A free MyHeritage alternative for your family tree
MyHeritage is strong on historical records, DNA and photo tools, and it is in 50 languages. Its free tree stops at 250 people. Bargad has no limit and no paid tier. This page says where each one is better.
The short answer
MyHeritage lets you build a tree of up to 250 people for free, then asks for a subscription (on its India price list on 30 October 2026, Premium was $79 a year and PremiumPlus, with unlimited people, $129 a year, each with a cheaper first year). Bargad has no cap on people and no paid tier, and your tree is private to the relatives you invite. If you want records, DNA matches or photo restoration, stay with MyHeritage. If you want a family tree with every marriage drawn, bring your GEDCOM here.
Bargad and MyHeritage side by side
| Bargad | MyHeritage | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free. No paid tier, no limit on people or photos. | Free for up to 250 people and 500 MB. Premium (2,500 people) $79 a year; PremiumPlus (unlimited) $129; records (Data) $129; Complete $189. Each shows a lower first-year price. |
| Who can see your tree | Only the people you invite. Never public, never in search engines. | A family site you control, with members by invitation or approved request. Living relatives’ details are hidden from guests. Smart Matches can show people in your tree to other members unless you change the setting. |
| Several marriages | Every marriage drawn side by side, each with its own children. No “preferred” spouse. | “Add another partner” puts the new partner next to the earlier ones, with a status for each couple. |
| Moving your tree | Opens a GEDCOM from MyHeritage. Exports GEDCOM, and a zip with the photos. | Export to GEDCOM from Manage trees. The file holds links to photos, not the photos. |
| Photos | A photo on every card; no limit on photos. | 500 MB on the free plan, 1,000 MB on Premium, unlimited on PremiumPlus and above. Photo tools for colour, repair and animation. |
| Historical records and DNA | None. | 41.4 billion historical records on a Data plan, Record Matches, Smart Matches, and a DNA kit. |
| 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. The website is in 50 languages, Hindi included (the app may offer fewer). |
| Your family’s data | Never sold or shared (apart from the services that run the app), never used to train AI, deleted on request. | MyHeritage says it does not sell or license user data to third parties (its blog, October 2025). |
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
- No cap, no paid tier. MyHeritage’s free plan stops at 250 people, and over that you can look but not add. Bargad has no limit on people or photos, and nothing to upgrade to.
- 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.
- A tree for the family, not a search. Send one family link to the family chat and anyone can look without an account. Relatives 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.
- Nothing added for you. Bargad never merges or adds relatives by itself, so nobody else’s guess ends up in your tree. Trees are never public.
- 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 MyHeritage is stronger
- Historical records and matches. A Data subscription searches 41.4 billion records, and Record Matches and Smart Matches suggest where your people appear. Bargad has none of this.
- DNA. A MyHeritage DNA kit gives an ethnicity estimate and DNA Matches. Bargad has no DNA.
- Photo tools. Colourising, enhancing, repairing and animating old photos are built into its paid plans. Bargad only stores and shows your pictures.
- Languages and apps. The MyHeritage website is in 50 languages, Hindi included, and it has iPhone and Android apps. Bargad’s screens are in English, with relation names in Hindi.
Who should stay. If you want historical records, DNA matches or photo restoration, MyHeritage is the better tool. You can still draw the family here and import your GEDCOM, and keep the research there.
Moving your tree across
On myheritage.com, go to Family tree, then Manage trees, and choose Export to GEDCOM next to the tree. You can choose whether to include photos, but the file carries only links to them, not the pictures. If you built the tree in Family Tree Builder, its own File menu exports a GEDCOM too.
Where to find your file
MyHeritage Export a GEDCOM from MyHeritage
- On myheritage.com, open Family tree → Manage trees.
- Next to your tree choose Export to GEDCOM; the file is emailed to you or downloads at once.
- Open that .ged file here. Photos stay on MyHeritage; everything else comes across.
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 MyHeritage?
Yes. Bargad is free with no limit on people, and your tree is private to the relatives you invite. It has no historical records or DNA. MyHeritage’s own free plan is limited to 250 people and 500 MB.
How many people can I add to a free MyHeritage tree?
Up to 250 people across all trees on the family site, with 500 MB of storage. Over that you can view the tree but can’t add people. If a paid plan ends, the site goes back to the free plan and your data stays in your account (MyHeritage’s help centre, checked 30 October 2026).
How much does MyHeritage cost?
Its price list, opened for India on 30 October 2026, showed U.S. dollars: Premium $79 a year, PremiumPlus $129, Data $129, Complete $189 and Omni $259, each with a lower first-year price. No rupee prices were shown, and prices and offers change by country and over time.
Can I move my MyHeritage tree to Bargad?
Yes. Export a GEDCOM from Family tree, Manage trees, and open it in Bargad under “Bring your tree”. Every person and marriage comes across. Photos stay on MyHeritage, because the file holds only links to them.
Does Bargad have Smart Matches or DNA?
No. Bargad doesn’t match your tree against other people’s trees or add relatives for you. It is for drawing the family and sharing it with them.
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.
- MyHeritage price list (opened for India, in U.S. dollars)
- MyHeritage: what you get with a Basic subscription
- MyHeritage: types of subscription
- MyHeritage: exporting a GEDCOM from your family site
- MyHeritage: managing your privacy
- MyHeritage: languages
- MyHeritage blog, 17 October 2025 (privacy section)
More comparisons: Ancestry, FamilySearch, or all six apps side by side.