Is a Banyan tree private?

Always. A Banyan tree is visible only to the relatives you invite, and it never appears in search or public databases. Ancestry lists trees as public by default, so you need to change the setting to keep a tree private there.

Can I use Banyan and Ancestry together?

Yes. You can keep researching records on Ancestry and use Banyan as the private place where your relatives add themselves, share photos and keep birthdays together.

Can I download my family tree from Banyan?

Yes. Banyan Family and Banyan Legacy export your tree as a GEDCOM file, the standard format other family tree apps open. Your family's information stays yours.

A private Ancestry alternative

Banyan vs Ancestry

Ancestry is built for researching historical records and DNA. Banyan is built for the family you have today: a private tree your relatives build together, with photos, notes and birthdays in one place.

Checked October 20, 2026

The short answer

Choose Banyan if you want a private tree your whole family builds together. One person starts free or pays US$79 a year, and every relative joins at no cost. Ancestry memberships cost US$24.99 to US$59.99 a month at list price, and Ancestry lists trees as public by default.

Banyan and Ancestry, side by side

Banyan compared with Ancestry
	BanyanYour living family	AncestryRecords and DNA
Who sees your tree	Good for families: Invited relatives only	Trade-off for privacy or control: Public by default
Who can change it	Good for families: Your family; elders approve	Neutral: Owner and invited editors
Price	Good for families: Free, or US$79/yr for everyone	Neutral: US$24.99–59.99/mo
What relatives pay	Good for families: Nothing	Neutral: Free account; records locked
Ads and your data	Good for families: No ads, never sold	Trade-off for privacy or control: Shares data for targeted ads

Good for families Neutral Trade-off for privacy or control

Full details for each row

Made for

Banyan: Your living family, building one private tree together
Ancestry: Historical records research and AncestryDNA

Who sees your tree

Banyan: Only the relatives you invite. Never public or searchable.
Ancestry: Public by default to anyone with an Ancestry membership. Living people show as private. You can make a tree private.

Who can change it

Banyan: Only your family. Elders manage roles and review suggested edits.
Ancestry: The owner and the relatives they invite as Editors

Price

Banyan: Free to start. US$79 a year covers up to 250 relatives; US$149 a year for unlimited.
Ancestry: US$24.99 to US$59.99 a month at list price, auto-renewing

What relatives pay

Banyan: Nothing. One person pays for the tree, and every invited relative joins free.
Ancestry: Relatives can join a shared tree with a free account, but cannot see most record images attached to it. All Access adds 4 family accounts.

Ads and your data

Banyan: No ads. Your family's information is never sold.
Ancestry: Shares some personal information with third parties for targeted advertising

Photos and family life

Banyan: Photos and notes on every profile, plus a shared calendar of birthdays and gatherings
Ancestry: Photo scanning, colorization and audio stories, listed with paid memberships

Why families choose Banyan

One price for the whole family

Ancestry memberships cost US$24.99 to US$59.99 a month. Banyan Family is US$79 a year for the whole tree, and relatives never pay.

Private from day one

Ancestry lists trees as public by default. A Banyan tree is only ever visible to the relatives you invite. There is no setting to forget.

Everyone sees the whole story

On Ancestry, free accounts can't see most record images attached to a shared tree. On Banyan, every invited relative sees the full tree, with every photo and note.