A free Ancestry alternative for your family tree
Ancestry is the place to search historical records and take a DNA test. If what you want is a family tree your relatives can see and add to, without a subscription, Bargad is free. This page says where each one is better.
The short answer
Bargad is free, with no paid tier, and your tree is private to the relatives you invite. Ancestry is a paid service built around historical records, hints and DNA; its U.S. plans start at $24.99 a month. You can keep a tree on Ancestry for free, but most records need a membership. If you want records or DNA matches, stay with Ancestry. If you want a tree for the family, with every marriage on the page, bring your GEDCOM here.
Bargad and Ancestry side by side
| Bargad | Ancestry | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free. No paid tier, no limit on people or photos. | A free account can build and share a tree. Records and other members’ trees need a membership: $24.99 a month (U.S. Discovery) up to $59.99 a month (All Access), less per month on 6- or 12-month terms. |
| Who can see your tree | Only the people you invite. Never public, never in search engines. | Trees can be private, and a private tree can also be made unsearchable. Living people are hidden from everyone except the owner and people the owner authorises. |
| Several marriages | Every marriage drawn side by side, each with its own children. No “preferred” spouse. | Several spouses can be stored. The vertical view can show all of them; the pedigree and fan views show one set of parents per person. |
| Moving your tree | Opens a GEDCOM from Ancestry. Exports GEDCOM, and a zip with the photos. | The owner can download a GEDCOM without a membership. Photos and record images aren’t in the file. |
| Photos | A photo on every card; no limit on photos. | Photos and documents up to 15 MB each. No total limit found in its help pages. |
| Historical records and DNA | None. | Billions of records, Hints that suggest records for your people, and AncestryDNA ($99). |
| Phone and language | Works in your phone’s browser; no app-store app yet. English, with relation names in Hindi if you choose. | iPhone and Android apps, in English, Swedish, German, French, Spanish and Italian. |
| Your family’s data | Never sold or shared (apart from the services that run the app), never used to train AI, deleted on request. | Its privacy statement (12 May 2026) says it does not sell personal information. It does use advertising cookies and partners, with an opt-out. |
Checked on 30 October 2026. Prices are in U.S. dollars as the service showed them; sources are at the end of the page.
What Bargad does differently
- Free, with nothing locked. There is no paid tier. You can add as many people and photos as you like, and download the whole tree as a GEDCOM file or a zip whenever you want.
- Every marriage on the page. A second marriage, a widowed grandfather who remarried, a divorce: each partner is drawn beside the person with the children of each, and the ended marriage is drawn dashed. Half- and step-relations get their own names.
- Made for sharing with the family. Send one family link to the family chat and anyone can look without an account. Relatives who find themselves can claim their card and add their own side; you review what others suggest, and every change can be undone.
- Cards labelled from where you stand. Each person sees the tree from their own seat: chacha, mama, bhabhi or uncle, aunt, cousin, in English or Hindi.
- Private by design. Trees are never public, and nothing is matched against strangers’ trees. Living relatives show as a birth year only on a family link.
- Something to hold. Any branch becomes a picture, a PDF or a printout (A4 or A3), or a register that runs over several pages.
Where Ancestry is stronger
- Historical records. Ancestry’s main strength: billions of records, such as birth certificates, wills and yearbooks, searchable and attachable to the people in your tree. Bargad has none.
- Hints. Once you start a tree, Ancestry suggests records and possible discoveries for the people in it. Bargad adds nothing to your tree by itself.
- DNA. AncestryDNA estimates where your family comes from and finds living relatives who tested too. Bargad has no DNA.
- Apps and size. Ancestry has been running for decades, has iPhone and Android apps, and a far larger team. Bargad is newer and smaller, and works in the browser.
Who should stay. If you want historical records or DNA matches, Ancestry is the better tool. Many people use both: research on Ancestry, and the family tree on Bargad, where the whole family can see it. You can import your GEDCOM here and it stays on Ancestry too.
Moving your tree across
Only the tree’s owner can download it, and a tree shared with you can’t be exported. Ancestry says you don’t need a membership to download your tree. The file has names, dates, places, notes and every marriage; photos and records stay behind.
Where to find your file
Ancestry Download a GEDCOM from Ancestry
- On ancestry.com, open your tree and choose Tree Settings from the tree’s name menu.
- Under Manage your tree, choose Export tree, wait for the file, then Download your GEDCOM file.
- Open that .ged file here. Photos and record images aren’t in the file; names, dates, places and notes are.
What comes across from any app: every person, every marriage (second marriages too), parents and children, dates, places, and notes. What doesn’t: photos, because GEDCOM files don’t carry them. A zip from Bargad brings the photos back as well.
Then open the file at Bring your tree. It is read in your browser first, and nothing is saved until you choose.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Ancestry?
Yes. Bargad is free, with no paid tier, and your tree is private to the relatives you invite. Other free options are FamilySearch, which is one shared tree for everyone, and Family Echo, which is supported by advertising. None of them has Ancestry’s records or DNA.
Can I build a family tree on Ancestry for free?
Yes. A free registered guest account can create, edit and share family trees. Most records, and other members’ public trees, need a membership. People and facts you added stay viewable when a membership ends, but records attached to your tree stop showing until you subscribe again (Ancestry’s help centre, checked 30 October 2026).
How much does Ancestry cost?
On its products page on 30 October 2026, in U.S. dollars: U.S. Discovery $24.99 a month, World Explorer $39.99 and All Access $59.99. Six- and 12-month terms lower the monthly rate, and an early termination fee of up to $50 may apply. No rupee prices were shown.
Can I move my Ancestry tree to Bargad?
Yes. Download a GEDCOM file from Ancestry (Tree Settings, then Export tree) and open it in Bargad under “Bring your tree”. Every person and marriage comes across. Photos and record images don’t, because GEDCOM files can’t carry them.
Does Bargad have historical records or DNA?
No. Bargad is for drawing and sharing your family tree. If you want records or DNA matches, Ancestry or MyHeritage are better tools.
Where these facts come from
Prices and policies checked on 30 October 2026, from the services’ own pages. They change, so check the current page before you pay or move anything.
- Ancestry products and prices
- Ancestry: free registered guest accounts
- Ancestry: setting preferred spouses or parents
- Ancestry privacy statement (effective 12 May 2026)
- Ancestry: uploading and downloading trees
More comparisons: MyHeritage, FamilySearch, or all six apps side by side.