Is it less costly to hire a researcher to do your genealogy search or to get a m

Question:website and search thru the films and find out the information yourself.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: website and search thru the films and find out the information yourself.

I really can't say who is better, both will provide information that at best is questionable and many times flat incorrect, don't believe everything they say. Check the information yourself for it's accuracy.

That's an easy one... It is cheaper to get a membership and research it yourself. I find that it is also more enjoyable to do your own research. I find that the census information alone make my membership to Ancestry worth the money; however, keep in mind thought that no matter what memberships you get, you will never have a one stop shop for the records you need. There are plenty of free sites that are also available to you if you are willing to look for them. There is a website with a bunch of free links that you might find useful at www.cyndislist.com

If you are American,there is also Rootsweb, Familysearch.org, and don't underestimate the information available at Genweb. All of these resources are free.

Save the professional genealogist for the really tough things. I charge anywhere from $50-250/hour, plus expenses, and there is a minimum. I'm considered inexpensive. There are researchers in the Netherlands who start at a $2000 minimum and charge $400/hour. In Russia and the former Eastern bloc, it gets even more expensive.

Granted, most of us in the US and Canada (except Quebec) will only charge you $50-100/hour for simple research, but with a 10 hour minimum. If you really take the initiative to do it yourself, advice on getting over roadblocks is given freely on this site. If you use the public resources in your area, you can do quite well (especially at the State Library and National Archives) without getting help from anyone.

The question is HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD KNOW HOW TO FIND AN ANCESTOR, if someone didn't have it posted online??
Sorry, Sophie.. most of my research was done before ancestry.com and much before there was an internet. I actually got off my rear end, and traveled 2000 miles or more, to personally go to the court house or cemeteries. I called or met the older family members who had the answers. No email.. most of them didn't have computers.
Not to hurt you or anyone. If everything you have done has been online, you don't really know what serious research is.
And it is news to me that ancestry is free. I better tell them that before they charge my credit card.