The best family tree makers, compared honestly
The best family tree maker depends on what you are actually trying to do. For keeping your living family connected around one private tree, use Twigs. For researching ancestors through historical records, use Ancestry or FamilySearch. For restoring old family photos, MyHeritage stands out. For a printable poster, a design template is enough. Here is the full field, honestly assessed.
1. Twigs
Best for connecting your living family
Twigs gives your family a private, zoomable tree at its own address, behind a family password. Every relative claims their own card, adds photos and moments, and the tree becomes a family feed rather than a static chart. There are no records or DNA kits on purpose: it is built for the family you have today, not the ancestors you are researching. Full disclosure: we make Twigs, which is why it leads this list, and also why the rest of this guide points you elsewhere when another tool fits better.
Price: Free to start · Create your tree
2. Ancestry
Best for deep ancestry research
The heavyweight of genealogy: billions of historical records, DNA testing, and mature research tools. If your goal is tracing your line back to the 1800s and beyond, this is the strongest option. Trees skew public by default and the subscription is priced for serious researchers.
Price: Paid subscription · Twigs vs. Ancestry
3. FamilySearch
Best free research archive
Run by a nonprofit, completely free, with the world's largest shared family tree and vast record collections. The trade-off is that deceased ancestors live on one communal world tree that any member can edit, so your research is shared rather than owned.
Price: Free · Twigs vs. FamilySearch
4. MyHeritage
Best for old family photos
Strong international records plus standout photo tools: colorization, enhancement, and animation of old family photos. Smart Matches connect your tree to other members' research, which is powerful for research and worth knowing about for privacy.
Price: Free tier, paid plans · Twigs vs. MyHeritage
5. WikiTree
Best volunteer genealogy community
A free, volunteer-run shared tree with unusually high sourcing standards. Wonderful if you enjoy collaborative genealogy as a hobby and want your research checked by a community that cares about getting it right.
Price: Free · Twigs vs. WikiTree
6. Geni
Best for the one-world-tree project
Geni works toward a single connected tree of humanity, with curators resolving conflicts. Fascinating if connecting your line into the world tree excites you; not the right fit if you want your family's tree to belong to your family.
Price: Free basic, paid Pro · Twigs vs. Geni
7. Canva or a chart template
Best for a one-off printable chart
For a wedding, reunion, or classroom project, a design tool with a family tree template produces a lovely printable poster fast. It is a picture rather than a living thing: the moment someone is born or marries, the poster is out of date.
Price: Free tier
8. A spreadsheet
Best for data hoarders
Infinitely flexible and familiar, and a fine archive for research notes. As the family's shared tree it struggles: one maintainer, stale emailed copies, and no photos or stories where they belong.
Price: Free · Twigs vs. a spreadsheet
How to choose
Ask one question first: is this for the past or the present? Research tools (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, WikiTree, Geni) are built to document ancestors, and they are good at it. Twigs is built so the relatives you actually know can see themselves on one tree, keep their own cards current, and share the moments that are happening now. Many families happily run one of each.