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Free Ancestry alternatives

Census records, family trees and grave records you can search for free.

Sir Cancelot says: $24.99 a month to find out your great-grandad was also called Dave. FamilySearch tells you free.

4 free alternatives

Rated by how safe they are to install. Established tools have years of use behind them; early alpha means brand-new.

FamilySearch

The largest free genealogy site, run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with billions of records and a shared family tree. Completely free with a free account; some images are viewable only at affiliate libraries.

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Find a Grave

Free volunteer-built database of over 200 million burial records with headstone photos and obituaries. Owned by Ancestry, but free to search without a subscription.

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U.S. National Archives (Genealogy)

Free official access to census, military, immigration and naturalization records from the US government. Many records are online in the free catalog; some require ordering copies.

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FreeBMD

Free, volunteer-transcribed index of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales from 1837. Only useful if your ancestors were British.

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New · no app needed

Or skip Ancestry: use a prompt

Paste one into free ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. It does the job Ancestry charges for.

🗂️ Life adminFamily tree research planReplaces Ancestry $24.99/mo → $0
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Questions people ask

Is there a free alternative to Ancestry?

Yes. The best free alternatives to Ancestry are FamilySearch, Find a Grave, U.S. National Archives (Genealogy) and FreeBMD. Each is free to use, and we rate how safe each one is to install.

How much does Ancestry cost in 2026?

Ancestry costs $24.99/mo for the main plan (U.S. Discovery). Other plans: World Explorer $39.99/mo; All Access $59.99/mo. Prices are US list prices checked October 2026.

Does Ancestry have a free trial?

Yes, 14 days free. Set a reminder so it doesn't auto-charge you.

Did Ancestry raise its price?

Ancestry raised monthly prices on Feb 1, 2022 to $24.99 (U.S. Discovery), $39.99 (World Explorer) and $49.99 (All Access); All Access monthly is now $59.99 (date of that later rise not confirmed).

How do I cancel Ancestry?

Sign in to Ancestry and open Account Settings. Go to the Membership section. Click Cancel membership (or Cancel free trial) and follow the prompts. If you bought it in the iPhone or Android app, cancel through that app store. Full guide: https://nosub.co/how-to-cancel-ancestry/

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Quizlet Plus

$7.99/mo
4 free swaps: Anki, Knowt, Quizlet (free plan)
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