Lunii alternative: what to pick depending on what you need
The best Lunii alternative depends on what you want to change: the price, the stories on offer or the person who tells them. First, when a Lunii is still the right pick. Then the options US and UK parents usually weigh against it, Lulio included, though Lulio is billed in euros and costs more each month than several of them.
When a Lunii works well
Lunii is a French brand. In the US its storyteller is called My Fabulous Storyteller, sells for $79.90 on lunii.com and is meant for children aged 3 to 8. The child builds a story by picking a hero, a place, a companion and an object, then listens to the result. Lunii describes it as a way to keep quiet time free of screens.
If what you need is for your child to listen alone while you cook dinner or rest, a Lunii does the job. Lulio needs a parent there every evening.
What sends people looking elsewhere
On the US site, extra audiobooks are sold one at a time, for example $8.99 for Mr. Men Little Miss Vol. 1, $12.99 for Andersen's Fairy Tales and $17.99 for Clue. The US product page doesn't mention a subscription. Some titles, such as The Swap / L'Échange, mix English and French.
In the UK, the lunii.com/en-gb page we opened showed French-language content priced in euros, so check delivery and the English catalog before you order. The child picks from preset story elements, and the product page doesn't say whether their own first name or siblings can be added.
Yoto, the card player
Yoto plays cards. In the US, the Yoto Mini 4th Gen costs $109.99 and the Yoto Player 4th Gen $149.99. In the UK they cost £89.99 and £119.99. Yoto says both suit children aged 3 and up. Cards are bought one by one (a Disney Pixar bedtime collection is $7.99 in the US), and Yoto Club starts at $4.99 a month in the US or £3.99 a month in the UK, with more than 300 titles included and a two-week free trial.
The Player 4th Gen has a display that shows artwork and a clock, plus a night light. Yoto still calls it screen-free listening, since there is no video. If you want an object with no display at all, the Lunii storyteller is closer.
Toniebox, for the youngest
The Toniebox 2 costs $129.99 in the US and £104.99 in the UK, and tonies says it is designed for children from age 1.
Stories come on small figures you place on top of the box; regular-price figures are $19.99 in the US. You need Wi-Fi to set it up. Like Lunii and Yoto, it lets your child listen without you.
Apps, and books
Sleep and story apps such as Moshi ($9.99 a month or $49.99 a year in the US) and Calm, whose kids' Sleep Stories come with Calm Premium ($79.99 a year in the US), narrate the story for your child. They run on a phone or tablet, so the screen is in the room even if nobody watches it.
Readmio works the other way round: you read the story aloud and the app adds sounds and music as you go. A printed book is still the simplest option, with no device and no subscription, until you run out of stories and have to buy or borrow another book.
Where Lulio fits
Lulio is a bedtime story subscription for children aged 2 to 10. Each evening brings a new episode of a 3 to 7 episode saga starring your child as the hero, where siblings, pets and comfort toys can play a part. The text is written to be read aloud by a parent, in 5, 10 or 15 minutes. There is no audio narration, and your child has no screen to watch.
The first episode is free, no credit card needed. After that the subscription is €12.99 a month with VAT included (€19.99 for the Family plan, for two children), with no commitment, billed in euros. Twelve months of Lulio Solo come to €155.88, which is more than a Lunii storyteller you buy once and keep.
If your child needs to be able to listen alone, keep a Lunii, or look at a Yoto or a Toniebox. If you want a reading moment together, with a story that carries on from one evening to the next, Lulio's first episode is free, no credit card needed.
Their name, their worlds, their first story
Nine questions, three minutes. You watch their universe take shape, screen after screen, and their first episode, which is free, is written right away.
Try it freeThe first episode is on us, no card needed.