Is Free Genealogy Really Free? Whether it is supported by advertising, affiliate links, grants, or has private funding, no genealogy site can be run for free. Every one of the sites or products included in my 101 Ways to Trace Your Family Tree article, for example, was created at a cost and someone continues to pay to keep this information online. Even RootsWeb and similar sites where so much good information is posted online by volunteers are supported by a commercial venue (such as Ancestry.com in the case of RootsWeb), or through private or group funding. It is a good idea for those of us who enjoy the free information that such sites provide to keep this in mind. This topic comes up every once in a while in the genealogy world - usually after someone gets fed up with the constant complaints from others about the high cost of genealogy.
How do you feel about these issues? The Bailey’s Free Genealogy Forms. Family Tree Templates. Free Genealogy software reviews: The Complete Genealogy Reporter 2012 and other. Gramps.