Paid genealogy websites compared
What the big subscription sites hold for UK research, where their record sets differ, how their trees and hints work, free-trial pitfalls and how to use library access instead of paying.
Four subscription sites dominate UK family history: Ancestry, Findmypast, MyHeritage and TheGenealogist. They overlap on the core census and civil registration indexes and differ sharply on everything else, so the question is not "which is best" but "which has the records my family is in". This guide sets out the differences and how to avoid paying for more than you need.
What they have in common
All four hold indexed images of the England and Wales censuses 1841-1911 and the GRO indexes, and all let you build a tree and get hints. Beyond that they diverge, mainly because of which archives they partnered with.
The differences that matter
| Ancestry | The largest overall, with the biggest user base and tree collection, strong parish register sets (London Metropolitan Archives, Lancashire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and others), WW1 service and pension records, the probate calendar to 1995, electoral registers, and the most useful DNA database for matches. US and worldwide coverage if the family emigrated. Weak in some counties where Findmypast has the exclusive. |
|---|---|
| Findmypast | The only site with the 1921 census and the exclusive partner of The National Archives for several sets. Strongest for Irish records, many county parish registers through family history society partnerships (Yorkshire, Kent, Cheshire, Devon and others), the British Newspaper Archive (same owner, included on the top tier), and military records. Tree tools less developed than Ancestry's. |
| MyHeritage | Strong on European and Jewish records, good photo tools and a large DNA database with many European testers; the UK record collection is broadly the shared core plus the 1939 Register. Worth it mainly for families with Continental roots or for its DNA matching. |
| TheGenealogist | Smaller and UK-focused, with some unique sets: tithe maps and apportionments linked to records, nonconformist registers, landowner records, military and peerage sources, and its "master search" across record types. Popular with experienced researchers for the land records. |
Which to choose
- Working family back from living memory, England: Findmypast for the 1921 census, then whichever has your counties' parish registers.
- Irish ancestry: Findmypast, with Ancestry for the Catholic register index.
- Emigrant branches or DNA matching: Ancestry.
- Land and nonconformists: TheGenealogist.
- Continental European roots: MyHeritage.
Check each site's card catalogue for the specific county and record type before subscribing; that five-minute check decides it.
Paying less
- Library access. Ancestry Library Edition and often Findmypast are free at most public libraries and record offices.
- Pay-as-you-go. Findmypast credits and ScotlandsPeople credits suit occasional lookups better than a subscription.
- One month at a time. Subscribe for a month, do a concentrated burst of research with a list prepared in advance, then cancel. Rotate sites.
- Free trials. All offer 14-day trials; set a reminder to cancel, because they roll into a paid subscription automatically.
- Sales. Discounts around Black Friday, Christmas and family history fairs.
- Do the free work first. See free genealogy websites.
Hints and other people's trees
Every site will offer you "hints" and matches to other members' trees. Hints to records are useful; hints to trees are not evidence. A wrong link copied by fifty people is still wrong. Use trees as leads, check the records yourself and cite the record, not the tree.
Keep your own copy
Whatever site you use, keep your tree in a program on your own computer and export a GEDCOM regularly. Subscriptions lapse, sites change terms, and your work should outlive both. See genealogy software.