Comparison of genealogy software

Last updated

This article compares several selected client-based genealogy programs. Web-based genealogy software is not included.

Contents

General information

SoftwareLatest versionInitial releaseLatest releaseFree to use Free software Software license Windows macOS Linux Android iOS
Agelong Tree 5.6 ?2021-09-09No
(40 Person Free Trial)
No Proprietary YesYesUsing Wine NoNo
Ahnenblatt 3.6020012023-10-10No
(Free demo, 50 person limit, watermarked reports; latest free version: 2.99p)
No Proprietary YesNoUsing Wine NoNo
Ancestral Quest 16.0.1119942022-03-19Yes
(Basics version)
No Proprietary YesYesUsing Wine NoNo
Ancestris11 ?2021-05-29YesYes GNU GPL YesYesYesNoNo
Brother's Keeper 7.5.1519882024-03-31Yes
(Unreg. ver.)
No Shareware YesNoUsing Wine NoNo
FamilyGTG 1.3.9 ?2018-03-03Yes
(Free ver.)
No Shareware NoNoNoYesNo
Family Historian 7.0.2220022023-09-29No
(30-Day Free Trial)
No Proprietary Yesusing CrossoverUsing Wine NoNo
Family Tree Builder 8.020032016-08-12Yes
(Free ver.)
No Proprietary YesYesUsing Wine YesYes
Family Tree Maker 2019 (24.2.2)19892023-09NoNo Proprietary YesYesNoNoNo
GEDitCOM II 2.319982016-11-17No
(15-Day Free Trial, Read-Only afterwards)
No Proprietary NoYesNo ?Yes
Genbox Family History 3.7.119922007-11-17No
(30 Day Free Trial)
No Proprietary YesNoUsing Wine NoNo
GenealogyJ 3.0 [1]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 19982010-02-19YesYes GPL-2.0-or-later Java [lower-alpha 1] Java [lower-alpha 1] Java [lower-alpha 1] NoNo
GenoPro 2016, 3.0.0.719982016-01-27No
(25 Person Free Trial)
No Proprietary YesNoUsing Wine NoNo
Gramps 5.2.0 [2]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 20012024-02-23YesYes GPL-2.0-or-later YesYesYesNoNo
Heredis 2023 ?2022-09-20No
(50 Person Free Trial)
No Proprietary YesYesNoYesYes
Kith and Kin Pro 3.3.019992019-09-14No
(30-Day Free Trial)
No Shareware YesNoNoNoNo
Legacy Family Tree 9.0.0.45619972024-02-08Yes
(Standard Edition)
No Proprietary YesNoUsing Wine NoNo
LifeLines 3.1.1 [3]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 19922016-03-17YesYes MIT YesYesYesNoNo
MacFamilyTree 10.3.1 [4] 19982024-04-03No
(Free Trial, but you cannot save or export your entries)
No Proprietary NoYesNoNoYes
Personal Ancestral File 5.2.18.019832002-07-23 (discontinued 2014)YesNo Proprietary YesNoUsing Wine  ? ?
Reunion 13.0 (build 220214)19882022-02-14No
(Free demo, 50 person limit, no import/export, watermarked reports)
No Proprietary NoYesNoNoYes
RootsMagic 9.0.820032023-10-19Yes
(Essentials)
No Proprietary YesYesUsing Wine NoYes
The Master Genealogist 9.05.000019932014-12-03 (discontinued 2015)No
(30 Day Free Trial)
No Proprietary YesNoUsing Wine NoNo

General features

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).

Get acquainted with the terms of use and privacy policy of your app provider to understand what happens with your data. For example, the Family Tree Builder by MyHeritage claims a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual and non-exclusive license to host, copy, post and distribute your content.

NameIndividual viewFamily viewPedigree viewChronology viewAncestor chartsAncestor narrative reportsAncestor pedigree reportsDescendant chartsDescendant narrative reportsFan chartsResearch ManagerDNA chartsResearch GuidanceMapping
Agelong TreeYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
Ahnenblatt YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoYes
Ancestral Quest YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoYes
AncestrisYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes
Brother's Keeper YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNo
FamilyGTG YesYesYes?YesNo?YesNoNoYesNoNoNo
Family Historian [lower-alpha 1] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoYesYes
Family Tree Builder YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes
Family Tree Maker YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes ?YesYes
GEDitCOM II YesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoYes
Genbox Family History YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNo
GenealogyJ YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNoYes
GenoPro YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes ? ?NoYes
Gramps YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYes
Heredis YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes
Kith and Kin Pro YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
Legacy Family Tree [lower-alpha 2] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNo
LifeLines YesYesYes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?No ?
MacFamilyTree YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes
Personal Ancestral File YesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesNoNo ?No ?
Reunion YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNoYes
RootsMagic YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
The Master Genealogist YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes ? ?No ?
  1. 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.
  2. 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

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.

