shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use MyHeritage?

Create your family tree. Take a MyHeritage DNA test for ancestry and genetic testing. Access 41 billion historical records for genealogy research. - myheritage.com

Depends. Reasonable for casual family-tree builders and DNA curiosity, especially European ancestry — but keep a close eye on auto-renewals. Skip it if you're privacy-sensitive about DNA data or a serious US-focused genealogist; use Ancestry or free FamilySearch instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~40 public sources; several review snippets were truncated, so some user quotes could not be captured verbatim.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free family tree

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
DNA kitGuess: ~$79+ one-time (site runs frequent promos)
Subscription (Premium/Complete)Annual; exact price on site

Best for

  • Casual family-tree builders
  • Hobbyist genealogists chasing European records
  • DNA relative and adoption searches
  • Ethnicity-estimate curiosity

Not for

  • Anyone privacy-cautious about DNA data — 92M accounts leaked
  • Serious US-focused genealogists — Ancestry's records run deeper
  • One-time testers unwilling to pay recurring subscriptions for record access
  • Anyone who resents auto-renewal billing — complaints are everywhere

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Auto-renewal traps: users report unexpected renewal charges, including a $149 BBB complaint

high

Free trial converts to a paid subscription if not cancelled

high

2018 breach exposed 92.3M accounts — assume your email was affected

medium

DNA kit is an entry price; viewing historical records typically requires a subscription

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 41 billion historical records for genealogy research
  • DNA test, family tree, and records in one platform
  • 2025 upgrade to whole genome sequencing
  • Some genealogists call it worthwhile
  • Free family tree building available

Cons

  • 92.3 million user accounts exposed in breach
  • 1.9/5 average across 855 PissedConsumer reviews
  • Auto-renewal and unexpected charges, e.g. $149 BBB complaint
  • Ancestry generally preferred for serious genealogy work
  • Users report dislike of subscription pricing

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/24/2026 - 10 sources - Breached: 92.3M user credentials exposed (disclosed 2018); one old client-side CVE.

official x2review x4security x3news x1
  • 2018 data breach — 92.3 million accounts, Email addresses and hashed passwords for 92.3M users were found on a third-party server; incident dated October 2017, disclosed June 2018.
  • CVE-2013-2602, Multiple array index errors in the MyHeritage SequeryObject ActiveX control.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Frequent billing and renewal complaints
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Called simpler than Ancestry in comparisons
  • Feature depth: 4/5. 41B records, DNA, trees, health extras
  • Support quality: 2/5. Billing disputes dominate complaint threads
  • Security posture: 1/5. 92M accounts leaked in 2018
  • 1.9/5 PissedConsumer rating 855 reviews
  • 41 billion Historical records for genealogy research
  • 92.3M accounts 2018 data breach per Have I Been Pwned
  • Acquired early 2021 Ownership change per Wikipedia

Pricing

Free family tree

$0

  • Build a basic family tree
  • Limited record access

DNA kit

Guess: ~$79+ one-time (site runs frequent promos)

  • Autosomal ancestry test
  • DNA relative matching
  • Now whole genome sequencing (2025)

Subscription (Premium/Complete)

Annual; exact price on site

  • Unlocks 41B historical records
  • Health upgrade sold separately
  • Auto-renews — users warn about cancellation

Security

Breached: 92.3M user credentials exposed (disclosed 2018); one old client-side CVE.

  • 2018 data breach — 92.3 million accountsEmail addresses and hashed passwords for 92.3M users were found on a third-party server; incident dated October 2017, disclosed June 2018.⁵
  • CVE-2013-2602Multiple array index errors in the MyHeritage SequeryObject ActiveX control.⁷

What users say

Opinion is split: hobbyist genealogists find value in it, while a loud segment of users complain about billing, renewals, and pricing.

“MyHeritage is worthwhile”
Reddit, r/Genealogy
Full analysis

Based on ~40 public sources; several review snippets were truncated, so some user quotes could not be captured verbatim.

Strong records and DNA matching, but a 92M-account breach history and aggressive auto-renewal billing give casual buyers pause.

Methodology

Based on ~40 public sources; several review snippets were truncated, so some user quotes could not be captured verbatim.

Sources

  1. MyHeritage official sitemyheritage.com
    official
  2. MyHeritage pricing pagemyheritage.com
    official
  3. 855 MyHeritage Reviews — PissedConsumermyheritage.pissedconsumer.com
    review
  4. Opinions on MyHeritage — Reddit r/Genealogyreddit.com
    review
  5. MyHeritage Data Breach — Have I Been Pwnedhaveibeenpwned.com
    security
  6. MyHeritage data breach: 92.3M credentials exposed — SecurityAffairssecurityaffairs.com
    security
  7. CVE-2013-2602 — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  8. MyHeritage Took my money... — Reddit r/Genealogyreddit.com
    review
  9. Best DNA Test for Genealogy — Your DNA Guideyourdnaguide.com
    review
  10. MyHeritage — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news

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