A private family tree
For families whose roots run across the world.
Everyone adds their own side of the family: parents, partners, children and grandchildren. RootsAcross joins the branches into one tree, so cousins in Toronto, Lagos, Delhi and Melbourne can find each other again.
Free and non-commercial. No ads, and your family’s details are never sold.
✈ about 14 h
✈ about 14 h
🚗 about 2 h
✈ about 8 h
An example family. Each person decides how much of this others can see.
Everything a scattered family needs, in one private place
Each family gets its own separate hub. Only the people you invite can see it, and nothing is shared between hubs.
One tree, many hands
Everyone adds the relatives they know best. When two branches meet, the people involved confirm the link, and duplicates can be merged.
“How are we related?”
Every profile tells you how you’re related, from second cousin once removed to Mama ji or Bua, with the chain of people in between.
Distance and local time
See how far each relative lives, roughly how long the drive or flight is, what time it is there, and whether it’s a good time to call.
Grandparents’ voices
Record elders telling their stories, right from a phone, or upload a WhatsApp voice note. Tag the people they mention.
Photos and plans
A shared album with everyone tagged. Plan reunions and visits with RSVPs, and see which relatives live near where you’re travelling.
School projects
Print a family tree report with interview questions for grandparents. School-safe mode leaves out living relatives’ private details.
How it works
You don’t need to install anything. It works in any browser, and you can add it to your phone’s home screen like an app.
Someone starts the hub
One family member creates the hub and becomes its admin. They get a link like rootsacross.com/h/your-family.
Share the link
Send it to relatives on WhatsApp or by email, with an invite code if you like. Each person makes their own account.
Everyone adds their side
Add yourself, then your parents, partner, children and grandchildren. The branches join up into one family tree.
Private by design
Families are complicated, and not every relative wants to share the same things. RootsAcross leaves those choices with each person.
- Only members of your hub can see it. Hubs are hidden from search engines.
- Each person chooses who sees their contact details and how exactly where they live is shown.
- You can quietly hide your details from a particular relative.
- Photos and recordings only load for signed-in members.
- No fundraising, payment requests or “ask for help” features.
- No ads, no tracking cookies, no selling or sharing of your data.
- Download everything as a GEDCOM file or spreadsheet at any time.
- Delete your account, or the whole hub, whenever you want.
Questions
How much does it cost?
Nothing. RootsAcross is a non-commercial hobby project, run for family and friends. There are no ads and no paid plans.
How do I join my family’s hub?
Open the link a relative sent you, choose “Join the family” and create an account. If the hub has an invite code, the person who sent the link can tell you what it is.
Can I start a hub for my own family?
Yes. Starting a new hub needs a creation code, which keeps the site small and spam-free. Ask the person who told you about RootsAcross for one.
Can relatives who aren’t online still be in the tree?
Yes. Anyone can add grandparents, children or relatives who don’t use the internet. If that relative joins later, they can claim their own profile and take over its privacy settings.
Two families joined by a marriage both have hubs. Can they be connected?
Yes. The admins of both hubs can connect them through the person who is in both. Each family then sees the other side of the tree around that person, with names, countries and years only.
Can I take our family tree elsewhere?
Yes. Download it as a GEDCOM file, the standard format that Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage and Gramps all read, or as a spreadsheet. Admins can also download a full backup.
How do I get it on my phone?
Open your hub in your phone’s browser. On Android, tap “Install app”. On iPhone, tap Share, then “Add to Home Screen”.
Bring the branches back together.
Got a link from a relative? Open it to join. Starting fresh? You’ll need a creation code.
Open or start a hub