Which genealogy service is the best? Maybe you've felt a spark of interest and curiosity about your heritage and your ancestors' history, or maybe you have questions about untold family stories you've been itching to have answered, but don't know where to start.
Best Option
Originally established in 1894 as the Genealogical Society of Utah, FamilySearch gradually evolved into the world's largest free genealogy organization and website. Operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they provide free worldwide access to genealogical resources to help people discover their ancestry, offering billions of indexed historical records, digital books, and a collaborative, shared family tree.
Clean, easy-to-navigate site
FamilySearch's clean, clutter-free website makes a great first impression and gets straight to the point, showcasing what they have to offer and how to get started. With simple, colorful illustrations, easy-to-navigate sections like accessing their global family tree, searching historical documents, and help getting started, you won't get confused. It's neat, and there's no loud noise or background clutter to hinder your experience; it's just straight to the point and informative with the option to dig deeper on any section you see at the click of a button.
Global outreach
With genealogical work involving collaborations with more than 10,000 organizations in over 100 countries, FamilySearch ranks as the largest genealogy organization in the world. While strong in English-speaking countries, they still offer extensive international resources and often partner with local authorities and other local bodies to provide direct, local support and information.
100% free, no strings attached
With the staggering amount of resources and records FamilySearch offers, it's a big surprise that their services are entirely free. And, this isn't just a free trial or free basic membership: everything FamilySearch has to offer is 100% free. Plus, there are no requirements in order to sign up - FamilySearch is free to everyone regardless of tradition, culture, or religious affiliation, and all you have to do is make an account and you're good to go.
Online consultations
New to family history? Having difficulty with determining the next step in your research? FamilySearch offers free online consultations with trained genealogists specifically designed to help guide you on the methodology, research process, and what steps you should take next. They're free to schedule and are remote via Zoom with a 20-minute time slot. You can also schedule one for a DNA consultation if you're having trouble decoding your DNA results; these are 40-minute time slots that give you plenty of time to get the information and guidance you need.
Tips and resources for nearly every category
No matter what category you're looking at, whether uploading your own documents, looking for records, or building family trees (or "branches", as FamilySearch maintains one global tree with separate "branches" that serve as individual family trees), helpful tips and guides are available every step of the way. These separate articles and guides are very thorough, with a resource for just about any question you may have, making the user experience seamless and frustration-free. Additionally, they also have FamilySearch Community: a free platform for gathering knowledge, sharing information, and connecting with helpful community members to help you along your way.
Impressive numbers
FamilySearch continues to grow exponentially and has established huge numbers in monthly visits, sources, and more:
Top recommendation
Bottom line: FamilySearch wants to make it as easy as possible for you to explore your genealogy. They don't just have the records and collections available to help you with family history, but also incredibly detailed guides and tips to help you through the entire process, answering even the simplest of questions. With so much to offer at no cost, FamilySearch is really in a field of its own, and we can't recommend it enough. Your genealogy search should start here.
Great
Ancestry is the world's largest for-profit genealogy company, offering a comprehensive platform to help users trace their lineage, find relatives, and discover ethnic origins. Ancestry offers an unparalleled collection of historical records and the world's largest consumer DNA network, all in service of their mission to connect everyone with their past so that they can discover, preserve, and share their unique family stories.
Everything on one platform
With Ancestry's record-breaking numbers across the board, including the world's largest consumer DNA network of over 30 million people, it's no surprise that they're basically a one-stop shop in the world of genealogy services. Becoming a user gives you access to:
So whether you're looking to discover your ethnic background, are on the search to find distant relatives, or simply want to build a cohesive family tree, Ancestry has extensive resources for you to explore and take advantage of.
DNA testing
Possibly one of Ancestry's most well-known features is their DNA testing kit: an at-home DNA test that uses saliva to analyze over 700,000 genetic markers that map out your ethnic origins across 2,600+ global regions and connect you with living genetic relatives as well as identify ancestors from the last 100 to 500 years. At only $99, and with a 99% accuracy rate, Ancestry's testing kit is a great option if you're specifically on the lookout for DNA testing with reliable results. Also, if you're looking for a deal, Ancestry offers a special discount on memberships if you purchase them together:
Better yet, if you can wait a bit, Ancestry often rolls out special sales close to big holidays ("What better way to honor Mom on Mother's Day than to help her know who the women in her family were?"). We've seen Ancestry DNA kits go as low as $29, so keep that in mind if a test is on your wishlist. One caution: Ancestry will tell you how you might be related to the people who come up as DNA matches, but do not take that as anything other than a possible connection; we've come across numerous people who thought that there was a huge secret in their family history, all because Ancestry said that their aunt was actually a half-sister. (While that can happen, it's also true that a half-sibling and an aunt would show up with the same range of shared DNA.)
