Within minutes of asking on the Genealogy à la carte Facebook group yesterday for recommendations of inexpensive genealogy software for my cousin, I received several comments about software programs — and all of the programs are free.
I have not used any of the recommended programs and, therefore, cannot vouch for them. This is not an endorsement. I’m a long-time user Family Tree Maker.
Since these programs are free, I thought I would share the list with you.
Here are the free family tree programs people recommended.
Legacy Family Tree (PC only)
RootsMagic (PC and Mac versions)
Gramps (primarily developed for Linux and UNIX-like operating systems, but it is also available for PC and Mac)
People in the Facebook group, who commented, seemed to be most familiar with Legacy and RootsMagic.
Linda wrote: The free versions of RootsMagic or Legacy would work for her. Both free versions offer lots of versatility for newbies. I prefer RootsMagic. And then she added, I use RootsMagic but I have heard good stuff about Legacy. I would recommend downloading both, enter one or two persons in each and then go with the one that “feels” right.
Ken, who paid for the Legacy deluxe version, wrote: I’ve been using Legacy Family Tree for about 7 years now and have been happy with it. … What sold me on Legacy was the reporting and also the SourceWriter system. I’ve always had a challenge entering my citations, and although SourceWriter isn’t perfect it does mean I am prompted to enter in some of the details I would miss.
Margaret wrote: I’ve happily used Legacy for over ten years, and can’t recommend it enough. The standard version is free and would get your cousin off to a great start. I used it for a few years before upgrading to the deluxe. I have the deluxe version of Legacy 9.
Michael, who uses Gramps, wrote: I am still building my database, and have yet to try most of the features. It is supposed to allow you to save a copy in Gedcom for export and also is supposed to be able to import.
Joyce, referring to the Legacy sale, wrote: I‘ve used Legacy for years. I started with the free version and then bought the deluxe for the source writer function and the Legacy Charts package. The charts are a great way to help folks visualize the data and make great gifts. I’d jump at that price!
Anne-Marie wrote: You can use MyHeritage for free. When you reach the limit, you just don’t sync it and you can go on forever at no charge.
Big sale ends today
If interested in purchasing the deluxe Legacy Family Tree program, it is now less than half price. The regular price is $34.95US, but with the sale and promo code, it is $14.86US or about $19CDN. The sale ends today, August 13.
