Which family history websites do I need? And do I need to pay?

Are there websites that will help me do my family history for free?

Yes, plenty. There are a number of websites with free access to essential clues. There are also a vast range of websites with free tools – such as those to help you:
• build your family tree online;
• download free charts and forms to keep your records straight;
• gather collections of photos of places from yesteryear;
• find historic maps;
• read digitised old books;

• and explore indexes and even, sometimes, digitised images.

Free family history websites to try

• FreeBMD
• FreeCen
• FamilySearch

Find wikis and online guides for free family history information

There are also numerous wikis (eg http://familysearch.org/wiki) and online guides (eg https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides-keywords/) providing you with research advice and know-how to help you learn about how to trace your family tree, how to tackle advanced sources, how to overcome brickwalls and more.
But...

It can be well worth paying for family history subscription websites

While you can do a lot without parting with a penny, many of the sites that do require paid-for access in order to view their collections will help you take your research to the next level. And this is why...

Why is it worth paying for a family history website?

When searching the paid-for websites without a subscription, some clues will be revealed to you;

however, by becoming a paid-up user you will be able to view greater details, and importantly be able to see the original historic digitised records too.

The following sites are all extremely valuable, particularly for British Isles family history, providing access to the essential records, further records to enhance your research, online tree building, ancestral matches and more:
• www.ancestry.co.uk
• www.findmypast.co.uk
• www.myheritage.com
• www.thegenealogist.co.uk
• www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
To access the full information from any of these five websites above you will need to pay. 

What should I look for when signing up to a website subscription?

When starting out in genealogy, you’ll definitely want to make sure they provide access to the census and BMDs. (As your research progresses over the years you may need to subscribe to bespoke lesser-known and used websites that don't include these core records).

• In addition have a think about collections you might wish to explore, as – in addition to the core records – the main sites mentioned above tend to have unique collections (not available on all the websites), such as various collections of newspapers, electoral rolls, DNA databases, maps and more.
• Study the various subscription levels available to make sure the package you choose includes the datasets you need.
• Find out how the website allows you to contact fellow site users, and them you. Accessibility of contacting fellow researchers will help you trace new relations, ask questions and share findings.

Beginner Scottish Family History Research Tip! If you have Scottish ancestors, then of the five, ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk is the website to use. It operates on a pay-per-view system (i.e. you buy credits, and use them as and when you wish to view a record). If you have paid access to Ancestry, it can be helpful to search the Scottish census indexes on Ancestry, find your ancestor, ensure you have the correct entry, and then pay to view the record on ScotlandsPeople. 
This will help you:
• make your search more accurate;
• may save you wasting credits on ScotlandsPeople;
• and will ensure you have the original record (from ScotlandsPeople – as Ancestry does not provide those for Scottish census returns).

If you have Scottish ancestors, be sure to explore Scottish Family History Month - online talks programme starting 3 February 2025.

Just starting to do my family tree. What do I need to pay for?

The websites mentioned above will all allow you to build and grow an online tree and search the key records.

Take a free trial! If you’re new to family history it’s worth taking advantage of any free trial periods so that you can explore each site and see which suits you best. Be sure to cancel within the trial period if you don’t wish to take up a subscription.

What are the most important FREE family history websites?

There are some sites that you should certainly search. We recommend bookmarking them in your browser so that you can easily find them when doing your family history.

• www.irishgenealogy.ie – for Irish civil BMD records and some parishes
• www.census.nationalarchives.ie – for Irish 1901 and 1911 Censuses
• www.library.wales/collections/learn-more/introduction2/ – for a wealth of Welsh digital records (you’ll wish you had Welsh ancestors)
• https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk – 
a treasure trove of information, photos and documents for tracing ancestors in Scotland.
 

Am I missing out if I just do my family history for free?

Yes, you may be.
While there is a huge amount you can accomplish for free, paying for records really is worth it to enrich your research and give you access to digitised documents, to help you trace the full facts from the original sources, for more detailed, credible research.
If you happen to live near the archives for the area in which your ancestors came from you will be able to achieve a lot using the archival collections. Many people live far from the localities in which their ancestors lived, so archive trips are more difficult to accomplish.
In addition many archives and local libraries offer free access to certain subscription sites to their visitors or members. 

I’ve been doing family history for a while, what should I look out for in a paid website?

With a year or two’s (or even a month or two's) experience, you’ll be very familiar with the key records, so it’s really worth looking at the data collections of each site before paying out.
Find further information about each site’s collections at: 
• https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/CardCatalog.aspx
• https://search.findmypast.co.uk/historical-records/
• www.myheritage.com/research
• www.thegenealogist.co.uk/diamond

I’ve done quite a bit of work on my family tree, is there any way I can upload this to an online tree?

If you have created a paper-based family tree you are going to need to key in the details in order to create your online family tree.
However, if you have a digital copy of your family tree (for instance passed on to you by a family member and created using family history software, or perhaps one you have created yourself using such software), you can easily upload it to many of the websites that provide tree-builing. In order to do this you need to upload a GEDCOM.

Family Tree Upload and Download Tip! Import and export your family history

The ability to import (upload) and export (download) your family tree is extremely useful (saving you from reinventing the wheel). If uploading your research to the paid website, you can very often still have access to it should you wish to cease subscribing. Look out for the ability to ‘Import GEDCOM’ or ‘Export GEDCOM’ on your website of choice.

I’m thinking about taking a DNA test, which site should I subscribe to?

Explore each website’s DNA options. Ideally you need a website with the largest database of fellow testers, to maximise your chance of making connections with your DNA matches.
DNA testing websites that provide tools to help you organise and analyise your DNA test results are also extremely useful.
For family historians Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe each tick many of these boxes. 

Family history tip: Keep a list of what it is you wish to research

We all know that it’s important to watch your spending. You may not wish to subscribe to a website month after month. These two tips will help you focus your time and money.
1. Remember to keep notes of your research. One of your notes may be a list of the records that you wish to search during the time period when you have a paid-for subscription. 
2. Check with your local library: some libraries offer their members free access at the library to websites such as Ancestry and Findmypast.