Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com) has a 3.8 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 202 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Hobbies & Crafts and its reputation is mixed. 70% of reviews are 4 stars or higher and 18% are 1 star; The business has replied to 98% of negative reviews. Last updated 2026-08-10.
What people say
R
R M · 1 review · Experienced 2025-12-22 ·
★★★★★
I submitted my DNA sample back in…December 2025
I submitted my DNA sample back in December 2025. It’s now July 22nd 2026!
After contacting customer services they sent another test to me only after I asked for it as apparently my sample was unable to be used. After submitting the replacement sample several months passed and I contacted customer services again who assured me it was actively been worked on. Still nothing. Absolute disgrace. Im going to my bank to ask for a refund.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-23
Hi there, R M.
We are deeply sorry for your experience. Waiting since December for your results is completely unacceptable, and we fully understand your frustration with how this has been handled.
When a sample cannot be processed, our goal is to resolve it as quickly as possible, and it is clear we fell short in keeping you updated and getting your replacement sample processed in a timely manner.
Before you proceed with your bank, we want to personally look into your account, locate your sample in our lab pipeline, and find a solution for you. Please reach out to our support team directly at [email protected] so a member of our Community Team can review your case immediately.
Purchased a DNA kit and was set up for an auto-renewal subscription. When I reached out to customer service the day after I was charged, they informed me to read the T&Cs next time and that by purchasing the kit I was made aware of the subscription. They did not offer me a refund and instead offered me a discount on their over priced quarterly renewal. The weirdest part, I was logged into the wrong account, was offered the refund, but was told I had to log into my account in order to process it. When I logged back in, the next rep told me the refund is not possible and it's my fault for not reading the T&Cs.
Definitely use another platform. This company is just using sleezy tactics to make their profit.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-22
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Mark. We understand how frustrating unexpected renewal charges and conflicting account information can be and apologize for the experience you've had. We want to ensure your account details and refund eligibility are reviewed properly, so please send us a direct message through any of our social media pages so our support team can look into this for you right away. We look forward to hearing from you and making this right.
I've been using Ancestry.com since 2007. It is user friendly and if I have questions customer service is always there immediately to help me. I've traced both my maternal and paternal sides of my family back generations and have uploaded precious family photographs that are now shared with multitudes of cousins. The best piece of Ancestry.com is that my research paid off. In 2009 my husband and I visited the town of Leikanger, Norway where i had traced my father's family. As we checked into a hotel the manager asked why we were visiting and my husband said I was looking for relatives. When the manager heard my last name he laughed and stated, "oh, he lives up the street, let me call him." I met my distant cousins and walked around the farm my 3rd great great grandparents emigrated from. Even better several years later I was able to take my dad, my aunt, one of my sisters and her daughter to the farm. Ancestry.com brings families in touch with their culture, their history and each other. I highly recommend it.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-27
What a journey it's been for you, Ingrid! We're thrilled that you've been able to find out so much, not to mention connect with cousins along the way, too! What a delightful surprise it must have been to have the manager of that hotel be able to put you in touch with some of your family. Thanks very much for taking the time to share this with us. We hope you'll be able to make even more connections in the future, too!
N
NA · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-20 ·
★★★★★
Amazing and wonderful resource
Amazing and wonderful resource. Also, great tech support by phone or Zoom. All is gratis as a service. Beautiful.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-21
Thank you so much for the glowing review! We are thrilled to hear that you are enjoying our resources and that our support team could help make your experience a great one. Hearing that our service brings so much value to your journey truly makes our day!
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Diane · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-21 ·
★★★★★
Unused DNA test kit that is worthless
I purchased a DNA test kit for my elderly mother-in-law and registered it in her name. Sadly, she passed away before I was able to collect a sample.
I contacted customer service to ask if the unused kit could be transferred to my son (who has the same surname), but I was told this was not possible. As a result, I am left with a completely unused DNA test kit that is now worthless.
When I asked to speak with a supervisor to discuss the matter, my request was refused. I found this extremely disappointing and felt there was no willingness to consider my circumstances or offer any reasonable solution.
Potential customers should be aware of this policy before purchasing a kit, particularly if buying one for an elderly or seriously ill relative, as unforeseen circumstances can make an unused kit unusable.
Very disappointing customer service.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-21
Hi Diane. Thank you for sharing your feedback, and please accept our deepest condolences on the loss of your mother-in-law. We are truly sorry for what your family is going through, and we sincerely apologize for the frustration and lack of empathy you experienced during your call.
