Best Free Memorial Websites in 2026: What Each One Actually Gives You for Nothing
"Free memorial website" is one of those searches where every result says yes and almost none of them mean the same thing. Some sites never charge for the page. Some are free but wrap the page in advertising. Some are free to start and quietly ask for money at the exact moment you are least able to say no — when the photos are uploaded, the family has the link, and the page is about to lapse.
This article sorts eight memorial sites by that one question: how much of the memorial stays free? Not "does it have a free plan" — they all do — but what the free plan covers, whether the page carries ads, and where the paywall sits if there is one.
If you already know which site you want and just need the how-to, how to create a free online memorial walks through the steps. If you are weighing paid options too, the wider best online memorial websites roundup covers ten. This page is only about free.
How the List Is Ordered
Three groups, in this order. Each site is labelled so you can check the placement yourself.
- Free with no ads and no paywall on the page — the page is the product, and nobody charges for it.
- Free with no ads, optional paid upgrade — the free page is complete and permanent; paying adds extras.
- Free with a catch — either ads on the page, or a paywall on something a memorial needs (the guest book, the photos, the page staying up).
Within each group the order is our judgement. Between groups it is not.
Quick Comparison
| # | Site | Free page | Ads on free page | Where the paywall sits | App |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ever Loved | Yes, permanent | No | Printed programs, fundraiser fee | No |
| 2 | MuchLoved | Yes, permanent | No | None (charity, donations optional) | No |
| 3 | GetMemorial ⭐ | Yes, permanent | No | Over 50 photos, video, premium themes | iOS |
| 4 | Keeper | Yes | No | Lifetime plan under $100 for extras | Yes |
| 5 | Forever Missed | Yes | Yes | Ad removal and features, paid lifetime | No |
| 6 | Legacy.com | Obituary listing | Yes | Long-term guest book access | No |
| 7 | GatheringUs | Memorial page | No | Events and streaming | No |
| 8 | Kudoboard | Trial board | No | Per-board pricing after trial | No |
Group 1 — Free, No Ads, No Paywall on the Page
1. Ever Loved
Ever Loved is the cleanest answer to "is it really free". The memorial page costs nothing, stays up, and carries no third-party advertising. The company earns from optional printed programs and from a platform fee on money raised through its fundraiser — never from the page itself.
What the free page includes. Obituary, photos, service details with RSVP, a fundraiser, and a place to leave messages. For the fortnight around a funeral it is hard to beat.
Where it runs out. The page is built for that fortnight. It is a clean static listing rather than a memorial that grows over years, there is no app, and the templates are utilitarian. Families who want a page that keeps filling up tend to move later — Ever Loved alternatives covers that move.
2. MuchLoved
MuchLoved is a registered UK charity, which changes the economics completely. There are no tiers, no upsells, and no ads. Donations to the charity are encouraged and optional, and the site handles in-memory giving to other charities well.
What the free page includes. Life story, photos, tributes, candles, and charitable donations in memory. Many UK funeral directors set one up for the family automatically.
Where it runs out. The design is conservative, media handling is limited, and outside the UK and Ireland it is an unusual choice. If you want a page that looks contemporary on a phone, this is not it.
Group 2 — Free, No Ads, Optional Paid Upgrade
3. GetMemorial — Editor's Pick ⭐
This is our product, so read what follows with that in mind. It sits in group 2 rather than group 1 because a paid tier exists — but the free page is complete, permanent, and carries no ads, and that is the placement rule.
What the free page includes. A memorial with a life story, up to 50 photos, and tributes; family members contributing from their own phones without a shared login; Western and East Asian remembrance traditions both supported; English, Spanish, and Chinese. The free page does not expire.
Where the paywall sits. Premium — $4.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $89.99 once for life — lifts the 50-photo limit, adds video uploads, premium themes, and background music. Nothing you have already added is held hostage; the free page stays as it is if you never pay.
What it does badly. No funeral RSVP and no fundraiser, so Ever Loved is the better first-week tool. There is an iOS app but the Android version is still in development. It is memorial-first, which means it is the wrong choice if all you want is an obituary listing people can find by name.
4. Keeper
Keeper pairs each memorial with a cemetery location and a family tree, and it has a mobile app. If genealogy matters to your family, that combination is unusual.
