Alternatives to Ancestry — Free & Paid Tools to Grow Your Family Story
Ancestry.com is the biggest name in family history. But it’s not the only option. Whether you’re looking for a free tool, a different approach, or something that complements Ancestry, there are plenty of alternatives worth exploring.
Here’s a guide to the best free and paid tools, and how to go beyond names and dates to preserve the stories that bring family history to life.
Free Alternatives to Ancestry
FamilySearch
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Nonprofit and completely free.
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Billions of records worldwide.
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A global, shared family tree.
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Best for beginners or those who want to start without paying.
Find A Grave
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Free database of cemetery records and headstone photos.
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Helpful for confirming dates and places.
US National Archives & Local Libraries
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Many archives provide free access to census, immigration, and military records.
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Check your country’s or city’s digital archives for hidden gems.
Paid Alternatives to Ancestry
MyHeritage
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Strong in European records.
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DNA testing option.
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Tools for building family trees and colorizing/restoring old photos.
Archives.com
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Budget-friendly subscription.
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Focus on U.S. records (birth, marriage, census).
Newspapers.com
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Huge database of historic newspapers.
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Great for finding stories, obituaries, and context around ancestors’ lives.
The Limits of Record-Based Genealogy
These platforms are powerful, but they all share one limitation: they collect facts, not voices.
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They can tell you when your grandmother was born.
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They can show you your great-uncle’s military record.
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They can confirm the year your family moved to a new town.
But they can’t capture your grandmother’s laugh, your father’s advice, or your mother’s perspective on life.
That’s where the real meaning of family history lives.
Going Beyond: Preserving Stories, Not Just Records
Once you’ve found the names and dates, the next step is to capture the stories behind them. That’s the missing piece.
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Record short interviews with parents, grandparents, or siblings.
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Pair photos with voice notes.
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Tag moments with names, places, and themes so they’re easy to find later.
With this, you move from a family tree of facts to a family archive of wisdom.
Where Chaptr Fits
Chaptr isn’t another genealogy database. It’s the tool that makes your family’s voices and wisdom findable for generations.
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Prompts to get started (no awkward silences).
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Instant transcripts so memories are searchable.
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Smart tagging so stories are organized, not lost in folders.
Ancestry, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage build the tree. Chaptr makes the tree come alive.
Final Thought
If you want a full picture of your family history, you need more than names and dates. You need the voices, laughter, lessons, and perspectives that only come through stories.
Become a Founder Member today and help us build Chaptr — the essential complement to genealogy tools, designed to preserve the wisdom behind the records.