Best Genealogy Software For Mac 2018
Choosing genealogy software can feel like looking for a new car. There are so many choices and so many things to consider that it feels overwhelming. Even though you're not spending as much on software as you would a car, you're still investing your research time and effort -- not to mention that it's going to be 'carrying' your ancestors around! Here's how to sort through everything and choose the best genealogy software for you.
- Best Genealogy Software Programs 2018
- Best Genealogy Software For Mac 2018
- Genealogy Software For Mac Reviews
Message Boards. Search for content in message boards. Names or keywords. Advanced Search. Mac genealogy software - best product in 2018? Lsqh1: 2 000 Genealogy Software for the Mac: bob smith: 221000 per page. Find a board about a specific topic. Surnames or topics. Easy-to-use genealogy software for Windows and Mac. This software includes extensive reports, multimedia, publishing, and website creation features. Also provides multiple database support, to do lists, powerful merge features, comprehensive syncing with New FamilySearch and more. If you're a Mac user, your options are limited. Bottom Line: Genealogy software Heredis has an attractive and simple interface. The Best DNA Testing Kits of 2018. Personal & Home. Choose the best genealogy program for you with our roundup of popular software—including reviews and free genealogy software trial versions. Choose the best genealogy program for you with our roundup of popular software—including reviews and free genealogy software trial versions. Legacy Family Tree 9 is a FamilySearch-certified genealogy software program that can integrate with online databases and genealogy services. Its outdated interface is reminiscent of Microsoft Word 2004, but it’s very easy to navigate and efficient for data entry, making it ideal for genealogists who spend hours at a time indexing. Family Tree Maker Platinum is the ultimate suite of genealogy-tracing and family tree-making software. An easy to use interface with FTM’s TreeSync mode allows you to create customizable family trees in a variety of formats and share them across your devices, all with foolproof step-by-step instructions.
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Note that I said 'the best genealogy software for you.' There is no single 'best' genealogy software. What works for me may not be the best for you. Here are some things to consider as you make your choice.
What Features Are Important to You?
You wouldn't buy a car because it has the highest towing capacity if you're not going to be towing anything. Similarly, genealogy programs can do all kinds of things, so it's important to focus on the features that are important to you.
Do you need a variety of reports? How much control do you want in generating those reports?
Do you want to sync with an online tree?
Do you need it to work on a Mac? (Unless you're going to run Windows on the 'dark side' of the chip, you're going to have fewer options.)
Is it important to have a mobile option? Do you want to be able to sync it to your smartphone or tablet?
Does it need to handle characters with diacritics, such as é or ñ?
Do you want to export in a variety of formats, such as PDF or HTML?
Ease of Use
Don't overlook the importance of how easy you find a particular program to use. Face it, if you're frustrated every time you go to enter a source, you're not going to enter sources.
Each new program will have a bit of a learning curve. However, if the interface isn't one that you can get comfortable with, it probably isn't the best software for you.
Finding a New Genealogy Program
Start by asking your genealogy friends what software they use. Quicken 2018 trial for mac. However, don't leave it at that. Ask what they like about it. More importantly, ask what they don't like about it.
Many genealogy programs will let you download a trial version. Take advantage of that. When you do, put that program through its paces. Do all of the things that are important to you and see how it handles them.
Look for a Facebook group for users of that program. See what questions and problems real life users have. Also see how quickly those issues are resolved, either by the company or by other users helping out.
Conclusion
Choosing the best genealogy software is a personal decision. You want to be comfortable using it. After all, you're going to be spending a lot of time using it! By focusing on the features that are important to you and judging how easy it is to use, you'll find the program that's right for you.
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This article compares several selected client-based genealogy programs. Web-based genealogy software is not included.
