Written by Generation Archives. We make the product described here. This page explains our pricing. It is not a ranked list of other family-tree apps.
Family tree software with no subscription
Generation Archives is free to use. An account, the family tree, stories, and inviting relatives do not require a payment. Photos can stay free too: leave files where you already store them and link the public address on the tree. You pay only if you want us to host those files, and that payment is prepaid credit, not a subscription.
What you can do without paying
People, relationships, dates, notes, memories, and links do not cost anything. You can keep more than one tree on the same account, drag people into a layout you like, or use auto arrange as a starting point. Invite relatives to view or edit. Import a GEDCOM or GEDZIP from other genealogy software, and export GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, or GEDZIP when you want a portable copy.
You can try a demo tree before you create an account. Demo changes stay on your device and are not saved to a real account.
Use photos you already have, and pay nothing
You do not have to upload a shoebox of scans for the tree to include them. If a photo, video, or document already has a public URL, add that address as media. It does not use Generation Archives storage credit, so this path stays at $0. You can still tag the people in that media and keep stories on their profiles.
A person's profile can also hold ordinary links, such as an album or a document page. Those do not use storage either.
The address has to be a public URL the tree can open. If the other host removes the file, or the link only works when you are signed in there, the tree cannot show it. Hosting with us is the alternative when you want the file kept here. The pricing page lists both choices.
Hosting files with us is optional
Hosted photos and files cost $1 per GB per year. You buy credit when you want it. There is no monthly plan and no auto-renewal. Credit lasts until your stored files consume it, so storing less makes the same purchase last longer.
- New accounts include 100 MB-years of starter credit. The clock starts on the first upload, not at signup.
- The smallest purchase is 5 GB-years ($5), then 1 GB-year steps after that.
- Example: $5 with about 1 GB stored lasts about 5 years.
When credit runs out, hosted media is no longer accessible. After 6 months, that media is permanently deleted. We email you when remaining credit drops below about one year at your current usage. Names, dates, relationships, and links to files you keep elsewhere are not deleted because credit expired.
When a subscription genealogy site is the better buy
A subscription is worth it if you need historical record collections or a DNA test match list. Generation Archives does not search archives and does not offer DNA matching. We will not pretend a photo archive replaces that research. If records and DNA are the job, use a site built for them, then export a GEDCOM if you want the people in a private archive.
Who this pricing is for
Use Generation Archives if you already know the people you want to record, and you want the photos and stories kept with them, privately, without a bill. You can do that for free by linking media you already store. Start from the demo or create an account when you are ready to keep your own tree.
Try the demo Create a free account