If you search on the internet for “free genealogy websites,” you’ll get so many results that it could take weeks to review them all! In this article, we’ll share some fantastic free genealogy sites—sorted by categories—to save you time and make it easier for you to find what you’re looking for. We’ll also include some sites that offer free basic content and additional premium content for a fee.
Some of the sites we cover are available in multiple languages and are marked with 🌎. A 💲 indicates that the site also contains paid premium content. The tables at the end of this article list all the sites covered, their languages, and whether they include premium content.
There are other genealogy websites that aren't free but are inexpensive, and they offer valuable content and services for their customers. Let us know in the comments if you'd like to see a similar article focused on those sites.
Sites in this article are organized by the following categories:
- Gateway Sites
- Building Family Trees
- Printable Family Tree Templates
- Photos and Stories
- DNA
- Historical Record Sites
- Libraries
- Genealogical and Historical Societies
- Fun and Games
- Training and Education
Gateway Sites
In this article, gateway sites refer to sites that provide links to many other sites.
Building Family Trees
There are several options available to help you create your family tree.
Free Online Family Trees
Free Online Family Trees with Subscription Option
Several sites offer a free family tree and limited record searches with additional premium features:
Free Family Tree Desktop Apps
Family tree desktop apps are useful because you can create a private family tree on your computer, then synchronize it with a family history website. All the apps listed below support GEDCOM imports and exports.
Free Family Tree Desktop Apps with Paid Option
There's a free version of these programs as well as a paid one with additional features.
Printable Family Tree Templates
Printing a family tree template and filling it in by hand is a fun way to visualize your family tree! FamilySearch offers free templates you can download. You can also get templates at Family Tree Templates.
Photos and Stories
Gathering and viewing photos and stories of your ancestors can help you feel connected to them.
Storing and Browsing Memories
Similar features are available in the FamilySearch Memories mobile app.
Many of the family tree sites and features previously listed have places to attach pictures and documents to your ancestors' profiles.
Finding Photos
Free photo websites may have historical photos of places where your ancestors lived. Be sure to check the licensing and copyright information for any photos before downloading them or uploading them to another site.
Free photo sites include the following:
Writing Stories
DNA
DNA can help you research your family lines and connect with other family members. DNA testing sites charge a fee for their services, and the FamilySearch page on DNA testing mentions some of the well-known options. Some DNA information sites offer free analysis of DNA test results.
DNA Information Sites
Historical Record Sites
Online historical record sites have changed the way we do genealogy. It used to be necessary to scroll through microfilms to find records, or to write to a distant courthouse or government office requesting information. But now, billions of digital records are available at the click of a mouse, with more becoming available every day.
Newspapers are another source of valuable information for family historians. They may contain information isn't available in typical historical records. The sites below allow users to search digital copies of historical newspapers.
- Trove: This website provides free access to digitized newspaper collections from Australian libraries, universities, museums, galleries, and archives.
- Chronicling America: This collection of United States historic newspaper pages is a joint collaboration of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress and covers information from 1756 to 1963.
- FamilySearch Wiki Newspaper Page: This wiki page lists online newspaper collections.
- GenealogyBank: This collection of large and small US newspapers contains family notices (birth, marriage, anniversary, and death), along with obituaries, legal notices, and more. You may even find a story about your ancestor.
- The British Newspaper Archive: A combined effort with the British Library and Findmypast, this site contains millions of searchable digitized newspaper pages from the British Library.
Libraries
Many public and university library websites have sections devoted to genealogy.
Genealogical and Historical Societies
Genealogical and historical societies are a valuable and often underutilized resource. These societies usually focus on a specific geographical region. They may provide historical records that are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain elsewhere. In addition, they often provide research assistance.
To find a genealogical society of interest to you, you can search on the internet (for example, search for Netherlands Genealogy Societies). Similarly, you can look at the FamilySearch Research Wiki or review the Societies and Groups page on Cyndi’s List.
Note: While some societies have free resources or help available, others may require membership or charge a fee for their services.
Fun and Games
Fun and family history go together well, especially online! Here are some free sites with games and activities that will help you know your family better, both past and present.
Training and Education
There are free online classes, live or recorded, on almost every conceivable genealogy topic. You can start by checking some of the classes offered on these sites:
- FamilySearch Learning Center
- Salt Lake FamilySearch Library
- BYU Library Family History Center
- Cyndi’s List (free classes on this page have the word “FREE” by them)
RootsTech is an annual worldwide conference sponsored by FamilySearch. The largest conference of its kind, RootsTech offers a mix of in-person and virtual sessions, plus an extensive free on-demand library of past classes. There are free and paid options for attending in-person.
As mentioned above, The Family History Guide offers free self-guided learning on a variety of topics, such as general research, country-specific research, and using family history websites such as FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.
Go Ahead and Explore
As you can see, there are all kinds of valuable free resources online to help you with your genealogy. We hope you enjoy exploring these resources and wish you the best on your family history adventure!
