Family Tree App Reviews

Two women looking at a phone while sitting outside, leaving a FamilySearch Tree app review and trying out the app.

The FamilySearch Family Tree app is an easy and convenient tool for learning about your family and doing genealogy, but you don’t need to take my word for it. Hundreds of thousands of users all over the world have left reviews that will help you decide if it’s the right app for you. Here’s a quick overview of some of the best features in the app and what users have to say about it.

Quick Links:

General App Feedback
Ease of Use
Free to Use (with No Ads)
Learning about Your Ancestors (and Yourself)
Finding Record Hints and Keeping Track of Progress
Sharing with Others
Genealogy on the Go

Features for Every User
Joining a Community
Taking Care When Using the Shared Tree
Website and App Working Together
Takeaways
Leave Your Own Review

Honest Reviews from Real Users

What do users have to say about the FamilySearch Family Tree app in reviews? Over 352,000 reviews on the App Store average at 4.8 stars, and over 44,000 reviews on the Play Store average 4.6 stars (as of August 2023).

The best app I’ve probably ever used.

—I Like Basketballs, App Store

Woman using the family tree app in Cambodia. Sitting on the floor in her home.

“I have over 200,000 edits on the app in 4 years. So yes, you might say I use it regularly”

—Ken Skorstad, Facebook

“I Love This App…it’s the best there is! No others can compare. Thank You So Much!”

—Sally Jane Hoskins, Play Store

“I use it most days, always finding new family branches to work on. I think the mobile app is the best one of all the ones I’ve tried. The only limitations are some records are not available, but its possible to use commercial sites to help find dates…”

—Bill Bilton, Facebook

Ease of Use

A common trend in Family Tree app reviews is that people love how easy it is to use. FamilySearch prioritizes simplicity in its apps, and it really shows. With well-designed tools, genealogy can be accessible to anyone who’s interested.

Love it. Getting through family history is a breeze.

—A Brown, Play Store

A couple is sitting casually on a couch and looking at a cell phone, trying out the Family Tree app.

“Very easy to use, add details and information, photographs. No advertisements, very few notifications so that you are not being spammed.”
—Reeva Artist, Play Store

“Family history has never been easier. FamilySearch is a game changer!”
—Optimom, App Store

“I like it because I can upload pics easily.”
—Kathy Baumgarten, Facebook

Free to Use (with No Ads)

One of the biggest benefits to the FamilySearch app is that it’s completely free, and it isn’t bogged down by ads. Also, none of its features are locked behind paywalls, meaning you have full use of the app without paying anything.

The software is complete, full of features, no advertisements, 100% free, and it is helping me to connect with my heritage. I love it.

—brspmso, App Store

Young man is on his cellphone, sitting on a bench with leaves and flowers in the background.

“This site is not only free but has so much legit information.”

—Smitherines11, App Store

“This is the most amazing, accurate, and easily navigated website. The information I’ve been able to add to my Family Tree is unbelievable. I’ve learned more from this FREE site than the one I’m currently a paid member of.”

—AWhisper4, App Store

“This app is amazing and free! My tree extended to the late 1400s! you can see famous relatives, connect with family, and learn interesting facts! Love it!”

—Lyndsay Varner, Play Store

Learning about Your Ancestors (and Yourself)

Finding your ancestors can deeply enrich your life, and that’s just what the Family Tree app seeks to do. And, by extension, people often discover more about themselves along the way.

This is an amazing way to learn about your ancestors and yourself.

—QueenBlynne, App Store

Father looking at the Family Tree app with his son while on an airplane.

“I have been able to discover who my ancestors are and as a result, an extension of who I am.”

—Utah84701, App Store

“Has been very helpful to find lost family members and new ones. For free. Most ancestry apps cost an arm and a leg.”

—Darlene -Prichard, Play Store

“I used the app many times on Memorial Day weekend to figure out where relatives were buried, and as I was visiting their graves, I could review details about them, seeing photos and stories that helped me to reconnect with them and renew my appreciation for them.”

—Anonymous, Facebook

Finding Record Hints and Keeping Track of Progress

The app helps you find new tasks to do and keeps track of where you were last, features frequently mentioned in reviews. Under Tasks, the app suggests record hints that can help you build your family tree. Under Recents, you can see the people in the Tree you were recently working on, allowing you to pick up right where you left off. There is even a Contributions menu option that lists all your recent changes and how much you've contributed to the Tree.

A photo of two hands, where one person is passing a phone to another. The phone shows record hints from the Family Tree app.

I love this app. It is so easy to stay caught up on what needs to be done with my family history.

