For the longest time, I resisted upgrading my Ancestry subscription to the Pro level. Honestly, I figured it was just another way for Ancestry to squeeze more money out of me. But after months of serious tree cleanup, I finally broke down—and now I can confidently say, it was absolutely worth it.
The Push to Upgrade
I’ve been actively working on cleaning up my family tree, making sure my research is as accurate as possible. I knew I needed a way to better manage the structure of my tree, catch errors, and refine my documentation. After hearing about some of the Pro features, I finally decided to take the plunge. While I still wish these tools were included in the standard subscription, the extra $10 a month has proven to be a solid investment in my research.
My Favorite Pro Feature: Tree Checker
The Tree Checker tool has completely changed how I maintain my family tree. This feature evaluates your tree and gives you a rating based on its overall accuracy and completeness. Right now, my tree has a rating of 9.5, which is labeled as excellent—but of course, I’m aiming for that perfect 100!
What makes Tree Checker so powerful is how it breaks down potential issues into categories, including:
Possible Duplicates – Helps eliminate unnecessary or incorrect duplicate profiles.
People with No Documentation – Highlights profiles missing source citations.
Profiles with Only Tree Documentation – Flags individuals that rely solely on information from other trees (which, as we know, can be unreliable!).
Other Possible Errors – Includes parent-child age discrepancies, marriages at extremely young ages, and other inconsistencies.
Using Tree Checker’s recommendations, I’ve spent the last couple of months fixing errors and strengthening my tree. This tool alone has made the Pro subscription worthwhile.
The Bonus: Charts and Reports
Another game-changing feature is the Charts and Reports tool. With Pro, I can generate:
Descendancy Charts
Ahnentafel Charts
Register Charts
Family Group Sheets
Each chart allows me to customize document styles, choose how many generations (2–7) to display, and even select the focus person for the report.
These charts are more than just visually appealing—they’re actually helping my research. I’ve been using AI to analyze the reports and guide my next steps in verifying and expanding my family tree. Having structured data like this makes it easier to spot patterns and missing links.
I never thought I’d be raving about a subscription upgrade, but Ancestry Pro has proven to be a great tool for serious genealogists. While I still wish some of these features were included in the base subscription, the added value makes the extra cost worthwhile. Between Tree Checker and Charts and Reports, I’m finally making real progress on refining my tree and ensuring my research is as accurate as possible.
Now, back to work—I’ve got a Tree Checker score of 100 to chase!