Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

FamilySearch Tree vs Ancestry

FamilySearch Tree 4.8★ · Free to download 75
Winner FamilySearch Tree
Ancestry 4.8★ · Free to download 60

FamilySearch Tree is the better choice for users seeking a free, collaborative platform, while Ancestry is better for those willing to pay for more robust features, despite its high cost and occasional technical issues.

Full reviews: FamilySearch Tree · Ancestry

FamilySearch Tree offers a completely free experience for building family trees and accessing historical documents, though users report occasional bugs and difficulties with shared tree editing. Ancestry provides extensive research tools and DNA integration but is frequently criticized for its high subscription costs and complex navigation.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: FamilySearch TreeR12R23R26R35
FamilySearch Tree FamilySearch Tree is praised for its ability to trace ancestors, provide access to legal documents, and preserve memories with photos R12R23R26. Users appreciate the 'descendants with tasks' and living tree features R26. It also helps verify relatives from other platforms like Ancestry R35.
Ancestry Ancestry users value the extensive discoveries about family history and connections to relatives . The platform helps confirm paternal lineage for adopted individuals and offers hints for research . However, some users report that much of the information, including DNA results, is locked behind a subscription .
Ease of Use and Navigation tieR6R18R24R25
FamilySearch Tree Many FamilySearch Tree users find the app difficult to navigate R6R24R25. Recent updates have reportedly made the app harder to use, with issues like inability to copy names, being sent back to the top of lists, and difficulty adding siblings or children R25. Some users also struggle with signing in and password issues R18.
Ancestry Ancestry is frequently described as user-unfriendly and hard to understand . Users report difficulty navigating the website and app . Some features, like sorting shared matches or locating certain DNA matches, are limited in the app compared to the website .
Reliability and Performance tieR10R13R15R16
FamilySearch Tree FamilySearch Tree users report frequent glitches, freezing, and crashing, especially when opening multiple documents or navigating quickly R13. Recent updates are blamed for introducing bugs, breaking links, impacting matching, and causing login issues R10R16. Some users experience slow performance and the app being out of sync with the website R15.
Ancestry Ancestry also suffers from reliability issues, with reports of the app crashing, lagging, and failing to load . Users mention network errors and problems with the program not working when adding hints R78. Updates are often cited as introducing new flaws, such as requiring trees to be re-downloaded . Some users have experienced their tree or DNA information being deleted or inaccessible .
Price and Value edge: FamilySearch TreeR21R32R50R67
FamilySearch Tree FamilySearch Tree is consistently praised for being completely free R32R50. Users appreciate the vast amount of information available without cost R50. Some users, however, express disappointment if they expect to pay for more information R21.
Ancestry Ancestry is heavily criticized for its high costs, with users mentioning subscription fees, cancellation fees, and charges for connecting with family members or accessing DNA results R67R78R87. Many feel the service is too expensive for the functionality provided, especially given the technical issues .
Support and Community tieR3R4R9R22
FamilySearch Tree FamilySearch Tree has a collaborative aspect where others can contribute to trees, which some users find helpful . However, this also leads to frustration for others when incorrect information is added or changed by others R4R9R22. The chat function has been reported to lose connection or shut down the app R3. Users also struggle to find how to get special permission to edit errors R9.
Ancestry Ancestry users appreciate the community aspect of finding relatives . However, some users report issues with customer service, such as difficulty accessing accounts or resolving unauthorized charges . There are also concerns about the lack of updates for specific ethnic journeys, like African American journeys .
Pick FamilySearch Tree if

Pick FamilySearch Tree if you are looking for a completely free platform to build and explore your family tree, are comfortable with a collaborative environment where others can contribute, and prioritize access to historical documents without a subscription R32R50R12.

Pick Ancestry if

Pick Ancestry if you are willing to pay for extensive research tools, DNA integration, and detailed hints, and if you value a platform that can help confirm difficult family connections like adoption, despite the high costs and occasional navigation challenges .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of reviews, providing a balanced view of user experiences. The free nature of FamilySearch Tree naturally leads to some negative feedback related to limitations or bugs from users who expect more without paying, while Ancestry's paid model means its negative reviews often focus on cost and perceived value.

