(A side-note: I cannot understand why so many programmers of genealogy software persist in thinking that a raw GEDCOM file is a good way to store genealogical data. It also uses the GEDCOM file directly as the persistant storage, which does not scale.
It doesn’t handle rapid data entry well at all, and it cannot handle databases larger than a few thousand individuals. However, my impression of it is that it would make a very good application for a beginning genealogist, who has a very small database.
It’s like they couldn’t decide on a color schema and so went for as many pastels as they could find. I’m sure there are plenty of ugly Mac programs, but I can’t believe people would pay $100 for something this hideous.
Unfortunately, this renewal of interest coincides with my adoption of Mac OS X. About 4 or 5 years ago I did quite a bit of work on my genealogy, but what with kids (and Ruby!) I’ve only recently rediscovered that passion. However, it will also enable you to create thoroughly researched, recorded, organised and analysed family history, which you can export with pride to share on the web and with family today, and on into the future.I’ve recently been experiencing a renewal of interest in family history research.
Any of the programs will entail a learning curve, so it’s a really good idea to experiment with them and try out those trial versions and see which appeals to you most.
People tend to have very strong feelings when it comes to family history software – at times a little frustrated, but very often extremely loyal, long-standing users too. Which is the best family history program? Other family history programs may offer trial versions, which may put a limit on the number of ancestors entered, or a time period after which the trial will expire. RootsMagic Essentials, TreeView Lite and Legacy Family Tree Standard are all reputable free versions that may be used free permanently and allow you to grow a tree with an unlimited number of ancestors.
These are one-off purchase prices, and while you will need to continue to update to later versions once you’ve found a program you like, the update fees are just a fraction of the price of buying the software initially.
Some of the programs do provide free versions, however, and you can upgrade should you decide you want the full range of functions.Īt the time of writing (December 2020), prices range from £19.95 for the RootsMagic Basic Edition, £35.99 for the download version of Family Historian and £89 for Family Tree Maker on disc. Before we go any further let’s look at the cost, as the thought of additional spending may put some people off.