FamilySearch.org is one of the largest and most trusted websites for genealogical research for several reasons. As many may already know, this site is run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This site is completely free for all to use, whether they are members of the LDS Church or not. With over 100 years of experience collecting and preserving records, the LDS Church created a website to digitize their vast collection, which grows daily due to worldwide digitization projects (indexing) manned by an international army of volunteer indexers working from home. This site sets itself apart from the rest not only by its pricing, but the sheer volume of records one can access as well as the degree of assistance which is available in a variety of forms – anywhere from online self-instruction videos or step-by-step tutorials, to online chat (24/7) or honest to goodness live help at one of the 4,600 Family History Centers operated and manned by volunteers. In an industry where the customer service of other companies is concerned primarily with billing of technical support, having assistance from another genealogist is priceless. The site is robust and filled with helpful hints and tips on the WIKI pages with topics for new genealogists and those whom are more seasoned.

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The Good

Features
Free membership
Mobile app

FamilySearch.org is a top-notch site which has many features integrated to make family research easier. These include:

Access to census records (1790-1940)
SSDI database
Family tree building (with several layouts to view and print data - traditional pedigree, fan and dependency)
Free membership (upon signing up with a membership, users can determine the level of privacy which they want as far as allowing other members to connect to them and contact them via email)
Access to obituaries, newspapers and books
Multiple language platforms
Comprehensive blog with educational and informative articles on family history
Helpful WIKI to guide research
Ability to upload images, documents and create life sketches of family members to bring their records to life
Data protection - when duplicates or errors are found, members email their notes through on onsite system with their information corrections and documentation to try and reduce duplicates and correct errors
Puzilla.org (run by FamilySearch.org) gives additional opportunities to research dependency and find cousins (also free)
Mobile app allows for quick additions on the run
Volunteer opportunities for all to help digitize (index) records from home to increase the digital databases available
Huge network of Family History Centers (worldwide) at which to receive free help from other genealogists
Social Media presence with helpful tips - Facebook, Twitter and Google+
YouTube Channel with instructional videos

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The Bad

Web freezes

Our review team noticed that when adding family members into their family trees (especially when importing them from another member's tree), the page can freeze up and needs to be reloaded by clicking another link and then going back into the tree page. This seems to happen during the times which internet traffic is higher. While not a full crash, this can become frustrating when working on building your trees. The developers obviously worked hard to make the site user friendly. There is a learning curve to its use and it is not always intuitive.

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The Bottom Line

Our review team is confident in recommending FamilySearch.org for anyone wanting to begin their family history research or to expand the branches of their family tree. This site is well-planned and offers access to records which other sites charge (sometimes hefty fees) to access. Having so many venues for personal help, not only with the functionality of the site (technical), but with the research itself make this site a real bargain - indeed a treasure even.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

4.8

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787 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

80%

4 grade

16%

3 grade

2 grade

1 grade

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Madelyn Grossarth Salt Lake City, UT

It’s such a good resource to find information about your ancestors. I love that you can post pictures or stories you have of your ancestors. It’s also a great way to find names to bring to the temple so you can do work for them.

5 hours ago

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Heather Riverton, UT

I use FamilySearch.org fairly frequently. It is easy to use and keep track of your family history as well as information can be shared between users for deceased family members. Also, when I have had problems figuring out things on my own, they have offered helpful customer service.

23 hours ago

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Brynlee Dalton Riverton, UT

I appreciate FamilySearch.org SOOO much! It is such a great website! My favorite pass time is to sit at my computer and see all the amazing things they have to offer. There are so many different things to try! FamilySearch.org is awesome, and I would definitely recommend it to a friend.

4 days ago

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Brian Cowley Riverton, UT

I love familysearch.org. I use it as my primary family history site. I like that it doesn't try and sale me anything, but just lets me do the work I want to do. I would recommend this site to any person looking to start into family history. I also like to use it in conjunction with ancestry.com and other sites like BillionGraves.com, etc.

6 days ago

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Terrah Anderson Herriman, UT

I love being able to look at my family history charts. It’s so interesting to look through the family stories others have posted about my relatives too. The weekly emails are full of interesting facts to help me learn more about my family too.

6 days ago

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Jackie Gardner Riverton, UT

I enjoy using familysearch to store all my ancestor's information and search for more. My favorite feature is the memories. I love seeing pictures and biographies of my ancestor's on there - some I've uploaded, mostly relatives have uploaded.

