Family Tree Software

PCGEN

What is the best free software available online to create a family tree?

Waitsian

PCGEN wrote:

What is the best free software available online to create a family tree?

Family Echo is pretty good.

Skerries

what is considered the best paid software?

Thomas from Presence

I love Mac Family Tree (OSX only). It has a companion iPhone app too that has proven highly useful.

VicWynne

For Mac, I'd go with Reunion & it's iPhone/iPad app. I did try Mac Family Tree however I preferred Reunion as, for me, the features were better.

For Windows, I used to like Family Tree Maker and Generations - I haven't had a PC for some years now.

Anyone buying software should download the free trials and check out the various applications using the same gedcom file and the same tests. Check what features are important to you - sources, charts, reports etc and see which you prefer. It's very much a personal choice.

Best of luck.

campingcarist

I have used Brother's Keeper since the days of DOS (if anyone remembers that!) and updated it ever since.

It is a shareware program but can be used free. Just a few functions do not work in the free version.

John P. Mac

I have used Legacy Family tree for at least 10 and years and find it excellent. Basic system is free. Deluxe version with added features (some useful but not essential) costs about 30 dollars.

clashburke

Ive been using My Heritage for a good few years now and I like it well enough as I've found other people with some of the same lines and so made my job easier!!


There is however a 250 person limit on the amount of people you can put in your tree on the free version.

Anyone know if you start a new tree if you can have another 250 in that one? (I think not, but dont want to try it!!)

L1011

I still use Ancestry and only it - sign up for the free trial, bang in everything you have and make use of their few useful unique data sets and then the login keeps working indefinitely as they have a financial value in keeping the tree. Also you get to make use of their free access weekends that way. There's a mobile app for it too.

Can get a GEDCOM export from it to bring in to another package, but its a terrible interchange form that I can't actually ever export my full tree to as it collapses on me alone ("WIFE" and "HUSB" being the same gender was never considered by the Mormons when specifying it!)

rxan90

clashburke wrote: »

Ive been using My Heritage for a good few years now and I like it well enough as I've found other people with some of the same lines and so made my job easier!!


There is however a 250 person limit on the amount of people you can put in your tree on the free version.

Anyone know if you start a new tree if you can have another 250 in that one? (I think not, but dont want to try it!!)

Note, this limit only applies to publishing and uploading your tree on their website.

The software itself doesn't seem to have any limit on how many people can be added. I have made trees in mine that have 2000 + people in them!

MyHeritage Family Tree Builder is a superb piece of software - easy to use, has everything you would need to use and completely free. I've been using it for years and I simply cannot recommend it highly enough!

clashburke

rxan90 wrote: »

Note, this limit only applies to publishing and uploading your tree on their website.

The software itself doesn't seem to have any limit on how many people can be added. I have made trees in mine that have 2000 + people in them!

MyHeritage Family Tree Builder is a superb piece of software - easy to use, has everything you would need to use and completely free. I've been using it for years and I simply cannot recommend it highly enough!

Ah that solves the puzzle for me!! Ive been trying to limit my tree to direct ancestors to save space!!

I should have tried it i suppose!!

What I really think!

Thanks everyone for this info. Answers my questions

Mumha

rxan90 wrote: »

Note, this limit only applies to publishing and uploading your tree on their website.

The software itself doesn't seem to have any limit on how many people can be added. I have made trees in mine that have 2000 + people in them!

MyHeritage Family Tree Builder is a superb piece of software - easy to use, has everything you would need to use and completely free. I've been using it for years and I simply cannot recommend it highly enough!

Based on a recommendation from someone here, I use the free MyHeritage too and it's great. I have 4,500 people in mine.

Lex Luthor

another one for MyHeritage

I have come across a few others using it with common relations and has really helped building mine and filling in blanks

I also googled out of the blue a gg grandfather of mine with date of birth...just popped his name into google and came across a website of somebody in Australia with my gg grandfather listed on his tree and turns out we're related by 10 steps...

tabbey

Lex Luthor wrote: »

another one for MyHeritage

I have come across a few others using it with common relations and has really helped building mine and filling in blanks

I had My Heritage for a few years, in the same hope. I found most of their Smart Matches were the same being offered over and over again.

I did accept some matches, including a person connected to me, almost a third cousin, and My Heritage continues to send me messages about her third cousins.

In my view, a third cousin of a third cousin, is not my relative, at least for my family tree.

pjproby

On My Heritage do you need to be subscribed before you can confirm matches?

tabbey

pjproby wrote: »

On My Heritage do you need to be subscribed before you can confirm matches?

when I get a message about a match, I click on it and MH tells me I have to renew my sub.
Other people may have more skills to enable them to bypass this barrier.

Mumha

pjproby wrote: »

On My Heritage do you need to be subscribed before you can confirm matches?

Yes I think you do, so I don't confirm matches !

pinkypinky

Is anyone here using Heredis?

Dick Eastman is pimping them and they're having a sale atm.
https://blog.eogn.com/2016/07/01/heredis-genealogy-software-is-on-sale-until-july-10/#more-14039

I'm going to download the demo version.

snobbles

I also downloaded Dick Eastman software. I haven't used it yet.
I am wondering what are people's opinions of it.

pinkypinky

I downloaded the demo but I didn't like it. Can't really put my finger on why, just wasn't for me.

snobbles

Thanks for your response. I have a subscription to Find my Past but I am just not sure about
using this for my family tree. Have you any suggestions on 'user friendly' family tree software?

pinkypinky

There are several suggestions in this very thread!