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
K
Kenneth · 6 reviews · Experienced 2026-02-02 ·
★★★★★
A journey of discovery
I have found more relatives on Ancestry.com than I ever thought possible. Many of these relatives had been lost to the ages, but Ancestry dug them up.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-16
Hi Kenneth, thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star review! We love the phrase "a journey of discovery". That is exactly what family history research is all about! It is incredibly rewarding to hear that Ancestry has helped you uncover so many relatives who had been lost to the ages. Bringing their stories and names back into the light is such meaningful work! Happy researching!
V
Val · 2 reviews · Verified · Experienced 2026-07-15 ·
★★★★★
Don't Fall For It!
They make you pay to see your own families photos AFTER paying a subscription fee. Then, if you want to access news articles...that's another subscription fee. Want to cancel your subscription? NOT WITHOUT ANOTHER FEE! The fee to cancel while the subscription was still active was more than my actual subscription. What a sham "service."
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-16
Hi Val, we are sorry to hear about your frustration with our subscription options and cancellation terms.
We want to reassure you that any photos you upload to your own family tree are yours and will always be free for you to view, download, and share. If you are trying to view photos from other members' trees or search historical news articles, these features often require a specific membership level or a subscription to our partner site, Newspapers.com. Regarding the cancellation fee, this typically applies only to our discounted annual plans if they are ended before the 12-month agreement is up.
Amazing resources made available asap. Delighted to receive help from others and make available information from my research. It makes researching so easy and efficient to download. Thank you!
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
Thank you for sharing your review, Pam! We're thrilled to hear that Ancestry makes your research easy and efficient, and it's wonderful that you are collaborating and sharing your findings with others. Best of luck as you continue to discover your family story!
O
O. Y. M · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-13 ·
★★★★★
My Harriet Tubman Spring 0f 2026, Ancestral Family Search: the Green's, Moses and Ross
My experience was made great by the use of added tools, and being able to put last names, cities and states into the DNA search to determine relations and relationships to people with the same last names. The $17.00 a month promotion for several months to new and returning members is a plus. Therefore, value and spending have been a great incentive.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
Thank you for sharing your journey with us! We're thrilled that Ancestry tools are helping you trace your family story. We wish you the best of luck with your continued research!
K
KG · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-13 ·
★★★★★
Do not get a trial membership
Do not get a membership! Even if you cancel your free trial they find a way in the small print to renew your membership on a monthly basis. So, you thought you cancelled it and then you find charges 5 months later and 275.00 that even after you cancel you get monthly renewals. Still can't remove my credit card from the site. Says it's required. Total fraud.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-14
We are very sorry to hear about your experience and any confusion regarding your trial and subsequent charges, KG. If the membership was canceled, there should not have been any ongoing charges. If you are not seeing the charges in your Ancestry settings, you may have more than one account. Please give us a call at 1-800-262-3787 so we can look into your billing in more detail and assist you further.
w
wysiwyg · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-14 ·
★★★★★
There is one "error" that I would like…
There is one "error" that I would like to have removed as an actual error. Being told that my ancestor was born before a parent was 11 years old, when my dates are based on actual documentation, is NOT an error that I have made! What am I supposed to do to correct an error which is confounded by actual documentation?
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
Hello wysiwyg! Thanks for taking the time to leave this review.
When you see these alerts in the Tree Checker using ProTools, they are meant to flag statistically unlikely dates, like a very young maternal age. A flagged detail doesn't mean your documented data is wrong; it's simply an alert to double-check.
You can easily hide this alert by clicking the 'X' in the side panel. For step-by-step instructions, check under the 'Fixing errors' heading in this article: https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Tree-Checker-in-Ancestry-Pro-Tool
If you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our support team here: https://support.ancestry.com/s/contactsupport
Thank you for being a valued Ancestry member!
K
Kay · 7 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-14 ·
★★★★★
Ancestry has given me years of history…
Ancestry has given me years of history of family with stories, documents, and photos.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
Thank you for the lovely review, Kay! We're so glad to hear that Ancestry has helped you bring your family's history to life.
