Image courtesy of Stuart Miles on FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
Genealogists in my circle tend to use FamilyTreeMaker and Legacy to build their family trees. Some do so entirely online on websites like Ancestry and FamilySearch. A distant cousin in England uses Brother’s Keeper. In France, the story is somewhat different. At least it is to me.
French blogger Clément Becle conducted a survey on his blog, genBECLE, during a 12-day period to determine which software programs genealogists use to build their family trees. The survey was promoted on the internet and through social media, and 396 people took part.
According to the survey, the top 10 family tree programs used in France are:
| Logiciel | 2015 | 2012 |
| Heredis | 51% | 48% |
| Généatique | 18% | 20% |
| Geneanet | 16% | 12% |
| Family Tree Builder | 4% | |
| Le Généalogiste | 1% | |
| Webtrees | 1% | 1% |
| Ancestrologie | 1% | 1% |
| NSPP | 1% | |
| Ancestris | 1% | |
| Family Tree Maker | 1% | 1% |
As Mr. Becle says, although this was not a scientific survey, it does provide us with a snapshot of what genealogists in France were using at the beginning of 2015, compared to 2012.
All the survey results are available on Logiciels de généalogie les plus utilisés en France.
I’m using Heredis and I like it although it’s not (yet?) my main programme. That’s still Legacy.