A Genealogy Decision - Post 2 ... Current Sales on Alternative Genealogy Software

Note: This article was originally posted at 7:52 p.m. ET on December 13, 2015. It was updated to fix an html problem.

So with A Genealogy Decision - Post 1 we looked at the facts and what this means to us. With this second post we're going to start investigating what alternative genealogy database software exist BUT first we are going to focus on the current sales of these alternative genealogy software options because some of these sales won't last long.

Two of the first steps we have to take are: figuring out what options are out there and learning what various reviews have said. 

We suggest starting with reviews like the Top Ten Reviews with side-by-side comparisons of the various features of different programs or the ones that have been printed in various genealogy-focused magazines. Family Tree Magazine put together lists of PC genealogy programs and Mac genealogy programs recently and they are available at its website. There is also a genealogy software comparison chart over at wikipedia.

Starting this way will let you know what options are out there and the opinions of others who may spot something about the software you might miss yourself. (Many software options might get buried in the many results of a search engine query.)

So having learned what possibilities are out there and how they have been rated take note of the software programs that interest you.

Normally now it would be time for you to investigate some of these programs further. 

And you will do some investigation ... but holiday sales and "because FTM is retiring" sales are going on right now and they will not last forever. We want to point these sales out first so if any of these software options are on your investigate list you can start looking at these now and perhaps take advantage of the sale opportunities.

So What is on Sale?
Legacy Family Tree
There's a holiday sale on Legacy Family Tree until December 31, 2015.  You can purchase the Deluxe* software as a download or on CD and there are various bundled packages. The holiday sale includes books and other products also.

• The "Legacy 8.0 Download Bundle" including the software and PDF manual via download is on sale for $24.95 ($34.95 regular price)
• The "Legacy 8.0 Deluxe" including just the software via download on sale for $19.95 ($29.95 regular price)
• The "Legacy 8.0 Deluxe software on CD & download with PDF manual" is on sale for $29.95 ($39.95 regular price)
• The "Legacy 8.0 Deluxe Bundle including software on CD & download, PDF manual and training CD volume 1" is on sale for $49.95 ($59.95 regular price)

There are shipping/handling costs for any items that require shipping.

*Note: the Legacy standard version is free and fully-functioning. The Deluxe version unlocks over 100 features.

RootsMagic
RootsMagic announced on its blog it is having a "because FTM is retiring sale" on its RootsMagic 7 software. The sale is the same as it's Holiday sale. Using a special webpage set up for the sale, Family Tree Maker users will get the full version of RootsMagic 7 for $20 and get the printed book, "Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic" absolutely free ($14.95 value.) This is a limited time offer, however no end date of the sale has been spotted on the special sale webpage.

MyHeritage's Family Tree Builder 7.0
Via My Heritage's blog on December 11, MyHeritage.com began offering FTM users to join its site and get its Family Tree Builder software with an unlimited size Family Site for free.

To get the unlimited Family Site for free, the blog post says:

Former FTM users: after installing Family Tree Builder, we recommend that you sync your family tree with your MyHeritage family site. You'll get many benefits such as enhanced Smart Matches and Record Matches, ability to view and edit your tree using our free mobile apps, robust online backup of your tree data, and more.  If you choose to sync, we will be happy to gift you with unlimited tree size capacity on your online family site, which is normally limited to 250 individuals on a free account. Simply email our support team at upgrade@myheritage.com to ask for this free upgrade. Feel free to email us if you have any questions regarding the transfer of your data to Family Tree Builder.  

The Family Tree Builder software is actually a free program and it is available for Windows and Mac. Currently the software program has a limitation of 100,000 people. According to MyHeritage, it plans to release version 8.0 in early 2016 which will support up to 500,000 individuals.

The MyHeritage website offers records/search subscriptions and family site subscriptions. As with any subscription website, determine if its records/locations availability and subscription pricing fits your research needs before you subscribe.

Family Historian 
Calico Pie Ltd., the makers of Family Historian 6 hail from the United Kingdom. The company is welcoming current Family Tree Maker users with 20 percent off a Family Historian license. The software is available for download from the website for $46.50 in US dollars. The sale price would be $37.20 in US dollars.

Ancestral Quest
The makers of Ancestral Quest 14 are offering a $10 competitive discount for a limited time. Details and the promo code are given on a special page on the website. The download Windows version is regularly $29.95 and the download only Mac version is $38.95 regularly. A CD of the Windows version is regularly $34.95 plus shipping and handling. Ancestral Quest is similar to the old, discontinued Personal Ancestral File (PAF) program.

Heredis
There is a holiday sale of Heredis 2015 going on until January 3, 2016. This European company's Windows software download is half off so instead of $29.99 the full version is now $14.99 US dollars. If you own any previous version of Heredis, the upgrade is also half off so instead of $19.99 the upgrade cost is now $9.99 US dollars. The Heredis 2015 Mac version is also half off from either the website or the Apple store so instead of $49.99 it is now $24.99 US dollars.

Brother's Keeper
The maker of Brothers Keeper 7.1 is not having a sale at the moment. The cost of the full registered program is $45.00 for a new user. If you have a previous version the cost of an upgrade to version 7.1 with a manual is $24.00 or $19.00 for just a CD with the upgrade. There is a trail version which does not have either a time or individual count limitation but does have some features locked.

MacFamilyTree
Synium Software, the maker of MacFamilyTree is offering a welcome discount to Family Tree Maker users who use Mac computers. MacFamilyTree 7 and MobileFamilyTree 7 are now half off making the sale pricing now $24.99 for MacFamily Tree and $7.99 for MobileFamilyTree. There is a demo version of MacFamilyTree with the saving and printing features disabled.

Reunion (for Mac only)
Leister Pro, the maker of Reunion, is not having a sale at the moment either. Both the download only and CD version of the software cost $99.00 for new users. If you own a previous version of the software, $49.95 is the upgrade cost.

Of course there are more alternative genealogy software options out there and some of those may be having sales also or some of them may even be free programs. Investigate and see what interests you.

So in our next post "A Genealogy Decision - Post 3 ... Alternative Genealogy Database Software" we return to the next steps of investigating software options further and provide you with information (and links) for some of the various program choices out there to hopefully make this decision process easier.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE