MyHeritage
MyHeritage is an Israeli genealogy platform combining family-tree tools, historical records, photographs, DNA testing, and related family-history services.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
MyHeritage is an Israeli online genealogy company founded in 2003 by entrepreneur Gilad Japhet. It began as a largely self-funded project operated from Japhet's home and later from a family farmhouse in Bnei Atarot. The company developed from a desktop-oriented family-tree service into a global family-history platform that combines web and mobile applications, downloadable genealogy software, historical-record search, photo preservation and enhancement, family-tree matching, and consumer genetic testing. The service uses a freemium model. Users can create and maintain family trees, upload photographs and documents, collaborate with relatives, and search historical collections. Paid subscriptions provide broader access to records and other premium capabilities. MyHeritage has expanded its database through internal digitization, partnerships with archives and institutions, and acquisitions of genealogy businesses and software. Its historical-record search tools include SuperSearch, which aggregates records such as census, birth, marriage, death, immigration, newspaper, and other archival material. Record Matching and related technologies compare historical sources with information in users' trees and generate possible links. The company grew rapidly through acquisitions. Early purchases included Pearl Street Software, Kindo, the OSN Group network, Bliscy.pl, Zooof, BackupMyTree, and FamilyLink. In 2012 it acquired Geni.com, retaining Geni as a distinct genealogy brand. MyHeritage later acquired Legacy Family Tree software, SNPedia, Promethease, the French genealogy platform Filae, and the French-Canadian site MesAieux.com. These transactions broadened its software, records, genetic-information, and regional capabilities. MyHeritage DNA launched in 2016, offering autosomal DNA testing, ethnicity estimates, and DNA matching. By March 2023, the company reported more than 6.5 million DNA kits in its database. In 2019 it changed its genotyping technology to a chip with 642,824 markers. In 2025, it announced a planned transition from older array-based genotyping to whole-genome sequencing, with the upgrade intended to be completed by the end of that year. MyHeritage has pursued an international strategy based on multilingual products, local genealogy collections, and partnerships. The service supported 42 languages as of 2023 and has operated offices or facilities in Israel, the United States, Ukraine, and elsewhere. Partnerships have included FamilySearch, BillionGraves, EBSCO Information Services, and the Danish National Archives. The company also sponsored the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 and launched OldNews, a subscription newspaper-archive service, in 2024. In early 2021, Francisco Partners acquired MyHeritage in a transaction widely reported at approximately $600 million. Because the company is privately held, current revenue, profit, valuation, and other financial information should not be treated as publicly established unless accompanied by a specific authoritative source. MyHeritage remains active as a consumer and institutional genealogy business, with products spanning family trees, archival research, DNA, photo tools, historical newspapers, and genealogy software.
History
MyHeritage was founded in Israel in 2003 by Gilad Japhet, who started the business from his living room in Bnei Atarot. The early service was built around family-tree information entered through desktop software. Users could publish and view genealogical data online, although the original workflow offered fewer online editing capabilities than the current platform. The company initially relied heavily on Japhet's own funding and later obtained angel investment. It adopted a freemium model, allowing basic participation without charge while reserving certain capabilities and data access for paying users. Product development accelerated during the middle of the 2000s. In 2006, MyHeritage added facial-recognition functionality to help associate people across photograph collections and acquired Pearl Street Software, the developer of Family Tree Legends and operator of GenCircles. The transaction supplied family-tree software, public profiles, and genealogy records. By 2007, MyHeritage had developed a substantial international user base, supported many languages, and enabled more direct web-based submission of family-history information. The company raised additional capital in 2008 from investors including Index Ventures and Accel, then expanded through a sequence of acquisitions. Kindo, a British family-tree service, was acquired soon afterward. In 2009, MyHeritage released a new version of Family Tree Builder and strengthened synchronization between desktop trees and the website. In 2010, it acquired Germany-based OSN Group, whose network included genealogy sites in Germany, Poland, and the United States. This added users, records, family-tree functions, and geographic reach. Further purchases in 2011 included Bliscy.pl, the Dutch family network Zooof, the backup service BackupMyTree, and FamilyLink, which owned WorldVitalRecords.com and historical-content properties. MyHeritage introduced major search and matching capabilities in 2012. SuperSearch provided a consolidated interface for searching large historical-record collections, while Record Matching compared archival records with information in users' trees. In November of that year, the company acquired Geni.com, a genealogy platform founded by David O. Sacks. Geni continued operating as a separate brand from Los Angeles, reflecting a difference in product emphasis: Geni was associated with collaborative efforts to build a shared world family tree, while MyHeritage concentrated more heavily on individual family trees, records, and matching. During the 2010s, MyHeritage combined organic product development with institutional partnerships. It worked with FamilySearch on technology and record access, partnered with BillionGraves on cemetery documentation, provided educational