This comparison is written by Generation Archives, so we're not a neutral party. We've described FamilySearch using its own help pages and linked them so you can check.
Generation Archives vs FamilySearch: one shared world tree or your own family tree?
FamilySearch and Generation Archives are both free to use (Generation Archives charges only for media hosting beyond its free upload credit), but they work in very different ways. FamilySearch runs one shared family tree for the whole world, plus a large free collection of historical records. Generation Archives gives you your own family tree, with photos and stories, that only you and the relatives you invite can see unless you choose to share it.
The short version
- Choose FamilySearch to research ancestors in free historical records and to collaborate on one shared profile per deceased person with other descendants.
- Choose Generation Archives for a tree that is yours alone to arrange, with photos tagged to each person, layouts you set by hand, and room for blended or fictional families.
- Use both. Many people research on FamilySearch and keep a family archive elsewhere. GEDCOM moves people and relationships between apps.
How FamilySearch works
FamilySearch Family Tree is a single, shared tree. Its goal is one public profile for each deceased person, and anyone with a free account can add to and edit those profiles, much like a wiki. Information about living people is kept private: FamilySearch offers a private tree that only you can see and Family Group Trees that you share with selected family. Both connect to ancestors who are public to all users.
That shared model is a real strength. Work isn't duplicated, sources are pooled, and you can connect with other descendants of the same ancestors.
How Generation Archives is different
In Generation Archives, every tree is separate and belongs to you. Nobody outside the people you invite can edit it or see it, unless you turn on a public share link. You decide where every person sits: drag anyone anywhere, use auto-arrange for a start, and save several named layouts. You can add any number of parents per person and multiple spouses, which helps with step, adoptive and blended families, and with fictional families too.
Side by side
| FamilySearch | Generation Archives | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Generation Archives is free to use. Media uploads are limited: new accounts get 100 MB-years of free upload credit, then hosting is $1 per GB per year. Linking photos you already store elsewhere is free |
| Tree model | One shared world tree, editable by all users, with private and family-group spaces for living people | Your own separate trees, several per account |
| Who can see deceased relatives | Public profiles for deceased people | Only you and invited relatives, unless you share a public link |
| Historical records | Large free collection | None |
| Layout | Standard tree views | Drag-anywhere, auto-arrange, several named layouts |
| Photos | Memories can be attached to profiles | Photo tagging, notes and bios on each person |
| Import and export | GEDCOM | Import: GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, GEDZIP and Family Echo HTML. Export: GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, GEDZIP, and PDF, PNG or JPEG (an image of the tree) |
Frequently asked questions
Is FamilySearch free?
Yes. FamilySearch accounts, its shared Family Tree, and its historical records are free.
Why would I use Generation Archives if FamilySearch is free?
They do different jobs. FamilySearch is one shared tree that other users can edit. Generation Archives is your own tree, private by default, that you arrange by hand and fill with photos and stories. It also handles family shapes the shared tree isn't designed for, such as fictional families.
Can other people change my tree on Generation Archives?
Only the people you invite. Trees are private by default and visible only to you and invited relatives unless you share a public link.
Can I move people between FamilySearch and Generation Archives?
Generation Archives imports and exports GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0 and GEDZIP. GEDZIP keeps links to pictures, not the image files. See What is GEDCOM? for what a GEDCOM file carries and what it leaves out, such as photos.
Try the demo Sample tree Create a free account