Memberships with varying levels of prices and perks
Whether you're a genealogy enthusiast or are just getting into exploring your own family tree, the memberships at Ancestry offer a range of perks and access. Ancestry has three memberships available:
All three memberships additionally come with access to special collections focusing on African-American, Native American, and Jewish heritage, as well as Ancestry hints that give you clues that might lead to new ancestor stories and insights. You can also build multiple family trees, share them easily with other family members, and have unlimited space on those trees for records, documents, and images.
14-day free trial
If you're interested but not ready to commit yet, Ancestry offers a 14-day free trial for their second tier, "World Explorer". It's easy to sign up, and it gives you two weeks to explore what Ancestry has to offer. Plus, if you're interested in becoming a member after the free trial, you can typically subscribe for the discounted price of $24.83 a month for the first 6 months.
Growing every day
Ancestry is constantly growing every year as more users join and submit photos, scanned documents, written stories, and collections of records detailing births, marriages, deaths, military service, immigration, and much more, adding to over 3 million paying subscribers and over 150 million family trees. And, with a positive reputation and great reviews, including an "A+" BBB rating, it's no surprise they pull in such huge numbers.
On the pricier side
While Ancestry has a lot to offer, their memberships are definitely on the more expensive side. It's not as cut and dried with respect to whether it's worth it or not, though, because that is largely determined by your use of it. If you're a family historian with a passion for genealogy or need a strong resource for research purposes, and you plan to use Ancestry regularly, then you'll definitely get some impressive bang for your buck. If you're just looking to get started, it might be a good idea to look at one of the more affordable options on our list first.
Free registration
That being said, even if you don't pay for a membership, you can join for free and still build, edit, and share your family tree, view DNA matches, and access public trees. It's certainly not as extensive as the paid memberships, but there are a select few collections of free records you'll be able to explore, and if you're only looking for a place to build a family tree, simply having a free, registered account might be all you need.
Highly recommended
Whether you're looking for a platform to build and document your family tree, or one where you can explore your ethnic background, search for distant ancestors, and make relative connections, Ancestry is a great all-in-one option. Their resources are easy to use, with simple-to-navigate processes for searching records, viewing DNA results, and building family trees. If you're just getting into genealogy, we would recommend Ancestry's free trial as a great place to start; however, their big price tag for a long-term membership might be a little hard to justify if you're just starting out. Overall, though, Ancestry is the best of the paid genealogy services on our list.
Great
Legacy Tree Genealogists is the world's highest-rated genealogy research firm, founded in 2004, and has been discovering family stories for over two decades as a company and even longer as individual genealogists. They specialize in helping clients trace family history, analyzing DNA results, and offering customized research through their global network of on-site researchers to locate rare, international records.
They do the research
Legacy Tree Genealogists' services stand out from a lot of other genealogy services out there. Unlike a lot of other services that exist to help you find records and grow your family history, the genealogists at Legacy Tree do the work for you. Their large team of hand-picked, tested and trained professional genealogists are dedicated to finding your story. Based so close to the world's largest family history library, they also work with genealogy researchers around the world to find previously unfound information about your family history.
Worldwide researcher network
With so many services to offer, the experts at Legacy Tree Genealogists have it down to a science. From genetic genealogy (DNA) to tracing family trees, researching immigrant ancestors and writing family biographies, no matter what your goal for family history is, they can help you achieve it. And they don't just specialize in one area or country; Legacy Tree Genealogists is completely global, not only with records from all over the world but also through global on-site genealogists and researchers that are dedicated to tracking down your family history records.
Several pricing tiers for services
Unlike most genealogy services, Legacy Tree Genealogists doesn't offer subscriptions or memberships, but rather full-service genealogist contracts. You can hire a genealogist team to help with different goals and projects:
Legacy Tree Genealogists make it easy
When you hire Legacy Tree Genealogists, an entire team works with you that promises quality and accuracy. You'll have direct contact with your project manager from start to finish, and they'll take care of communicating your goals and needs with their network of global, onsite researchers that do the work for you in tracking down and obtaining physical documentation and translating as needed to make sure the information is accurate and reliable. That's saving on travel costs and learning a whole new language. (Also, all projects can be split into 3 payments and include printed reports and documents, a deluxe binder, and a private portal.)