institutions access through EBSCO Information Services, and worked with the Danish National Archives to index census and parish records. The company expanded its database from hundreds of millions of records to billions, while adding tools such as Record Detective, Instant Discoveries, and Global Name Translation. Its first mobile applications for iOS and Android were introduced in the early 2010s. Genetic genealogy became a major business area with the launch of MyHeritage DNA in 2016. The service offered ethnicity estimates and DNA matching, and the company later reported more than 6.5 million kits in its database by March 2023. MyHeritage also broadened its software portfolio by acquiring Millennia Corp. and its Legacy Family Tree products in 2017. In 2018, the company's chief science officer, Yaniv Erlich, attracted attention for constructing a very large family tree using Geni data. The company sponsored the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, changed its DNA microarray platform that year, and acquired SNPedia and Promethease. Privacy and security became important issues after MyHeritage disclosed in 2018 that a breach had exposed account email addresses and hashed passwords. The company said genealogy, DNA, and payment information were maintained separately, and it introduced stronger account protections. The company's DNA database also became relevant to debates about investigative genetic genealogy. Reports described law-enforcement investigators uploading DNA data under a pseudonym or through an individual's account in cases including the identification of Joseph James DeAngelo and Jerry Arnold Westrom. MyHeritage's terms and privacy policy prohibit law-enforcement use and the creation of fictitious profiles; following public attention to such cases, the company made that prohibition explicit. In early 2021, Francisco Partners acquired MyHeritage. Later that year, MyHeritage announced the acquisition of Filae, expanding its French genealogy presence. The company subsequently launched OldNews in 2024 as a newspaper-archive subscription service and acquired MesAieux.com, a French-Canadian genealogy website, in October 2024. In 2025 it announced a planned transition toward whole-genome sequencing. MyHeritage continues to operate as a privately held international genealogy company headquartered in Or Yehuda, with additional locations reported in Israel, the United States, and Ukraine.
- 2025
Whole-genome sequencing transition is announced
[1]The company announces a planned move from older genotyping arrays to whole-genome sequencing.
- 2024
OldNews launches
[1]MyHeritage introduces a subscription newspaper-archive service.
- 2021
Francisco Partners acquires MyHeritage
[1]The privately held genealogy company changes ownership in a reported transaction of approximately $600 million.
- 2021
Filae acquisition is announced
[1]MyHeritage expands its French genealogy operations through the acquisition of Filae.
- 2019
SNPedia and Promethease are acquired
[1]The acquisitions expand MyHeritage's relationship to genetic information and interpretation resources.
- 2018
Security breach is disclosed
[1]MyHeritage reports exposure of email addresses and hashed passwords from an earlier intrusion.
- 2017
Legacy Family Tree is acquired
[1]MyHeritage acquires Millennia Corp., including Legacy Family Tree software and its webinar program.
- 2016
MyHeritage DNA launches
[1]The company enters consumer genetic genealogy with autosomal DNA testing and matching.
- 2012
SuperSearch and Record Matching launch
[1]The company introduces large-scale historical-record search and automated record-to-tree comparisons.
- 2012
Geni.com is acquired
[1]MyHeritage acquires Geni while continuing to operate it as a separate brand.
Products and positioning
A global, multilingual family-history platform that combines accessible family-tree building with large historical-record collections, automated matching technologies, DNA services, and consumer-oriented photo and archival tools.
Online genealogy platform · 2003
MyHeritage Family Trees
The core service lets users build, edit, preserve, and share family trees online. Trees can contain people, relationships, dates, places, photographs, documents, and other historical material. Matching technologies can compare tree information with records and other user-contributed data to suggest relationships or sources. The service is designed for both individual researchers and collaboration among relatives.
Historical-record search · 2012
SuperSearch
SuperSearch is MyHeritage's consolidated search system for historical records. It covers collections such as censuses, birth and marriage registrations, deaths, immigration, newspapers, and other archival sources. Its purpose is to let researchers search across a broad collection from one interface and connect promising records with people already represented in their family trees.
Consumer genetic genealogy · 2016
MyHeritage DNA
MyHeritage DNA provides autosomal genetic testing, ethnicity estimates, and matching with genetic relatives. Customers can use DNA results alongside documentary research and family trees. The service has used microarray genotyping technology and, according to the company's 2025 announcement, is transitioning toward whole-genome sequencing. The database contained more than 6.5 million kits by March 2023 according to the reference material.
Genealogy software · 2009
Family Tree Builder
Family Tree Builder is MyHeritage's downloadable genealogy program. It supports creation and management of family trees and synchronization with the online service. Major updates added synchronization, Unicode support, and record-matching functionality, helping users work with multilingual names and historical data while retaining a desktop-oriented workflow.
Collaborative genealogy platform · 2007
Geni
Geni is a genealogy platform acquired by MyHeritage in 2012 and operated as a separate brand. Its distinctive model emphasizes collaborative construction of a shared world family tree, in contrast with MyHeritage's stronger emphasis on individual family trees, historical records, and matching. Geni is based in Los Angeles and has retained its own product identity.
