Remember having to create a family tree in elementary school? Speaking to living grandparents and relatives was about as far back as we were able to trace, but not anymore. Family mapping and family tree building is all the rage these days, and advancements in official data gathering and organization put our school projects to shame. DNA testing is easy-to-use, affordable, painless, and precise.
When choosing a family tree software to use, it’s important to choose one that’s reliable, as well as one that has positive reviews and a good reputation. Looking to find the best one but aren’t sure where to start? Read our breakdown of the top family tree sites to choose the right one for your needs.
Here are the best sites to build a family tree:
MyHeritage
- Well established company with an excellent reputation
- Various pricing options
- Vital records from over 45 countries
- 24/7 customer phone support
- Largest international network of family trees
With 2.9 billion profiles, over 90 million users worldwide, and 40 million family trees, MyHeritage is a leader in the DNA mapping and family tree space.
It offers family tree building software and DNA testing kits whose unique results give you in-depth information about where you come from and who you are. Not only are its tests comprehensive, but they’re easy-to-use, well-designed, and intuitive. Additionally, its tests are made to help you build out your family tree by combining DNA results and family tree analysis.
The site can also help you find long-lost relatives around the world. After gathering your information, you can build a complete family tree. Everything can be done on MyHeritage’s site, which is built specifically for family mapping and analysis. MyHeritage offers competitive pricing, good customer support, and detailed ancestral insights.
Ancestry
- Customize your Ancestry homepage with your most used features
- Build and continuously grow your family tree
- Find long lost relatives with the “New Ancestor Discoveries” feature
- View, manage, and add to your family tree using the mobile app
Ancestry offers a software that lets you uncover your ethnic mix, find distant relatives, and build a comprehensive family tree. To get started you just add a few family members to your tree, and the site will search for them in its record collections. If the site finds interesting information, you’ll see an icon of a leaf on the family member's picture. You can then look up that person, and if it’s accurate, add them to your family tree.
But the best part about Ancestry’s family trees is that the more family members you add, the more the site can tell you about your family and the more clear your history becomes. The company has over 6 million subscribers, has been featured in Fortune, and ABC News, and offers a 14-day free trial period.
OneGreatFamily
- Designed for users around the world to collaborate
- Worldwide database with more than 250,000,000 entries
- Expand your tree effortlessly with tree-merging technology
- Free 7-day trial
- Large genealogy learning and resource center
OneGreatFamily is an online genealogical service with the aim of connecting the world through a single database. The service uses your family tree to build one single, central family tree that connects people from around the world.
Anyone can use OneGreatFamily to learn more about their family and their roots. Experts and genealogists can also benefit from the site’s database of over 200 million names, which could sound overwhelming if it weren’t for the software’s algorithms that remove duplication errors and other complications that come from manually updating your own tree. OneGreatFamily’s technology does a lot of the heavy lifting, culminating in a tree-merging program that lets your tree grow organically and accurately.
FindMyPast
- Extensive British and Irish database
- DNA mapping across 150 regions around Britain and Ireland
- Syncs with test results from major DNA testing companies
- Discover relatives with matchmaking program
- 2-week free trial
FindMyPast’s tree building software offers distinct advantages to those with British or Irish heritage that could be difficult to find elsewhere. That’s because of the program’s focus on Great Britain and Ireland, which grants you access to one of the largest databases of British and Irish records.
FindMyPast’s software includes DNA mapping across 150 regions around Britain and Ireland, making its software a somewhat niche offering but a highly attractive one for those researching family from those areas. With partners including The National Archives, The British Library, The National Archives of Ireland, as well as an easy-to-use tree-building tool to put all of your findings together, FindMyPast is both a comprehensive and approachable program for those hailing from Britain and Ireland.
Genes Reunited
- More than 500 million historical records
- Focuses on British, Welsh, and Irish ancestry
- Birth, marriage, census, and military records going back to 1801
- Interactive chat groups and community resources
- Access the basic plan for free
Genes Reunited is a repository for genealogy research, family tree building, archiving, and community all in one. This comprehensive site, which specializes in British, Welsh, and Irish ancestry, offers budding genealogists easy-to-access tools that will help them on their way to learning more about and documenting their own family’s history.
To start with, the records you can access through Genes Reunited are diverse and far-reaching. There are general and niche databases that focus on censuses, military records, birth and marriage certificates, and more, which stretch back to the early 1800s. This library provides plenty of opportunities to start building your family tree, which can be done through the site’s easy-to-use tree builder. And with relative matching, keepsafe folders, and an active community of users, Genes Reunited offers a centralized place to conduct your research and turn the results into something lasting.
Legacy Tree
- In-depth research from professional genealogists
- Personalized genealogy services stretching back hundreds of years
- Get detailed reports and pedigree charts
- Access niche databases such as British Military and the Mayflower Society
While Legacy Tree doesn’t specialize in family tree building software per se, its research services will make easy work of assembling your own family tree that stretches deep and wide through history and geography.
Legacy Tree has more than 100 professional genealogists at its disposal ready to do tackle the thorough, intricate work of researching your family history. These professionals have access to some of the largest genealogy libraries in the world, and, just as important, the know-how to navigate them in order to turn up deep-rooted discoveries about your past. With access to a surprising number of niche databases and package options that can yield detailed reports, pedigree charts, and otherwise long-buried family histories, Legacy Tree offers a unique specialized service for those serious about building a thorough family tree.
Just Answer
- More than 10,000 genealogists on hand
- Unlimited chat 24/7
- Get expert research advice and troubleshooting tips
- Great for those just starting out
Just Answer is a multidisciplinary website that gives you 24/7 access to experts in a wide range of fields including medicine, law, and accounting. Though you won’t find family tree building software here, you will find a genealogy section populated by verified experts available any time to field questions about genealogy and research. A great resource for those in the throes of genealogical research and the obstacles that frequently arise, Just Answer is a good site to keep on hand as you delve into your family’s past.
Find Your Roots
With so many choices out there, with varying pricing plans and security features, choosing the right company is critical to a positive and successful family mapping experience. Use our recommendations of the top family tree sites to ensure the best and most accurate results possible.