Sample research reports and additional services
With their services being a pretty pricey investment, it's definitely wise to get a better look at what you're paying for, and they offer just that. They have a whole section of full sample research reports (available with client permission) that give you a better look at what the final results will be and how they'll look as a professionally printed, archival binder (which they offer as an option for any project). Plus, they offer a DNA consultation package as an additional service (priced at $725) that helps you find unknown parents or family members, as well as other project add-ons like a family history chart, a fully translated genealogy report, and lastly a heritage travel plan ($1,000) that hires historians to provide a personalized plan and help you prepare for your trip to your ancestors' homeland.
Loads of amazing resources
With so much information, it can be hard to know which option is best for you. Luckily, there are resources, tips, and organized information for just about any section, project, or service on Legacy Tree Genealogists' site. They even have a Client Solutions team that helps you figure out which project suits your needs and goes through the whole process with you. They're completely transparent and have answers readily available with separate articles detailing answers, a thorough FAQ section, and an overview of how to get started, with a free consultation to top it all off. And you can even request a free quote.
Recommended worldwide
As the world's highest-rated genealogy research company, Legacy Tree Genealogists have earned thousands of positive reviews from customers praising their thorough research, detailed reports, and ability to find previously unfindable records and information. Plus, they're recommended by over 20 professional genealogy companies around the world. The consistent downside that comes up is, of course, the price tag. With even the minimum cost being in the thousands, it's no small sum, but it's a good investment if you're specifically on the lookout for this kind of unique, extensive service.
Perfect for specialized projects
The services that Legacy Tree Genealogists offer are definitely unique and may not be for everyone - but if it's what you need, they're a great choice. Their team of professionals can help you uncover a family story, find long-lost relatives, or finally get a full, in-depth account of your family history. With high client ratings, thorough quality control, customized projects, and reputable, professional teams, they've got you covered. They easily earn one of our highest ratings.
Very Good
Over the past 23 years, MyHeritage has helped millions of people find new family members and discover their ethnic origins. They use sophisticated matching technologies, billions of international historical records, and at-home DNA tests, prioritizing a meaningful discovery experience that unites your past, present, and future.
Standard features with a few enhancements
MyHeritage has many features to offer, like their easy-to-use family tree building tool and massive record database, and are often recognized for their popular AI tool that can colorize, enhance, and animate old photographs. We particularly appreciate their automatic discoveries, which let you know the minute they find potential matches or relevant information concerning your family tree.
Subscription tiers
Compared to other genealogy service memberships, MyHeritage does not offer monthly subscriptions, only yearly. They offer five levels, with the basic one offering smart matches and advanced DNA features, and lets you add 2,500 members to your family tree, while the highest-tier package grants unlimited access to photo enhancement tools, historical newspaper archives, unlimited photo scanning and family tree members, and more. Here's what you can expect:
14-day free trial
MyHeritage offers a 2-week free trial that gives you full access to their "Complete" subscription plan, which includes billions of historical records, family tree building, and photo-enhancing tools. It's easy to start and can be cancelled anytime before the trial is up, making it a worry-free option to test their membership out.
DNA kit
If you're interested in finding more about your origins and details about your ethnicity, MyHeritage has a DNA kit that helps you discover your origins across 2,114 regions and find new relatives through shared DNA. At only $19.90 plus shipping (the promotional price at the time of our review), their kit is a lot more affordable than other DNA tests out there, and they even have a package deal available offering the DNA kit plus a 30-day free trial for their Complete subscription tier (and free shipping on the kit). MyHeritage's DNA tests are especially worth considering if you're trying to connect with or identify relatives outside of the U.S., particularly in Europe: the top DNA test in the U.S. isn't available in most other countries, making MyHeritage one of the most widely-used overseas. (We were able to find many of our own living relatives in Denmark on MyHeritage.)
The good and the bad
MyHeritage has a staggering 94,930 reviews on Trustpilot with an "Excellent" 4.3-star average rating. Reviews praise the intuitive and easy-to-navigate user experience and appreciate the site's functionality and constant updates, with a large emphasis on friendly and helpful customer service. However, other reviews often bring up MyHeritage's smaller DNA databases compared to competitors, and caution to fact-check potential connections and relative matches, as they are not always accurate and should be treated as suggestions rather than fact.
