Family Trees vs FamilySearch
Short answerFamilySearch is a free, nonprofit service with one shared tree for everyone: each deceased person has a single public profile that descendants improve together, and living people are kept private. Family Trees is your family’s own private tree, with photo portraits, recorded voices and birthdays, shared only with relatives you invite.
At a glance
| Family Trees | FamilySearch | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free up to 100 people; Plus or Lifetime beyond | Free |
| Whose tree is it? | Yours, private to you and invited relatives | One shared tree, edited together |
| Deceased relatives | Private like everyone else | One public profile per deceased person |
| Living relatives | Private | Kept private |
| Historical records | Not offered | Yes, free record search |
| Photos and tagging | Portraits, galleries and group-photo tags | Photos and memories can be added |
| Recorded voice memories | Yes, in the browser | Audio memories can be added |
| GEDCOM export | Free on every plan | Through partner apps |
When FamilySearch is the better choice
FamilySearch is free, it has a large collection of historical records, and its shared tree means work done by distant cousins is already there. If you want to connect your ancestors to the wider tree and attach sources that others can check, FamilySearch is built for exactly that.
When Family Trees is the better choice
On a shared tree, other people can change the profiles of your deceased relatives. Family Trees is the opposite: the tree belongs to you, and only the relatives you invite can see or edit it. It is built like a photo album, with a round portrait for everyone, tagged group photos, recorded stories, and Moments for birthdays and anniversaries. Five views (Ancestors, Descendants, Hourglass, Fan chart and Everyone) draw the whole family.
Getting your FamilySearch tree into Family Trees
FamilySearch’s own GEDCOM download page now points people to compatible family tree apps from its partner gallery instead. A program such as RootsMagic can sync with FamilySearch and then export a GEDCOM file. See exporting from FamilySearch, then import the file into Family Trees.
Questions
Is FamilySearch really free?
Yes. FamilySearch describes itself as a nonprofit and is provided free of charge by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family Trees is also free for one tree of up to 100 people, with paid plans for larger families.
Can other people edit my tree on FamilySearch?
FamilySearch has one shared tree with one public profile per deceased person, which descendants improve together. Living people are kept private. In Family Trees nobody can see or edit your tree unless you invite them.
Can I use FamilySearch and Family Trees together?
Yes. Many families research on FamilySearch, where the records are, and keep their own private album of the family, with photos and recorded stories, in Family Trees.
Sources
- FamilySearch: Family Tree (free, nonprofit, one public profile per deceased individual, living people private)
- FamilySearch: Download your family tree (GEDCOM export no longer supported there; use partner apps)
Links go to other sites. Checked 19 October 2026.
Questions? Email support@familytreesapp.com and a person will reply.