What the free page includes. A memorial with photos and tributes, linked to the cemetery record.
Where the paywall sits. A one-time lifetime plan under $100 adds features. The free page stays.
What it does badly. It is a database with a memorial attached, and the visual experience is functional rather than warm. The community is smaller than the sites above.
Group 3 — Free, With a Catch
5. Forever Missed
Forever Missed has been around for nearly two decades and is strongest for long, written life stories with a rich editor. The free tier is real and the page stays up.
The catch: ads. The free page carries third-party advertising, which is the thing families mention most when they describe why they left. Removing the ads and unlocking the fuller feature set is a paid lifetime upgrade.
What it does badly. The interface shows its age and there is no app. Forever Missed alternatives goes into the trade-offs.
6. Legacy.com
Legacy.com is the largest obituary network in the US, tied to thousands of local newspapers. Reading and signing the guest book is free, and if a funeral home placed a newspaper notice the obituary usually appears here without the family doing anything.
The catch: the obituary is not free to place, and the guest book is not free to keep. The listing generally comes bundled with a paid newspaper notice, and long-term guest book access has historically been a paid add-on. As a memorial the page is thin, ads run beside it, and it belongs to the newspaper's arrangement rather than to you.
Use it for reach — it ranks for name searches like nothing else — and keep the memorial elsewhere. Best online obituary sites covers that split in detail.
7. GatheringUs
GatheringUs offers a free memorial page, but the company is really a virtual funeral service — live streaming, production, and coordination of an online event.
The catch: the free page is the doorway, not the product. The event side runs to four figures. If you only want a lasting page, the free tier is fine but basic, and there is no app.
8. Kudoboard
Kudoboard is a group card, not a memorial site. Coworkers or classmates each add a message, photo, or short video and the result is a collage. It is a lovely thing for an office to make.
The catch: it is a trial, and it is not built to last. After the free trial boards are priced individually, and there is no obituary, no life story, and no structure for a page that is supposed to be there in ten years. Make one as a companion to a memorial, not instead of one.
What "Free" Can Hide
Four things to check on any site before you upload the photos — including ours.
Does the page expire? Some platforms leave a free page public for a year and then archive it unless you upgrade. Look for the word "permanent" in the terms, not the marketing.
Are there ads? Open an existing memorial on the site while logged out, on a phone. That is what a grieving relative will see.
Who owns the photos? If you cannot download what you uploaded at full size, the site owns the memorial in practice, whatever the terms say.
Where is the paywall? Free to create is different from free to keep. The honest sites tell you up front what paying adds; the others tell you when the page is about to disappear.
Which Free Site for Which Family
| You want… | Look at |
|---|---|
| One free link for the funeral, RSVP and fundraiser | Ever Loved |
| A no-strings charity page, and you are in the UK | MuchLoved |
| A free page that grows for years, built for phones and family contributions | GetMemorial |
| A memorial tied to a cemetery record and family tree | Keeper |
| A long written biography, and ads do not bother you | Forever Missed |
| The obituary found by name in the local paper | Legacy.com, alongside a memorial site |
| A quick group tribute from the office | Kudoboard, as a companion |
Two of these together is often the right answer: a free obituary listing for reach, and a free memorial page for the years after. Neither costs anything, and each does the job the other cannot.
FAQ
Which memorial websites are completely free with no ads? Ever Loved and MuchLoved never charge for the page and carry no ads. GetMemorial and Keeper have free, ad-free pages with an optional paid upgrade.
Is Forever Missed free? Yes, with third-party ads on the free page. A paid lifetime upgrade removes them.
Is Legacy.com free? Viewing and signing the guest book is free. Placing the obituary generally goes through a paid newspaper notice, and long-term guest book access has historically been paid.
Can a free memorial page disappear? On some sites, yes — a free page may be archived after a set period unless upgraded. Check the terms for the word "permanent". On the sites in groups 1 and 2 above, the free page stays.
Do I have to pay to keep a GetMemorial page? No. The free page is permanent and ad-free, with room for 50 photos. Premium lifts that limit and adds video, premium themes, and music; it does not gate what you have already built.
GetMemorial helps families build beautiful, lasting online memorials in minutes — a permanent home for tributes, photos, and stories. Build yours at GetMemorial.com.