Refusing to escalate your request to a supervisor and failing to show flexibility during such a difficult time falls far short of the care we strive to provide.
We want to step in and handle this for you personally. To help us locate your account and review the order details, we are going to send a request via TrustPilot so you can provide us with your details.
Once we have this information, a member of our team will personally review your case and work directly with you to resolve this situation for your family.
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Pat Garcia · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-03-15 ·
★★★★★
Ordered and paid for a kit months ago
Ordered and paid for a kit months ago. Have never received it. When I call them they give me the run around and never send a new kit or offer a refund. Have called 3 times. Will never do business with them again. Awful customer service. What a rip off!
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-23
Hi there, Pat.
We are deeply sorry for your experience. Ordering a kit and not receiving it after contacting us three times is completely unacceptable, and we understand why you feel so let down.
This is not the standard of customer service we aim to provide. We want to fix this immediately—whether that means issuing a full refund or getting a replacement kit dispatched to you right away.
Please send us a direct message at [email protected] with your order number and full name so a member of our team can review your account, resolve this without any further runaround, and make things right.
My chat was super informative and my issue was resolved.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-27
This is music to our ears, Janet! Thanks very much for letting us know.
S
Suzanne Davis · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-21 ·
★★★★★
I've been amember of Ancestry for…
I've been amember of Ancestry for years. The ease of use and the tutorials are great for beginners and and others.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-27
Thanks for taking the time to share your kind feedback, Suzanne! If you'd like to sign up to attend future live classes, don't hesitate to do so below.
Link: https://www.ancestry.com/t101648/rd.ashx?ancid=9v16wqrpzu
We hope to see you there!
First of all, you have become FAR too expensive. Secondly, once I stopped paying the exorbitant price, I lost EVERYTHING that I had worked so hard for for 25 years (even though I had paid for all of that). Thirdly, while I still had an active account, ALL of the hints that I received were photos, documents and stories that I originally owned and posted, yet they were attributed to other people. Why should I pay horrendous amounts of money to receive hints that I already posted - especially when the credit for those items were attributed to other people!!!???
And finally, I don't understand how you can charge money for items that are owned by the National Archives, and are free to everyone.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-23
Hi Bill. We hear your frustration and truly appreciate your 25 years of dedication to family history. We’d like to reassure you that you do not lose your family tree or personal uploads when your subscription ends—your tree and media remain accessible on a free registered account.
Regarding hints, our system matches public content across trees, which can sometimes result in receiving hints for photos you originally uploaded. Additionally, while government records are public, subscription fees cover the cost of digitizing and indexing millions of records to make them searchable.
We want to help you access all of your hard work. Please reach out to us directly at https://support.ancestry.co.uk/s/contactsupport/ so we can assist you with your account today.
One GIANT complaint. It was a disaster to include GENEANET information, in your hints and sources. You may have (or may not?) have noticed that I always ignore any hints and sources from GENEANET. Why? In large letters BECAUSE THEIR INFORMATION IS WRONG MORE TIMES THAN IT IS CORRECT!! If "bold" had been available, I would have used bold, also!! ~~ Respectfully, Lorraine Frantz with the Lorraine Frantz Family Tree
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-20
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us, Lorraine. We're always happy to hear from our members on ways we ca improve. We strive to provide the best and most comprehensive online genealogical database out there, and you taking the time to share where we can innovate can be truly helpful to us in achieving this goal. We'd be happy to pass on your suggestions, but please also don't hesitate to submit this through the link below as well. Thanks again for contacting us. Have a fantastic day, too!
Link: https://ancestry.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eaMJAIOG9lwk709
Ordered during a Mother’s Day promo, registered and sent in the kit. App glitched and lost the results. Called and was then sent a replacement kit, but then was denied an extension for the subscription in order to view the results. After 3 long calls and chats with agents who mix up my account and say “I understand” and then give me contradictory information, I’m beyond get up. I asked to talked to a manager politely, 3 times and was ignored.
After 2 hours of fruitless explanations and long holds, I never want to talk to their customer service again.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-20
Hi Isaiah. We are incredibly sorry to hear about the frustrating experience you have had with our customer service team. This is certainly not the standard of support we aim to provide, and we completely understand your frustration regarding the app glitch, the replacement kit, and the subscription access issue. If you could send us a DM through any of our social media pages, we'd be happy to investigate this for you and help however we can. We will have a specialist review your case immediately to ensure your concerns are properly addressed. Thank you for your patience with us.
