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Bac-lac (Library and Archives Canada) versus FamilySearch
Compare	Bac-lac (Library and Archives Canada)	FamilySearch
Verdict	Depends	Worth it
Best for	Genealogists tracing Canadian roots	Budget-conscious genealogists
Who it's not for	Software buyers . it is a public archive, not a product	Anyone wanting a private, locked-down family tree
Privacy	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹⁰	One confirmed 2022 breach, disclosed ~7 months late; MFA added from 2023; no other known issues.
Support quality	Email contact; access problems recur	No reliable support-quality evidence found
Public sentiment	Genealogy and citizenship researchers value the collections but frequently gripe about outages and access friction.^⁶	Sentiment is polarized: users praise the free records but frequently slam the interface, shared-tree edits, and site behavior.
Biggest gotcha	Restricted documents need a blanket authorization letter; LAC will not accept email requests.^⁴	Anyone can edit deceased ancestors on the shared tree; no private tree option¹⁵

Pick Bac-lac (Library and Archives Canada) when

Genealogists tracing Canadian roots
Citizenship and proof-of-record researchers
Historians and academics
Heritage groups seeking grants

When Bac-lac (Library and Archives Canada) is not a fit

Software buyers . it is a public archive, not a product
Non-Canadian records research
Teams needing SLA-backed uptime or support
Commercial records management

Pick FamilySearch when

Budget-conscious genealogists
Record hunters across global archives
LDS Church members
Hobbyists tolerant of a clunky UI

When FamilySearch is not a fit

Anyone wanting a private, locked-down family tree
Privacy-critical users who cannot tolerate breach history
Beginners needing a slick, guided experience
Users unwilling to learn documented quirks

Sources

Collection search: Basicrecherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca
official
About Co-Labcolab.bac-lac.gc.ca
official
Ordering copies onlinecanada.ca
official
Blanket Access Authorization Lettercanada.ca
official
Track your archival orders!thediscoverblog.com
official
Can't access Library & Archives Canadareddit.com
review
G2G: 403 - Forbidden at Library and Archives Canada searchwikitree.com
review
Archives of Canada are amazingreddit.com
review
DHC Program call for proposalscanada.ca
news
transfert-transfer.bac-lac.gc.ca scam checkscamadviser.com
security
Security pagebac-lac.gc.ca
security
Does FamilySearch charge subscription fees?familysearch.org
official
About FamilySearch . Free to Allfamilysearch.org
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Is FamilySearch A Better Site Than Ancestry? 2026familyhistoryfoundation.com
review
3 Reasons Not to Use the FamilySearch Family Treefamilyhistoryfanatics.com
review
How is Family Search THIS Bad? : r/Genealogyreddit.com
review