All-around good genealogy service
MyHeritage is a good option for people interested in exploring their family history through both genealogy records and DNA testing. The platform stands out for its user-friendly interface, international record collections, and useful features that are hard to find elsewhere, like automatic family tree matching and photo enhancement tools. We'd recommend them as an accessible and informative option for beginners and experienced researchers alike.
Very Good
In 1996, a group of genealogists led by Jeff Murphy organized the Kentucky Comprehensive Genealogy Database Project, which eventually evolved into US Gen Web, a volunteer-driven project that provides free online genealogy and historical resources for every county and state in the United States. Entirely free to use without registration, it serves as a massive virtual library of primary documents and research guides.
Completely free, and no account needed
For over 30 years, the US Gen Web project has made it completely free to use. And what's more, you don't even need to register in order to access all of their information and features. That means no payments, no personal information, and no login needed.
Easy to get started and to use
Whether you're just beginning your family history search or are an experienced researcher, US Gen Web is easy to use with a simple interface that gets you started immediately without any extra noise, registrations, or restrictions. When you first enter their site, you have a few simple options to choose from with their "research", "volunteer support", and "search this site" tab (and, of course, their "select a state" dropdown menu to narrow it down without wasting time). These options have their own secondary options to help you find what you're looking for in just a few clicks.
Locally curated
If you're looking for super-specific local information, you just might be in luck with US Gen Web's database. It's in the name that they specialize in U.S.-related documents and records, and you can even search by state and county to get localized, incredibly detailed family history data.
Exclusive information
Through their volunteer network, US Gen Web hosts information not typically found elsewhere - things like contributing transcriptions and original documents (such as tombstones, local obituaries, and early tax rolls, which are usually hard to find online); assisting researchers with local information; maintaining state or county websites; and sharing photographs, maps, or other historical resources - all entirely volunteer-driven. Additionally, many of their county pages feature active volunteer coordinators who are available to answer questions or search local historical resources on your behalf.
Not a ton of reviews, but plenty of awards
It's hard to find reviews for US Gen Web, but not for the reasons you might think. There's not a ton of incentive to leave a review in the first place - their services are free, and once you've found what you're looking for (or don't), there's not much to say in a review. But, there's still a bit of buzz surrounding US Gen Web, like their spots on Family Tree Magazine's 101 Best Websites every year since 2000 and the frequent recommendations given by reputable organizations like the National Genealogical Society and Family History Daily, to name a few.
A great, all-around option
US Gen Web is a great first step to take into the world of genealogy, or an excellent secondary tool to utilize in addition to your other genealogy services/sources. And, since there is no catch or cost, there's no reason not to take advantage of their resources. Let it help you further your research or get started on a family tree, and see where it takes you.
Good
Findmypast is a rapidly growing, technology-led subscription platform dedicated to helping people uncover and connect with their family histories. Through billions of digitized records and access to some of the world's most renowned historical databases, Findmypast enables users to discover relatives across generations and build a richer, more detailed picture of their family story than ever before.
Specializes in U.K.-originated records and information
Although Findmypast boasts plenty of impressive achievements and resources, their records and information are mainly United Kingdom-based. Still, they feature:
Their U.K.-centric database doesn't rule out Findmypast as an option for U.S. users. There are a lot of reviews from U.S. subscribers stating they'd discovered records not found in U.S. databases or that were previously destroyed or lost, like immigration records and passenger lists.
Free 7-day trial
While Findmypast is free to join, a complimentary membership does limit your access to their full collection of records and data and other tools and features like the additional timelines, collections, and maps features for building your family tree. Luckily, they have a free trial that allows you to enjoy all of that and more for a full week, and you can cancel anytime.
2 memberships to choose from
Findmypast has two membership tiers available:
Additionally, Findmypast has multiple options for how you want to pay - monthly, quarterly, or annually - and even has discounted prices if you pay monthly or annually (equivalent to $26.76/month for monthly and $22.74/month for a 12-month agreement, and finally an annual payment equivalent to $18.96/month).
Helpful hints
Findmypast has a unique hint system that helps your family tree grow faster by presenting you with potential matches from their records. They appear as small orange circles next to a person's name on your family tree, but you can also select the ‘Hints for this tree' button to view a list of all your hints. While these hints are similar to a few other genealogy services', they're more concise than some and are known for having a high accuracy rate. You can receive record hints from a number of sources, including birth, marriage, and death records; parish records; census records; and military records, as well as hints from other Findmypast members.