Frequently asked

Is FamilySearch Tree truly free?
Yes, FamilySearch Tree is completely free to use and provides access to a vast amount of information and tools for building your family tree R32R50.
Why do Ancestry users complain about pricing?
Ancestry users frequently complain about high subscription fees, additional charges for features like connecting with family members or accessing DNA results, and unexpected cancellation fees, which many feel are excessive for the service provided R67R78R87R92.
Can others edit my family tree on these apps?
On FamilySearch Tree, other contributors can add or change information on your tree, which can lead to frustration for users when incorrect details are introduced R4R9R22R57. Reviews for Ancestry do not highlight this as a common issue, though some users report their own tree information being deleted .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R12] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · US The best Family Tree!: I was able to trace my ancestors. I was able to see the legal documents of my ancestors in a different country. Amazing app. It protects the identity of those person who are stll alive.
  2. [R23] FamilySearch Tree 5/5 · US Best Way to Preserve Your Ancestry!: I love Family Search so much!!! I am on it almost daily. I am going through my folders of information gathered over the years about people and also am putting photos of things into Memories so that they will be preserved for future people to see. It is so great to see a photo of someone on the tree instead of just an icon. It keeps improving and I easily fi
  3. [R26] FamilySearch Tree 5/5 · US Better than scrolling: I do most of my research on the desktop version, but I love using the app for “descendants with tasks” and the living tree features. It’s also so easy to upload memories!
  4. [R35] FamilySearch Tree 5/5 · US Great app for families are forever: It is such a great tool to use and helps verifying potential relatives from Ancestry and My Heritage and other resources even through DNA. Over my 68 years of doing genealogy, the programs and continual improvements are better than having to drive across country and hunt for records in many jurisdictions.
  5. [R6] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · US Navigating: I wish it was much easier to navigate, but it is always been very difficult.
  6. [R18] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · US ok: it won’t let me sign in. it my password and i know its the right password and it’s saying that it’s not.
  7. [R24] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · GB It’s quite good: The app is quite difficult and irritating to use. The website version is far better. Also - is it called Family Search or Family Tree? How confusing.
  8. [R25] FamilySearch Tree 1/5 · US Hard to add siblings & children: Difficult to use
  9. [R10] FamilySearch Tree 2/5 · US Does that FLASH need an epilepsy warning?: Typical FLASH, non-user focused FLASH, aesthetic based FLASH, poorly tested FLASH, bug creating update FLASH. Viewed source page glyph is singular useful feature FLASH, so far FLASH. Any chance of an update that prioritizes user experience FLASH, usability FLASH and bug FIXES FLASH? see record edit PLACE FLASH- 100% repro FLASH; * = United States FL
  10. [R13] FamilySearch Tree 2/5 · US Glitching won’t stop!: If I open too many documents at one, the app will freeze. If I press the buttons to go forward or backward, too quick it freezes. When I’m digging through large index files, it lags and tries to crash. Sometimes it’s refusing to merge duplicates. This is happening more often than not. I’m not trying to be picky. I just contribute a lot to your platform. And as I load up an
  11. [R15] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · US Out of synch with the website: I use this app A LOT, but recently I have run into issues that cannot be resolved without a trip to the website using a standard browser.
  12. [R16] FamilySearch Tree 1/5 · US Last software update broke lots of links and is severely impacting matching: The new software release that we got about a week ago has lots of bugs… for example when you say something is not a match, the system doesn’t clear it unless you go to the main screen and press that not a match button. You can no longer pick a person in your family and drill down on possible task … all those links are bro
  13. [R21] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · GB Lack of information: So I find this app quite difficult any information it actually gives you, you have to pay to get it , the app does not grip you at all, maybe if you pay the higher amount🤔
  14. [R32] FamilySearch Tree 5/5 · US Fun, Fulfilling, Free, Family!: FamilySearch is so easy to use for both doing research and sharing.
  15. [R50] FamilySearch Tree 5/5 · US The BEST Genealogy Platform AND ITS FREE: It’s completely free and has so much information. Literally changed my life and helped me realize my biggest passion in life is doing tree research. I’m genuinely addicted to this platform
  16. [R67] Ancestry 1/5 · US Cancellation Payment: Yesterday I had a charge on my bank account for almost $40 which is the subscription fee. I decided I wasn’t ready to get into the ancestry of my family, moneys tight, can’t afford it right now, I’ll do it when things are more stable, and then I was charged a $25 cancellation fee. Now, I will never come back to this. Good riddance.
  17. [R3] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · US Chat: Lost connection
  18. [R4] FamilySearch Tree 1/5 · US Too easy for others to change my research: I’m so tired of going into “my” tree to find that someone has changed information related to my immediate relatives that is now incorrect!!
  19. [R9] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · US How can I change incorrect information?: I recently checked my mother’s information. He found several errors. it said I need special permission to edit, but I can’t find out how! My name is wrong, my sex is wrong, and my cousin is showing up as my brother! I suppose it’s garbage and garbage out.
  20. [R22] FamilySearch Tree 2/5 · US Added errors: With everyone having access to my tree, I see errors which I must correct time after time.
  21. [R78] Ancestry 3/5 · US Easy, expensive, yet unreliable performance: I’ve used Ancestry for years. It keeps getting more and more expensive. It’s frustrating when trying to add hints to a record and have the program not work or give incorrect messages, like I need to contact the owner of the tree for access, then give me my contact information.
  22. [R87] Ancestry 3/5 · US Updates: I don’t care for the last couple of updates. I also, want to express my concerns for the high cost for Ancestry. There are so many other companies with apps that do not have the outrageous price for a $500 year. I think it’s time to drop your prices. Just saying
  23. [R92] Ancestry 5/5 · US Too expensive: I already paid for the Ancestry kit and now you guys try to make us pay for every single thing to find out information on our family tree. I think it’s very unfair and definitely a scam.
  24. [R57] FamilySearch Tree 3/5 · GB Wrong additions to Family Tree: I have very much appreciated the invaluable assistance I have hed in researching my family tree The problem I have is that other contributors are adding people to my tree who are patently not right This is not a criticism of the other contributors as I am sure they are adding them in good faith because they think a link looks right As I am on the spot in the countr

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store