—Paul George IV, App Store

"Convenient, accurate. Love the prompts and suggestions."
—Ron Ruegg, Play Store

“I use the app every single day. I have been working on my family tree since the late 1990s, but the app is what makes it a daily hobby for me. It’s easy to click open and start back where I left off through the Recents tab. I can also quickly look up anyone from anywhere to see if there is a profile for them.”

—Michelle, Facebook

“A unique feature of the app is the Descendants with Tasks, which searches generations below a specific ancestor to look for hints to attach to the profiles.”

—Steve Williams, Facebook

"I love that the TASKS, Descendants with Tasks, and individual page little Blue 'task' icons let you know there are possible sources and allow you to compare BEFORE accepting. Other sites you accept, then compare."

—Valerie S Swartz

Note: "Descendants with Tasks" is a feature of FamilySearch that is unique to the app, not currently available on the desktop. Learn how to use it here.

The mobile app searches for record hints differently than the desktop, taking into account your view history and searching deeper into the tree. Learn more about the differences in the task lists here.
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Many reviews mention how easy it is to share your discoveries with other people. Having your family tree in your pocket can be quite the conversation starter.

I’ve spent some time putting photos and memories in the Family Tree at FamilySearch, and this app is such an easy way to share those memories with family members.

—SLFMama, App Store

One woman showing a phone to another on a bus.

"I like being able to have my tree with me wherever I go, and being able show my family members their grandparents and ancestors and share stories and photos."

—BettyJo Colbert (United States), Facebook

“The app makes it easy to have family history conversations in public even with people who haven’t yet been bit by the genealogy bug.”

—Michelle, Facebook

Genealogy on the Go

The FamilySearch Tree app makes it possible to build your family tree anywhere, whether it’s from your phone, your iPad, or any compatible device. The convenience can’t be beat, and people find themselves doing it at the dentist, in line at the bank or grocery store, or even in bed.

It is great to have the app to work on FS while waiting for appointments.

—Betty Jo Colbert, Facebook

Woman waiting for a train and doing family history on her cell phone.

“My purpose for using this app is to photograph letters, documents, and photos and upload them to a person’s Memories. So far, I have uploaded over 400 images to about 50 different ancestors. I do 99% of it from the comfort of my bed at night after my kids are asleep.”

—Christine Streeper, Play Store

“I also love how easy it is to use the “View My Relationship” feature from anywhere I use the app. It’s allowed me to connect the dots to so many people to discover exactly how we are related. The app is also a good use of time in lines.”

—Michelle, Facebook

“I use the app on an almost daily (and often nightly, in dark mode while waiting for my youngest to fall asleep) basis.

Hot tip: If you have a newborn, genealogy is a great way to keep your brain active and awake during middle-of-the-night feedings! But maybe don’t do any complex merges. In fact, don’t do any merges at all, unless you are 100% awake enough to hear that little voice in the back of your head that tells you to maybe think twice about what you’re doing.”

—Amber Dawn, Facebook

Features for Every User

The Family Tree app offers a variety of features to fit the needs of different users. Some unique and fun features include Map My Ancestors (maps locations important to your family history) and Relatives Around Me (identifies nearby living relatives).

This app is SO feature rich. It is great to be able to do so much family history on the phone.

—MH, Play Store

A man dressed casually using a cell phone, with headphones around his neck.

“It has amazing features and better means of correcting errors. Very easy to use. The Sources feature auto-searches for records. Tasks connects sources. Upload photos and documents, audio stories in Memories.”

—Ken Dee, Play Store

“I also enjoy some of the other features that are unique to the app—Map My Ancestors and Relatives Around Me. Adding photos is so quick and easy from my phone, too.”

—Anonymous, Facebook

“I have used the app a lot (all the time) since 2018. I love it. I even use it to take pictures or screenshots and enter them in FamilySearch. It works great. You can edit with your phone, then input into sources or memories. I also love the descendants with tasks feature. I use it all the time as a quick way to clean up hints. I found that if you understand how to use it, it's a great tool.”

—Jan, Facebook

Note: Relatives around Me allows 2 or more people to see if they are related using the FamilySearch shared tree. Map My Ancestors lets you look at all the places connected to your ancestor on an interactive map.
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Joining a Community

FamilySearch uniquely allows users to participate in a shared family tree, meaning all users add to the same tree. You can use the app to message other users, to ask questions, or to share information.

I can work on clearing up tasks, sending messages, etc. I love that the app makes it easy to connect with others who also use FamilySearch for genealogy.

—Michelle, Facebook

An Asian couple exploring the FamilySearch family history app and connecting with others about their family history.

“I also like being alerted to messages and being able to read and respond.”

—Betty Jo Colbert, Facebook

“Relatives at RootsTech was amazing! I had family reach out that I didn't know existed, and we have built a relationship through the chat to help each other's lines out.”

