The Ultimate 2025 AI Guide for Genealogy Research
I tested the top AI tools on real genealogy research tasks. See who wins the AI showdown and download the quiz inside to pick the best one for you.
If you’re staring at your screen wondering which AI tool you should use for genealogy (and feeling totally overwhelmed by options), you’re in the right place!
In this post, we’ll walk through the pros, cons, and quirks of the big four: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. I’ll give them the same tasks so you can see how they stack up side by side.
Get the up-to-date guide on ChronicleMakers.com
And be sure to check the 2025 AI Quiz download at the end of this post to help make your choice. Now let’s dive in!
What All These AI Tools Have in Common
Before we get to the face-off, it helps to know what you’re actually looking at.
ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are what are called large language models (LLMs). These are super-advanced chatbots trained on huge piles of internet text and books. They’re built to be your conversation or thinking partners, ready to:
Brainstorm ideas
Answer your questions
Summarize documents
Draft and rewrite writing
Help you sort your notes
Transcribe typed documents
Even analyze photos in some cases
Most of them let you type, paste, or even talk at them, turning voice into text so you can, for example, use them hands-free while organizing family history notes or research papers.
What You Need to Know About Free vs. Paid AI Plans
It’s tempting to stick to free — and honestly, you can do quite a bit on the free tiers with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. But if you have a bigger project, need multiple research tasks, or want to process large documents or images, you’ll probably want the paid plans. The great part? They’re actually monthly.
Pro tip: If you know you have a huge batch of tasks (like analyzing a pile of photos or notes), concentrate your work and just subscribe for the month!
Limits: What AI Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Do
With all the hype, it’s easy to think AI is magical. But there are still plenty of hard boundaries:
Struggles with Cursive and Handwriting: Even fancy tools trip up on handwriting, especially cursive, and especially in languages other than English. If you need old census records or letters transcribed, you’ll still need human eyes. AI might be able to do it, but it won’t be perfect.
Can’t Search Historical Archives (Yet): AI can’t go poke around genealogy websites or government databases on its own. It doesn’t have magical, behind-the-scenes records access.
Prone to “Hallucinations”: Sometimes, even very smart AI invents details or “facts” that sound plausible but are simply wrong. Never treat these as primary sources.
Bottom line: Use AI as a research partner, not a final authority.
Meet the Players: A Quick Primer
Let’s meet each tool, and call out what makes them different:
1. ChatGPT
Probably the most popular AI tool right now. Great for drafting, brainstorming ideas, and conversation. Known for adding a bit of drama or flair to its writing.
2. Claude
A competitor LLM, known for organizing and writing answers well, sometimes breaking things into priorities, lists, or key categories. It’s most popular use is computer coding right now.
3. Gemini
Google’s entrant is capable, competent, and very integrated if you’re in the Google ecosystem. It does especially well at photo analysis, given Google’s access to images collected from users.
4. Perplexity
A little different: it’s mostly a search-based tool with AI layered on top. Unlike the others, it actively researches the web, fetches summaries, and includes live links to sources in its answers. Especially handy if you want citations or to dig deeper yourself.
The Showdown — Task 1: Writing a Short Biography
To compare apples to apples, let’s run the same “real-world” challenge through each AI: Turn a messy ancestor timeline into a tight, 150-word biography.
Here’s the process:
Copy a timeline (from anywhere: genealogy software, Ancestry, FamilySearch, etc.).
Paste it straight into the AI prompt (no cleanup!).
Ask: “Write a 150-word biography for Francis Wilmer based on the facts on this timeline.”
Let’s see how each one did:
Google Gemini
Output style: Simple, much like an obituary. Sticks to the facts (born, lived, key dates, died).
Format: In “Canvas” mode, so you can edit right in the interface.
Editing: Very easy to tweak the generated text on the spot.
ChatGPT
Output style: More dramatic and “flowery.” Adds context about war, postwar America, and family resilience.
Format: Usually two tidy paragraphs, often ending with a signature phrase. You may see, “a legacy of family resilience and reinvention,” which shows up a lot in ChatGPT’s prose.
Claude
Output style: Reads a lot like an obituary, but has a clean and readable font.
Accuracy: Sometimes adds or mixes up locations (e.g., mentioning Montana or South Dakota when the facts may not be exactly supported).
Bonus: May break out sections/titles for clarity.
Perplexity
Output style: Similar to the others, but remember — Perplexity often lets you choose the LLM engine it uses. The result generally matches whatever engine is selected.
Ratings: Short Biography Writing
All four give you a strong starting point. You’ll probably want to tweak the draft, but the heavy lifting is done in seconds!
The Showdown — Task 2: Creating a Genealogy Research Plan
The second test is a step up in difficulty: Based on our timeline and quick bio, how would you plan out a deep dive into Francis Wilmer’s life? Specifically: suggest a research plan to figure out his occupations and everywhere he lived.
Here’s the core prompt:
“Given the life events of Francis Wilmer, suggest a genealogical research plan to determine his various occupations and understand the places he lived over his lifetime.”
