Best Family Tree Software? (search, charge, free, program)

[staywarm2]

I have 30+ years of family genealogy information I have collected. It is mostly all handwritten on paper family trees or simply notes. I NEED to get it on a digital program of some kind.

Any suggestions which are the best programs to use?

I'm a little concerned about entering my data on Ancestry.com's website becaue of privacy issues. Also, I don't want anyone to go in and change the data that I have worked so hard to make sure is correct.

I am at a point where I have so much info that I need to organize it before I continue research.

[MaseMan]

I like Family Tree Maker 2011.

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by MaseMan

I like Family Tree Maker 2011.

Is this a program you can buy at the store, or is it an on-line site?

If it's on-line, do they charge you monthly or by the number of names on your tree?

[MaseMan]

You can buy it in store, I believe (I bought mine online and they send you a physical CD to install). You can access various online resources through it, though it does help to have an ancestry.com subscription. There is no monthly fee or anything otherwise. I think the 2012 version may be out now.

[Cindiana]

I use Legacy. You can get a free trial at Legacy Family Tree Genealogy Software. Here is a site that compares various genealogy software Genealogy Software Review 2012 | Best Genealogy Software | Family Tree Software - TopTenREVIEWS.
There are many good ones out there.

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by Cindiana

I use Legacy. You can get a free trial at Legacy Family Tree Genealogy Software. Here is a site that compares various genealogy software Genealogy Software Review 2012 | Best Genealogy Software | Family Tree Software - TopTenREVIEWS.
There are many good ones out there.

This is a very good site to review the various programs. Why do you like Legacy over Family Tree Maker?

[Cindiana]

I switched several years ago. I think I liked the format of Legacy better than FTM. I think that Legacy allowed the user to enter notes, while FTM didn't. But that was several years ago, and I know FTM has changed. I do know that Legacy will update their software, and these updates are free, and when they do a major update from 7.5 to 7.6, these updates are around $10. So, I really can't say FTM is not good, since it's been quite a while since I've used it. You might just read the reviews and see what you think. Genealogy software is really something you can't "test drive" since there are several programs, and you have to buy most of them before you can use them.
I do know that a genealogy program is VERY helpful, I can't imagine doing my genealogy without it.

[Cindiana]

Here are some sites you might want to look at:
Family Chronicle - Choosing Genealogy Software
Family Tree Magazine - Software Guide
Reviews of the Top 10 Genealogy Software

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by Cindiana

I switched several years ago. I think I liked the format of Legacy better than FTM. I think that Legacy allowed the user to enter notes, while FTM didn't. But that was several years ago, and I know FTM has changed. I do know that Legacy will update their software, and these updates are free, and when they do a major update from 7.5 to 7.6, these updates are around $10. So, I really can't say FTM is not good, since it's been quite a while since I've used it. You might just read the reviews and see what you think. Genealogy software is really something you can't "test drive" since there are several programs, and you have to buy most of them before you can use them.
I do know that a genealogy program is VERY helpful, I can't imagine doing my genealogy without it.

Actually, I ended up with RootsMagic because I did a "test drive." I started adding information, and when I had a certain number of people in the tree, it told me I had to buy it to continue. I found it very easy to use, so I did.

[staywarm2]

Cindiana,

Thank you for all your advice. I will read all these sites and hope I pick the perfect program for me to use!