Family Tree Software

Find the perfect package to research and record your tree with the help of software expert Nick Peers

Find the perfect program to research and record your tree with software expert Nick Peers’ buyer’s guide

These days, almost everything you need to research your genealogy is online, so why would you still need to use a program installed on your PC or Mac? The readers of WDYTYA? Magazine have the answer. “I use Legacy 8, so my tree is available even if the internet is down,” says Helen Parker-Drabble. Family Historian user Harriet Hopkins adds, “I am independent of the major sites so can add data from anywhere.” Privacy is an issue too: “I can have private information on it which I would not put in an online tree,” reveals Ian McIvor.

There’s also the argument that online sites still can’t do everything that dedicated software programs can. “Ancestry is my workbook as it is easy to see and navigate your tree,” says Jane Evans, “[but] Family Tree Maker is my go-to for reporting, you have such a choice.”

When it comes to storing your family history on your home computer, you have plenty of options, with dozens of free and paid-for programs available. In this roundup we’ve focused on five of the best-known tools to help steer you towards a program that will meet your needs. We’ve looked at their strengths and weaknesses across a range of areas – user interface, media management tools, mapping and places, charts and reports, and online and mobile integration.

One notable absentee from our list is RootsMagic. That’s because RootsMagic 8 is in the final stages of testing – when it’s released, we’ll publish a standalone review.