Newspaper archive · 2024
OldNews
OldNews is a subscription-based newspaper archive launched by MyHeritage in 2024. It extends the company's historical-research offering into digitized newspapers, giving users another source type for finding names, events, obituaries, local reporting, and contextual evidence related to family history.
Genealogy software and education
Legacy Family Tree
Legacy Family Tree is genealogy software and an associated educational webinar program acquired through MyHeritage's 2017 purchase of Millennia Corp. It forms part of the company's broader software portfolio for researchers who want structured desktop tools and instructional resources in addition to web-based family-history services.
Controversies
2022
MyHeritage fined over Russian data-localization violation
The Tagansky District Magistrates' Court of Moscow fined MyHeritage 1.5 million rubles for failing to localize the database of its Russian users, according to a court representative.
2019
MyHeritage database used in the Westrom investigation
Investigators in Minnesota reportedly uploaded an unidentified DNA profile under a pseudonym and used resulting matches to identify Jerry Arnold Westrom in the reopened Jeanne Childs murder investigation. A court rejected a motion to suppress evidence based on alleged violation of the service agreement, distinguishing that contractual issue from constitutional protections.
2018
2017 account-data breach disclosed in 2018
MyHeritage disclosed that an unauthorized party had obtained email addresses and hashed passwords for more than 92 million accounts. The company said family trees, DNA information, and payment-card data were held separately and were not exposed in the incident. Breach data was reportedly offered on the dark web in 2019. MyHeritage responded with notification, password-related measures, and two-factor authentication.
2018
Use of the database in investigative genetic genealogy
Reports concerning the Golden State Killer investigation stated that investigators used a MyHeritage account to upload a suspect DNA file after other genealogy databases had not produced sufficient leads. MyHeritage said its terms prohibit law-enforcement use and fictitious profiles, and subsequently made that restriction explicit in its privacy policy.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Eurovision Song Contest sponsorship
International · Europe
MyHeritage announced sponsorship of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, using a high-profile international entertainment property to increase awareness of its genealogy brand and family-history services.
Outcome. The sponsorship was scheduled for the 2019 contest.
- 2016Papua New Guinea family-history preservation project
Papua New Guinea
MyHeritage employees documented and preserved family-history information from remote communities in the Highlands Region of Papua New Guinea.
Outcome. The project created preserved family-history records for participating communities.
Brand decisions
2025
Transition toward whole-genome sequencingGeneration changeBackground
The company announced a technology upgrade intended to move beyond its older genotyping-array approach.
Action taken
MyHeritage announced a transition to whole-genome sequencing, with the stated target of completing the upgrade by the end of 2025.
Aftermath
The announcement positioned sequencing as the next technological stage of MyHeritage DNA, although implementation and commercial effects require further reporting.
2021
Change ownership to Francisco PartnersM&ABackground
MyHeritage pursued a change in ownership after years of international expansion across genealogy records, software, and DNA services.
Action taken
Francisco Partners acquired the company.
Aftermath
MyHeritage continued operating as a privately held genealogy business under Francisco Partners' ownership.
Reported acquisition value. $600 million (Early 2021)
2019
Change DNA genotyping chipGeneration changeBackground
MyHeritage updated the laboratory technology used for its autosomal DNA product.
Action taken
The company moved from the Infinium OmniExpress array to the Infinium GSA array, described as covering 642,824 markers.
Aftermath
The change increased the marker set used by the testing service and preceded the company's later move toward whole-genome sequencing.
2018
Strengthen account security after breachStrategyBackground
The company disclosed exposure of account email addresses and hashed passwords from a 2017 intrusion.
Action taken
MyHeritage notified users and introduced two-factor authentication using text-message or application-based verification.
Aftermath
The incident increased attention to security and privacy practices for genealogy and DNA platforms.
2016
Enter consumer DNA testingProduct launchBackground
Genetic genealogy was becoming an important way for consumers to discover relatives and supplement documentary family research.
Action taken
MyHeritage launched MyHeritage DNA with ethnicity estimates and DNA-relative matching.
Aftermath
DNA became a major component of the platform, with more than 6.5 million kits reported in the database by March 2023.
2012
Acquire Geni.comM&ABackground
MyHeritage sought to expand its international genealogy community and technology portfolio while preserving differentiated products.
Action taken
It acquired Geni.com and retained Geni's employees and separate brand operation.
Aftermath
The deal added users and strengthened MyHeritage's position in collaborative online genealogy.
Recent events
Reported
MyHeritage fined over Russian data-localization violation[3]
The Tagansky District Magistrates' Court of Moscow fined MyHeritage 1.5 million rubles for failing to localize the database of its Russian users, according to a court representative.
- Unconfirmed
MyHeritage adds special animations to Deep Nostalgia[4]
MyHeritage released 10 additional special animations for Deep Nostalgia, doubling the number available; the animations are available to subscribers on the Complete plan.
- Unconfirmed
MyHeritage introduces Deep Nostalgia[5]
MyHeritage announced the release of Deep Nostalgia, a feature that animates faces in still photos.
Sources5 sources
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