Let’s see what we get…
Google Gemini
Response: Starts by picking out life events, then lists the next steps. Pulls out standard genealogical sources:
Census records (for occupation and residence)
City directories
Military records
Social Security application (a goldmine for employers)
Newspaper archives
Strengths: Hits key sources. Lists are clear. Offers solid reminders (like using FOIA requests for SSA data).
ChatGPT
Response: Super organized, step-by-step plan with bullet points.
Start with census/federal records — even gives exact years!
Military/government records — names exact record groups and locations at the National Archives.
City directories/local resources — lays out years and places.
Death and obituary records — points out using what you already have.
Local archives/newspapers — last step for filling gaps.
Strengths: The most checkoff-friendly, with clear bullet steps and actionable direction.
Claude
Response: Breaks down suggestions into “Priority Research Areas.” Groups by type:
Military, census, employment records
Newspaper archives
Property, tax records
Professional directories & licenses (that’s new!)
Obituary research
Interview living relatives
Strengths: Introduces ideas that might not be on your radar (like professional licenses), helps you think beyond the usual.
Perplexity
Response: Starts with a summary, then breaks down:
Primary goals and secondary goals
Cites the same types of records (census, city directories, military, vital records)
Unique twist: Because it scrapes the web, you may see some terminology and ideas borrowed from live articles. Might be helpful, might not.
Ratings: Genealogy Research Plan
All four gave record sets to search, but I like the way ChatGPT organized it for me. Each one showed me a record set I had not heard of before which was a real bonus.
The Showdown — Task 3: Digging Up Specific Records for Research
Now for the hardest question of all, and the kind of thing genealogists (and serious researchers) run into all the time.
Here’s the scenario:
Fact: Francis Wilmer worked for the US Census Bureau in 1950 (found documented on the census itself).
Goal: How can I obtain a detailed copy of his federal employment history from the government?
Google Gemini
Process: Takes a bit longer to think. Updates its previous research plan to add info about getting personnel file records:
Highlights getting records from NARA and the National Personnel Records Center
Mentions “OPF folder” (official personnel file)
Strength: Updates the earlier list so you can see what’s new.
ChatGPT
Response: Outdoes itself! Gives a full step-by-step guide:
File a FOIA request with the NPRC
What to include in the letter, exactly which websites to visit
Even names the form to use for military records
Suggests requesting the Social Security application (again, with specifics)
Bonus: Suggests checking the Official Register of the US (lists every civil servant with job, department, salary!)
Points to HathiTrust and libraries to access these registers
Strength: Detailed, links to online sources, and teaches about record sets even seasoned genealogists may not know.
Claude
Response: Starts off noting the importance of primary sources. Highlights:
Census Bureau records
Federal Register appointments
Congressional records (if relevant)
Thrift Savings Plans (if he had one — a creative touch)
Spotlights potential records, but not quite as detailed on “how to get them.”
Perplexity
Response: Because it’s search-first, it provides up-to-date contact methods — tells you which forms to fill, where to send them, and even what to say in your request letter.
Unique: Includes direct links (e.g., to Office of Personnel Management, Reddit genealogy boards discussing record requests).
Surprise: Practical advice (use SSA earnings report to identify every agency he worked for, then request records from each!).
Ratings: Getting Specific Records for Research
The live links from Perplexity really shine with this step, but each one gave me a solid idea of what to do next. As before, I like ChatGPTs organization.
Final Scores: Which AI Won the Most Rounds?
Here’s a bird’s eye view of performance across the three tasks:
You might expect a clear winner, but honestly, they’re all very close overall. Preferences depend more on style and needs.
Here’s the big spoiler: After running these tests, if I had to pick just one, I’d actually put my money on... Perplexity.
Why? Despite ChatGPT winning on points in a couple categories, here’s what pushes Perplexity over the top for many people:
Great for both writing and live research
Gives up-to-date info and links, not just static advice from the AI training data
Hands you sources, citations, and further reading
Which AI Should You Choose? (Plus a Handy Quiz)
Bonus! I’ve made a downloadable quiz and AI comparison chart you can get (link below). This makes it way easier to pick which tool suits you best, based on how you like to work.
Click to Download: AI Comparison Quiz & Cheat Sheet
If you’ve made it this far — you’re officially ready to jump into AI-powered research. Try out a couple of the free versions, see which style you like, and don’t forget to use the quiz to help.
You might never go back to combing through that old record sources again.
Happy searching!
—Denyse
Denyse, What a great breakdown! Love your little guide! I've settled on ChatGPT for the time being. Now that it gives me sources (although I check them out) I love it's organizational ability and how we can brainstorm. For my mom's diary, I told it what I wanted to do, that it would involve not just Mom's story, but our hometown and how it tied into my story. It came up with several ideas, and even provided me an outline of a book with fake chapters. Not that I'm following it, but it gave me ideas on how to organize what I wanted to do.