Love digging into your family history but not the price tag? You’re not alone. Genealogy can get expensive fast—especially with premium subscriptions like Ancestry.com. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to research your family tree for free (or at a deep discount).
This guide covers free Ancestry offers, library access, free trial tips, discounted subscription deals, and the best no-cost genealogy resources—all in one place.
Free 6-Month Ancestry World Explorer for Teachers
K–12 teachers, homeschool educators, and librarians can get six months of Ancestry World Explorer free. This subscription gives you access to billions of global records, including census data, immigration records, birth/marriage/death certificates, and more.
Who Qualifies:
- Public, private, or charter school teachers
- Homeschool educators
- School librarians
- Educators working directly with students
How to Claim:
- Visit Ancestry’s educator offer page during the promotion.
- Verify credentials via SheerID.
- Log in or create an Ancestry account.
- Redeem your 6-month free subscription.
Credit card required, but not charged. Offer for new subscribers only.
Ancestry Free Trial for Everyone
Not a teacher? You can still enjoy a 14-day free trial of Ancestry.com. Get full access to their historical records, hints, and family tree tools.
Tips:
- Payment method required—cancel at least 2 days before trial ends.
- Download all documents before access expires.
Free Ancestry Access at Libraries
Many public libraries offer Ancestry Library Edition—a free version you can access on-site.
How to Use:
- Visit your local library and log in via their computers or Wi-Fi.
- Research as much as you want.
- Save or email files before you leave.
Some libraries even provide remote home access—ask your local branch for details.
Ancestry Free Access Weekends
Several times a year, Ancestry unlocks specific collections for free—often around Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or historical anniversaries.
Tip: Create a free account ahead of time so you can jump in immediately.
Discounted Ancestry Subscription Deals
While not free, you can save up to 50% during seasonal promotions such as:
- Black Friday & Cyber Monday
- Mother’s Day & Father’s Day
- Back-to-School
Look for sales on 6-month and annual plans for the biggest savings.
Tips to Make the Most of Your Free Access:
1. Make a Research Plan First
Before starting your free trial, write down all the names, dates, and places you want to research. This saves time and keeps you from getting overwhelmed by the amount of data available.
2. Start with What You Know
Begin by adding confirmed relatives and details to your family tree. This helps Ancestry’s “hints” system suggest accurate records faster.
3. Focus on Key Collections
The trial gives you access to billions of records—prioritize the ones most likely to help your search, like census records, birth/marriage/death certificates, immigration logs, and military records.
4. Download and Save Everything
Once your trial ends, you’ll lose access to many documents. Download all images, records, and notes as you go. Keep a well-labeled folder so you can reference them later.
5. Use the “Search by Collection” Feature
Instead of searching all records at once, use the collection filters to narrow results. For example, search only military records if you’re looking for a veteran ancestor.
6. Try Different Spellings of Names
Old records often contain misspellings. Use Ancestry’s “Soundex” option or search manually with multiple variations.
7. Take Advantage of Public Member Trees
You can view family trees that other members have made public. Even if the info isn’t 100% accurate, it can provide leads.
8. Check Historical Newspapers
Many regions have archived papers on Ancestry. These can reveal obituaries, marriage announcements, and even local news about your relatives.
9. Cancel Before You’re Charged
If you don’t plan to keep the subscription, cancel at least 2 days before the trial ends. You can always restart later when you’re ready to research again.
10. Combine with Free Sites
Pair your Ancestry trial with free tools like FamilySearch.org or FindAGrave.com to expand your research and cross-check facts.
The Best Free Genealogy Resources (No Subscription Needed)
Even without an Ancestry subscription, you can build your family tree and gather records using these excellent free websites.
FamilySearch
A completely free genealogy database website. You can use an Advanced Search tool by surname, record type, and/or place to access millions of records. The FamilySearch Wiki is a “go to” resource to find what exists for a wide range of family history topics, even beyond FamilySearch’s extensive databases.
U.S. Census Bureau
Discover explanations on all federal census years and access copies of original forms and questions. Also see Census Online for links to state censuses; tools for research; and calculators to convert year of birth.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Maintained by the U.S. Federal government, NARA houses millions of microfilmed, printed, and manuscript records. Excellent for census records; governmental and military history records; military pension files; product patents; also passenger lists, early naturalization records, and much more.
Library of Congress (LOC)
One of the largest collections in the world of printed and recorded materials; outstanding source for free images; resource for all copyrighted materials in America and beyond. LOC maintains collections of nearly all city directories and county histories in the U.S.; houses a comprehensive directory of all known copyrighted newspapers by timeframe and where they can be located today, in the important U.S. Newspaper Directory and Chronicling America; and offers comprehensive historical materials of all kinds.
New York Public Library (NYPL)
Among the elite tier of library collections, second only to LOC in the size and scope of its historical and genealogical collections. The NYPL Map Division has one of the best collections in the U.S.; the Milstein Division has extensive local history and genealogical materials related to the all fifty states, including one of the largest American collections of city directories on microfilm; other notable divisions are the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Dorot Jewish Division, Manuscripts and Archives, Performing Arts Division, and the Science, Industry, and Business Library. Plus many accessible online digital collections and image galleries; and use of IntraLibrary Loan through ILL and your local library card.
USGenWeb Project
Free county/state historical and genealogical resources; research resources and content projects driven by volunteers of local and state genealogical societies throughout the United States. Also see WorldGenWeb Project for records beyond the U.S.
Research Guides for Ship Passenger Lists and Immigration Records
Focuses on providing guidance and links to records for passenger lists from about 1820 to the early 1950s. It includes suggestions for finding records for ports of arrival and immigration records.
Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Special collections include African American and a Native American Gateway; military records; and a surname database contributed by researchers. One of the largest genealogical library collections in the U.S.
Freedman’s Bureau
A Federal agency of the United States Department of War to help slaves who were set free after the Civil War and also poor whites with provisions, clothing, and fuel. It also helped with immediate and temporary shelter and supplied food and aid to the destitute and suffering.
Access Genealogy
Access hundreds of links to genealogical data by state or by topic. Very helpful and handy website.
JewishGen
An easy-to-use website with many record groups and good surname search facilities. Daitch-Mokotoff phonetic search algorithms for eastern European and Jewish name searches. Some databases require payment.
BillionGraves
Search their free database by people or by cemetery. Many entries have photos of gravesites. Free app helps to direct you to the GPS location in a cemetery, which is a great help as many cemeteries are poorly marked.
Find A Grave
They call themselves the world’s largest gravesite collection with more than 170 million memorials. Search for free. Many photos and text has been added to gravesite information.
Legacy.com
The global leader in online obituaries, partners with more than 1,500 newspapers and 3,500 funeral homes across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Consumers can also express condolences, share direct support for families, and celebrate the people who have touched their lives.
Afrigeneas.com
An excellent starting place for African American genealogy. It features a “Beginners Guide” video; details on best sites for African American records, resources, and research; good direction on finding slave data, vital records, history of slavery; plus a website search function, forums and chats.
Rootsweb
One of the first genealogical resources on the internet; it still offers excellent help with mailing lists; Ancestry Wiki; obituaries; connect to USGenWeb; Family Trees; queries; and more.
Cyndi’s List
Offers links organized by topics/categories. A cross-referenced index contains extensive lists of online genealogy resources. Don’t know where to look for specific records? Check Cyndi’s up-to-date list of suggested sources.
Society of American Archivists
Laura Schmidt in “Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research” provides an excellent tutorial on archives: what are archives, the types, requesting materials, visiting and guidelines, copyright.
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