A private alternative to FamilySearch’s shared tree

FamilySearch is free and holds large collections of historical records. Its Family Tree, though, is one tree that every user shares. If you want a tree only your family can see and change, this page is for you.

The short answer

On FamilySearch, people who have died sit in one public tree that any signed-in FamilySearch user can see and edit. FamilySearch does offer a private tree and family group trees for living relatives, but both connect to those public ancestors. Bargad keeps your whole tree private to the relatives you invite, and the owner reviews what others suggest. If you want free historical records, stay with FamilySearch; you can still draw the family here and import your tree.

Bargad and FamilySearch side by side

Bargad compared with FamilySearch, checked 30 October 2026
	Bargad	FamilySearch
Cost	Free. No paid tier, no limit on people or photos.	Free. It has one kind of account, and a nonprofit runs it.
Who can see and edit	Only the people you invite. The owner reviews changes others suggest, and every change can be undone.	People who have died are in one public tree that all FamilySearch users can see and edit. Living people are visible only to whoever entered them. A private tree and family group trees exist; all of a group’s members can edit everything in it.
Several marriages	Every marriage drawn side by side, each with its own children. No “preferred” spouse.	Several spouses can be added under Spouses and Children, and children are added under the right couple.
Moving your tree	Opens a GEDCOM. Exports GEDCOM, and a zip with the photos.	You can upload a GEDCOM to Genealogies, where others can view it but not change it. Its help says you can’t download one directly from Family Tree; certified apps such as RootsMagic can.
Photos	A photo on every card; no limit on photos.	Memories take photos up to 15 MB each, with no stated limit on how many.
Historical records and DNA	None.	Large collections of historical records, free to search. No DNA test found.
Phone and language	Works in your phone’s browser; no app-store app yet. English, with relation names in Hindi if you choose.	A Family Tree mobile app. Languages not confirmed here.
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 Global Privacy Notice was updated on 24 March 2026. A nonprofit corporation runs it.

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

Your tree is yours alone. No stranger can edit it, merge it or “fix” it. Only the people you invite can see it, and trees are never public or listed in search engines.
Relatives suggest, you approve. Family members add their own side and suggest the rest. The owner reviews suggestions, and every change is in a history and can be undone.
Every marriage on the page. Each partner is drawn beside the person with the children of each, and an ended marriage is drawn dashed. Half- and step-relations get their own names.
Look without an account. Send one family link to the family chat and elders can look without signing up. Living relatives show a birth year only.
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.
Free to leave. Download the tree as a GEDCOM file or a zip with the photos at any time, so nothing is locked in.

Where FamilySearch is stronger

Free historical records. FamilySearch has large collections of historical records that cost nothing to search. Bargad has no records.
One tree for all of humanity. If you want to find out whether someone has already researched your ancestors and build on their work, a shared tree is how that happens. Bargad keeps every family’s tree separate, on purpose.
Scale and support. FamilySearch is far older and bigger, with help centres, a community forum and a mobile app. Bargad is newer and smaller.

Who should stay. If you want free historical records, or to connect your line to the shared tree of ancestors that other researchers have built, FamilySearch is the better tool. You can still draw your own family here, privately, and import your tree.

Moving your tree across

FamilySearch’s help says you can’t download your tree directly from Family Tree, so the way across is a certified app. This makes a copy; your tree on FamilySearch stays as it is, and you can keep both.

Where to find your file

FamilySearch How to get your file

FamilySearch no longer lets you download your tree directly. Its certified apps can:

Install RootsMagic Essentials (free, Mac and Windows) and sign in with your FamilySearch account.
Import from FamilySearch starting at yourself. Choose several generations of ancestors and descendants.
Choose File → Export, pick GEDCOM, and turn off “privatize living people”.
Open that .ged file here.

You only need to do this once. After that, the tree lives here.

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

Can other people edit my tree on FamilySearch?

For people who have died, yes. They are in one public tree that all FamilySearch users can see and edit, and FamilySearch’s help says a deceased ancestor can’t be moved out of the public tree into a private group. Living people are visible only to whoever entered them (FamilySearch’s help centre, checked 30 October 2026).

Can I keep a private tree on FamilySearch?

Partly. FamilySearch offers a private tree that only you can see, and a family group tree that selected relatives can see and edit. Both are for living and confidential people and connect to ancestors who are public to all users.

Is there a private alternative to FamilySearch?

Yes. Bargad is free, and the whole tree is private to the relatives you invite. It has no historical records. Family Echo is another free, private option, supported by advertising.

Can I move my FamilySearch tree to Bargad?

Yes. FamilySearch doesn’t let you download a GEDCOM from Family Tree directly, so use a certified app such as the free RootsMagic Essentials to get a GEDCOM, then open it in Bargad under “Bring your tree”. The steps are on this page.

Is FamilySearch really free?

Yes. FamilySearch says it has only one type of account, and it is free. It is run by a nonprofit.

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.

More comparisons: Ancestry, MyHeritage, or all six apps side by side.