Genealogy Programs for the Macintosh

NOTE: I publish an update to this article about once a year. In fact, several new Macintosh genealogy programs have appeared in the past twelve months.

Macintosh users can feel smug about using the best operating system available today. The OS X operating system is easy to use, very reliable, and doesn't "get in the way" with all sorts of pop-up messages. In short, "it just works."

However, one major disadvantage of the Mac is that it doesn't have as many genealogy programs to choose from as does the Windows operating system. Or does it? I would contend that Macintosh has MORE genealogy programs available than does Windows.

There are several genealogy programs written for the Macintosh:

Reunion by Leister Productions appears to be the most popular Macintosh genealogy program in North America. It works on both Intel and PowerPC Macs. It will also export data to an iPod or to an iPhone so that you can carry your database with you in a shirt pocket. Reunion focuses on couples, or "family units,” always showing a couple in the center of the screen, with various screens showing information about children, parents and siblings. The couple might be a man and a woman or it could be two same-sex partners or it could be two gender unknown persons, but it always shows a couple.

Reunion is rather expensive at $90 although some retailers may offer a small discount. I last wrote about Reunion at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/03/reunion_version.html.

Personal Ancestry Writer II is a very popular, free genealogy program that does the basics. It lacks many of the more sophisticated features found in today's commercial programs. However, you certainly cannot argue with the price. Free is good! Personal Ancestry Writer II is an excellent selection if you only want the basic record keeping functions and can skip all the multimedia scrapbooks, mapping programs and other whiz-bang features of commercial programs. MacWorld reviewed this program some time ago at http://www.macworld.com/article/57840/2007/05/paw69.html. You can learn more about Personal Ancestry Writer II (PAWriter II) or download this free program at http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/27497/pawriter-ii.

iFamily for Leopard is an excellent genealogy program developed by Keith Wilson in Australia. Unfortunately, Keith passed away last year. His heirs are planning to keep the program alive and expect to add new features. As Keith wrote on the program's web site, the program "is a family tree program with a difference because Apple users think differently." Unlike most other Macintosh genealogy programs, iFamily for Leopard focuses on individuals, not couples. It also displays the entire extended family of that individual, including all spouses as well as all children, step-children, and adopted children, all displayed on the same screen.

iFamily for Leopard is a graphics-oriented program, unlike the data-entry mode of operation of many other programs. It sells for a very modest $29.95 US. You can read my review of the program at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/12/ifamily_for_tig_1.html (it was called "iFamily for Tiger" at that time). Next, look at the program's web site at http://www.ifamilyforleopard.com.

MacFamilyTree is perhaps the most popular Macintosh genealogy program in Europe and has a growing customer base in North America as well. Developed in Germany, this program is available in German, English, French, Spanish, Norwegian, Dutch Swedish, Dansk, and Italian. MacFamilyTree includes a 3D Virtual Tree that has to be seen to be appreciated. (Screenshots are available on the company's web site.) Navigating the Virtual Tree is simple: just point, click and drag with your mouse, or use a dedicated "Navigator" to literally fly through your own ancestry. It is unlike any other genealogy program I have seen, for either Windows or Macintosh. MacFamilyTree also has an excellent database for storing information; you can enter information easily and then retrieve it in any number of ways. The program also includes very good reports. By purchasing a $5 optional program, MacFamilyTree will also export data to an iPhone or iPod Touch, allowing you to carry your database with you at all times.

MacFamilyTree sells for $49 US. You can read my review of MacFamilyTree at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/06/synium-macfamil.html. Further details about MacFamilyTree can be found at http://www.synium.de/products/macfamilytree.

Heredis is a Macintosh genealogy program produced in France that is very popular in Europe and has numerous fans elsewhere as well. Heredis is designed for ease of operation and yet retains the power of most all of today's state-of-the art genealogy programs. The program has been developed over 11 years, and is fully integrated into the OS X System, with all its proven and powerful genealogy tools.

Heredis features immediate display and access to all functions on one screen only, comprehensive data management, powerful search tools and database merging, 3D displays of your family data, support of all types of media files, excellent source citation capabilities, automated creation of a personal genealogy website, and more.

