Storynory
Storynory is a London-based independent children's audio publisher that has produced and distributed a free library of 600+ narrated stories via website and podcast since 2005, serving families, schools, and English learners globally and monetizing through donations, licensing, and custom production.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Storynory does
Storynory is a London-based, privately held (Storynory Ltd, UK company number 05479994) children's audio publisher that has produced and distributed free audio stories through its website and podcast since November 2005. Founded by Hugh Fraser, a former BBC Radio producer and Oxford-educated classicist who writes under the pen name Bertie, the company operates a library of more than 600 audio stories spanning original series, fairy tales, classic literature, world myths, educational content (including a Herodotus series), and poems, narrated by professional actors trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. The technical stack is deliberately lightweight and privacy-first: WordPress for the website, Libsyn for podcast hosting, Cloudflare for security and content delivery, and self-hosted Umami Analytics, with no cookies, no logins, and no behavioral tracking — designed for COPPA, UK GDPR, and CCPA compliance.
The business is free at the point of consumption for homes and schools, and historically was supported by programmatic advertising via AdSense. Following COPPA-driven changes that made child-directed programmatic advertising commercially untenable, the company removed ads from its website in November 2025 alongside a full site relaunch. Revenue now comes from three smaller streams: voluntary donations via Patreon, Ko-fi, and PayPal (with supporter rewards such as family shout-outs and writing competition entries); annual commercial licensing of its audio catalog to developers of apps, talking toys, AI products, and radio stations; and bespoke custom audio and podcast production services for third parties. Distribution is global via iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, RSS, and a Google-recognized YouTube children's channel, with an audience skewed to the United States (~50%) followed by the UK, Canada, Australia, and growing English-language-learning usage in India, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
Storynory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Storynory
- Legal name
- Storynory Ltd
- Website
- https://storynory.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Storynory is a London-based independent children's audio publisher that has produced and distributed a free library of 600+ narrated stories via website and podcast since 2005, serving families, schools, and English learners globally and monetizing through donations, licensing, and custom production.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Storynory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Audio Content
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Industries (5122), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s Audio Publishing (Audiobooks & Podcasts) (MPAJAFAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Exclusive/Original Audio Content Studios (Audio Originals, Serialized Audio) (MPAJAIAF), Audio Learning Content (Podcasts, Audiobooks, Listening Programs) (EDAGALAM)
Keywords
Where Storynory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Storynory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Advertising: Previously the main revenue source through AdSense. Changes to Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) have made programmatic advertising more challenging. The company is now not using programmatic advertising.
- Donations and Support (Patreon, Ko-fi, PayPal): Community support through Patreon, Ko-fi, and PayPal. Supporters can receive shout-outs for their families in audio stories and participate in writing competitions.
- Commercial Licensing: Annual license fee for commercial apps that use their content. Developers of talking toys, apps, AI products, or radio stations can license their high-quality audio content.
- Custom Audio and Writing Services: Storynory produces custom audio and writing projects for third parties, including podcast production and specialized content creation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free tier for homes and schools |
| Subscription | Annual | Commercial app licensing |
| Subscription | Monthly | Support tiers via Patreon/Ko-fi |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Storynory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Storynory is a UK-based podcast and website that has streamed free audio stories for children since November 2005. It offers over 600 audio stories across original series, fairy tales, classic authors, world myths, educational content, and poems, narrated by professional actors with music and sound effects. The service is free for homes and schools and is also available through commercial licensing for apps, talking toys, AI products, and radio stations.
Product overview
Storynory is a UK-based podcast and website (Storynory Ltd, Company number 05479994) that has provided free audio stories for children since November 2005. The platform offers a single unified product delivering free audio streaming of over 600 children's stories across six main content categories: Original Stories (exclusive series including Bertie, Katie the Witch, Astropup, Birdy, Dutch Hotel, and others written in-house by founder Hugh Fraser), Fairy Tales (classics from Andersen, Grimm, Perrault, Aesop), Classic Authors (Lewis Carroll, Dickens, Wilde, Kipling, Conan Doyle), Myths and World Stories (Greek, Norse, Chinese, and global mythology), Educational Content (Bible stories, Herodotus histories, language learning), and Poems and Music. The company also offers commercial licensing of its audio content and custom production services. Content is distributed through the website, podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify), and YouTube. The service is primarily funded through voluntary donations via Patreon, Ko-fi, and PayPal.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Storynory Podcast and Website Free audio streaming platform and podcast serving over 600 children's stories across original series, fairy tales, classics, myths, and educational content, distributed via website, podcast apps, and YouTube. Aimed at families with children, teachers, and English language learners.