G
Ginger Koar · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-12 ·
★★★★★
very easy to access information.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
We're so glad to hear that, Ginger! Making your family history easy to access is exactly what we strive for. Thank you for taking the time to share your review!
A
Arty · 3 reviews · Experienced 2025-07-12 ·
★★★★★
Cost is to expensive
I would like go farther, but the cost is to high....
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-13
We completely understand that the cost of a subscription can be a significant investment, and we hate to hear that it is keeping you from exploring further into your family tree.
We try to offer a variety of access levels, as well as occasional promotions, to help users continue their research. We also highly recommend checking out our free resources, such as the Ancestry Support articles or community message boards, which can sometimes provide new avenues for your search without additional costs. We also offer a webinar series at no cost to you, you can learn more here: https://www.ancestry.com/t101648/rd.ashx?ancid=9v16wqrpzus
Ancestry is great! If you need to find something about a past relative they are the go to place to search!
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
Thank you for this lovely feedback, Linda! We love being your go-to source for researching past relatives, and we wish you all the best with your continued discoveries!
Getting Hints really Helps I have went back to George Washington on my Mothers side so you see I have Navigated back a long ways.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
That's amazing, Lloyd! We're thrilled to hear that you've found our hints so helpful and that you've been able to trace your family so far back in time. Thank you for taking the time to leave this review!
Why can't I have a 2nd husband listed…even a date is messy! Really!
Why can't I have a 2nd husband listed on my tree w/ my first (deceased) husband and the FATHER of my daughters. I used to have it that way but after an hour of futile effort I am VERY frustrated at the money I'm paying and the poor results and assistance I get here!
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-13
We're sorry to hear that you've been having trouble with this, Sigrid! You absolutely should be able to have a 2nd husband listed in your tree. You may need to fix the relationships on your profile within the tree. You can find guidance for this here: https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Fixing-Relationships-in-Trees?language=en_US
If you continue to have any trouble, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team directly. We've linked our contact details below. Thanks for your patience!
https://support.ancestry.com/s/contactsupport?language=en_US
L
Lu Fa · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-13 ·
★★★★★
I would like to ask you to seriously…
I would like to ask you to seriously consider adding one of the most requested features in genetic genealogy: a chromosome browser.
Today, Ancestry is the only major genealogy DNA platform that still does not provide chromosome-level analysis. Every other major service offers this functionality, and it has become an essential tool for verifying relationships, identifying shared ancestors, and making the most of DNA matches.
If a full chromosome browser is not yet feasible, even a shared segment feature would be a significant step forward. Being able to see the DNA segment shared with a match—and whether that same segment is also shared with another match—would greatly improve the value of AncestryDNA for genealogical research.
If development costs or resources are a concern, I would be more than happy to see this feature included as part of Pro Tools. Since Pro Tools already offers advanced features such as Clusters and other research tools, a chromosome browser or shared segment analysis would be a natural and valuable addition.
Personally, I believe another ethnicity update is far less important than providing tools that help users solve real family history questions. Many of us use AncestryDNA primarily for genealogy, and advanced DNA analysis tools would have a much greater impact on our research.
I sincerely hope this feature will be included in a future update—whether this October or sometime next year. It has been one of the most consistently requested improvements by the genetic genealogy community for many years.
Thank you for listening to your users and for considering this request.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-13
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on this particular tool. Our product team appreciates all kinds of feedback and suggestions. If you would like to submit some feedback on this, you can do so through the following link: https://support.ancestry.co.uk/s/article/Providing-Feedback-About-Ancestry
Best wishes in your research!
L
Lyn Dixon · 3 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-13 ·
★★★★★
My issue was easily resolved
My issue was easily resolved, and it was easy to communicate.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
We're glad to hear that your issue was easily resolved, Lyn! Many thanks for leaving this feedback, and we wish you all the best with your research on Ancestry.
Thanks to the great representative who got me back on line!
Thanks to the great representative. (Pumla) who assisted me in getting back on board at Ancestry.com.
