Is a Geni family tree private?

Partly. Living people and minors are private on Geni. Most deceased people have public profiles in the World Family Tree, which anyone can view and any Geni user can edit, and profiles of people born more than 150 years ago stay public. In Banyan, every profile, living or deceased, is visible only to the relatives you invite.

Will my Banyan tree be merged with other families' trees?

No. A Banyan tree is never merged into a shared or world tree. Your family decides who joins. Linking with a related family's tree is optional and needs an elder's approval.

Do my relatives need to pay to join a Banyan tree?

No. One person pays for the tree, and anyone in the family can be that person. Every invited relative joins and contributes free, on every plan.

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 Geni alternative

Banyan vs Geni

Geni, owned by MyHeritage, connects family trees into one World Family Tree. Banyan keeps your family's tree separate and private, so your relatives decide what it holds.

Checked October 20, 2026

The short answer

Choose Banyan if you want your family's tree to stay private and in your family's hands. On Geni, public profiles are part of one World Family Tree that anyone can view and any Geni user can edit, and duplicate profiles are merged across families. Banyan trees are invite-only and never merged with anyone else's.

Banyan and Geni, side by side

Banyan compared with Geni
	BanyanYour living family	GeniShared world tree
Who sees your tree	Good for families: Invited relatives only	Trade-off for privacy or control: Ancestors in a public tree
Who can change it	Good for families: Your family; elders approve	Trade-off for privacy or control: Any user (public profiles)
Price	Good for families: Free, or US$79/yr for everyone	Neutral: Free; Pro US$149/yr
What relatives pay	Good for families: Nothing	Good for families: Nothing
Ads and your data	Good for families: No ads, never sold	Good for families: Not given to advertisers

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
Geni: One collaborative World Family Tree

Who sees your tree

Banyan: Only the relatives you invite. Never public or searchable.
Geni: Public profiles, mostly deceased people, can be viewed by anyone. Living people and minors are private.

Who can change it

Banyan: Only your family. Elders manage roles and review suggested edits.
Geni: Any Geni user can edit the basic details of public profiles. Duplicates are merged across families.

Price

Banyan: Free to start. US$79 a year covers up to 250 relatives; US$149 a year for unlimited.
Geni: Free Basic account. Geni Pro costs US$149 a year.

What relatives pay

Banyan: Nothing. One person pays for the tree, and every invited relative joins free.
Geni: Free with a Basic account

Ads and your data

Banyan: No ads. Your family's information is never sold.
Geni: Says it does not give personal information to advertisers

Photos and family life

Banyan: Photos and notes on every profile, plus a shared calendar of birthdays and gatherings
Geni: Photo, video and document uploads, up to 1 GB on Basic

Why families choose Banyan

Never merged with strangers

Geni merges duplicate profiles across families into one World Family Tree. A Banyan tree stays separate, private and invite-only.

Your family decides

Any Geni user can edit the basics of a public profile. In Banyan, only your family makes changes, and elders review suggested edits.

Made for family life

Banyan keeps photos and notes on every profile, plus a shared calendar of birthdays and gatherings, so your family has a reason to come back.

Banyan vs Geni: questions

Is a Geni family tree private?: Partly. Living people and minors are private on Geni. Most deceased people have public profiles in the World Family Tree, which anyone can view and any Geni user can edit, and profiles of people born more than 150 years ago stay public. In Banyan, every profile, living or deceased, is visible only to the relatives you invite.
Will my Banyan tree be merged with other families' trees?: No. A Banyan tree is never merged into a shared or world tree. Your family decides who joins. Linking with a related family's tree is optional and needs an elder's approval.
Do my relatives need to pay to join a Banyan tree?: No. One person pays for the tree, and anyone in the family can be that person. Every invited relative joins and contributes free, on every plan.
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.

Start the tree your family will keep adding to.

Banyan Starter is free. Invite your relatives with a link or QR code, and build your family tree together.

Start your family tree free

More comparisons

Banyan vs AncestryPrivate from day one, and one yearly plan instead of a monthly membership.Compare Banyan vs MyHeritageOne simple plan and a tree that is never searchable, instead of a menu of plans.Compare Banyan vs FamilySearchA tree your family controls, not one shared world tree anyone can edit.Compare All comparisonsBanyan next to every service in one table.See the table

Sources

We checked each company's public website on October 20, 2026. Prices are US list prices before tax and can change. Introductory offers are not shown. Banyan details come from our plans, FAQ and privacy policy. Brand names belong to their owners.