6 days ago

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Laurel Dalton Riverton, UT

FamilySearch has untied my family in ways I never imagined. I have been moved to see how close my extended family has become through our love of indexing. FamilySearch makes learning to index extremely easy and attainable for ages 6 and up. I would highly recommend using this website to pass down a love for ancestors to children of all ages.

1 week ago

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Shopman Herriman, UT

FamilySearch is the best family history website out there! I have found hundreds of family members. I have also been able to connect with living family members and work together to find our missing deceased family. The record hints are so helpful. I have been able learn about my family in a way I never thought possible. The best part of it is that it is free!

1 week ago

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Carnan Fort Collins, CO

I have enjoyed using family search for many years. I appreciate it when they send me emails of things of note about my ancestors that I may find valuable or that may help me further in my research.

20 hours ago

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Bryan Peterson Herriman, UT

I'm not huge into family history, but i really love knowing about my ancestors. The family search app even let's you find people related to you in the same room (if you want to know that)

4 days ago

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Jeff Thurgood Draper, UT

I love Family Search. I have been uploading documents, photos and stories from my grandparents, parents and myself. So future generations have those memories. The family history activities are also fun for family.

5 days ago

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luke dalton Riverton, UT

I love how not only does it show my family history, but it also lets me do history work. I love reading stories about my ancestors and Family Search makes it easy to find these amazing stories. Family search also lets me add my own personal stories and stories about my family for future generations to read.

1 week ago

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Saylor D Herriman, UT

I love FamilySearch.org because I can see my family tree and enjoy fun activities to do with my family! I love the relatives around me feature because I can see which of my friends I'm related to and how. It's such an amazing thing to be able to see that!

1 week ago

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Rachel Calton ID

I love this app! It’s really easy to use and a great way to find my family members. I also like how you can do relatives around me. It’s a fun feature!

1 day ago

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Brent Thurgood Spanish Fork, UT

This is a great tool for finding about your ancestors and yourself. I really enjoyed the Activities and the Compare a Face to see who I resemble from my ancestors.

1 day ago

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Taylor Jorgensen Herriman, UT

FamilySearch is easy to navigate. FamilySearch makes it really easy to take family names to the temple. With just a couple of clicks, you can have ordinance-ready names!

6 days ago

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Jacks Friend Riverton, UT

I love learning more about my past. Family Search is a wonderful tool that helps me do just that. I love using this app and have invited many family members to use it as well.

1 week ago

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Clay Thurgood Salt Lake City, UT

I use this all the time to explore not only my Genealogy, but to see the relatives around me. I love to see the memories that are on my relatives profiles along with the pictures.

1 week ago

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Paula Pili Provo, UT

I use family search daily It’s super organized, helpful and very simple! I love all of its features from Famous ancestors to faces that look like me to looking at places where my ancestors lived. I have the app as well and find its ease of use refreshing!

3 weeks ago

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Amy N Sandy, UT

FamilySearch.org is a fantastic website for researching genealogy. It's easy to find records and build your family tree and family groups.

19 hours ago

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Brynlee Dalton West Jordan, UT

I love FamilySearch.org SO much! It is very easy to use, and is formatted in a very nice way. I would definitely recommend it to a friend.

1 day ago

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Luke M Herriman, UT

FamilySearch.org makes it so easy to see your family tree, and it also has fun activities you can do with your family. I love that it gives me hints.

3 days ago

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Tara Hansen Layton, UT

I have had great experiences with Family Search. I appreciate that if I haven't logged in for a while that I receive updates about ancestors.

4 days ago

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Glenn Dalton Salt Lake City, UT

Easy to use site with massive resources to find family information. Very fun to brouse site and read family information that others have intered.

5 days ago

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Tami Thurgood Herriman, UT

I love this website! It’s easy to use and find information on your ancestors! It makes genealogy so fun and easy just by a few strokes of a key!

6 days ago

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Wendy Barney Vancouver, WA

Family search has provided me a way to teach my children their legacy of our own family’s military history from the founding of the United States to those that fought in WWII. I want them to know that their own ancestors were proud to represent their country. Familysearch.org makes it easy to find those registration records. While it’s helped my own kids, their cousins and my siblings have been thrilled to hear the legacy that they come from. Especially my brother who served in the Army.

2 months ago

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Brylee Roberts Riverton, UT

I have highly enjoyed learning about my family history. I get a little reluctant to combine data since I might be wrong but overall amazing website

16 hours ago

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Devin McClellan Eagle Mountain, UT

This website is very easy to use. As a family we’ve had a great time learning about our family tree

4 days ago

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Brooklynn Evans Herriman, UT

I love FamilySearch.org! It is such a great website and helps me see my ancestry in such an organized manner. I will definitely keep using it!

