Guides > Selecting Genealogy Software

There are dozens of current, actively-developed genealogy applications ranging from online-only apps to desktop or laptop Windows- and Mac-based apps, down to apps that you can use to carry and display your genealogy data on your iPhones and Android smartphones.

Keep in mind a few things when selecting a genealogy program or app, and feel free to ask about any of these in our forums:

  1. Don’t think you can do this in a few days. In the pages linked above, almost every one of those genealogy applications that are still being actively developed have demo (demonstration) versions available (similar to Ye Olde Genealogy Shareware). Be willing to spend some time trying quite a few out. There is a very large selection of genealogy software that is in active development across many platforms (arguably more than ever in the history of genealogy software), and your genealogy application is going to be something you spend a lot of time in, perhaps even many hours every day. Don’t think of this as going to an old computer store like CompUSA and picking up whatever they have on the shelf. You have a large selection to choose from, and can try out almost all of them. Pick the software that feels the most right to you.
  2. If you are new to genealogy software, whatever application you pick, make sure it’s actively in development by the author or company. Refer to the pages linked above for applications that have been updated in recent years. That’s not to say that some genealogists prefer older genealogy software, such as the 30 year-old DOS-based version of Personal Ancestral File 2.3 (PAF), or the Windows version of PAF (5.x) or The Master Genealogist 9, which was discontinued in July of 2014. Those genealogy apps have their fans and have active communities backing them, but if you are new, you will most likely want something that continues to receive updates.
  3. Tying into #1, make sure that whatever software you pick, that it is still well-supported, whether that be by the author/publisher, or an active community. What I mean by “well-supported” is that you can get your questions answered. Most genealogists are very helpful people, and you should have no problem finding something that can help you, but pay attention to things like whether there are official or unofficial support forums, etc. that are actively being used by the software users, as well as the authors/publishers.
  4. Platform. Do you need (or want) a genealogy program that will sync between your Apple Mac desktop or laptop and your iPad, or your Windows laptop and an Android tablet? Are you working with relatives and will be sharing information back and forth with them?
  5. GEDCOM support. GEDCOM stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunication, and it’s a standard genealogy file format that lets you transport your genealogical data between various applications and platforms. This could easily be #1, but it’s not as much of an issue these days – in days gone by, GEDCOM support was not always given. Even today, many companies still have a proprietary format for their genealogy programs that they normally store their data in, but they will still support the importing and exporting of GEDCOM files.
  6. Do you need to synchronize or download data from an online genealogy site like Ancestry.com or Family Search or MyHeritage? The number of programs that do so are limited, but there are several.
  7. Do you want your genealogy program to help with writing a family history book?
  8. Do you want your genealogy program to export to an online format (normally HTML) for upload to a private family website?
  9. Tracking and Documenting Research – Do you want reminders of what you have and have not researched?