When many people start to do their family history research or genealogy, they ask themselves, is there an alternative to the Ancestry.com program? In other words, is there another genealogy program to use to get started on doing genealogy and family history research?

The best alternative to Ancestry.com is FamilySearch. We like the FamilySearch program because it is free, collaborative, and easy to use. FamilySearch also offers many sophisticated functions and features for which other programs would charge. FamilySearch also has a lot of data and information that can help you with your genealogy research.

Table of Contents

• FamilySearch Is Free
• FamilySearch Is A Collaborative Research Program
• FamilySearch Has Many Functions To Help You Keep Track Of Your Records
• FamilySearch Has A Lot Of Data
• FamilySearch Is Very User-Friendly
• FamilySearch Offers Different Ways To View Information
• FamilySearch Will Keep Your Data Private
• FamilySearch Is Available In Many Languages
• Another Free Alternative – DNA Weekly
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Related Questions
  • What Are The Swedish Mantal Tax Records?
  • What Is The Purpose of Genealogy?

Here are some of the reasons we love the FamilySearch genealogy computer program:

FamilySearch Is Free

FamilySearch is a free genealogy research and data program. You can sign-up for a free FamilySearch account to immediately start searching for your ancestors and family history.

The FamilySearch program is 100% free; when you start to discover and research your family history and genealogy, you do not need to pay for a program, so we appreciate that the FamilySearch program is free of charge.

FamilySearch Is A Collaborative Research Program

FamilySearch is a collaborative genealogical research program. This means is that you can see genealogy research records that other people have put on FamilySearch. For example, you may find someone who has already researched your family, so you do not need to duplicate that research.

Especially if you were starting in genealogy research or trying to find your family history, this could be very useful in seeing what research has already been done.

Under the privacy laws, you can only see the information on people who have already died and not people who are living. So you may not find public information on parents or your grandparents if they are still alive, but you may find information on your great grandparents who have already died.

FamilySearch Has Many Functions To Help You Keep Track Of Your Records

We really love the FamilySearch program because it has many other functions to help you keep track of your family genealogical records.

For an entirely free program, FamilySearch has a lot of sophisticated functions and features. There is no cost to use the program nor is there any limit to the amount of data and information you can put on your FamilySearch account.

For example, there is an area where you could put in photos. My sisters have spent quite a bit of time putting in a lot of our family photos so everyone has a copy and can see and access them.

You can also put up other important information like a marriage, birth certificate, or copy of a will. This means that everything can be online; if you lose the original document or copy, you will always have an online copy.

FamilySearch also has a way for you to be able to share and write up stories. This is a function and part of FamilySearch we use a lot. We use this story function to write up stories of our ancestors so we will not lose them and will know where the record is.

FamilySearch Has A Lot Of Data

The FamilySearch website has a lot of excellent data. You can easily search for your ancestors to find some of your ancestor’s birth, death, christening, marriage, and other records.

Using the FamilySearch program, there are many records that you can find of your ancestors or find about your family. This is especially true if your family is from the United States or Europe, with many of these records.

If you are from Asia or a country that does not have many online records, it may be harder to find some of the records on FamilySearch as they have not yet been put online or been indexed.

FamilySearch Is Very User-Friendly

FamilySearch is very user-friendly; all you need to do is sign up for an account then put in the information you already know about your family. Once you have completed that step, you can start to search for your ancestor’s information.

FamilySearch Offers Different Ways To View Information

I really like how FamilySearch allows you different ways to view your ancestors and all their data. You view the data as a traditional family tree or view it as a fan chart; I personally like the fan chart as I find it very easy to use and view my ancestor’s data.

Every ancestor has its own page and unique user number associated with its name and data. On this page, you can put down all the information about your ancestors keep it together in one place; I find the way you can view the information as very easy and well organized.

FamilySearch Will Keep Your Data Private

There may be some ancestor records you may want to keep private and not public. FamilySearch now allows you to be able to keep things private that you want to keep private.

For our FamilySearch data, we keep all our data public. I think most people that are working on FamilySearch also keep their data public. But if you choose to keep something private, FamilySearch will allow this.

FamilySearch Is Available In Many Languages

The main language for FamilySearch is English, but FamilySearch is also available in various other languages. In fact, you might be surprised to discover how many languages the FamilySearch app is available in.

You can easily view FamilySearch in a language other than English or keep your family history records in another language.

FamilySearch is our top alternative to Ancestry.com. We really love the program’s ease, and anyone who is starting to do genealogy research should sign up for a free family search account by clicking here. There are no monthly fees or any fees of any other kind.

Because FamilySearch is 100% free, everyone can start their genealogy and family history research. You can start today by signing up for a free FamilySearch account.

Another Free Alternative – DNA Weekly

Another 100% free alternative that has been brought to my attention recently is the DNA Weekly Family Tree Creator. You can find out more about their family tree creator by clicking here.

I do not know much about DNA Weekly as I have my records on Ancestry and FamilySearch, but they look to be a good alternative if you do not want to use the FamilySearch tool.

The Hummel Family is a website all about Family History research. We focus on Swedish, German, English, Scottish, and American Genealogy. We also discussed Asia and China, as we had ancestors who spent many years in China.

You are welcome to join us and become part of our community by signing up for our FREE newsletter, The Hummel Family; sign up by clicking here.

Also, check out our Youtube Channel, Family HIstory Buzz, by clicking here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Questions

What Are The Swedish Mantal Tax Records?

The Swedish Mantal tax system was the tax system prevalent in Sweden for over 300 years. The Mantal tax was a tax placed upon Swedish households and people. The Mantal tax system was organized and structured.

You can learn more by reading our blog What Are The Swedish Mantal Tax Records? History & Genealogy Research Tips by clicking here.

What Is The Purpose of Genealogy?

The purpose of genealogy is to study family, family history, and the tracing of our lineage or our ancestors. The purpose of genealogy goes far beyond the dates, names, and places of our ancestors.   This is because as you do your genealogy, you begin to learn more about your family and yourself.  Genealogy helps to unite and link families together as you discover things about your family that you did not know.

You can learn more about Genealogy by reading our blog What Is The Purpose of Genealogy? by clicking here.