- Original Stories
Quantifiable outcome
- Approximately 1 million downloads per month during peak periods
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Storynory
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Storynory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature2 records
Storynory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- LibsyncorePodcast hosting service that stores and delivers Storynory's mp3 audio files. Libsyn automatically receives device IP addresses and technical information when users listen, which is used for essential internal operations like counting listens and preventing abuse.
- CloudflarecoreProvides security and performance optimization for Storynory's website infrastructure. Processes limited technical data about visits for web-service performance and protection from abuse.
- Umami AnalyticscoreSelf-hosted privacy-focused analytics used by Storynory. Does not collect personally identifiable information, anonymizes all data, does not use cookies or tracking. Helps understand story popularity and website performance.
- PatreonsupportingPlatform for community support and donations. Supporters can contribute monthly and receive rewards such as family shout-outs in audio stories and entry into writing competitions.
- Ko-fisupportingAlternative support platform to Patreon for one-time tips and ongoing support. Storynory is testing Ko-fi as potentially easier to use for both supporters and the company.
- PayPalsupportingPayment platform for sending tips and supporting Storynory. Used as an alternative to Patreon/Ko-fi for supporters who prefer PayPal.
- Apple PodcastscoreMajor podcast distribution platform where Storynory's podcast is available for subscription and download.
- SpotifycorePodcast distribution platform where Storynory's content is available for streaming and download.
- YouTubecoreOfficial Storynory YouTube channel recognized by Google as a children's channel, subject to enhanced privacy restrictions for young people's privacy.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Storynory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Audible (Amazon): Audible is the dominant audiobook subscription platform and operates a large children's audiobook catalog. Comparable as the incumbent in the same audio-listening category but with vastly broader scope, scale and a paid rather than free model.
- BBC CBeebies Radio: CBeebies Radio is the BBC's children's audio offering, including bedtime stories and original series. Comparable because it targets the same UK preschool/early-primary audience with professionally produced narration, even pre-dating Storynory as the BBC's 'Jackanory' tradition.
- Spotify Kids: Spotify Kids is the children's tier of the global audio streaming incumbent, offering curated stories, music and podcasts for kids. Comparable because it competes for the same family listening occasions and has the distribution scale Storynory depends on.
- Wondery: Wondery is a major podcast network producing serialized audio content, including family-oriented shows. Comparable as a podcast-first content studio/distributor that overlaps with Storynory in professionally produced audio storytelling.
Direct peers
- Tonies: Tonies sells the Toniebox, a children's audio player that plays licensed content via figurines. Comparable because Tonies is a commercial licensee and aggregator of children's audio, mirroring Storynory's commercial-licensing motion and competing for the same parent-and-school audience.
- Pinna: Pinna is a subscription children's audio streaming service offering original and curated audiobooks and podcasts for kids. Directly comparable because it targets the same families and schools with a similar mix of original series, classics and educational stories.
- Yoto: Yoto makes a screen-free children's audio player and curates licensed audio content (stories, music, podcasts) for kids. Directly comparable to Storynory because both build and license curated children's audio catalogs, and both monetize via hardware/app + content licensing rather than ads.
Emerging players
- Speakaboos: Speakaboos offers interactive read-along and audio story content for K-3 learners, often via school and library licensing. Comparable as a smaller, education-focused children's audio platform that monetizes through institutional rather than consumer subscriptions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Storynory social profiles
Digital presenceStorynory compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Storynory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Storynory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Storynory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Storynory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Storynory
What does Storynory do?
Storynory is a UK-based podcast and website that has streamed free audio stories for children since November 2005. It offers over 600 audio stories across original series, fairy tales, classic authors, world myths, educational content, and poems, narrated by professional actors with music and sound effects. The service is free for homes and schools and is also available through commercial licensing for apps, talking toys, AI products, and radio stations.
Is Storynory a public or private company?
Storynory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Storynory founded?
Storynory was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Storynory based?
Storynory is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Storynory make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are donations and Support (Patreon, Ko-fi, PayPal), commercial Licensing and custom Audio and Writing Services.
Who are Storynory's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Audible (Amazon), BBC CBeebies Radio, Spotify Kids and Wondery. Direct peers are Tonies, Pinna and Yoto. Speakaboos is listed as an emerging player.
Does Storynory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Storynory.
What industry is Storynory in?
Storynory's product category is Children's Audio Content. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAFAI, Children’s Audio Publishing (Audiobooks & Podcasts), with a secondary code of MPAJAIAF, Exclusive/Original Audio Content Studios (Audio Originals, Serialized Audio). Its NAICS code is 5122.