December 5, 2025
As I wrote last time, many of the most useful genealogy websites are expensive. For example, Ancestry costs over $300 annually for a full access subscription. My Heritage, another large genealogy website, costs nearly $400 annually for the ultimate package subscription. Even some of the smaller websites such as Newspapers.com and Fold 3 cost around $80 for a six-month subscription.
Fortunately, there are some ways to access these websites for less. If you are willing to sacrifice the convenience of at-home researching, many of the best genealogy websites can be accessed at local FamilySearch Centers. These centers are usually located in LDS churches or in local libraries. The best way to find a center near you is to visit the FamilySearch website (https://locations.familysearch.org/en/search ). You can then search for centers in your area. Be sure to check hours of operation since most of the centers are open limited hours.
Many local libraries also have subscriptions to some of the major genealogy websites. For example, the Poudre River Library District (https://poudrelibraries.org/ ) in Fort Collins has library subscriptions to Ancestry and My Heritage. The websites can only be accessed on a library computer, but the websites are available at any of the branches during any hours the library is open.
For those who prefer to research from home, there are ways to gain access to genealogy websites for less. Nearly all the major websites offer free introductory trials. These trial periods vary from seven days to fourteen days, depending on the website. The websites require you to enter credit card information, and an automatic paid subscription will start unless you cancel before the end of the trial period. I have used these free trials frequently. I have never been charged when I cancelled before the end of my free trial. New trial subscriptions are usually only available once per year.
If a short trial period is not enough time to complete your research, the genealogy websites also offer monthly subscriptions. The monthly subscriptions will continue until you cancel, so it’s important to remember to cancel them when you no longer need them.
Six months and annual subscriptions are usually cheaper per month than month-to-month subscriptions, but you are usually committed for the entire period. If you are new to a website, it’s a good idea to start with a monthly subscription. This will allow you flexibility in cancelling.
Before you commit to paying for any genealogy subscription, make sure to check that the website has information that will benefit your research. Recently, someone complained that he had spent $75 on a newspaper subscription that contained no newspapers for the area of his research. When I asked, he admitted he hadn’t checked what newspapers were included on the site before he subscribed. If your goal is to save money, you need to do your homework before you subscribe.
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society