on that, we are, so read the mechanics and decide yourself. Either way, build the free version first; it costs nothing to find out what your own chat looks like typeset.
Questions people actually ask
Is Kept in Print cheaper than zapptales?
For the file, usually — it is sold on its own rather than bundled with a parcel. For a posted book the comparison depends on your page count and where you live, and international shipping generally decides it. Their published pricing starts at €32.90 softcover for the first 100 pages, plus €4 per additional 50 pages, checked in August 2026.
Does Kept in Print support iMessage or Telegram?
No. It reads WhatsApp exports from iPhone and Android and nothing else. zapptales handles six platforms and is the right choice if your conversation is on any of the others.
What happens to my chat after the book is made?
At Kept in Print the finished pages are deleted as soon as your book reaches you, and within 48 hours in every case if something fails partway. There is an optional library you can tick into if you want a paid book kept; untick it, which is how it starts, and nothing is held.
Which one prints voice notes better?
They do different things. zapptales prints a scannable code that plays the audio for as long as it is hosted. Kept in Print prints the waveform and the real length as ink, which cannot play and cannot expire. Permanence against playback — pick the one that matches why you are making the book.
Can I try Kept in Print without paying?
Yes, completely. Sign in, upload your export, build the whole book and read every page. The free version is the entire book with a faint mark across it. Nothing is hidden behind the payment.
Compare them with your own chat, not ours.
Build the free versionThis is one of the comparisons — or see everything we’ve written.