The program sells for $69 will a free demo version also available so that you may take the program for a "trial run" before purchasing. The demo version limits you to entering data about only 50 individuals. However, you may import GEDCOM files without any limit to the number of individuals and run all the reports in the demo version without limitation, even if you have imported thousands of individuals in the GEDCOM file..

More information about Heredis may be found at http://www.myheredis.com.

MyBlood is a brand new genealogy program from Belgium. MyBlood is available in two versions: Windows and Macintosh. There aren't many genealogy programs that can make that statement! Next, it is multi-lingual. English, French, and Dutch versions are available today and the program includes a Translator Tool to help you translate everything in the application. You can modify the program to create a new language if your preferred language is not yet available. MyBlood is a visual program: almost everything is oriented around pictures, graphs and historical timelines. The program's advertising states, "MyBlood visually represents information to help you discover incorrect information. Therefore there are several ways to look at data. e.g. Ancestors, TimeMaps, Chronology... From each view you can easily navigate to the information and modify it.

MyBlood is still in beta test but appears to be stable. It is available for 20 euro, roughly $28 U.S. You can learn more at http://www.myblood-line.com.

GEDitCOM II is a new genealogy application for Macintosh OS X allows ease-of-use editing of genealogy files, for customization of the user experience, and for power features allowing access to your genealogical data. GEDitCOM II provides a multi-window "browser" interface, a powerful index window, drag & drop features, a switchable user interface per user preference, powerful searching tools, full multimedia support, lots of charts and reports, and more. GEDitCOM II sells for $64.99 and is available from http://www.geditcom.com.

Osk is a genealogy program produced in Iceland. It is a Universal Binary program, so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. Osk enables you to enter detailed information about family, friends and celebrities, with birthday, connected media, places of residence, sources for your information and other data. You can plot family trees and track ancestors and descendants. You can draw family trees and save them, create a family website. It’s available in English, Icelandic, German, Russian, Portuguese, Norwegian and Swedish.

Osk sells for $40. You can learn more about Osk from Studlar Software at http://www.studlar.net/en/software/osk_48.html.

GRAMPS is available for Macintosh OS X. GRAMPS has an excellent reputation as a Linux genealogy porgram, although it has also been ported to the Macintosh. GRAMPS is available free of charge. You can learn more about GRAMPS for Macintosh at http://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php?title=Mac_OS_X.

Another option is to install Parallels, Fusion, or virtualBox (see below) and then install Linux as a second operating system on your Macintosh. You will then be able to run the native Linux version of GRAMPS.

NOTE: All of the above programs support GEDCOM imports and exports. You can import data from any other modern genealogy program without re-typing all the data again.

All of the above programs are native Macintosh programs. However, are you aware that you can also run most any Windows program on your Macintosh? That includes The Master Genealogist, RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree, Family Tree Maker, AncestralQuest, and other Windows programs. To be sure, this works only on Intel Macs running OS X Tiger or Leopard. You actually install a copy of Windows and run it as a slave operating system under OS X. This capability allows you to run Macintosh and Windows programs simultaneously!

To install Windows on your Macintosh, you will need ANY ONE of the following:

1. Parallels - a $90 program. For details, see http://www.parallels.com (I have this installed on my MacBook laptop and find that it works well.)
2. VMware Fusion - an $80 program. For details, see www.vmware.com/mac
3. virtualBox - a free program from Sun Microsytems. For details, see: http://www.virtualbox.org (I have this installed on my Mac Mini desktop system and love it. virtualBox isn't quite as sophisticated as the other two, but it's price is much better: FREE!)

NOTE: A fourth option is to use the free BootCamp program that is included with Macintosh OS X. However, it does not run as a slave operating system under OS X. At boot time, you can select to run Macintosh OS X or to run Windows; you cannot run both simultaneously. I tried BootCamp for a while but was not very happy with it.

