Written by Generation Archives. We are one of the products in this comparison. Read it as the vendor's account of the difference, not as an independent review. Ancestry's prices and plan names change, so check Ancestry for what they charge today.
Generation Archives vs Ancestry
Ancestry and Generation Archives both let you build a family tree. They are for different jobs. Ancestry is a research service: historical records, hints that connect your tree to those records, and DNA matching. Generation Archives is a free private archive for the people, photos, and stories you already have. You can link media you already store and pay nothing. Hosting files with us is optional prepaid credit, not a subscription.
If you are choosing one product to do both jobs, neither one does. A lot of families research on a records site and keep the private photo archive somewhere else.
| Question | Generation Archives | Ancestry |
|---|---|---|
| Best suited to | Keeping a private tree of people, photos, and stories | Searching historical records and DNA matches |
| Historical records | No | Yes. Record access is what the subscription is for |
| DNA matching | No | Yes, through AncestryDNA |
| Price of the tree itself | Free. The tree, stories, and collaboration cost nothing. Link photos you already store and pay nothing. Hosting files with us is optional prepaid credit at $1 per GB per year, not a subscription | You can build a tree without buying records. Record collections require a paid plan. Confirm current plans on Ancestry's site |
| Privacy | Private by default. You invite people, or turn on a public link | Trees can be public or private. The site is built around a large public research graph |
| Photos and stories | Tag people in photos and attach memories. Link a public URL for files you already store, or upload them to us | Trees can hold photos and stories. The product emphasis is records and matches |
| Moving your data | Import GEDCOM or GEDZIP. Export GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, or GEDZIP | GEDCOM import and export are available. Media and site-specific fields do not always survive a transfer |
| Working with relatives | Invite collaborators by email with view or edit access | You can invite people to a tree. Roles and sharing options are Ancestry's |
Choose Ancestry when
- You want to search census, vital, and other historical records.
- You want DNA matches and the hints that tie a test to a tree.
- You are comfortable with a research subscription, or you only need the free tree tools and will skip the records.
Generation Archives will not grow your tree from a record collection. If that is the main goal, Ancestry (or another records site) is the better product. We'd rather say that here than imply a photo archive is a research library.
Choose Generation Archives when
- You want the tree private unless you decide to share it.
- You want photos tagged to the right people, and stories saved on their profiles.
- You want it free. The tree costs nothing, and photos can stay where you already keep them. Hosting files with us is optional.
- You want a copy you can take with you as GEDCOM or GEDZIP.
Using both
Research where the records are. When you want a private copy for the family, export a GEDCOM and import it here. The import creates a new tree. Photos you add afterward, tags, and memories live on Generation Archives. A GEDCOM moves people and relationships; it is not a full copy of another site's media library, on our side or theirs.
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