—Heather Pilcher Newbold, Facebook

Taking Care When Using the Shared Tree in the App

The thing that sets FamilySearch apart from other family tree creators is its shared nature. This allows the community to join forces, sharing resources and speeding up the work.

While the shared, global tree has many benefits, remember that the changes you make impact other users, and the changes other users make can impact you. When mindful of this, it can be a powerful tool for you and all your relatives! You can also always choose to have the benefits of both worlds—shared resources and privacy—by using the Family Tree app alongside other programs.

Woman in the kitchen, looking at her phone while drinking from a mug.

This app is so cool! Loads of archives to search out your family from. People online who can and will assist you if you like. Start your family tree with just you, your parents, and if you can, some aunts and uncles, cousins you know, and grandparents. The more information you have, the easier it is to search for more. Have fun and join the millions of people who have joined FamilySearch! You won't regret it.

—Linda Ellis-van der Worp, Play Store

“Family Tree from FamilySearch is a great choice if you’re looking for a place to collaborate with others on one collective family tree—to help others with their family history research while also furthering your own. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a tree maker that allows you complete privacy and control . . . you may want to consider other options.”

—Family History Daily

"The only issue with this site is that it seems anyone can change information on a person in a tree."

—Jessica Gardeman, Play Store

"I found it easy to trace my heritage (I am now 5 generations into my family tree). I have found several mistakes (such as my father's name is inverted) and several dates are incorrect. I have pictures of grave sites and grave markers with the correct info."

—Marcia Kneller, Play Store

"Because of this app, I've discovered my 3rd great-grandfather. My family isn't really much into keeping records of anything. This has been a wonderful and uplifting experience for me! I've been learning so much about my family history! I can't thank you enough for making this app available! This has definitely changed my life more than you can imagine."

—Angelia, Play Store

Website and App Working Together

If you’ve tried the FamilySearch website, the app works alongside it. Everything you do in the app will show up on the website and vice versa. You can choose what you do where, and many people use both.

I use the website for quite a bit of my research, but the fact is that I am not sitting at my computer all the time. But I almost always have my phone with me. I can do research wherever I am.

—Anonymous, Facebook

A woman working on both a computer and app at the same time.

“I use the app 80-90% of the time.

You can and will miss things when doing complex merges.

It’s way faster to add images using the app. Tagging people is easier because it doesn’t seem to be as picky about where you click, like the website is at times.”

—Dan McFadden, Facebook

“I use it mostly to keep up with tasks, and do quick document attachments. I prefer working on the PC.”

—Cheryl Botha, Facebook

“The FamilySearch Family Tree app compliments the website very well with several additional benefits. I use the app daily to do simple searches and attachments. I leave the advanced or more complex activities like merges to the computer to avoid missing incorrect details. A unique feature of the app is the Descendants with Tasks, which searches generations below a specific ancestor to look for hints to attach to the profiles. The mobile app is also a great way to share the tree to others.”

—Steve Williams, Facebook

“I truthfully only use the computer version when I’m uploading scanned or saved documents or pictures from my computer. I find the layout easier to navigate and haven’t had any difficulty following links to documents (I’m an iPhone user).”

—Dedra Zwieg, Facebook

"I've used the app on and off for about 3 years...I believe. When I first started using it, it was not very useful, just to view data. Then they changed it to a more usable app. The app allows me to have the information from the tree without having to be logged into a computer, so if I'm doing research where I don't have access to a computer I don't have to worry about it. I can also make additions, like sources found, and changes without needing to log in to a desktop browser."

—Theresina Lloyd

All quotes in this article were pulled from public reviews. Some reviews were shortened or corrected for grammar, but none were edited to change meaning.
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Takeaways

Like what you hear? Join millions of users who love that FamilySearch offers many features, allows you to connect to your family past and present, links you easily to free records, allows you to upload photos and audio files, and allows you to share with others.

Plus, it’s free! If you don’t love it, there’s nothing to lose by trying it. And if you do love it? You’ll gain invaluable information about your family and a community of people to help you. As another user said in the App Store, “This is by far the best family history service I have ever used! It has access to over 1 billion people and records, all for free! Definitely give it a try!”

If you’re excited about what the Family Tree has to offer, check out the other FamilySearch apps as well. You can use the other apps to preserve family memories more easily and help make more historical records available for people around the world.

See All FamilySearch Apps

What Are Your Thoughts?

If you try the app, let us know what you think. Leave comments below about your experiences, or write a review in the App Store, Play Store, or a review site like TrustPilot. We love hearing from our users!

At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.

Family Tree App Reviews: What Are People Saying?