Written June 14, 2026
Mia, you were born at 6:12 in the morning and you did not cry. You looked around the room as if you were checking that we had everything ready. We did not. We still don't, most days.
— Mom
For their 18th birthday, a wedding, a graduating class
A gift they can't open today.
A letter from everyone who loves them, waiting for the day you choose. Ask family and friends to write, add photos and a voice note, and seal it. Nobody can read it before then. Not even you.
No app, no account · $15 once for the whole family · Or write any letter, free within a year
Who is it for?
Pick a moment. We set the date and the wording for you, and you can change anything.
Their 18th birthday
Parents, grandparents and old friends each write a letter. It opens the morning they turn 18.
Create a birthday capsule →
The 10th anniversary
Every guest leaves a few words for the couple. They read them together, ten years on.
Create a wedding capsule →
The reunion
Everyone writes before they scatter. The capsule opens on the day you meet again.
Create a class capsule →
Five years from now
Tell the person you will be what you hope for today. A text letter like this is free.
Write to future you →Ideas for what to write: your child · wedding · graduating class · yourself
What Mia receives on June 14, 2044
One email on the morning of the day. Then fourteen letters, in fourteen voices.
She chooses to open it. The letters appear one by one, each with the date it was written and any photos that came with it. This is an example, written by us.
From Dear Later <letters@dearlater.app>
To Mia
A time capsule for you, from Mom and others
June 14, 2044 · 7:00 AM
Hi Mia,
Today is the day a time capsule was set to open for you: For Mia, on your 18th birthday.
From: Mom and others
Open the capsuleYou can choose to accept or decline it before anything is shown.
Written August 3, 2026
I held you for the first time today. You have your grandfather's ears. Ask your mother about the plum tree.
— Grandma
+ 12 more letters and 21 photos
How it works
- 01
Write
Your letter, your photos, your voice. Add up to ten photos and a voice note up to a minute long, and with video, a 30-second clip.
- 02
Invite
Share one link. Nobody needs an account, and nobody can read another person's letter.
- 03
Seal
On the morning of the opening date, each recipient gets an email. They choose whether to open it.
The group capsule
One capsule. Everyone's words.
Most future-letter services are for writing to yourself. Dear Later is built for the moments where many people have something to say to one person: a child, a couple, a class. Up to 300 letters and 300 photos in one capsule.
$15once, for a capsule that opens years from now.
With 30 friends writing, that is 50¢ each.
With 30 friends writing, that is 50¢ each.
Nobody has to install anything
A capsule only works if people actually write. Grandparents, wedding guests and classmates open your link in any browser, on any phone, and write in a minute. The person it is for gets an email on the day, whatever phone they carry in 2044.
| Dear Later | Typical app-only capsule | |
|---|---|---|
| Writers need an app or account | No. A link and a browser | Usually yes, often iPhone only |
| Can be for someone without a phone yet | Yes. Delivered by email on the day, to up to 3 addresses | Opens inside the app, for people in the group |
| Letters, photos, voice notes and video | Yes | Varies |
| Price shown up front | Free, or from $6, once | Often in-app purchases |
| Written promise if the service closes | Yes. Early delivery and a download | Rarely stated |
How we keep it safe
- Who can read the letters
- Before the opening day, nobody can read them through Dear Later. That includes the person who started the capsule: the organizer sees who has written, not what, and their download holds the capsule's details and their own letter only. Each writer can change, remove or download their own letter until it is sealed.
- Where it is kept
- Encrypted at rest with our database provider in Tokyo. When a capsule is sealed we record a fingerprint of its contents, and a second copy goes to a separate storage provider in the United States, where it is locked against changes and checked against that fingerprint.
- If an email doesn't go through
- We send the opening-day email to every address listed for each recipient, and try again every hour until it is accepted. The organizer can update addresses at any time before the day.
- If we ever close
- No company can honestly promise to exist for decades. So we promise this instead: part of every payment is set aside to pay for delivery, and if we ever close, you get at least 60 days' notice, every capsule is delivered early to its recipients, and you can download your capsule at any time before that.
Pricing
Free$0Any capsule that opens within a year, for one writer or many, with photos.And a text letter from one writer, opening up to 25 years from now. Your letter to future you, free.
Keepsake$6Once. Your letter with up to 30 photos, for a child's 18th birthday or any day up to 25 years away.With video $12 · up to 3 videos of 30 seconds26–50 years $15 · $21 with video51–100 years +$1 a year · $65 at 100 years
Gathering$15Once. A whole wedding or class writes: up to 300 letters and 300 photos, opening one to 25 years from now.With video $29 · up to 20 videos of 30 seconds26–50 years $29 · $43 with video51–100 years +$2 a year · $129 at 100 years
Printable board · every letter on one page to print and frame, in one of five designs. $5 for one writer, $9 for a group, added once. See the designs
One payment covers the whole wait, up to 100 years. No subscription, so nothing lapses if a card expires. $3 of every payment is set aside to pay for delivery.
Questions people ask
- What is a digital time capsule?
- Letters, photos, voice notes and short videos that are sealed until a date you choose, then delivered by email. Dear Later lets one person or a whole group write, and nobody can read the letters before the day.
- Does anyone need to install an app or make an account?
- No. Everyone writes from a link in their browser, on any phone or computer. The person it is for gets an email on the day.
- Can I read the letters before the opening day?
- No one can, including the person who started the capsule. The organizer sees who has written, not what. Each writer can see and change their own letter until the capsule is sealed.
- How long can a capsule wait?
- Up to 100 years. A capsule that opens within a year is free, and so is a text-only letter from one writer for up to 25 years. Capsules that open further out cost more, because we keep them longer.
- What happens if Dear Later shuts down?
- We give at least 60 days' notice and deliver every capsule early to its recipients. You can download your capsule at any time before that.
- How much does it cost?
- Free for capsules that open within a year. Otherwise, for up to 25 years: $6 for a Keepsake or $15 for a group Gathering, paid once ($12 or $29 with videos). For 26 to 50 years: $15 or $29 ($21 or $43 with videos). From 51 to 100 years, the 50-year price plus $1 (Keepsake) or $2 (Gathering) for each year past 50, so 100 years is $65 or $129 ($71 or $143 with videos). No subscription.