Pricing · paid once · nothing renews

Start free. Pay once for a story, or once for all of them.

Every fact-checked file, the daily Real or Fake round, all 6 cold cases and the first chapter of each story are free. A full story is US$4.99. The Archive Pass is US$19.99 and opens every story, the ones here now and the ones still to come.

Free

US$0no card

Most of the archive.

  • Every fact-checked file, with its sources
  • Real or Fake, a new round every day
  • All 6 cold cases, 5 questions per witness a day
  • The first chapter of each story
Play a cold case

One story

US$4.99once

Finish the case you started.

  • Every chapter and every ending of one story
  • Yours to keep, on up to 3 devices
  • No account; your unlock code comes by email
Choose a story
Every story

Archive Pass

US$19.99once, for good

For readers who want all of it.

  • The 2 stories open today, and every one added later
  • 15 questions per witness a day instead of 5
  • 10 legends a night at the fiction desk instead of 3
  • Every past round of Real or Fake
  • Up to 3 devices, no account
Get the pass · US$19.99

The pass costs the same as 4 single stories. 2 are open today, and each new one is added to your pass.

What the pass opens →

Prices are in US dollars. Tax is added at checkout where the law requires it.

The three side by side

FreeOne storyArchive Pass
PriceUS$0US$4.99, onceUS$19.99, once
Full storiesFirst chapter of eachThe one you chooseAll, and later ones too
Cold casesAll 6All 6All 6
Witness questions5 per witness a day5 per witness a day15 per witness a day
Fiction desk3 legends a night3 legends a night10 legends a night
Real or FakeToday's roundToday's roundEvery past round too
DevicesAnyUp to 3Up to 3
RenewsNothing to renewNoNo

Choose a story

The first chapter of each is free. Read it, and buy only if you want the rest.

How buying works

  1. Press a buy button. Stripe opens its secure checkout; we never see your card number.
  2. When the payment goes through you are sent straight back, and the story opens on the device you paid from.
  3. Your unlock code is shown on screen and emailed to the address you paid with. Enter it on another device to open the story there, on up to 3 devices in all.

Give a story

Any story, or the pass, can be bought as a gift. Press “Give as a gift” instead of the buy button: nothing opens on your device, and you get a code and a link to send. Whoever opens the link gets it on up to 3 devices.

Have a code, or lost one?

On the redeem page you can enter a code, or have the codes you bought sent again to your email.

Redeem or recover a code →

Refunds

All sales are final. A story or a pass is delivered the moment you pay, so a purchase that opens is not refunded. If yours will not open and we cannot fix it, write to contact@realorlegend.com and we refund it.

Read the refund policy →

Questions people ask

Is anything on Real or Legend a subscription?

No. A story and the Archive Pass are each paid once. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel.

Should I buy one story or the Archive Pass?

If you want one story, buy that story for US$4.99. The pass costs the same as 4 stories, so it is the better buy if you mean to read the stories open now and the next ones as they are filed, or if you want the extra witness questions and legends.

Do I need an account to buy?

No. Your purchase is kept in your browser, and your unlock code is how you carry it to another device. The code is emailed to you as a backup.

I bought a story. Can I move up to the pass later?

You can buy the pass at any time, but for now there is no discount for a story you already own. The story stays yours either way.

What does lifetime mean?

For as long as Real or Legend is online. The pass does not expire, and stories filed later are added to it at no charge.

How do I use my purchase on a second device?

Open the redeem page on that device and enter your unlock code. One code works on up to 3 devices.

Can I get a refund?

A purchase that opens is final. If yours will not open and we cannot fix it, we refund it. Write to contact@realorlegend.com.

One email for each new case and nothing else. Unsubscribe with one click.