NameUnicode SupportSingle parent familySame sex marriageWitness to eventsName variantsConflicting evidenceSource suretyAdoption & foster parentnon-standard calendar
in date fields
Agelong TreeYesYesNoYesYes ?YesYesYes
Ahnenblatt YesYesYesPartial
christening and marriage only
Yes ?YesYesYes
Ancestral Quest YesYesYes ?YesYesYesYes ?
AncestrisYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNo [a]
Brother's Keeper NoYesYesYesYes ?YesYesYes
FamilyGTG YesYesYesYesYesNo ?YesYes
Family Historian YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Family Tree Builder YesYesYes ?Yes ?YesYesYes
Family Tree Maker YesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesNo
GEDitCOM II Yes ?Yes ? ? ? ? ? ?
Genbox Family History Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
GenealogyJ Yes ?Partial
One partner's gender mislabelled
NoYesYes ?Yes ?
GenoPro YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Gramps YesYesPartial
One partner's gender mislabelled [5]
YesYes ?YesYesYes [a]
Heredis YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Legacy Family Tree [b] NoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes ?
LifeLines Yes ?No ? ? ? ? ? ?
MacFamilyTree YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Personal Ancestral File Yes ?No ? ? ? ? ? ?
Reunion YesYesYesYesYesYes ?YesYes
RootsMagic YesYesYesYes
(paid version)
YesYesYesYesYes
The Master Genealogist NoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
a Supports handling of dates according to several calendars (Gregorian, Julian, Jewish, French Republicain)

Languages

Available user interface languages

NameEnglishAfrikaansDanishDutchFrenchGermanItalianNorwegianPolishPortugueseRussianSpanishSwedish
Agelong Tree [lower-alpha 1] YesNo [lower-alpha 2] No [lower-alpha 2] YesYesYesYesNo [lower-alpha 2] Yes ?YesYesNo [lower-alpha 2]
Ahnenblatt [lower-alpha 3] YesNo [lower-alpha 2] YesYesYesYesYesYesYes ?YesYesYes
Ancestral Quest [lower-alpha 4] YesNo [lower-alpha 2] YesNo [lower-alpha 2] YesYesNo [lower-alpha 2] YesPartial ?NoYesYes
Ancestris [lower-alpha 5] YesNo [lower-alpha 2] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNo [lower-alpha 2] YesYes
Brother's Keeper YesYesYesYesYesYesNo [lower-alpha 2] YesYes ?YesNo [lower-alpha 2] Yes
FamilyGTG YesNoNoNoYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNo
Family Historian YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo ?NoNoNo
Family Tree Builder YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Family Tree Maker (Windows)YesNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNo ?NoNoNo
Family Tree Maker for MacYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo ?NoNoNo
GEDitCOM II YesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo ?NoYesYes
Genbox Family History [lower-alpha 6] YesNoYesYesYesYesYesPartialYes ?YesPartialPartial
GenealogyJ YesNoNoYesYesYesNoNoYes ?YesYesNo
GenoPro [lower-alpha 7] [lower-alpha 8] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYes ?YesYesYes
Gramps [lower-alpha 9] YesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Heredis YesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNo ?NoNoNo
Legacy Family Tree Yes [lower-alpha 10] YesYesYesYesYesYesYes [lower-alpha 11] No ?Nopublic
test
Yes
LifeLines YesNoYesNoYesYesNoNoNo ?NoNoYes
MacFamilyTree YesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes ?YesYesYes
Personal Ancestral File (v4.x/5.x)NoNoNo(v4.x)(v4.x/5.x)NoNoNo ?No(v4.x)(v5.x)
Reunion [lower-alpha 12] YesNoNoYes [lower-alpha 12] Yes [lower-alpha 12] Yes [lower-alpha 12] NoYes [lower-alpha 12] No ?NoNoNo
RootsMagic YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo ?NoNoNo
The Master Genealogist Yes [lower-alpha 13] YesYesYesYesYesPartialYesNo [lower-alpha 7]  ?NoNo [lower-alpha 7] Yes
Notes
  1. Agelong 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.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Can be created by available translation program or language file.
  3. Ahnenblatt is also available in Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish and Vietnamese (see [6] ).
  4. Ancestral Quest also has partial translations in Chinese (Traditional) and Finnish.
  5. Ancestris is also available in Breton, Catalan, Czech, Greek, Finnish, Hungarian, Latvian.
  6. Genbox Family History is also available in Slovak, Slovenian; partial translations are available for Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, and Vietnamese.
  7. 1 2 3 Can be created using the built-in translation tables.
  8. GenoPro 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).
  9. Gramps 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%. Allows users to translate the interface to other languages. [7]
  10. Includes Australian English, Canadian English, UK English, and US English.
  11. Includes both nynorsk and bokmål.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 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.
  13. Includes UK English and US English.

Related Research Articles

This is a list of notable persons by nationality.

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References

  1. "GenealogyJ 3.0". 19 February 2010.
  2. "v5.2.0 Latest". 23 February 2024.
  3. "Release 3.1.1". GitHub.
  4. "Synium » MacFamilyTree » Version History". www.syniumsoftware.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  5. "0003346: Same gender relationship reports".
  6. Languages
  7. "Portal:Translators". Gramps. Retrieved August 9, 2015.