Whether you’re confirming a recent death, planning a service, or filling in a gap in your family tree, “obituary lookup” tools split into two very different camps: free community sites built around recent, family-submitted obituaries, and paid newspaper archives that go back decades or centuries. Neither is automatically better — it depends on who or when you’re searching for.
We compared five widely used tools on the factors that actually change your search results: historical depth, total archive size, free access, search precision, and ad experience.
How We Ranked
Ranking Methodology: 5 Weighted Criteria
Every tool was evaluated on the same five factors, weighted toward what actually determines whether you find the record you’re looking for — not vanity metrics.
2026 Obituary Lookup Tool Comparison
| Rank | Tool | Historical Depth | Archive Size | Free Access | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GenealogyBank Partner Pick |
1690–present | 330M+ obituaries, 15,000+ newspapers | Free search; full records paid | ★★★★★4.7 |
| 2 | Newspapers.com | 1800s–present | 850M+ newspaper pages (Ancestry-owned) | Free trial; subscription for full access | ★★★★☆4.4 |
| 3 | FamilySearch | Varies, strong on indexed vital records | Large, links out to paid archives for full text | 100% free (account required) | ★★★★☆4.3 |
| 4 | Find a Grave | Varies by memorial, some 19th century | 230M+ memorials (crowd-sourced) | 100% free | ★★★★☆4.2 |
| 5 | Legacy.com | Mostly last 20–25 years | Millions, syndicated from newspapers/funeral homes | 100% free | ★★★★☆4.0 |
Disclosure: This article is a partner feature presented in collaboration with GenealogyBank, which is featured as our top pick and linked throughout. We also cover four alternatives — including a direct paid competitor — so you can compare your options.
Detailed Reviews
GenealogyBank
GenealogyBank is a newspaper-archive-first obituary search, built on more than 330 million obituaries and death notices pulled from over 15,000 U.S. newspapers dating back to 1690. That historical range is its clearest advantage: sites built around recent, family-submitted obituaries have nothing for a search that reaches back generations.
Searching is free — enter a name, date range, and location and see what matches exist. Reading full obituary text typically requires a paid membership after a trial period, with plans in roughly the $20–$35/month range depending on term length. It doesn’t include a family tree builder.
Strengths
- Deepest historical coverage on this list (1690–today)
- Largest newspaper archive, updated daily
- Most precise search filters compared
Considerations
- Full obituary text requires a paid plan after trial
- No family tree builder
- Best suited to historical/ancestor research
Public reviews frequently mention users being surprised by how much family detail turns up in old obituaries — names of relatives, hometowns, and life events not found in vital records alone.
Search GenealogyBank’s Obituary Archive
Try a free search of 330+ million obituaries and death notices dating back to 1690.
Start Your Free SearchNewspapers.com
Newspapers.com is GenealogyBank’s most direct competitor — also subscription-based, also built around digitized historical newspaper pages, and owned by Ancestry. Its archive spans over 850 million newspaper pages from the 1800s to today, covering far more than obituaries: news, classifieds, sports, and social pages are searchable too. Its dedicated obituary index runs from the 1800s to the present. Like GenealogyBank, full access requires a paid subscription after a free trial, so the “free access” tradeoff is essentially the same. The difference is scope: Newspapers.com is a general newspaper archive that happens to include obituaries, while GenealogyBank is purpose-built around obituary and death-record search, reaching back over a century earlier.
FamilySearch
Run by FamilySearch (affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), this is the only tool on this list with no ads and no paid tier at all — a free account unlocks everything the site offers. Its obituary indexing is strong for vital-record cross-referencing, but full obituary text for many records links out to paid archives like GenealogyBank rather than displaying on-site.
Find a Grave
Owned by Ancestry and maintained by volunteers, Find a Grave is completely free to search, with over 230 million memorials that often include transcribed obituaries, headstone photos, and burial locations. Because it’s crowd-sourced, coverage and accuracy vary by memorial.