High rating on Trustpilot
With almost 3,000 ratings on Trustpilot, more than half of them are positive, leaving Findmypast with an average rating of 3.8 stars. Most positive reviews praise the website itself for its clutter-free presentation and easy navigation and the extensive genealogical collections, especially the difficult-to-find records available for the British Isles and Ireland. Minor complaints often acknowledge the limited records and information for non-U.K. users and a few difficulties with navigating the search system, but they're few and far between, and, if you're looking for genealogy information from the U.K., their specialized focus won't be a downside.
Features that set them apart make Findmypast great for filling in the gaps
Although Findmypast has a more limited collection than other U.S.-based genealogy services, they have a lot of great features that set them apart. Aside from the ones already mentioned, they also have tools that allow you to:
While there are certainly more extensive resources out there, Findmypast holds its own as a reliable, comprehensive genealogy tool that can help fill in the gaps of your family history searches with features you won't find elsewhere.
Good
GenealogyBank is a subscription-based online service featuring over 2 billion records found in newspapers, census records, government documents, and other historical records in all 50 states, with an emphasis on U.S. newspaper archives dating back to 1690. They specialize in finding obituaries, marriage and birth notices, and unique, hard-to-find local newspapers that enrich your ancestors' stories.
7-day free trial
GenealogyBank offers a free trial for 7 days that gives you access to everything that they have to offer. Once you put in your information, your 7‑day trial starts immediately, and you can cancel online anytime or by calling their support number. And, there are no surprises since their reminder emails are very prompt, giving you 24-hour notice before your trial ends.
Same membership with different billing and price
There's only one membership that GenealogyBank offers, allowing full access to all of their features, including:
The difference between membership options is how you'd like to pay for them. Option 1 is a monthly membership and is priced at $19.95/month. Option 2 is an annual membership, priced at $79/year (or $6.58/month).
How to get started
Once you're in, getting started couldn't be easier. Simply enter an ancestor's name, and their advanced search engine gets to work scanning billions of records in seconds. Next, check out the results. You can choose from one of their many easy-to-search historical record collections, review historical documents, and uncover previously unknown family stories, allowing you to build a richer picture of your ancestry.
Primarily a record database
Unlike others on this list, GenealogyBank operates mainly as a records archive meant to help you locate ancestors and find important documents. That means they don't have as many options for other family history tools and features, like consultations, guides, maps, activities, DNA tests, or extensive family tree building (although they do have free, printable family tree templates available to help organize your research). This is definitely something to consider depending on what you're looking for.
Search by culture feature
On the toolbar at the bottom of the site is a feature that allows you to search specifically by culture. They use newspapers in other languages to track down ancestors and discover their stories, and believe that while vital records offer basic information, it's through newspapers that your ancestors' stories become more vibrant and offer a better understanding of who your ancestors were and what kind of lives they lived. In this section, GenealogyBank has options to search for African American, Hispanic American, Irish American, Native American, German American, Italian American, and Jewish American articles, all in one place.
Search by collection
Similar to their "search by culture" feature, GenealogyBank also allows you to search by collection:
From historical obituaries that are a great starting point for your research, to census records to find relatives of your ancestors (including children and siblings), and government publications like widow's claims, land grants, military records, and more, GenealogyBank makes it easy to find what you're looking for.
Pros and cons make this a better-than-average (but not perfect) genealogy service
GenealogyBank's strengths lie in their large records database, transparent affordability, and organized collections. Their site is easy to use, not cluttered or complicated, and has U.S.-specialized collections. However, if you're looking for a service to build, document, and organize an extensive family tree with extra tools and features, you might want to keep your options open and look elsewhere on this list. Still, GenealogyBank is a great option if you're mainly focused on research, and if you have a few uncovered mysteries or missing pieces in your family history puzzle you're trying to discover - and their affordable price is a huge plus.
Good
Lineages is the online presence of Price Genealogy, a professional family history research firm established in 1976. They have a large team of professional genealogists and historians to help you trace your ancestry, break through difficult research blocks, and uncover family stories.
Services
The services Lineages offers are unique to most genealogy services. Rather than a self-research tool, they take a hands-on approach and are fully dedicated to helping you on your family history journey. Some key services include tracing lineage and uncovering historical records to fully build comprehensive family trees; assisting with document-heavy applications to exclusive lineage organizations (like DAR, Mayflower Society); and specialized expertise in enslaved people and enslaver research that helps trace African-American family histories back through the slave period.
