Your guide to family tree software

Family Tree software is, for most family historians, the one essential software commitment that we all make.

Usually, early in our research journey, we decide to start organising and recording our findings in a single place. And thus, the search for the most suitable family tree software commences.

It isn’t easy for novice family historians to be able to anticipate all the functionality that they may need in their chosen package over the many years they may use it. Nor is it easy to distinguish between the merits and demerits of the many different packages on the market.

But the stakes are high:

• Select a poor piece of software and you may rue your choice for years to come.
• Select a package that is well suited to your needs and you may be able to use it, ably and happily, for years.

So let's explore what family tree software does, how they differ, and how to make the right choice.

What does a family history program do?

Family history helps keep our research in an organised, shareable format. Most software allows you to:

• Grow your family tree, complete with ancestor pictures & stories
• Keep track of your documents and sources
• Get the tools you need to create reports, lists and more

Using a family history program will help you create orderly, flexible research – growing a digital archive of your family history that you are in charge of.

Having a decent family history program will also give you the chance to create detailed written reports and extensive customised family tree charts, to interrogate your research to dig deeper into your findings, and to share your family tree with relatives, sometimes generating a family website too.

Which family history program should I use?

If you're not sure which family history program to use, work through the steps below, experimenting with a free or trial version of a program to see how you get on.

1. If you have one, import a GEDCOM file, and see how seamless (or not!) this is. If you don't, skip straight to step 2
2. Start a new family tree from scratch – see how intuitive it is to add people and their facts, to search for details for them (e.g. via some of the major sites, such as Ancestry or FamilySearch)
3. See how easy it is to add notes and sources
4. See how useful and appealing you find the reports and charts
5. Other: if you have another aspect that it important to you (be it DNA, videos, syncing with another) give these a try too

How do I find the right program for me?

There is no single answer as we each have different research needs. However, most of the programs provide free trials. These are worth experimenting with before making your choice.

Alison Spring, the Frugal Family Historian, advises that it is worth trying a free program with just a subset of your family history (ie just a small branch and a few photos etc) and seeing how you find it, before you commit to adding all your research!

What do I need to know when choosing family tree software?

Search functions

Many family history programs allow you to search key family history websites or the internet from within the program.

Some programs work closely with a specific website or websites.

Various levels of ‘automation’ are used by programs too; e.g. some make it very easy to add information from a website to your program; others make it more of a manual process, less automated. Automation is appealing for how rapidly you can work; but a more manual, independent process will encourage you to make more considered decisions when adding information to your program.

Multi-user licences

Multi-user licences and discounts to buy several copies of a program are useful if you wish to encourage family members to use the same software as yourself for more seamless collaborating.

In addition, using the same software as your research buddy will enable you to more easily help one another with any user or technical things that come to mind.

What help and support is available?

Before you decide which program is for you, it’s well worth taking a look at what sort of help is available if you get stuck. The help can also provide tips and instructions, to give you a better idea of how to use the software. On the comparison chart we’ve included useful links to the help solutions for each program where available.

Bells, whistles & USPs

When you look at the comparison chart, you’ll see that each program has its strengths and unique selling points (USPs). This is why it really is time well spent to dedicate a bit of time to trying out a few family history programs, to see which one is best suited to you.

What genealogy software is available?

Most of the family tree software available are suitable for family history beginners but in addition, most are capable of advanced research projects too.

Most programs allow you to create a digital family tree and reports as well as adding notes, digitised photos, documents and often, audio and video clips too. Most have the facility to set yourself reminders and create to-do lists. There are programs for PC, Mac, Linux, and for use from the cloud too.

Some of the programs will allow you to search the major databases (often via a subscription) for further information to add to your research. Some will allow you to sync your research so that you can have it on your computer and also added to the cloud or an associated app. This can be useful, enabling you to access your research on your smartphone whilst you’re out and about.

Questions to ask before making your choice

It’s very hard to decide what software is best for someone else, so it’s worthwhile exploring the various options, using the list below to help you narrow things down. If you find the software that works for you it could be an essential part of your research for years to come, so take the time to think about what you need.

Ask yourself:

• What sort of family tree chart displays and range of reports can the program create?
• Does it allow you to add notes, documents, photos, multimedia and sources?
• Does it have GEDcom import and export?
  This is important, as it means that you can share your research with fellow members and can more readily transfer your research to another program or website
• Does it allow you to search your preferred subscription website from the software? 

Is there any free or cost-effective family tree software?

There are a number of free family tree software options, which you can use as long as you wish and often become your familiar ‘work horse’ tool for keeping track of your research.

While these free versions will have limitations (compared to paid alternatives) they can still aid your family history record keeping, that you can use on an on-going basis (TreeView Lite is a 30-day trial; the others don't have a time limit).

For cut-down free versions, see:

• Lecacy Family Tree Standard
• RootsMagic Essentials
• TreeView Lite

In addition, many of the major data websites (Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage) provide online family tree builders to which you can add your information. Plus, there are additional stand alone online family tree builders, such as Famberry and TribalPages.