Legacy.com
Legacy.com is genuinely free to search and read — no paywall on the obituaries it hosts. It syndicates recent obituaries and death notices from thousands of newspapers and funeral homes, making it a strong place to find a service announcement or leave a condolence message. Its historical depth is limited, and the site carries a heavier amount of advertising.
Ready to Search Historical Obituaries?
GenealogyBank indexes 330+ million obituaries from 15,000+ newspapers going back to 1690.
Start Your Free SearchBuyer’s Guide: How to Choose an Obituary Lookup Tool
| Factor | What to Look For | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Time period | How far back the archive goes | Recent-obituary sites won’t help with a search from the 1800s or early 1900s |
| Full-text access | Whether reading the obituary is free or paywalled | Some sites are free to search but charge to read the full record |
| Source coverage | Number and geography of newspapers indexed | A rural or small-town relative may only appear in a local paper’s archive |
| Search precision | Filters for name variants, date ranges, and location | Common names need narrower filters to avoid sorting through irrelevant results |
| Data accuracy | Whether records are professionally indexed or crowd-sourced | Volunteer-submitted records can be rich but occasionally inconsistent |
Is there a truly free way to search obituaries?
Yes. Legacy.com, Find a Grave, and FamilySearch all let you search and view obituaries at no cost, though their historical depth and coverage differ from paid newspaper archives.
Why do some obituary sites charge for full access?
Digitizing decades or centuries of newspaper pages is expensive. Sites with the deepest historical archives, like GenealogyBank and Newspapers.com, typically offer free search with a paid tier for full-text access.
What’s the best tool for a recent death?
Legacy.com is usually fastest for recent obituaries, since it’s built around current service announcements and funeral details.
What’s the best tool for genealogy or ancestor research?
GenealogyBank and FamilySearch are strongest for older records, since both are built around historical archives rather than only recent deaths.
Can I find someone’s burial location, not just their obituary?
Find a Grave specializes in this — it links memorials to specific cemeteries and often includes headstone photos.
Are crowd-sourced records reliable?
Generally, but accuracy can vary by contributor. Cross-checking a crowd-sourced record against a newspaper archive is good practice for important research.
Do I need to create an account to search?
Most of these tools let you search without an account, though FamilySearch requires a free account to view full details, and GenealogyBank requires a trial or membership for full obituary text.
Why GenealogyBank Stands Out
Most obituary lookup tools are built for one kind of search. Free community sites like Legacy.com excel at recent deaths and service announcements. Crowd-sourced platforms like Find a Grave are strong on burial locations but inconsistent in depth. Even against its closest paid peer, Newspapers.com, GenealogyBank’s obituary-specific focus and deeper historical reach set it apart.
- It reaches back to 1690. No other tool compared here indexes newspaper obituaries across that span.
- Search itself costs nothing. Confirm a record exists before deciding whether the full text is worth a membership.
- 15,000+ newspapers, updated daily. Rural and small-town obituaries are far more likely to be searchable here.
Final Verdict
Every tool on this list is a legitimate way to search obituaries. The differences that matter are historical depth, archive size, and how much is actually free to view. After evaluating all five, GenealogyBank is the top pick for 2026 — particularly for anyone searching further back than a couple of decades.
FamilySearch is the right call if you want a completely free, ad-free starting point. Find a Grave is the best specialist choice for locating a burial site. Newspapers.com is the closest alternative if you want a broader newspaper archive beyond just obituaries. Legacy.com is strongest for recent deaths and service announcements.
Start Searching GenealogyBank
Free to search 330+ million obituaries and death notices from 1690 to today.
Search NowThis article is a partner feature presented in collaboration with GenealogyBank, which is featured as our top pick and linked throughout. Pricing, features, and record counts are based on publicly available information as of August 2026 and may change; verify current details on each provider’s website before subscribing.