Packages and pricing
Lineages offers 5 research packages, all with different hours, goals, and pricing.
All packages, except the DNA Research Package, come with a detailed research report including a project summary, a research log, documents, and an updated pedigree and family group records from information they add to a desktop database, with everything e-mailed to you or mailed to you in a deluxe family history binder.
DNA add-on and family charts
For the Beginning Research Package, there's an option to include the DNA add-on at $700, which includes basic DNA research along with traditional research. An additional product they offer is custom family charts. Priced between $59.95 and $195.95 depending on the size and quantity, each chart is custom-made and comes in several sizes and is printed on long-lasting vinyl material. You'll provide all the information (including photos if desired) and decide on a black or white background color and the size, and they'll do the rest.
Specializes in African-American genealogy
While Lineages has thorough research for North American and European genealogy, they specialize in African-American genealogy designed to meet the needs of anyone who hires them to trace their ancestry. This makes them unique compared to other genealogy services, because traditional African-American history is largely oral, making it difficult to find and interpret. That's where their experts come through, doing the work that will allow you to trace ancestors back as far as possible (within the timeframe of the project). When possible, they identify who enslaved your ancestors, where they lived before Emancipation, and whether any ancestors were free people of color before 1865. After tracing a family to 1865, they research property, probate, court, and slave records to identify slave owners and confirm relationships.
Good research resources
Although Lineages' specialty is in their research packages that connect you with genealogists, they still have a lot of great resources available. In their resources tab, they have several sections to choose from, like family history links, articles for topics like DNA and immigration, and downloadable research aids. They've sourced these from hundreds of legitimate genealogy services across the web that are easy to access through their site.
Specialty services make them stand out
Lineages is in a very small market of genealogists-for-hire, making them stand out amongst typical genealogy services. As they have a very specialized set of services available, if you need the extra, and expert, help of professionals with the skills and reach to help further your genealogy goals, Lineages is a solid, comparatively affordable option to consider.
Average
Archives has been helping people discover their family history since July 2009, with the aim of making research quick and easy. They keep their search tools simple and have extensive record collections built in collaboration with their partners like the National Archives and FamilySearch. In 2012, they were acquired by Ancestry, and since then their database continues to grow as they continuously add to their collection of records, photos, newspapers, family trees, and much more. Their goal is to not only make genealogy research simple and affordable but also to make it rewarding for you.
Collections give you access to billions of records
The range of records available on Archives is in the billions and are divided into 681 essential collections. From census and military records to yearbooks and newspapers, they source from the National Archives and over 1 billion newspapers from around the world through their partnerships.
Easy search system
Although the rest of Archives' website is a bit bare, their interactive search tool is comprehensive and thorough. Once you're in their collections area, the left-hand search bar has helpful filters that narrow down your search:
After that, you can narrow down your search even further by filtering by name, dates, record count, and whether the results have images or not.
7-day free trial
Archives offers a week-long trial that's easy to start - simply sign up with your full name and email, make a password, then fill in your payment information, and you're good to go. The 7-day trial gives you access to 11.8 billion genealogy records and allows you to trace your family tree and find ancestors.
Membership is affordable
Archives offers only one membership that gives you access to all they have to offer. Unlike other sites, the free trial is part of the membership and is the only way to subscribe, after which they'll charge you $9.99 per month (equaling around $119 annually). That's a whole lot lower than most genealogy services and takes just minutes to set up. Aside from the billions of records they offer and being able to map out your family tree and discover ancestors, there are plenty of other benefits to being an Archives member:
Lacking visibility and transparency
Even though we've tracked down and listed information about Archives' membership, it's basically impossible to find anywhere on their website, making it more confusing than it needs to be. Also, their website doesn't offer a lot of information, period. They don't give you details on how the membership works, how to get it started, or what its functions like building a family tree look like, and you can only get a good grasp of it once you've put in your payment information and started a free trial. Even though an Archives membership is more affordable than a lot of their rivals, the fact that they're not upfront about it seems completely unnecessary and is something we usually caution others to avoid.
A decent choice
Archives is a pretty extensive resource that offers some of the features and a lot of the same level of resources of some of the more expensive genealogy services, largely because of their partnerships and their acquisition into Ancestry's corporation. If you're a new hobbyist or are wanting to give genealogy a try without committing to a big price tag, Archives is a good place to start, but you may outgrow it quickly if you're passionate about genealogy and plan on becoming a long-term family historian.
