Thursday, January 29, 2015

Family Tree Software

At a recent meeting (14 Jan) someone asked a question about family tree building software.  This gave me the idea for a blog post.  So I have done some research and it appears that there is a very long list of choices.

The family tree building software you use is a very personal choice. Like all the choices we make as we take this genealogical journey, it is based on a dozen personal factors: what kind of OS do you use, what online research tool you use, what is the end-game for all your research (book, blog, narrative, etc.). It's one of those who, what, where, why, when things.  I use Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org and Wikitree for most of my on-line research and use Family Tree Builder for my tree-building sofware.  This was the best choice for me.  In order for those of you who are interested in this software tool to make an informed decision, I have outlined some of your choices below and supplied links to some very good online resources.

Let's start with some free stuff. Gizmo did a blogpost at the beginning of the month entitled, Best Free Genealogy or Family Tree Software.  The four they review are:




Family Tree Maker is one of the most widely used, especially by Ancestry.com subscribers.  It is an Ancestry.com product, syncs seamlessly with Ancestry.com and is well-supported. It is not free, but is reasonably priced - based on your needs. The Essential package is about $30; the Deluxe runs from $45 to $55 and the Platinum costs between $80 and $110 (depending on where you purchase and what kind of deal you can get).  There is a wide range of packages and prices.




Top10 Reviews has done a very nice comparison of:
  • Legacy Family Tree;
  • Family Tree Maker;
  • Family Tree Heritage;
  • Ancestral Quest;
  • Family Historian;
  • Brother's Keeper;
  • Heredis;
  • WinFamily; and
  • DoroTree.
They have included prices, reviews and links to the sites.  Nicely laid out and easy to follow.  I have always found it helpful to read what other people have to say about something before I make a decision.  

Wikipedia has done a fabulous job of working up a Comparison of Genealogy Software which I found to be very comprehensive and informative. The link will bring you to the site where you will find four, color-coded, easy to follow, spreadsheets - General Information; General Features; Genealogical Features; and Languages.  Very well done.

Of course, you can always "Google" or "Bing" family tree building software and you will be amazed at the options.    

Hope you find this helpful - get out there and build your tree!

-- submitted by Denise Doyon


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