1 week ago

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Roderick B Toronto, ON

Positive - it is free and because it is run by the Mormon Church has a lot of information that might not otherwise be available. NEGATIVE - It allows ANYONE to make changes to your family tree. In other words, they can add information whether or not it is accurate (kind of like taking every hint in Ancestry and deciding all of them are relevant) and they can also delete information. When I asked Family Search about this, they said that of course people can, because it helps their genealogical research???? In my opinion, it is exhausting deleting incorrect information and putting back information someone else deleted. You can contact the "contributor" through the site and ask for them to show you their relationship to your tree. However, I found that people who were changing my tree did not, or would not, reply to that. I have, as a result, deleted about all of my paternal lineage (where they were willy-nilly adding and deleting) and will absolutely no longer use their tree app. Too many other sites will help you develop your tree. You can still use Family Search for info, but download it and do not add it to a tree if you have a tree elsewhere

1 month ago

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Alyson R American Fork, UT

This is a great site to learn about your ancestors. It links to so many primary sources that you can save to family members. You can save documents and pictures to individuals. It also has great resources on how to genealogical research.

2 months ago

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Kathleen Miller Salem, UT

Easy to use. Can sign up for emails that highlight ancestors and historical information.

1 day ago

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Grossarth Family Herriman, UT

Easy to use website for all of my family members. Tabs provide great navigation tools.

3 days ago

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J B Sandy, UT

Such a great resource for connecting with your past. Great webtools, and easy interface.

5 days ago

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Fernando

It is free and easy to use. I found info on my mothers biological parents. They have a. Lot of records to search through

3 weeks ago

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Spencer M Meridian, ID

This website is AWESOME for finding out about your ancestors. It has helped me so much and taught me so much about my family. And one hundred percent free for every feature- no ridiculous get premium now adds.

2 months ago

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Jec Canby, OR

Fabulous company. I have used them a lot. It can be addicting and so exciting to make connections. I also like how they connect to so many other company for over all benefit to everyone.

2 months ago

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JJ Jenkins Phoenix, AZ

Family search is a wonderful online resource that helps me find ancestors in my family tree. It also provides a place for me to store photos, stories, and information soon about me and my loving relatives. It has been a wonderful resource for me to connect with both living relatives and find deceased relatives.

5 months ago

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Lori Thurgoood Spanish Fork, UT

I really like to see where my ancestors come from and i enjoy all the activities.

1 day ago

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Mike John Logan, UT

I wish more features were available to split groups. Keeping me as the focus but look back.

1 day ago

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Brandon Kimball Thurgood AZ

So easy to find ancestors and discover where they came from.

1 day ago

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Shaun Bawden Tooele, UT

This is a fun app that allows you to learn more about your family

3 days ago

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Michelle Bray Pleasant Grove, UT

This is a program to help you create your family history. It does have a bit of a learning curve. Take your time to learn the program first, then start adding your information. Always check the sources before you merge a record. You can create a pedigree chart and family groups, There are tons of records that you can search to verify your relative. Please take care to verify each source before adding it to your family record. A very cool feature is to upload pictures and stories of your relatives. It really makes researching more personal.

5 months ago

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ZARAH WIET West Jordan, UT

Family Search is SO amazing! They are so easy to use and great for teaching the kids!

1 week ago

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Enormous Scintilla West Jordan, UT

found all my 6-11th cousins it was so fun i love seeing who i’m related to 10:10

1 week ago

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Mikayla Thompson Laramie, WY

I love all the suggestions for where to start working - attaching records, fixing issues, etc. More of that, and the ability to generate new suggestions would be great!

2 months ago

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Stephanie Clark Provo, UT

Family search makes genealogy work easy. I love the different ways to view your family tree and all the information available about your ancestors right at your fingertips.

2 months ago

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Yolanda Queer Shelley, ID

FamilySearch.org is great at giving help with your family history. They give suggestions about how to move forward when you're stuck and don't have enough documents with enough information to keep exploring.

5 months ago

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Alicia Turner Denver, CO

Family search is a great free website that allows for you to connect with your ancestors and learn of their life. It provides you with being able to attach new sources and even add your own stories. Family search has seriously changed my life.

5 months ago

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Emily D Herriman, UT

I love how easy FamilySearch.org makes compiling my family history.

1 week ago

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