List of Sites with Languages and Paid Options
Gateway Sites
| Site | Languages | Free versus Premium |
| ConferenceKeeper | English | All free |
| Cyndi's List | English (though some links may point to sites in other languages) | All free |
| FamilySearch Research Wiki | Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish. There’s also an option to use Google Translate for other languages supported by Google. | All free |
| The Family History Guide | 200+ languages through Google Translate (listed in the language drop-down in the upper left corner on the site). Additional language resources are available on the Language Resources page. | All free |
Building Online Trees
| Site | Languages | Free versus Premium |
| American Ancestors | English | Some premium content |
| Ancestris | English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish | All free |
| Ancestry | English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish | Some premium content |
| Family Tree Builder | 40 languages | All free |
| FamilySearch | 40+ languages. See the list by clicking the language drop-down at the bottom of most pages on FamilySearch.org. | All free |
| FamilyTreeNow | English | All free |
| Findmypast | English | Some premium content |
| Geneanet | Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish | Some premium content |
| Gramps | 43 languages | All free |
| MyHeritage | 42 languages. See the list by clicking the language drop-down at the top of most pages on MyHeritage.com. | Some premium content |
| WikiTrees | English | All free |
Photos and Stories
| Site | Languages | Free versus Premium |
| 18 Writing Tips: Tell Family Stories with Confidence | English | All free |
| 52 Stories | English | All free |
| 7 Prompts to Help You Write Your Family History | English | All free |
| All the Stories | Interface in English. Stories appear in the language as entered in Family Tree. | All free |
| Evalogue.Life | English | Some premium content |
FamilySearch Memories (web) | 40+ languages. See the list by clicking the language drop-down at the bottom of most pages on FamilySearch.org. | All free |
| Genealogy Tip of the Day | English | All free |
| Geneanet Postcard Collection | Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish | All free |
| Google Earth (with instructional video here) | You can view the interface in any language supported by Google Translate. | All free |
| Google Images | Any language supported by Google | Free to view; some images may be copyrighted or require a fee to use |
| Mylio | Dutch, English (US), English (UK), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian | Some premium content |
| Organize Your Genealogy Facebook Group | English | All free |
| Pexels | Chinese–Simplified, Chinese–Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese | All free |
| Unsplash | English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish | Some premium content and services |
| Write a Personal History (FamilySearch Research Wiki) | Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish. There’s also an option to use Google Translate for other languages supported by Google. | All free |
DNA Information
| 23andMe | English | Premium services |
| Ancestry | English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish | Premium services |
| FamilySearch page on DNA testing | Some translations available. To see if your language is available, select it from the language drop-down list at the bottom of the page. If your language is not available, the article will appear in English. | All free |
| FamilyTreeDNA | English, Spanish | Premium services |
| GEDMatch | English | All free |
| Genome Link | English | All free |
| LivingDNA | English | Premium services |
| MyHeritage | 42 languages. See the list by clicking the language drop-down at the top of most pages on MyHeritage.com. | Premium services |
| MyTrueAncestry | Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish. | All free |
| TellMeGen | English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish. | Premium services |
Historical Record Sites
| FamilySearch Historical Records | Interface available in 40+ languages. See the list by clicking the language drop-down at the bottom of most pages on FamilySearch.org. Historical record language varies. | All free |
| HeritageQuest | English | Often free through libraries. Premium subscriptions available. |
| Internet Archive | Interface available in English. Language of content varies. | All free |
| List of National Archives | Interface available in all languages supported by Wikipedia. Archive language varies. | List of archives is free. Some archives may offer premium content. |
Libraries
| Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center | English (though some links may point to resources in other languages) | All free |
| BYU Library Family History Center | English (though some links may point to resources in other languages) | All free |
| FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries | Refer to the individual affiliate library website. | All free |
| FamilySearch Centers | Refer to the individual FamilySearch center website. | All free |
Genealogical and Historical Societies
| Cyndi's List Societies and Groups page | English (though some links may point to sites in other languages) | List free. Societies may offer premium content or services. |
| FamilySearch Research Wiki | Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish. There’s also an option to use Google Translate for other languages supported by Google. | All free |
Fun and Games
| Ancestor Games | English | All free |
| FamilySearch activities page | Chinese–Traditional, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish | All free |
| Family History Guide activities page | 100 languages through Google Translate (listed in the language drop-down in the upper left corner on the site). Additional language resources are available on the Language Resources page. | All free |
| Relative Finder | English | All free |
Training and Education
| BYU Library Family History Center | Site interface is in English. Some class recordings may be in languages other than English. | All free |
| FamilySearch Learning Center | Learning center page can be translated by Google Translate. Table of Classes shows the language of each. | All free |
| RootsTech | Site interface is available in Chinese–Traditional, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Presentations are available in other languages, depending on the presenter. | Recorded content free. (Paid options are available for conference attendance.) |
| Salt Lake FamilySearch Library | 40+ languages. See the list by clicking the language drop-down at the bottom of most pages on FamilySearch.org. | All free |
| The Family History Guide | 200+ languages through Google Translate (listed in the language drop-down in the upper left corner on the site). Additional language resources are available on the Language Resources page. | All free |
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