General information[edit]
| Software | Latest version | Latest release | Free to use | Free software | Software license | Windows | macOS | Linux | Android | iOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agelong Tree | 4.7 | 2015-12-04 | No (40 Person Free Trial) | No | Proprietary | Yes | No | Using Wine | No | No |
| Ahnenblatt | 3.02 | 2019-06-07 | No (Free demo, 50 person limit, watermarked reports; latest free version: 2.99j) | No | Proprietary | Yes | No | Using Wine | No | No |
| Ancestral Quest | 15.0.19 | 2019-02-25 | Yes (Basics version) | No | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | Using Wine | No | No |
| Ancestromania | 2017.2.1.2. | Yes | Yes | GNU GPL | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Brother's Keeper | 7.4.3 | 2019-06-06 | Yes (Unreg. ver.) | No | Shareware | Yes | No | Using Wine | No | No |
| Family Historian | 6.2.7 | 2018-05-01 | No (30-Day Free Trial) | No | Proprietary | Yes | No | Using Wine | No | No |
| Family Tree Builder | 8.0 | 2016-08-12 | Yes (Free ver.) | No | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | Using Wine | Yes | Yes |
| Family Tree Maker | 2017 (23.0) | 2017-7-16 | No | No | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Family Tree | 1.2.1 | 2013-10-05 | No | No | Proprietary | No | Yes | No | ? | ? |
| GEDitCOM II | 2.3 | 2016-11-17 | No (15-Day Free Trial, Read-Only afterwards) | No | Proprietary | No | Yes | No | ? | Yes |
| Genbox Family History | 3.7.1 | 2007-11-17 | No (30 Day Free Trial) | No | Proprietary | Yes | No | Using Wine | No | No |
| GenealogyJ | 3.0 | 2010-02-18 | Yes | Yes | GNU GPL | Java[a] | Java[a] | Java[a] | No | No |
| GenEarth | 1.4.1 | 2017-05-02 | No (1-Week Free Trial, no limitation) | No | Proprietary | Yes (Windows 10) | No | No | No | No |
| Genney | 2.1.18 | 2019-01-24 | No Demo-mode: Up to 100 persons with some functions disabled. More than 100 persons: Only view mode | No | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| GenoPro | 2016, 3.0.0.7 | 2016-01-27 | No (25 Person Free Trial) | No | Proprietary | Yes | No | Using Wine | No | No |
| Gramps | 5.0.1 | 2018-12-20 | Yes | Yes | GNU GPL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Heredis | 19.2 | 2018-12-05 | No (50 Person Free Trial) | No | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Kith and Kin Pro | 3.2.5 | 2016-08-01 | No (30-Day Free Trial) | No | Shareware | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Legacy Family Tree | 9.0.0.169 | 2017-05-02 | Yes (Standard Edition) | No | Proprietary | Yes | No | Using Wine | ? | ? |
| LifeLines | 3.1.1 | 2016-03-17 | Yes | Yes | MIT License | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| MacFamilyTree | 8.3.5 | 2018-04-24 | No (Free Trial, but you cannot save or export your entries) | No | Proprietary | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| My Family Tree | 7.1.1.0 | 2017-05-31 | Yes | No | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Personal Ancestral File | 5.2.18.0 | 2002-07-23 (discontinued 2014) | Yes | No | Proprietary | Yes | No | Using Wine | ? | ? |
| Reunion | 12.0 (build 181218) | 2018-12-18 | No (Free demo, 50 person limit, no import/export, watermarked reports) | No | Proprietary | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| RootsMagic | 7.5.6.0 | 2018-04-27 | Yes (Essentials) | No | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | Using Wine | Yes | Yes |
| The Master Genealogist | 9.05.0000 | 2014-12-03 (Discontinued:2014-12-31) | No (30 Day Free Trial) | No | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | Using Wine | No | No |
General features[edit]
Genealogy software products differ in the way they support data acquisition (e.g. drag and drop data entry for images, flexible data formats, free defined custom attributes for persons and connections between persons, rating of sources) and interaction (e.g. 3D-view, name filters, full text search and dynamic pan and zoom navigation), in reporting (e.g.: fan charts, automatic narratives, relationship between arbitrary people, place of birth on virtual globes, statistics about number of children per family), validation (e.g.: consistency checks, research assistants connected to online genealogy databases), exporting (e.g.: export as web page, book or wall chart) and integration (e.g.: synchronisation with tablet version). Some software might include also fun and entertainment features (e.g. quizzes or slideshows).
Best Genealogy Software Programs 2018
| Name | Individual view | Family view | Pedigree view | Chronology view | Ancestor charts | Ancestor narrative reports | Ancestor pedigree reports | Descendant charts | Descendant narrative reports | Fan charts | Research Manager | DNA charts | Research Guidance | Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agelong Tree | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Ahnenblatt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Ancestral Quest | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Brother's Keeper | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | ? |
| Family Historian[a] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Family Tree Builder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Family Tree Maker | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |
| GEDitCOM II | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Genbox Family History | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| GenealogyJ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| GenEarth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | Yes |
| Genney | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | Yes |
| GenoPro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | Yes |
| Gramps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Heredis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Legacy Family Tree[b] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| LifeLines | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | No | ? |
| MacFamilyTree | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Personal Ancestral File | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | No | ? |
| Reunion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| RootsMagic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The Master Genealogist | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | ? |
- ^Family Historian users can also optionally install free plugins (access to the Family Historian plugin store is integrated into the program). Scripting tools are included for automation of repetitive tasks, and much more.
