puzzilla.com

What It Is

Puzzilla.org is a web service for genealogy and family-history researchers, positioned primarily as a companion tool for FamilySearch FamilyTree. After users sign in with their FamilySearch credentials, Puzzilla reads ancestors, descendants, and related records from FamilyTree, then presents research patterns, empty branches, and potential issues through compact chart symbols. It does not replace FamilyTree, and users cannot update FamilyTree data through Puzzilla.

Core Features and Integrations

The basic service is free and includes ancestor charts, descendant charts, research-target markers, visual cues for deaths before age 16 and births within the last 110 years, and other indicators that help users quickly identify under-researched descendant lines. The premium version adds Super Hint, historical-record hints, source titles and some clickable links, possible duplicate persons, user change history, Ordinances accessible to LDS users, in-chart search by name/place/ID/birth date, plus options to hide or show subtrees and mark research-log status. In terms of third-party integrations, Puzzilla clearly depends on FamilySearch / FamilyTree login and data access, and processes payments through Braintree, a PayPal company.

Pricing and Deployment

The product uses a free basic tier plus an annual subscription for premium features. Premium Services costs US$39.95 per year, renews automatically, and includes a 30-day free trial, with billing starting only after the trial ends. Puzzilla is a browser-based web service; the available text does not indicate self-hosting, private deployment, a public API, or an SDK. The official recommendation is to use a modern browser on a desktop or laptop. Tablets can work, but phones have limited functionality because of their small screens.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are clear pricing, a free basic tier, and tight integration with FamilySearch data, making it useful for finding collateral-line research opportunities in complex family trees. Its security statements are also relatively transparent: it does not save FamilySearch passwords or store credit-card information. The limitations are that it depends heavily on FamilySearch data quality, OAuth login, network connectivity, and service responsiveness. Large generations or multiple simultaneous requests may slow it down or even cause the browser to freeze. Collaboration features are also weak: a premium subscription is tied to a single FamilyTree userId, and there is no evident enterprise-grade role management, auditing, or shared workspace capability.

Best Fit and Access from China

Puzzilla is better suited to individual genealogy researchers, family-history enthusiasts, users who already have FamilySearch data, and LDS users. It is not a good fit as a general-purpose enterprise software purchase. The available text does not specify accessibility from China, and the service depends on FamilySearch login and foreign-currency credit-card payments. Users in mainland China should verify network connectivity, payment availability, and possible alternatives themselves. Comparable genealogy platforms include FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, and WikiTree.