Genealogy Software Review

Why Genealogy Software?

Millions of people have adopted genealogy as a hobby and even as a passion. People discover a sense of self-identity and family pride through uncovering their family's legacy. Genealogical research of your ancestral roots can bring your current family together by creating a project to which everyone can contribute. Whatever your reason for researching the past, genealogy software can become your most valuable tool. We found our top genealogy software products, Family Tree Maker, Legacy and RootsMagic 2011 to be especially valuable.

Genealogy software will provide you with comprehensive reports and charts so you can organize and see the progress of your research. Some of these reports and charts include:

  • Ancestor charts include a person's direct-line ancestors, so you can see exactly how far back a line goes.
  • Ancestor narrative reports are book-style reports that begins with a specific person and follows that person's lineage like a story. This is a great way to share your research with family members and friends.
  • Family charts show entire families including husband, wife and children.

Genealogy software includes tons of easy-to-use tools that will help you discover and organize your research. Organizational tools link people together based on relationships, merge individuals into family trees, help spot problems and locate duplicate entries. This genealogy software will also aid in your search for individuals and entire families.

In this site, you'll find articles on genealogy and comprehensive reviews on genealogy software that will help you make an informed decision on which software is right for you.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™

Genealogy Software: What to Look For

Whether you're a weekend genealogist or a professional researcher, selecting the right genealogy software program can make all the difference in how much satisfaction and information you will derive from your research. Accessing, recording and reviewing data should be easy, as well as fun. Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate genealogy software:

Feature Set
Genealogy software should include all of the features necessary to research and organize your family tree including reports, charts, searching capabilities, web access and insightful ways to store data.

Ease of Use
One of the most important features in genealogy software is its user-friendliness, meaning it's easy for beginners and experienced computer users alike. The program should be well organized and easy to navigate.

Reporting & Publishing
The genealogy software should have a good selection of reporting and publishing features, including many different charts and many different export options for sharing your discoveries.

Help/Documentation
The genealogy software developer should provide ample help in the form of FAQs, email and phone support, online course and product tutorials so anyone can learn to use the program and conveniently access customer support.

With advanced genealogy software, you will be able to organize, store and retrieve family history information in formats that suit your research needs. 

 
 
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Software » Reference / Lifestyles » Genealogy Software Review
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Rank #1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
10-9  Excellent
8-6    Good
5-4    Average
3-2    Poor
1-0    Bad
Family Tree Maker Legacy RootsMagic Ancestral Quest Family Historian The Master Genealogist DoroTree Genbox Family History WinFamily Famtree
Family Tree Maker Legacy RootsMagic Ancestral Quest Family Historian The Master Genealogist DoroTree Genbox Family History WinFamily Famtree
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Lowest price
Visit Family Tree Maker 2012
$39.99
Visit Legacy Deluxe 7.5
$29.99
Visit RootsMagic 4
$29.99
Visit Ancestral Quest 14
$29.95
Visit Family Historian 4
$46.50
Visit The Master Genealogist 7
$59.00
Visit DoroTree 2.1
$59.00
Visit Genbox Family History 3.7.1
$29.95
Visit WinFamily 2009
$119.00
Visit Famtree 4.43
$20.00
Ratings
9.93
9.83
9.38
8.75
8.20
8.00
6.88
5.83
4.70
4.20
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
9.75
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
9.38
10.00
10.00
8.75
10.00
10.00
8.75
8.75
8.75
8.75
8.75
7.50
7.50
10.00
8.75
10.00
6.25
7.50
7.50
5.00
10.00
5.00
7.50
5.00
6.25
6.25
6.25
3.75
6.25
3.75
5.00
3.75
3.75
5.00
5.00
 
Data Entry & Sourcing
Custom Facts
 
Assign Source to Media Files
  
LDS Options
 
  
Privacy Option
 
 
Automatic Date Format
 
  
Automatic Age Display
    
Relationship Options
    
Rating System for Sources
 
   
County Pop-Up Selections
        
Management Tools
Import/Export - Gedcom Files
Multimedia Support
Multiple Relationships (adoptive-foster)
Query/Search for Individuals
Address Book
 
Soundex Calculator
  
Relationship Calculator
 
Counting Unlinked Trees
 
 
Open Multiple Databases at Once
 
  
DNA Results
 
    
Track Medical Conditions
  
   
Problem Spotter Alerts
 
 
 
Customizable Languages  
 
 
 
Re-Number Individuals  
 
    
Views
Family
    
Pedigree
 
  
Other(s)
Reports and Charts
Ancestor & Descendant Charts
Ancestor & Descendant Narrative Reports
 
Ancestor Pedigree Reports
 
To-Do Lists
  
 
Timeline Files
 
    
Place Reports (people & events)
 
    
Online Integration, Printing & Publishing
Create Web Pages
Custom Printing Options
Print Wall Charts (no additional program required)
    
Print Books (no additional program required)
 
    
Forms
 
  
 
Themed Backgrounds for Printing
        
Can Import from Online Sources
 
      
Help & Support
Video Tutorial
      
Online Resources
Printed Material
 
  
Supported Configurations
Windows 8
    
Windows 7
Windows Vista
 
  
Windows XP