Weak
Founded in 1999, One Great Family is a collaborative genealogy platform and family tree builder designed to compile all user-submitted pedigree charts and historical data into a single, universal family tree and continually compare new submissions against a global database to match up users' trees and merge duplicated data.
Outdated website
One Great Family's interface is very outdated, which makes it difficult to navigate. We felt transported to the 90s while exploring their website and have to agree with user complaints that an update is much needed. However, the functions on their site are so basic, with a standard toolbar and straight-to-the-point sign-up page, that it's not overly complicated to get around - just clunky and cluttered.
Very affordable
The membership pricing here is some of the most affordable on our list, with options for monthly, quarterly, and annual billing:
The subscriptions are all the same, with no extra access or unique tools, just billed differently.
Standard service
One Great Family is a pretty basic service, with their only unique feature being a global, collaborative family tree, not individual family trees, which does make the experience a little different (like being able to find how your relationship connects with everyone on the family tree).
Get a look before you commit
Despite the simplicity of One Great Family, we do appreciate that you're able to see a lot of the tools and features at the bottom of their homepage before you commit, like tracing the migration of your family line, locations where they were born and where they died, and little icons that alert you to different things, like contradicting information and possible matches. But again, their website and interface are so outdated that it makes it difficult to concisely use these tools that are made much simpler by other genealogy services.
Well below average compared with most genealogy services
One Great Family isn't anything to write home about. They offer relatively standard genealogy services, and while they don't have bad tools and features per se, the old-timey interface makes it hard to use. Also, their database is very limited compared to how big the genealogy market has gotten, and they mainly specialize in family trees and not much else. If their price point is a big plus for you, and you're a 90s-website expert, then go for it, but with so many other options out there, One Great Family lands at the bottom for us.
Continued from above...
Maybe you've felt a spark of interest and curiosity about your heritage and your ancestors' history, or maybe you have questions about untold family stories you've been itching to have answered, but don't know where to start.
Family history is a great hobby or interest to look into - not only does it help you document your own personal history and those of your immediate family to leave a legacy for future descendants, but it also makes history feel real. Genealogy research gives you the perspective of your ancestors and grants you a bigger understanding of what their lives were like and how that led to you. With the help of genealogy services, history becomes more than just a subject in a textbook; it becomes your own personal story.
Family history is inherently personal, so you'll want to look for a service that's personalized for your needs. What are you looking for? Somewhere to build a cohesive, extensive family tree? A place to keep track of and organize all your existing documents and records? DNA testing to track down your ethnic origins? A team of genealogists you can hire for a specific family history hunt? Or maybe a one-stop shop kind of service that offers all of the above?
The right genealogy service can also make the research process much less overwhelming. Instead of sorting through countless census records, birth certificates, immigration documents, newspaper archives, and other historical sources on your own, many services provide powerful search tools that can help connect the dots. Some can even suggest possible relatives or records based on information you've already added to your family tree, giving you new leads to investigate and potentially uncovering branches of your family you never knew existed.
Before choosing a service, it's worth considering how deeply you want to explore and how much assistance you'll need along the way. Some people may be perfectly happy casually building a family tree and discovering a few interesting ancestors, while others may want to verify generations of family history with original records or solve a long-standing genealogical mystery. Comparing the available research tools, historical record collections, DNA features, pricing, and access to professional genealogists can help you find the service that best matches the kind of family history journey you want to take.
With so many on the market, it's helpful to keep in mind the criteria you are on the lookout for:
The online network of family history has only grown in the past 20 years and is more popular than ever, with some services boasting billions of historical records and offering tools and features that personalize your experience. And, most services are helpful for beginners and seasoned researchers, so whether you're just starting out and are on the lookout for user-friendly options, or you're a family history buff looking for extra resources and unique features, you're in the right place. Use the research done by the experts here at Top Consumer reviews to help you quickly identify the right genealogy service for the family history mysteries you're trying to solve!
Compare Any 2 Products
Top Products.
Top Reviews.
Top Consumer Reviews.
Reviews
Browse through thousands of reviews.
Social Media
Like us? Follow us! We'd love to have you join our community.
Newsletter
Stay up to date with the latest reviews. We'll keep you informed, and we'll never sell your information to anyone.
