HeritageQuest Online vs. Ancestry Library Edition

Two free genealogy databases your library card unlocks — one works from home, the other is far bigger but only at the library. Here's which to use, and when.

By the Public-Libraries.com Editorial Team · Updated October 3, 2026

In this guide

HeritageQuest vs. Ancestry Library Edition at a glance
The one difference that matters most: can you use it from home?
What HeritageQuest Online is good at
What Ancestry Library Edition is good at
Which one should you use?
How to get access

Short answer: both are made by ProQuest, powered by Ancestry, and free with a library card — but they're different tools. HeritageQuest Online is a focused census-and-genealogy collection you can use from home. Ancestry Library Edition is vastly bigger (200 billion images) but, for public libraries, is in-library only. Use HeritageQuest from your couch; go to the library for Ancestry Library Edition's deeper record set. Neither is the paid Ancestry.com, and both are free to use.

HeritageQuest vs. Ancestry Library Edition at a glance

	HeritageQuest Online	Ancestry Library Edition
Made by	ProQuest, powered by Ancestry	ProQuest, powered by Ancestry
Cost to you	Free with a library card	Free with a library card
Use from home?	Yes — remote access standard	No — in-library only (public libraries, since Jan 2022)
Size	~5 billion records (curated)	~200 billion images, 7,000–8,000 databases
Best at	US census, local/family histories, Freedman's Bank	Immigration, vital records, international, broadest sweep
Not the same as	Ancestry.com (it's a smaller subset)	Ancestry.com (no DNA, no member trees, no messaging)

The one difference that matters most: can you use it from home?

If you only remember one thing, make it this. HeritageQuest Online works remotely — log in through your library's website with your card number and research in your pajamas. Ancestry Library Edition does not, at least not for public-library patrons. A temporary work-from-home arrangement during the pandemic ended on December 31, 2021; since January 2022, public libraries, historical societies and government agencies may only offer Ancestry Library Edition on the library's own network (you have to be in the building or on its Wi-Fi). Academic libraries sometimes have different terms.

Rule of thumb: research from home with HeritageQuest; save Ancestry Library Edition for a trip to the library, when you want its much larger record set in one sitting.

What HeritageQuest Online is good at

HeritageQuest is a curated collection — smaller than Ancestry Library Edition, but strong exactly where most US family research starts, and a few of its collections are deliberately not in Ancestry Library Edition:

Every US federal census, 1790–1950, with full page images and every-name indexes (the 1950 census was added after its April 2022 release).
Freedman's Bank records (1865–1871) — 480,000+ names, a cornerstone for African American genealogy. This collection is in HeritageQuest but not in Ancestry Library Edition.
22,000+ family and local histories and 1.5 million US city-directory records (1821–1989) — also ProQuest collections kept out of Ancestry Library Edition.
Revolutionary War pension files (the complete NARA M804 series) and the US Serial Set of memorials and petitions (1769–1969).

In all, ProQuest counts more than 5 billion records — focused, US-centric, and available from home.

What Ancestry Library Edition is good at

Ancestry Library Edition is the heavyweight: around 200 billion images across 7,000–8,000 databases, essentially the Ancestry.com archive licensed for library use. It shines for the records HeritageQuest doesn't go as deep on — immigration and passenger lists, vital records (birth, marriage, death), military records, newspapers, and international coverage (strong UK, plus Canada, Germany and more). If you've hit a wall tracing an immigrant ancestor or need vital records from several countries, this is the one to open — at the library.

What it is not: Ancestry Library Edition is a separate product from the consumer Ancestry.com. It does not include AncestryDNA (no test kits, matches or ethnicity estimates), you cannot build or save a personal family tree, and the member messaging and hint-leaf features are turned off. You're there to search records, not to manage a tree or message other members.

Which one should you use?

Match the tool to the task:

Your goal	Start with	Why
Research from home	HeritageQuest	Ancestry Library Edition is in-library only
Trace US census, 1790–1950	Either	Both have every-name census indexes; HeritageQuest is just easier from home
African American genealogy	HeritageQuest	Freedman's Bank records aren't in Ancestry Library Edition
Immigrant ancestor / passenger lists	Ancestry Library Edition	Far broader immigration collections (visit the library)
Vital records or international research	Ancestry Library Edition	Much deeper UK, Canada and world coverage
Local & family history books	HeritageQuest	22,000+ volumes, excluded from Ancestry Library Edition

And before you touch either, open the free one: FamilySearch (familysearch.org), run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is free to everyone with no library card and holds billions of records worldwide. It's the standard first stop, with HeritageQuest and Ancestry Library Edition as the paid-but-free-to-you follow-ups.

How to get access

Both require a library card at a library that subscribes — and a library might carry one, both or neither. To check, open your library's website and look for a page called Databases, Research Databases or eResources, and search for the product by name; or just ask at the reference desk. For HeritageQuest, log in from home with your card number and PIN. For Ancestry Library Edition, plan a visit and use a library computer or the building's Wi-Fi. Our state-by-state list of free library resources is a good place to find a library near you.

Heads-up on “free trials.” If a site offers a “free trial” of Ancestry, that's the paid consumer Ancestry.com — not the library edition. You don't need it: your library card unlocks HeritageQuest (from home) and Ancestry Library Edition (at the branch) at no cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HeritageQuest the same as Ancestry?

No. HeritageQuest Online is a separate, smaller product made by ProQuest and powered by Ancestry’s content — it isn’t Ancestry.com. It holds about 5 billion records (focused on US census, local/family histories and genealogy collections), while Ancestry Library Edition offers around 200 billion images across 7,000+ databases. A few HeritageQuest collections, like Freedman’s Bank records, aren’t in Ancestry Library Edition at all.

Can I use Ancestry Library Edition at home?

Usually not. For public libraries, the temporary pandemic-era remote access ended on December 31, 2021; since January 2022 Ancestry Library Edition is in-library only — you must be on the library’s computers or Wi-Fi. HeritageQuest Online, by contrast, is designed for remote use from home with your library card. (Some academic libraries have different terms.)

What's the difference between Ancestry.com and Ancestry Library Edition?

Ancestry Library Edition draws on the same record archive as the consumer Ancestry.com but is licensed for library use, so it drops the personal features: no AncestryDNA, no building or saving your own family tree, and no member messaging or hint leaves. It’s free through a subscribing library; Ancestry.com is a paid personal subscription.

Is HeritageQuest Online free?

Yes — free to use with a library card at a library that subscribes. The library pays ProQuest; you pay nothing, and you can log in from home. If your library doesn’t subscribe, it isn’t otherwise available to the public, so check your library’s databases page or ask a librarian.

Which is better for census research?

It’s close: both cover every US federal census from 1790 to 1950 with full images and every-name indexes (HeritageQuest now uses Ancestry’s indexing). The practical tie-breaker is access — HeritageQuest lets you do census work from home, while Ancestry Library Edition gives you the same census data plus links to many more record types once you’re at the library.

Public-Libraries.com Editorial Team

Public-Libraries.com is an independent, reader-supported directory of every U.S. public library. Our editorial team compiles verified hours, services and resources from official sources — see how we verify our data.