Modern genealogy software has tons of useful features for everyone, from the rank amateur just starting out to the seasoned professional.

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Mar 03, 2015 The Best Genealogy Software and Services. Dig deep into your family's history using these applications and websites. Be warned, however; once you've got the genealogy bug, you may never shake it.
The best family tree generator should help you create a moving family history. Choose your best family tree generator here. The best family tree software offers a variety of tools to help you design an excellent background for your family. These tools include the ability to search for your past and present relatives online.

But with so many choices of software out there, which one is the best for you? Read on, and we’ll give you our top five picks.

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Our picks

Family Tree Builder: free desktop software by MyHeritage
RootsMagic: most popular software amongst genealogists
Legacy: best option if you want a wider range of reporting features
Family Historian: best option for beginners and for those not tech-savy
Family Tree Maker: good software but too expensive

* Prices may vary; check websites for the latest prices before ordering. We may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post which help support this site.

Genealogy software basics

There are a bunch of things that you can expect any genealogical software to do:

Build a family tree
Record information on your ancestors: dates, locations, relationships, etc.
Document research sources and link them to your family tree
Maintain more than one database for multiple family trees
Print out ancestral charts and reports
Share your family tree with others in print and electronically
Store photos, audio and video recordings, and scans of your ancestors and documents
Protect your information through regular backups
Give you hints on where and how to search for more clues
Export your information to other genealogy programs

In addition, some genealogy software today will let you:

Download information directly from certain online resources
Map your ancestors through time and space
Browse online directly, without switching to a separate web browser

So if all genealogy software does all this, does it really matter which program you pick?

Yes, it does, because each program does certain things better than others. The best one for you depends on how you plan to use it.

Here are our top 5 picks for genealogy software, in no particular order because they are all best at something.

Mac Genealogy Software Reviews

Family Tree Maker 2017

Family Tree Maker, or FTM, has been around for decades, and is the best known and most widely used genealogy software.

It packs a lot of power, and is good all-around at just about everything.

Pros and cons

Family Tree Maker provides all of the features that you would expect from a genealogy program, and it does most of them very well.

The latest version of Family Tree Maker added a unique feature called FamilySync, which lets you automatically synchronize up to three family trees.

This is perfect if you have relatives who are working on the same tree as you. Any information you enter gets added to their trees, and vice versa.

They have also added the ability to color code your ancestors with up to eight different colors each.

This can be used to help you keep track of your research status, easily see which children were by a first wife or second wife, or any other use you can think of.

Family Tree Maker 2017 also includes a lightweight built-in image editor so you can make simple changes to enhance any photos connected to your family tree.

The program connects easily to both the Ancestry and FamilySearch websites, allowing you to download records directly into your tree.

It also provides extensive hints on places to search for more records when you are connected to the internet.

FTM 2017 is one of very few programs that now allows you to include same-sex marriages in your family tree.

On the negative side, while Family Tree Maker 2017 does offer an improved set of charts and reports, the charts are still not as extensive as Legacy 9.

Also, the company that produced Family Tree Maker changed in 2016.

The new company, Mackiev, has made a number of changes and improvements with their 2017 version, but don’t count on them to provide much support for older versions.

Family Tree Maker also tends to be the most expensive genealogy software out there, but for many people, it’s worth it.

Compatibility

FTM is available for both Windows (7.0 or later) and Mac (10.9 or later).

Online support

Because it has been around for so long and is used by so many people, Family Tree Maker has a wealth of online support in the form of tips, step by step instructions and tutorials, and even how-to videos.

Their website includes a free digital companion guide to get you started on using all of the program’s features.

While all this support is great in most cases, be aware that Family Tree Maker has changed a lot over the years, so some of that support might be out of date.

Still, there are so many users out there that you can always find a forum to ask questions and get expert answers quickly.

Integration

For years, Family Tree Maker has allowed you to connect with Ancestry to upload your family tree and to directly download records from Ancestry into your tree.

With the latest release, FTM now includes that capability for FamilySearch.com as well.

That means you can easily connect and share with the two largest genealogy sites out there with billions of online records available.

Where to buy

Family Tree Maker is available from http://www.mackiev.com/ftm/. There is no free trial available.

Legacy 9

Legacy 9, also known as Legacy Family Tree 9, is a fully featured genealogy program that is considered by many to be the best on the market today.

It has plenty going for it, and only a couple of weak areas.

Pros and cons

Legacy 9 provides everything you would expect, plus a lot of neat extras that are new in the latest edition.

One powerful tool is the compare two people tool, which lets you examine two people side by side.

This is especially useful if you have two records with the same name, but you’re not sure if they’re the same person.

The side by side display lets you check them out easily rather than having to keep flipping back and forth.

Legacy 9 has the most extensive (and in most cases best looking) set of charts out of any genealogy program.

This gives you all sorts of options for printing out your results.

The latest release even includes a new X-DNA chart to track your genetic inheritance.

In addition to printed reports, Legacy 9 has built-in support to turn your family tree into a webpage automatically.

It also has a built-in web browser so you can check out online sites without having to switch back and forth between windows.

The program includes color coding for easy organization of your ancestors, such as tracking children from multiple marriages, and up to nine tags that can be used however you want.

Legacy 9 even includes a secure online backup for your family trees, so you never have to worry about losing your database.

On the down side, Legacy 9 does not support same-sex marriages yet, though that is supposed to be coming.

The Legacy website is less flashy than most an

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