K
Kristine · 13 reviews · Experienced 2025-10-27 ·
★★★★★
More of a novelty thing than an actual tool
My kit arrived quickly, it was easy to use and I got regular updates about every step. When I got the results I was very disappointed though - my results didn't show an ancestry I know I have. I think Ancestry.com simply doesn't have enough samples from my region to understand its complex history but they seem very keen to sell you upgrades. Customer service is non existent: I emailed them several times, got an automated response that they've received my query and then never heard back from them.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-21
Hi Kristine. Thank you for taking the time to share your review, and we sincerely apologize for the disappointing experience you had both with your results and our customer support team.
We are truly sorry that your emails went unanswered after the automated confirmation—that is not the level of service we strive to provide, and we understand why that left you feeling ignored.
Regarding your ethnicity estimate, we know how frustrating it is when your results don't reflect a known family heritage. DNA ethnicity estimates are calculated by comparing your DNA against our regional reference panels. Because we inherit a random combination of DNA from our ancestors, certain regions may not show up, or they may be represented by a neighboring population with a similar genetic profile. As our reference panels expand and science advances, we update ethnicity estimates for our members at no extra cost.
Please contact our team directly using the links below. If you call or use the live chat, they are online right now and can access the previous contacts you have sent to us also.
https://support.ancestry.co.uk/s/phonesupport
https://support.ancestry.co.uk/s/contactsupport/
PROS & CONS:
Lots of new information. But the problem is that it’s like always having homework.
Then I found out if I were to cancel after ten years all the information is lost to me and my family. Even though I’ve paid thousands of dollars in subscription fees.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-20
Thanks for getting in touch, McLaughlin. We're grateful to you for choosing Ancestry to help you in your family history research over the years, though we're sorry to hear of any concerns about what happens to your account after cancelling.
We're grateful for the opportunity to clarify that any research that you've saved to your tree will remain there if you chose to cancel. Ancestry will not delete or remove any information that you've saved to your family tree. A membership is needed to access the records that we host, but we won't remove those resources from your tree if you need to take a break. You can find out more here: https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Ancestry-Accounts-after-Cancellation
We hope this information helps to clarify things!
T
Tracy George · 3 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-18 ·
★★★★★
I asked how I needed to get a role…
I asked how I needed to get a role number and bam..gave me all kinds of info and was just awesome..ty so much
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-20
This is wonderful to hear, Tracy! We hope you enjoy learning even more about your family history. 😁
I don't like that I can't use my wife DNA into our tree.
I don't have access and we have one family tree that I manage
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-20
Hi there, Tsvi! Thanks so much for taking the time to raise your concerns with us. We wanted to reach out to let you know that you should be able to link your wife's DNA test to the tree you've already created. To achieve this, your wife will just need to share their test to your account and assign you as a manager. Once that's done, you'll be able to view her results within your account, and link the test to your tree, too. You can find out more about how to achieve this below. We hope these steps can be a big help!
Link: https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Assigning-a-Manager-to-Your-AncestryDNA-Test
K
Kevin Dale Williams · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-17 ·
★★★★★
DENEIED MY REQUESTS TO CLOSED MY ACCOUNT
So I discovered that an account I closed 4 years ago is still being charged each month so I called to cancel the subscription and was told they cant find my account, no billing info, no receipts, and said that they cant help me. I asked for someone that could and was told there is no one that can close this account. So after talking to 3 different people they all refused or state they can't help me. I just want the payments to stop.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-20
Thanks for bringing this matter to our attention, Kevin. We're sorry to hear about the back-and-forth you've experienced when requesting to cancel your membership. We'll be in touch with you shortly to request some more information so we can review this in more detail. If possible, it would be great if you could provide us with your Ancestry username, which you'll be able to locate within your Account Settings page, as linked here: Ancestry.com/account.
We look forward to hearing from you again soon.
B
Billy Smith · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-17 ·
★★★★★
You do good advertising
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-21
Hi BIlly! Thank you so much! We put a lot of heart into sharing the real stories of discovery, heritage, and connection that happen on Ancestry every day, so it means the world to hear that our campaigns resonated with you. We truly appreciate the support!