What does it cost to be an active genealogist?

 

For as long as I have been involved in the greater genealogy community, I have heard complaints about the cost of subscribing to the large online genealogy websites. Interestingly, several of the websites have free versions such as Ancestry's Library Edition and MyHeritage's Library Edition. FamilySearch, with its billions of records is completely free. Many other genealogically valuable websites are also free such as Archive.org and the Digital Public Library of America. Most of the larger libraries and archives in the world have collections of historical records. Some libraries have extensive and valuable book collections such as the collections at the Salt Lake City, Utah Family History Library and the Provo, Utah Brigham Young University Family History Library. 

Granted, there are people who live in poverty. In 2020, Extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1.90 a day, affected between 9.1% and 9.4% of the world's population. It is certainly true, that someone who is suffering from severe poverty will have a significantly harder time simply living than those who have more resources. But I hear these complaints about the cost of genealogy from people who live in the United States and are apparently not homeless because they communicate with me online. 

I have written a number of blog posts over the past years about this subject, but the real issue is not the cost of these online programs but the places where those in more prosperous areas choose to spend their money. Here in Utah, for example, there are hundreds of thousands of all-terrain vehicles or ATVs. These vehicles which are used primarily for recreation cost between $2000 and $20,000 or more just for the purchase price. Those who own them usually have a large truck and trailer to transport the ATV which can add up to $100,000 dollars to the cost of operating such a vehicle. So how does that compare to the cost of a full annual subscription to four of the largest genealogy programs?

The All Access subscription to Ancestry.com is about $420 a year in 2021.

MyHeritage.com is about $300 a year for their complete package. 

Findmypast.com's complete package is $179. 

How much does the average online streaming website such as Netflix cost? Pricing depends on the number of channels included but the average American household spends about $47 a month on these services or $564 a year. See "The Average U.S. Household Spends $47/Month on Streaming Services."

You get what you pay for. 

By the way, the average American spends $232 per month eating meals prepared outside the home. Given that there’s 18.2 meals eaten outside the home in an average month by the average American, the average meal outside the home costs a person $12.75. See "Don't Eat Out as Often (188/365)."

What about free access to these programs in FamilySearch Family History Centers and Libraries across the world? Well, during the pandemic, access to Family History Centers has been extremely limited however they will begin opening if and when the pandemic declines. 

As it is with any optional paid-for activity, each person has to make a choice as to the things they spend their money on. Those of us who are actively involved in genealogical research see the value of the online websites and pay for those we need and use. But there is one thing that is certain, you are not really aware of the resources available unless you are actively using all of the major online genealogy database programs.