- ^Legacy Family Tree can also save DNA Test Results and Print the values. Mapping is included to automatically pinpoint and plot important locations in ancestors' lives.
Genealogical features[edit]
Besides exchange between systems (e.g. GEDCOM support for import and export), flexible data handling (e.g. custom attributes and multiple kinds of relations between people) is relevant.
| Name | Unicode Support | Single parent family | Same sex marriage | Witness to events | Name variants | Conflicting evidence | Source surety | Adoption & foster parent | non-standard calendar in date fields |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agelong Tree | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ahnenblatt | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | No | No | Yes |
| Ancestral Quest | Yes | Yes | No | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Brother's Keeper | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Family Historian | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Family Tree Builder | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Family Tree Maker | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| GEDitCOM II | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Genbox Family History | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| GenealogyJ | Yes | ? | Partial One partner's gender mislabelled | No | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | ? |
| GenEarth | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | Yes | Yes |
| Genney | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GenoPro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gramps | Yes | Yes | Partial One partner's gender mislabelled[1] | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Heredis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Legacy Family Tree[b] | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| LifeLines | Yes | ? | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| MacFamilyTree | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal Ancestral File | Yes | ? | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Reunion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |
| RootsMagic | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes (paid version) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The Master Genealogist | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Languages[edit]
Available user interface languages
| Name | English | Afrikaans | Danish | Dutch | French | German | Italian | Norwegian | Polish | Russian | Spanish | Swedish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agelong Tree[a] | Yes | No[b] | No[b] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[b] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[b] |
| Ahnenblatt[c] | Yes | No[b] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ancestral Quest[d] | Yes | No[b] | Yes | No[b] | Yes | Yes | No[b] | Yes | Partial | No | Yes | Partial |
| Brother's Keeper | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[b] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[b] | Yes |
| Family Historian | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Family Tree Builder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Family Tree Maker (Windows) | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Family Tree Maker for Mac | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| GEDitCOM II | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Genbox Family History[f] | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| GenealogyJ | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| GenEarth | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Genney | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| GenoPro[g][h] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gramps[i] | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Heredis | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Legacy Family Tree | Yes[j] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes[k] | No | No | public test | Yes |
| LifeLines | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| MacFamilyTree | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal Ancestral File | (v4.x/5.x) | No | No | No | (v4.x) | (v4.x/5.x) | No | No | No | No | (v4.x) | (v5.x) |
| Reunion[l] | Yes | No | No | Yes[l] | Yes[l] | Yes[l] | No | Yes[l] | No | No | No | No |
| RootsMagic | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| The Master Genealogist | Yes[n] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | No[g] | No | No[g] | Yes |
- aAgelong Tree is also available in Arabic, Armenian, Bashkir, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Circassian, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Galician, Georgian, Greek, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Tajik, Tatar, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian and Uzbek.
- b Can be created by available translation program or language file.
- cAhnenblatt is also available in Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Portuguese, Romanian and Turkish.
- dAncestral Quest also has partial translations in Chinese (Traditional) and Finnish.
- eAncestris is also available in Portuguese and Greek.
- fGenbox Family History is also available in Slovak, Slovenian; partial translations are available for Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, and Vietnamese.
- g Can be created using the built-in translation tables.
- hGenoPro is also available in Arabic, Catalan, Czech, Estonian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Latvian/Lettish and Vietnamese. Partial translations are available in Portuguese (Brazil), Indonesian, Dutch, Hebrew, Swedish, Portuguese (Portugal), Lithuanian, Turkish, Chinese Traditional/Taiwan (Big5), Albanian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Scots Gaelic, Chinese simplified (Gb3312).
- iGramps is also available in Catalan, Czech, Esperanto, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian. Partial translations are available in Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Vietnamese, and 11 more languages translated less than 50%.[2]
- j Includes Australian English, Canadian English, UK English, and US English.
- k Includes both nynorsk and bokmål.
- l English is the only language officially supported by the vendor of Reunion, but instructions for producing a translation are included, and users have made available the indicated translations.
- m My Family Tree also has complete translations in English (Australian), Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal variants) and partial translations in Arabic (Saudi Arabian), Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Turkish, Vietnamese, Finnish and Uyghur.
- n Includes UK English and US English.
- o Ages! is also available in Catalan, Czech, Finnish, Greek, Portuguese and Ukrainian.
References[edit]
Best Genealogy Software For Mac 2018
- ^'0003346: Same gender relationship reports'.
- ^'Portal:Translators'. Gramps. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
External links[edit]
- Comparison of genealogy software at Curlie