Macintosh owners may have the best operating system, but they may have a bit of trouble finding genealogy programs. Actually, there are several excellent genealogy programs available for Macintosh, and some are as good as or better than the majority of Windows genealogy programs. However, they do not seem to be as well known, probably because of less marketing effort.
The thing that fascinates me is the international nature of Macintosh genealogy programs. The leading programs are produced in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, and even tiny Iceland.
On the downside, the Macintosh genealogy programs tend to be more expensive than Windows programs of similar capabilities. Windows users can find very useful genealogy programs that are free of charge, such as Legacy Standard Edition. Moving up to the $20 to $30 (U.S. funds) range finds a bunch of very good genealogy programs for the Windows operating system. Even the most expensive of the popular Windows genealogy programs sells for only $34 to $59, depending on which version is selected.
In contrast, there are no free Macintosh genealogy programs, other than a few small programs that lack some essential features. The Macintosh genealogy programs worthy of consideration all sell for $20 to $99.
NOTE: Macintosh users can use some of the free online genealogy services, such as PedigreeSoft Basic Edition and WeRelate.org, mentioned below. These services operate in a web browser and do not install hardware on the local system.
I have written about a number of Macintosh genealogy programs in past newsletters, but those articles are not always easy to find for the newcomer. (Here’s a hint: Use the SEARCH PAST NEWSLETTERS link in the menu to the right of most pages on this web site.)
I thought I would write one article that links to all the major articles I have written about Macintosh genealogy software. I expect to update this article occasionally as new programs appear or existing programs are updated:
Reunion by Leister Productions is probably the most popular Macintosh genealogy program sold in North America. Of course, that is not saying that it is "the best," although it might qualify for that title also. At least, many Reunion users claim it is the best. It sells for $99.00 (U.S.) and is available from many Macintosh retailers. More information may be found at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/03/reunion_version.html and at http://www.leisterpro.com.
Heredis is probably the most popular Macintosh genealogy program in Europe. Produced in France, this full-featured program is available in many different languages. It sells for $69 U.S. You can read more at: http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2005/09/heredis_mac_x2.html and at http://www.myheredis.com.
MacFamilyTree is produced in Germany and offers an excellent GUI, a graphical user interface that is individually configurable to meet the needs of any user. It also is available in many languages, including English. MacFamilyTree sells for $49 U.S. Details are available at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/08/macfamilytree-v.html and at http://www.synium.de/macfamilytree/preview.html.
iFamily for Tiger is a new genealogy program from Australia that is gaining popularity rapidly. It is very much a graphics-oriented program, in keeping with the graphics strengths of Macintosh systems. It sells for $29.95 US. You can read more at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/08/ifamily-for-tig.html, at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/12/ifamily_for_tig.html and at http://www.ifamilyfortiger.com.
Genealogy Pro is a low-cost ($20) Mac genealogy program. It features an easy to use graphical interface to record and chart your family tree. More information is available at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/03/genealogy_pro_2.html and at http://www.genealogypro.net.
Osk is available for both Macintosh and Windows XP systems. The program is produced in Iceland and sells for $40 US. http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/11/osk_genealogy_s.html, at
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/11/osk_genealogy_s.html and at http://www.studlar.net/en/software.
Several of the online genealogy programs also work well with Macintosh systems. These programs typically operate in a web browser and store all data online. As such, they are not limited to one operating system. Two leading examples are The Next Generation ($29) at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2004/06/the_next_genera.html and at http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php and PedigreeSoft (free to $70/year, depending upon options selected) at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/03/pedigreesoftcom.html and at http://www.pedigreesoft.com. Another option is to use the shared database at http://wwwWeRelate.org.
If you own a Macintosh, you can feel smug to know that not only do you own the best operating system, but you also have a variety of genealogy programs to choose from.
