Subscription...Ancestry or Find my Past???

[mustfindthem]

I've got a subscription to ancestry and a sub. to FindMyPast for the 1911 census. I got a 20% discount earlier in the year. It was the best (I think it was about £60) I've spent. I've managed to clear up so many loose ends by being able to look at the 1911 census.

I started by buying credits for FindMyPast but (someone might say I was doing something wrong) I found that when I was searching for BMDs it seemed to bring up a page with a load of indexes on which I had to search through - whereas ancestry takes you straight to the record. I hope that makes sense.

I've got a few odd credits on FindMyPast and occasionally I find a census entry on there that I just cannot find on ancestry.

[Finley 1]

Been with both for a while, use pay per go on 1911 cheap enough for census rtns.  30 credits soon gone though.

BUT today I updated to top ancestry sub / due to needing to research more overseas...
This meant a great saving and they accepted debit card. 
So what I used to pay p.m. for not full access... totals the same amount I paid in one lump for full access... and then the money wont be taken off my card each month, so again saving on the interest that would incur...

Immediately the service for full subs ... is so much more detailed...
I am sure when I looked at the 1871 census before, they only gave me the choice of the one without scribbles and alterations on ... today I managed to pick up the corrected tidy one and the scribbled on version, and that cleared up an error in my tree... the servant isnt a servant but a grandaughter.  Uhm.

I did get angry though, cos previously I had typed in a name and it let me see that they had info on it if I upgraded... so when I upgrade... .....   the info is not at all what i was searching.. the name was split onto three different lines... so showed 3 different people... ah well - still happy with it.


Xin

[Nick29]

I subscribe to Ancestry, FindMyPast, and The Genealogist.   If I could only afford one, I would choose Ancestry.

[scriv2]

I can only afford one and subscribe to Ancestry.

[Finley 1]

I may not search properly, but sometimes on Ancestry  I get angry when it gives me 20,000 names and fred is above alan and dates are not in order

I am a little slow nowadays...
but if I put in Marie ann Fogley 1820 Yorkshire..  why do I get  Mary ann Fogley 1845 cornwall ...

I can search for ages.. the only time i get numerical order is if I just enter the name and area......

xin

[coombs]

I am subscribed to Ancestry and FindMyPast but I would much prefer Ancestry if I could only have one subscription.

[Cell]

Hi,
Jo,
you can test the waters with findmypast before deciding.

Findmypast has currently got a 14 day free trial. I signed up for the trial 3 days ago. You need to give them your credit card details for the trial, at the end of the trial they will automatically bill you for a subscription - so you need to cancel the free trial just before the 14 days are up if you don't want to subscribe to them .

 I'm glad I took out the free trial with them as I had been thinking of taking out a sub with them   - I'll be cancelling my trial  as I personally found that they do not have anything on their site  that I  need or haven't  already got or found over the years

I've been a subscriber of ancestry for years .I  much prefer ancestry to findmypast.
Kind regards

[Ron Lankshear]

I may not search properly, but sometimes on Ancestry  I get angry when it gives me 20,000 names and fred is above alan and dates are not in order

I am a little slow nowadays...
but if I put in Marie ann Fogley 1820 Yorkshire..  why do I get  Mary ann Fogley 1845 cornwall ...

I can search for ages.. the only time i get numerical order is if I just enter the name and area......

xin

Try ticking the exact box - without exact you get records that their program thinks make sense

Also it maybe New Search tick Old Search - top right under banner

They also have new options announced on their blog to allow in new Search picking variations of first names etc etc - hopefully this would pick Wm and Will and William and Willie and so on

[juliedowns]

Hello

I have had an annual sub with Ancestry for 3 years, and last month I took out a 6 month sub with FindMyPast mainly for the 1911 census.

I would recommend Ancestry, there images are better, what's with the blue at FindMyPast.
Searching at FindMyPast is frustrating as you have to enter a surname, even when I tick variant.
At least with Ancestry you don't need to include a surname especially when the spelling of a surname is way out.
Lastly pricing, even when you take out the 1911 census Ancestry has more than FindMyPast and is much cheaper, that's why I only took out a 6 month sub.

thankyou
julie