I had been out of touch with this wonderful website due to illness, and it is wonderful to be back! I have already connected with a distant cousin all the way from the UK...what fun!
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
We're delighted to have you back, Hilda! Thank you for taking the time to share this review, and we wish you much success with your continued family research!
I have been using ancestry.com for MANY years, maybe 10. Ancestry.com is a wonderful way to build your family tree. There are, what feels like, endless tools, databases, and subscriptions to help you develop a complete picture of your family members who have come before you. I have met some "cousins" through the web site I didn't even know about, through DNA connections. It has been meaningful in my life and I am so glad I found ancestry.com it has been well worth the price of the subscription.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
This is wonderful, Lori! We are so glad that you've been able to make such meaningful discoveries on Ancestry, especially meeting those newfound 'cousins'—that must be so special. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review!
M
Michael Barrett · 1 review · Experienced 2025-08-09 ·
★★★★★
i have never used any genealogy sites…
i have never used any genealogy sites before and found Ancestry to be extremely helpful in my quest to find my heritage for myself and my daughters . Unfortunately i lived on a fixed income and cannot afford the cost to really dig in to find everything i would like to find and i wish i had found the instructions before i started a tree because i began searching my grandfather first and should have started with myself. i will start a small trial next month when i get paid so, its a little frustrating being on disability. i love the information i have been able to discover so far and hope to be able to purchase a subscription in the near future. thank you ancestry for allowing me a free trial now i want to know everything i can find out as far back as possible.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-16
Hi Michael, thank you for sharing your story! We’re thrilled you’re enjoying discovering your heritage for yourself and your daughters!
Please don’t worry about starting your tree with your grandfather! You can easily adjust your relationship links or set yourself as the "Home Person" whenever you're ready. We completely understand that researching on a fixed income can be frustrating. To help you keep exploring, we encourage you to check out our free Ancestry Academy videos or visit your local library, which may offer free access to Ancestry Library Edition.
My ancestry is Scottish and I couldn't find anything about my ancestors. Managed to get my money back after a long chat with a very helpful female (thank goodness) as I was within 14 days of purchasing.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-13
We are so sorry to hear that you weren't able to find the Scottish records you were looking for, but we are very glad our support team was able to assist you with a smooth refund process within your guarantee window.
Tracing Scottish ancestry can sometimes require navigating specific regional record releases. If you ever decide to dive back into your family history in the future, we would love to help you explore alternative search strategies or look into localized record sets. Thank you for sharing your experience, and we wish you the best of luck with your genealogy journey!
D
Dennis · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-11 ·
★★★★★
Reconsider Your Objectives Before Subscribing to Ancestry
Until deciding to construct my ancestry on Roots Magic 11 I had no idea how truly deceptive Ancestry is in its marketing practices. It purports to be delivering quality when, in a sufficient percentage of the record "Hints" it presents to unsuspecting customers, they are nothing more than fluff. Poor vetting of database entries makes the product close to useless for those serious about genealogy. One is better served using the Ancestry's Search function, bypassing "Hints" altogther, then only choosing records that can be verified before adding to an individual's profile.
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-13
We completely understand your frustration and appreciate you sharing this honest feedback, Dennis.
Our "Hints" system is designed to act as a starting point by surfacing potential matches, but because it pulls from a massive variety of historical data and member-submitted trees, it can definitely include historical noise or unverified information. For those serious about accurate genealogy, your approach is exactly what we recommend: utilizing the advanced Search function directly, critically evaluating the primary sources, and manually verifying each record before attaching it to a profile.
We are continuously working to improve our algorithmic accuracy and vetting tools to reduce the fluff. Thank you for helping us understand where we can improve the experience for dedicated researchers like yourself!
M
Mary · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-11 ·
★★★★★
ancestry is easy to use
ancestry is easy to use and have a lot of records
Reply from Ancestry.com2026-07-15
Thanks for exploring your family history with Ancestry, Mary! We're delighted to hear that you find our site easy to use and that you've found plenty of records for your family. Wishing you all the best with your research