The Family History Guide
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
A free, well-regarded genealogy training site . if you're learning or teaching family history, there is no cost to trying it.
New check
Comparison
The Family History Guide vs Findmypast
The Family History Guide lands on Worth it, and Findmypast lands on Depends.
Findmypast
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if your family tree runs through Britain or Ireland . record depth and newspaper search there are best-in-class.
| Compare | The Family History Guide | Findmypast |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Depends |
| Best for | Genealogy beginners | UK and Irish ancestry research |
| Who it's not for | Anyone wanting to store a family tree . it's a guide, not a database | Anyone without British or Irish roots |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.10 | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.13 |
| Support quality | Volunteer community, no paid support | Replies publicly on Trustpilot; evidence thin |
| Public sentiment | Beginner genealogists and family history consultants on Reddit and Facebook consistently recommend it as a free starting point.⁷ | UK and Irish researchers praise its search tools and newspapers, while some app users report searches turning up nothing. |
| Biggest gotcha | Site is free, but Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast subscriptions are where research costs land. | Many records duplicate free FamilySearch content . check there before paying. |
Pick The Family History Guide when
- Genealogy beginners
- FamilySearch and Ancestry learners
- Family history consultants and trainers
- LDS ward and stake classes
When The Family History Guide is not a fit
- Anyone wanting to store a family tree . it's a guide, not a database
- Pros needing original-record search . use Ancestry or FamilySearch directly
- People wanting hands-off, automated ancestor discovery
- Buyers expecting support SLAs . it's a volunteer nonprofit
Pick Findmypast when
- UK and Irish ancestry research
- British newspaper archive digging
- Hobbyist family historians
- Ancestry users stuck on UK brick walls
When Findmypast is not a fit
- Anyone without British or Irish roots
- Tight budgets . FamilySearch is free
- Researchers focused outside UK/Ireland
Sources
- The Family History Guide (official site)thefhguide.comofficial
- TFHG brochure . Free, no ads, no feesthefhguide.comofficial
- Trainers course catalogthefhguide.comofficial
- Donate page (501(c)(3))thefhguide.comofficial
- GuideStar nonprofit profileguidestar.orgnews
- Facebook page . 98% recommend (28 reviews)facebook.comreview
review
- Family Locket podcast RLP 147 reviewfamilylocket.comreview
- Granite FHC . for experienced researchers?granitefhc.comreview
- Security pagethefhguide.comsecurity
- Blog . Some Common Steps to Online Securitythefhguide.comsecurity
- GoFundMe fundraiser coveragegenealogysstar.blogspot.comnews
- Findmypast homepagefindmypast.comofficial
- Findmypast free trialfindmypast.comofficial
- Findmypast free recordsfindmypast.comofficial
- Findmypast review . Nebulanebula.orgreview
