- Best Family Tree Software Free
- Best Family Tree Software For Genealogy
- Free Family Tree
- Family Tree Maker 2018 Review
Research Your Family Tree
Exclusively Developed for Mac Fast, reliable, smooth - and truly a feast for the eyes: You'll notice right away that MacFamilyTree is a native Mac application, exclusively and perfectly tailored to Mac. Developed specifically for macOS, MacFamilyTree harnesses the advanced and powerful core technologies of Apple's latest operating systems.
While DNA testing kits are all the rage right now, plain old genealogy is still an extremely popular hobby, and there's a large selection of family tree building and research software from which you can choose. There are so many options, in fact, that it's not so easy to find the right product for your needs. Beginners looking for interesting information about their ancestors have different needs than serious researchers who want to document every moment in their journey. Other factors include compatibility, publishing options, and available research sources.
If you're a Mac user, your options are limited. Web-based programs are obviously compatible with all platforms, but most downloadable software requires Windows.
When it comes to software, ease of use is crucial. Those just getting started on their family-tree research will likely fare better with Web-based software, which generally offers a more-attractive, less-overwhelming interface. On the other hand, if you're already neck-deep in data and are looking for a clearinghouse to organize it all and properly cite your sources, you'll quickly outgrow many Web-based services. For serious genealogists, downloadable software is a better option. Most have rather stark, outdated designs, but many excel at capturing and organizing your data. And nearly all of them offer either a free trial or a free version so you can try before you buy.
Best Family Tree Software Free
Obviously, research is a huge part of the process, and some software offers integrated sources that can match members of your family trees and automatically add information you confirm to your tree. Others require you to copy and paste data, and some don't link to sources at all. Many offer direct access to public census records, but as of now, you can only search records up to 1940, so you may need to build several generations before you find anything relevant.
Share Your Genealogy
Best Family Tree Software For Genealogy
Once you've made some progress in building your family tree, you may want to print out charts to display at home or create a book to share with your extended family. This is another aspect where downloadable software shines, though some Web-based programs are also quite generous in this regard. In general, most of the software listed here will let you print out charts of ancestors, descendants, family trees, and more. The most-thorough programs also let you run reports to help you figure out what you're missing, and they can flag inconsistencies and duplicate people, as well. Some programs let you create extensive wall charts and even fully illustrated books.
Free Family Tree
In the chart above, you can see some of the different options each program offers. For a deeper consideration of each application and service, you can click through to the reviews for more details.
Featured Genealogy Software and Service Reviews:
Family Tree Maker 2018 Review
Ancestry Review
MSRP: $19.99Pros: Attractive and intuitive interface with lots of guidance. Handy collaboration feature. Family trees can be shared easily across your devices and with nonsubscribers.
Cons: Monthly subscription fee can get expensive, fast.
Bottom Line: Ancestry.com is an excellent place to find and explore your roots, provided you're willing to put in the time and money required.
Read ReviewArchives Review
MSRP: $9.99Pros: Generous, integrated research sources. Free one-week trial. Very easy to use. Cross-platform compatible.
Cons: Monthly price, while low, can still add up. No publishing options. Credit card required for trial.
Bottom Line: Archives is a dream to use and offers many features only found in pricier software, like Ancestry, though you'll have to go elsewhere if you want to create charts or books.
Read ReviewMocavo Review
MSRP: $7.00Pros: Very generous free plan. Attractive, intuitive interface. Integrated research sources.
Cons: Can't export family tree with free plan. No publishing options.
Bottom Line: Mocavo is fun to use, and its free plan includes just about everything you need to get started with genealogy research.
Read ReviewBrother's Keeper 7.0 Review
MSRP: $45.00Pros: Great place to organize your genealogy research. Excellent and timely email support. Tons of publishing options.
Cons: Software isn't integrated with any public sources. Unclear website information.
Bottom Line: Brother's Keeper is an excellent tool for serious genealogists who want to organize and cite their family tree research, but it may intimidate hobbyists.
Read ReviewFamily Tree Heritage Platinum 9 Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Thorough help documentation. Lots of research resources. Free trial doesn't require credit card.
Cons: Interface not intuitive. Limited family tree views. Constant prompts to upgrade from free trial.
Bottom Line: Family Tree Heritage Platinum 9 offers a lot of features, but it's not the easiest to navigate and some features, are clunky.
Read ReviewHeredis 2014 Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Free version has very few restrictions. Thorough user guide. Easy to use.
Cons: Limited support. Website and user manual are poorly translated. Broken links on website.
Bottom Line: Genealogy software Heredis has an attractive and simple interface, but some small quirks may turn users off.
Read ReviewLegacy Family Tree 8.0 Review
MSRP: $29.95Pros: Free version offers good amount of features. Massive user guide available. Lots of publication options. Customizable interface.
Cons: Information sources not integrated. Outdated interface.
Bottom Line: Legacy offers solid features that can help amateur genealogists build an accurate family tree, but its dated interface may turn some users off.
Read ReviewAncestral Quest 14 Review
MSRP: $29.95Pros: Relatively easy to use. Variety of publishing options, including large wall charts.
Cons: Free plan has limited features. Very dated interface.
Bottom Line: While Ancestral Quest looks like something designed for your ancestors, it's surprisingly easy to use, and offers a lot of helpful research tools.
Read ReviewFamily Historian 6 Review
MSRP: $46.50Pros: 30-day free trial. Lots of support documentation. Options for adding relatives of unknown sex.
Cons: Download price doesn't include research sources. Not Mac-compatible. No phone support.
Bottom Line: Family Historian is a good place to start building family trees, but you'll have to spend more to gain access to missing data about your ancestors.
Read ReviewOneGreatFamily Review
MSRP: $14.95Pros: Interesting tree-merging concept. Helpful video tutorials and quick start guide.
Cons: Updates to family tree take a while to show up on desktop. Adding research information is a manual process. No telephone support.
Bottom Line: OneGreatFamily lets you work with other members to create one giant family tree for all, but it tends to be overly complicated and sometimes confusing.
Read Review