All of the above four "Windows solutions" do require a licensed copy of Microsoft Windows. They should be able to run most any version of Windows or even Linux or BSD Unix or other operating systems designed for PC hardware. I'd suggest Windows XP although that is no longer sold or supported by Microsoft for normal PCs. You may have a copy available from an older computer or perhaps you can find it on eBay or from other retailers who are selling off old inventory. Generally speaking, Windows XP works much better than Windows Vista in all systems but that is especially true when using it as a "virtual computer."

NOTE: Running Windows on a Macintosh does not mean that you can avoid the "problems" of Windows: you must also install and use a Windows anti-virus program and any other "patches" that Windows users find so necessary to maintain normal operation. The slave Windows operating system will also have the same reliability issues as any normal Windows system. However, the native Macintosh operating system will continue to operate normally even if the slave Windows operating system crashes.

Let's go back to the paragraph I wrote near the beginning of this article:

However, one major disadvantage of the Mac is that it doesn't have as many genealogy programs to choose from as does the Windows operating system. Or does it? I would contend that Macintosh has MORE genealogy programs available than does Windows.

Actually, modern Macintosh systems do have more genealogy programs to choose from: several modern and powerful genealogy programs available for their exclusive use as well as all the Windows genealogy programs of today and all the Linux genealogy programs of today. In other words, the Mac user can select from ALL the genealogy programs available today!

Now you know why Macintosh users are such diehard enthusiasts: they have simplicity, reliability, and a wider variety of programs to choose from!

Comments

[Robert Hobson]

I have been using a Mac for 20+ years. The Reunion genealogy program is terrific. I would be hard pressed to think of anything I have ever wanted to do with my genealogy data that I haven't been able to do, and do well, using Reunion.

[Dave]

I used to be a windows user and had been running Legacy. Then when my laptop died, I didn't want to start using Vista, so I bought a Mac and have been much happier. The only hesitation I had with switching to a Mac was that Legacy is only available for Windows. So, I set up windows XP on boot camp. It was an ok solution - I kept all my genealogy work on the pc side and then just booted up under xp whenever I wanted to work on my genealogy. The problem was that I didn't end up working on my genealogy all that often because it became an inconvenience. Then I got parallels and I agree with you that it is a much better solution

[Valerie]

Just a quick comment about what you said about Reunion, that's really just semantics. You said, "Reunion focuses on couples, or 'family units,' always showing a man and a woman in the center of the screen." In Reunion, it does not always have to be a man and a woman that create a family unit. It's very easy to list same-sex couples or "unknown gender" individuals.

[Dick Eastman]

Agreed. It is semantics. BUT, as I wrote: Reunion focuses on couples, or "family units.”

That's not how my mind works. Mentally, I always focus on INDIVIDUALS, not on couples. It makes no difference if the couple is male/female, same sex, adoptive parents, unknown gender, or whatever. Reunion always looks at couples, regardless of the semantics involved.

Most other genealogy programs, but not all, focus on individuals. That is, the data entry screen shows ONE person and then around him or her there are all sorts of related individuals: parents, children, siblings, spouses, etc. The data entry is typically focused on the one individual, not on the couple.

There is nothing right or wrong with either approach; they are both equally valid for genealogy purposes. The only difference is a matter of personal preference. Some people will prefer one method while others will prefer the other method. I pointed it out in the article only because Reunion is unusual in that it is one of the few programs that always focuses on couples. (Personal Ancestral File is another.) Some people will prefer that approach while others will prefer a focus on individuals.

Thanks.

- Dick Eastman

[Brett Berry]

Another OS X genealogy program which shouldn't go unnoticed is Heredis. It is a program from France where it is popular. It is a very capable program which, in my opinion, does a really good job of organizing a lot of information on the screen. Other programs require multiple screens or reports to display a similar amount of information. Its popularity in the US seems to have flattened out. It used to be both an OS X and Windows program, but the developers dropped support for the Windows platform several years ago.

I do not use a native OS X genealogy program. I prefer Genbox running in a virtual Windows XP via Parallels. I have yet to find the power and flexibility in the handling of place names and identifiers, although the look of interface is admittedly dated.

[Howder]

Thanks for this article. It helped me immensely in my purchasing decision, having switched recently to a MacBook.