puzilla.org

What It Is

Puzzilla.org is a privately held LLC based in Utah, USA, offering web-based tools for family history and genealogy researchers. Its core product, Puzzilla Descendant Viewer, works with FamilySearch FamilyTree and uses descendant and ancestor charts to help users identify unfinished research in collateral lines, potential new individuals, and data quality issues.

Core Features and Integrations

The basic version lets users view ancestor and descendant charts for free, with symbols marking research targets, people who died before age 16, births within the last 110 years, and other indicators. The premium version adds features such as Super Hint, historical record hints, source links, possible duplicates, user changes, Ordinances, in-chart search, research log status markers, and the ability to hide or show subtrees. Puzzilla uses FamilySearch account login and reads names, gender, birth/death information, and parent/child IDs from FamilyTree. It is a companion tool for FamilySearch and cannot directly update FamilyTree data.

Pricing and Trial

The product follows a free basic tier plus paid premium subscription model. Premium Services costs $39.95 per year, renews annually, and includes a 30-day free trial with no charge before the trial ends. The subscription is tied to a FamilyTree userId and cannot be shared as a standalone multi-user account.

Security, Permissions, and User Experience

On security, Puzzilla states that it does not store FamilySearch usernames or passwords. Login is handled by FamilySearch, which provides Puzzilla with a one-time token. Credit card information is also not stored or processed by Puzzilla; it is handled by Braintree, a PayPal company. Its privacy policy says it only stores research logs, account settings, and contact information, not genealogy data. In use, it relies on browser cookies and localStorage. A desktop or laptop is recommended, while phones have limited functionality due to screen size. Requests covering too many generations may slow down because of FamilySearch rate limits or browser load.

Pros, Cons, and Who It’s For

Its strengths are deep integration with FamilySearch, intuitive visualization, a usable free tier, and clear premium pricing. Its drawbacks are that it serves a very niche use case, lacks common enterprise software capabilities such as team permissions, APIs, or self-hosting, and cannot directly edit FamilyTree. It is best suited to individual genealogy researchers, heavy FamilySearch users, and LDS users, rather than general-purpose enterprise collaboration or data management scenarios.

Access from China

The source material does not provide information on access from mainland China, payment availability, or local alternatives, so its accessibility should be considered unknown. For payments, it only confirms that credit cards are processed through the Braintree/PayPal system; whether China-issued cards are supported is not specified.