Webtrees vs Gramps Web: Which to Self-Host?
Quick Verdict
Webtrees is the better choice for most self-hosters. It uses 5–6x less RAM, handles large family trees more reliably, has a mature plugin ecosystem, and deploys with just two containers. Pick Gramps Web if you need desktop sync with Gramps Desktop, DNA analysis tools, or the AI-powered research assistant.
Overview
Both are open-source genealogy platforms that let you build, share, and collaborate on family trees through a web browser. Webtrees has been around since 2010 (originally PhpGedView) and is the most widely-deployed web genealogy application. Gramps Web launched in 2022 as the web frontend for the Gramps project, which has been a leading desktop genealogy application since 2001.
| Webtrees | Gramps Web | |
|---|---|---|
| First release | 2010 (PhpGedView lineage: 2001) | 2022 |
| Core language | PHP | Python |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Docker image | nathanvaughn/webtrees:2.2.5 (community) | ghcr.io/gramps-project/grampsweb:26.2.0 (official) |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Webtrees | Gramps Web |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive charts | Pedigree, descendancy, fan, timeline | Ancestor, descendant, fan, hourglass |
| Maps | Interactive location mapping | Interactive maps with historical overlays |
| GEDCOM import/export | Full 5.5.1 support | Full support (via Gramps engine) |
| Desktop sync | No desktop companion | Bidirectional sync with Gramps Desktop |
| DNA tools | Via third-party modules | Built-in: chromosome browser, Y-DNA, matching |
| AI assistant | No | Built-in (40+ languages) |
| Blog/research notes | Via custom pages | Built-in blog |
| Multi-tree | Yes (native) | Yes (requires PostgreSQL) |
| Privacy controls | Advanced (relationship-based) | Basic (full access or restricted) |
| Plugin/module system | Mature (100+ modules) | Growing |
| User roles | Manager, moderator, editor, member, visitor | Owner, editor, viewer |
| OIDC/SSO | No | Yes |
| Mobile responsive | Yes | Yes |
| Media management | Upload and tag | Upload, tag, and organize |
| Full-text search | Server-side | Indexed search with wildcards |
| Multi-language | 50+ languages | 40+ languages |
| REST API | Limited | Full REST API |
| S3 media storage | No | Yes |
Installation Complexity
Webtrees requires two containers: the application (PHP + Nginx) and a MySQL/MariaDB database. The setup is straightforward — standard database credentials plus a domain configuration.
Gramps Web requires three containers: the application, a Celery background worker, and Redis. Both the app and worker containers need identical environment variables and volume mounts (8 named volumes). The YAML anchors in the official compose file reduce duplication, but the complexity is still higher.
| Factor | Webtrees | Gramps Web |
|---|---|---|
| Containers | 2 (app + MySQL) | 3 (app + Celery + Redis) |
| Named volumes | 2 | 8 |
| Environment variables | ~5 | ~8+ |
| First startup time | 1–2 min | 1–2 min |
| Config file needed | No | Optional (env vars or config.cfg) |
Performance and Resource Usage
This is the biggest differentiator. Webtrees is a PHP application — lightweight and well-optimized for shared hosting. Gramps Web runs Python (Gunicorn + Celery) with a full-text search index and task queue, which carries substantial overhead.
| Metric | Webtrees | Gramps Web |
|---|---|---|
| RAM (idle) | ~250 MB (app + DB) | ~1.5 GB (default workers) |
| RAM (optimized) | ~200 MB | ~800 MB (reduced workers) |
| CPU | Low | Moderate |
| Disk (application) | ~100 MB | ~4 GB (2 container images) |
| Large tree handling | Excellent (DB-backed) | Can struggle with 10K+ person imports |
| Docker image size | ~80 MB | ~2 GB |
For a family historian running this alongside a dozen other homelab services, the RAM difference is decisive: 250 MB vs 1.5 GB for the same purpose.
Community and Support
Webtrees has a significantly larger and more established community. It’s been the go-to web genealogy platform for over a decade, with active forums, a large module marketplace, and extensive documentation.
Gramps Web inherits the broader Gramps project community (millions of desktop users), but the web version specifically is newer with a smaller user base. Development is active — monthly releases — and the project has strong backing from the Gramps organization.
| Metric | Webtrees | Gramps Web |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ~600+ | ~300+ |
| Active since | 2010 | 2022 |
| Third-party modules | 100+ | Few |
| Documentation | Extensive wiki | Growing docs site |
| Forum activity | High | Moderate |
| Release cadence | Every few months | Monthly |
Use Cases
Choose Webtrees If…
- You want the lightest resource footprint — 250 MB total vs 1.5 GB
- You have a large tree (10,000+ people) and need reliable database-backed performance
- You need fine-grained privacy controls (restrict specific individuals based on relationship distance)
- You want a mature module ecosystem for extended features (custom reports, external database lookups)
- You’re running on limited hardware (Raspberry Pi, small VPS)
Choose Gramps Web If…
- You already use Gramps Desktop and want bidirectional sync between desktop and web
- You need DNA analysis tools (chromosome browser, Y-DNA tracking, DNA matching)
- You want the AI research assistant for genealogy queries
- You need OIDC/SSO integration for user authentication
- You want to store media files in S3-compatible object storage
- You have a REST API use case (Gramps Web has a full API)
Final Verdict
Webtrees is the practical choice. It does the core job — building, sharing, and collaborating on family trees — with a fraction of the resource cost. Privacy controls are more granular, large trees perform better, and the module ecosystem fills most feature gaps.
Gramps Web justifies its heavier footprint when you need what it uniquely offers: desktop sync, DNA tools, and the AI assistant. If you’re a serious genealogist who edits in Gramps Desktop and wants to share research online, nothing else offers that workflow. For everyone else building their first family tree website, start with webtrees.
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