Short answers below. Longer walkthroughs live in the guides hub.
Yes. Creating an account and using the family tree is free: people, relationships, dates, notes, memories, and inviting relatives. You can also attach photos and files without paying, by linking a public URL for media you already store somewhere else. Those links do not use our storage.
Paying is optional. It only applies if you want us to host the files. Hosting is prepaid credit, not a subscription. See Pricing & Storage and family tree software with no subscription.
Hosted media costs $1 USD per GB per year. You fund credit up front (one-time purchases, not a recurring plan) and only consume it for what you actually store—store less, and the same credit lasts longer. New accounts get 100 MB-years of starter credit; the clock starts on your first upload, not when you sign up.
Prefer external hosting? Link files from a person's profile with no Generation Archives storage used. For examples, funding, and details, go to Pricing & Storage.
Trees are private by default. Only you and people you invite as collaborators can access them. You can optionally make a tree public so anyone with the link can view it. Manage privacy and invitations in tree settings. A fuller walkthrough is in A private family tree you share with relatives.
Yes. Invite collaborators by email and give them view or edit access. You control who can see or change the tree, and you can remove collaborators anytime from tree settings. For living people, decide what belongs on a shared tree before you publish details—see what to record about living people.
Yes, if you have owner access on their tree. You can reference the same person (edits stay in sync) or copy them into your account as a new, independent person. Only paid accounts can import people from other users' trees—this limit helps prevent abuse. Fund your account on Pricing & Storage to unlock it.
Yes. Import GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, GEDZIP, or Family Echo HTML to create a new tree, and export GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, GEDZIP, or a PDF, PNG, or JPEG image of the tree. Plain GEDCOM keeps website photo links only. GEDZIP also packs hosted photos under a media folder. What is GEDCOM? and how to import a GEDCOM cover what usually survives a move and what does not.
Import a Family Echo tree from its Read-only HTML download, photos included. The overview is on Family Echo alternative.
When prepaid credit is used up, hosted media is no longer accessible. After 6 months, that media is permanently deleted. We send emails at intervals when your remaining credit drops below about 1 year of coverage at your current usage, so you have time to top up. Names, dates, relationships, and other tree text are not deleted just because credit expired. Add credit anytime from Pricing & Storage.
Yes. Try the demo starts empty and stays in this browser until you reset it or save it to an account. The sample tree is rebuilt on each visit. Create a free account when you want to keep the blank demo.
No. Nothing renews on a schedule. The tree is free, and you can link media you already store instead of buying space. If you want us to host files, you buy prepaid credit when you choose to. Read family tree software with no subscription for how the credit works, or see Pricing & Storage.
Ancestry is built for historical records and DNA. Generation Archives is a private archive for people, photos, and stories. See Generation Archives vs Ancestry and how a private family tree is shared. Other comparisons cover MyHeritage, FamilySearch, Gramps, and Family Tree Maker.
If you only know a few grandparents, use how to start a family tree from grandparents. For a full beginner checklist, see how to start a family tree. Paper forms are covered in the pedigree chart and family group sheet printables.
Use the Contact page to send a message or join our Discord. You can also read more on the About page.
Yes. Keep a household tree separate from a partner’s family, a fictional project, or a research sandbox. Storage credit sits on the account, so hosted media across trees shares the same prepaid balance.
A single banner ad may show on the site. It stays off when your account has more than 100 MB-years of storage credit left, and it stays off for everyone on a tree that has a custom URL. Ads are not required to use the tree features.
Yes. The printables hub has a free pedigree chart and family group sheet in Letter and A4. No account is required for the PDFs.
Export a GEDCOM from the other program, then import it here. Start with What is GEDCOM? and how to import a GEDCOM. Family Echo users should use the Family Echo import guide so photos can come along.
Decide which details belong on a shared tree, strip street addresses and phone numbers from notes when they are not needed, and start with view access. What to record about living people and how to share a family tree safely cover the checklist.
Yes. The tree opens in a web browser on phones and computers. You do not need a separate desktop install. For a quick look before signup, use the demo or sample tree.