You are looking for an ancestor born in a village in Cantal in the 18th century. You type their name on Filae, then on Geneanet, and the results differ completely. One shows a digitized baptism record, while the other links to a distant cousin’s tree who has already done the work. This discrepancy perfectly summarizes the fundamental difference between these two online genealogy platforms.
Collaborative indexing vs. digitized archives: two philosophies of genealogical research
Geneanet is based on a collaborative model. The family trees published by members form the main database. When you initiate a search, you query millions of trees built by other genealogists, whether amateur or professional. The richness of Geneanet directly depends on its community.
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This operation has a direct consequence: reliability varies from tree to tree. An experienced member cites their sources and attaches photos of records. A beginner sometimes copies information without verifying it. Therefore, you must systematically cross-check.
Filae takes a different approach. The site relies on digitized and indexed archives: civil status records, parish registers, censuses. You are not consulting the work of another genealogist, but an official transcribed document. To make a comparison between Filae and Geneanet relevant, this distinction between community data and indexed archives serves as the starting point.
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Filae and historical press: a resource that Geneanet does not offer
Have you ever imagined finding a trace of an ancestor in a newspaper announcement or a local court report? In April 2026, Filae added over 40 million new entries from the historical French press. Announcements, news items, legal notices, medals: these documents tell the daily life beyond simple birth or death records.
The historical press adds depth to a family tree. A civil status record tells you that an ancestor was born on a certain day. A local newspaper article informs you that they received an award, witnessed an event, or published a land sale announcement.
This type of resource is absent from Geneanet, whose strength lies elsewhere. Geneanet provides access to cemetery records, a genealogical library, and old photos shared by the community. Both sites cover complementary sources, not interchangeable.
Free Geneanet vs. paid Filae: what each plan really allows
Geneanet offers a functional free version. You can create your tree, search shared trees, and consult part of the indexed archives. The Premium subscription unlocks automatic comparison tools and expanded access to documents.
Filae operates primarily on a paid model to access indexed archives. Free consultation is limited to checking if results exist for a given name. To read the records and utilize the transcriptions, a subscription is necessary.
Why does this detail matter? Because the choice depends on your stage of research:
- Beginner building their first branches: The free version of Geneanet is sufficient to collect leads through other members’ trees and familiarize yourself with genealogical research
- Genealogist wanting to verify and source their data with original records: Filae provides directly consultable archival documents, avoiding the need to go through departmental sites one by one
- Advanced researcher who has already utilized classic registers: Filae’s historical press and Geneanet’s photographic collections open up complementary avenues that registers alone do not provide
The trap of unnecessary subscriptions
Before subscribing, test the presence of your ancestors on each platform. Filae primarily covers mainland France. If your research pertains to other countries, Geneanet (or MyHeritage) will be more suitable due to its international community.
GEDCOM export between Filae and Geneanet: test both without re-entering everything
A technical point often overlooked changes the game. Both platforms allow you to export a family tree in GEDCOM format, the standard for exchanging between genealogy software and sites. You can export your tree from Geneanet to Filae (and vice versa) without retyping each individual.
This interoperability has a practical interest: it allows you to test both platforms in parallel with your own data. Import your tree to Filae, initiate an automatic search in their indexed archives, and then compare with the results obtained on Geneanet through shared trees.
Compatible offline software
The GEDCOM file also works with software installed on your computer, such as Heredis or Ancestris. Your tree is never locked to a single platform. If you change your mind about your subscription or if a site evolves in a direction that no longer suits you, your data remains portable.
Which genealogy site to choose based on your research profile
The choice between Filae and Geneanet is not just a matter of price. It depends on what you are looking for and how you work.
- If you prefer to start from original documents and trace back: Filae, with its digitized archives and historical press, fits this documentary approach
- If you enjoy cross-referencing your findings with those of other enthusiasts and benefiting from an active community: Geneanet, with its millions of shared trees and collaborative projects (tombstone records, old photos), meets this need
- If you are looking for international coverage beyond France: Geneanet has a more geographically diverse member base
Using both sites in parallel remains the most effective strategy. Experienced genealogists often consult Geneanet to identify leads, then verify on Filae (or directly on online departmental archives) with the source documents. The GEDCOM export makes this dual approach realistic without multiplying data entry.
Ultimately, the true criterion for choice lies in the nature of the sources you are missing. If your branches are already solid but lack substance, Filae’s historical press will provide details that are hard to find elsewhere. If you are stuck on a lineage, Geneanet’s collaborative trees will increase your chances of finding a cousin who has already solved the problem.