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Family Tree Maker vs Gramps (best genealogy software for mac)

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Winner
User Friendly
Value for Money
Customer Support
Feature Richness
Accuracy
Integration with Other Tools
Mobile App
Research Tools
Data Safety
Updates and Upgrades
FREE / PAID
Family Tree Maker offers a one-time purchase price 🔖 at $79.95 with optional upgrades 💼 available for additional costs.
Gramps is a completely free 💸 open source software 🌐 and has no monetization 🚫 or subscription fees 💰.
Conclusion

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Exemplary tool for creating detailed genealogical data 😊 and interactive family trees 🌳. High cost 💸 may discourage some users.

😁 Free software solution for genealogists 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 offering intricate details. Usability 🎛 and complex user interface may seem overwhelming 😟.

Family Tree Maker Pros & Cons

Top Pros
  • 💼 Comprehensive feature set

  • 🔄 Seamless integration with Ancestry.com

  • 💡 Regular updates and improvements

  • 🔐 Enhances data safety

  • 📱 Mobile version available

Gramps Pros & Cons

Top Pros
  • 💸 100% free

  • 🌍 Open source with international contributors

  • 🔄 Allows custom reporting

  • 🛠 Allows drill deep information

  • 💽 Supports large databases

  • 🔒 Good security for data

Top Cons
  • 💰 High price point

  • 🖥 No Linux version available

  • 🗓 Lacks a blog calendar

  • 🌐 Limited web search function

  • 🧩 Requires third-party plugins for additional tools

  • 🔄 Syncing with trees can sometimes be slow

Top Cons
  • 😵 Complex user interface

  • 🤔 Steep learning curve

  • 🗂 Not suitable for casual users

  • 📖 Documentation lacks depth

  • 🌍 Limited language support

Other best genealogy software for mac

3

💪 Powerful genealogical software offering immense detailing 👥. Costs may seem high 💰 and less intuitive for beginners 😵.

4

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A comprehensive platform with extensive databases 📊. Requires subscription 💸 and can be a bit complicated for first-time users 🤔.

5

😃 User-friendly software with extensive features 👥. However, it’s pricey 💸 and does not offer a free trial 🚫.

FAQ

There are several genealogy software platforms compatible with Mac, including Family Tree Maker, Gramps, Heredis, Reunion, and MacFamilyTree. They offer various features designed to assist users in creating, maintaining, and presenting their family trees and genealogical research.

Yes, Family Tree Maker is fully compatible with Mac systems. You can comfortably run it on your Mac device to compile and organize your genealogical data.

Family Tree Maker provides an array of features like integrated web search, color coding, photo-darkroom, family tree publishing wizards, and interactive street maps, among many other features. These functionalities help users to locate historical details about their ancestors with ease.

Yes, Family Tree Maker can sync with Ancestry.com. This feature allows users to access and update their family trees, whether offline on Family Tree Maker or online on Ancestry.com.

Yes, Gramps is compatible with Mac devices. It’s an open-source genealogy software that can be installed and run on Mac systems without any issues.

Gramps offers features such as detailed reports, gramplets, graph view, narrated web reports, and comprehensive genealogical research capabilities. These tools provide the means for extensive and flexible genealogical research.

The cost of Family Tree Maker for Mac might vary depending on the version and location. Generally, it’s around $79.95 for a physical copy. For the most accurate price, it’s advised to check their official website.

Yes, software updates for Family Tree Maker are included within the purchase. You’ll receive notifications about available updates which you can download to keep your software up-to-date.

Yes, Gramps being an open-source software, continues to provide updates. Users can easily download them from the Gramps project website without any additional cost.

Absolutely, Gramps has many professional-grade features that allow deep, detailed, and extensive genealogical research, making it a suitable choice for professional researchers.

Family Tree Maker offers robust customer support. Users can contact their help desk for any technical issues they might face while using the software.

Gramps being an open-source software, does not offer formal customer service like proprietary software. However, there are several online forums, help guides, and user communities where you can find support and answers to any problems you may encounter.

No, Family Tree Maker does not currently offer a mobile application. However, you can access your synced tree on Ancestry.com through their mobile app.

The Family Tree Maker interface is user-friendly and intuitive. It displays a main workspace where the tree is visible, and a dashboard/tab area where you can access features like charts, reports, and geographical locations, etc.

Gramps has a structured layout that includes navigation bar, views panel, and work area. The layout is quite user-friendly, although some users might find it slightly more technical than typical consumer-level genealogy software due to its extensive research tools.

Family Tree Maker accepts .ftm and .ftmb files. The software can also import data from .ged (GEDCOM) files, which are universally accepted by most genealogy software.

Gramps supports .gramps, .ged (GEDCOM), .gw (Geneweb), and .csv files. .gramps is the software’s native format, while others are standard formats used in genealogical research.

Yes, Family Tree Maker offers a variety of chart and diagram options. You can create ancestor, descendant, hourglass, and fan charts, etc., along with various styles of family trees.

Yes, Gramps also offers a range of family tree chart options, including ancestor charts, descendant graphs, timeline charts, etc.

Yes, Family Tree Maker is fully compatible with Mac operating systems. You can download the software directly from the MacKiev website, which is the official reseller of the Family Tree Maker software.

Gramps, which stands for Genealogical Research and Analysis Management Programming System, is a free, open-source genealogy software. It’s suitable for amateur and professional genealogists who prefer to maintain a high level of control over their data.

Family Tree Maker offers various features including charting capabilities, record searching, data management, and synchronization with online ancestry.com trees. It also provides rich editing tools and visual representations of family relationships.

Yes, Gramps is a platform-independent software, meaning it is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. You can download the software from the official Gramps website.

Yes, Family Tree Maker integrates with Ancestry.com, allowing users to upload, download, and synchronize family tree data between the software and the website. This functionality enhances the ability to share and collaborate on genealogical research.

Gramps offers a wide variety of customizable charts and reports, including pedigree, descendant, hourglass, and timeline charts. Like Family Tree Maker, it also provides capabilities for data visualization and analytics.

Yes, with Family Tree Maker, you can easily attach photographs, documents, audio clips, and video files to individuals in your tree. This feature allows you to enhance your genealogical research with personal memorabilia.

Although Gramps is a powerful tool with extensive features, it may have a steep learning curve for total beginners. However, the software offers detailed user manuals and an active online community for peer support.

Yes, Family Tree Maker has a backup feature that users can use to secure their data. You can select the specific data you want to back up and even choose your preferred backup location.

Yes, Gramps supports the GEDCOM format, which is a standardized format for genealogy data. Thus, users can import data from any other genealogy software that supports GEDCOM files.

Family Tree Maker for Mac can be purchased directly from the MacKiev website. Both digital downloads and physical copies are available for purchase.

No, Gramps is a free, open-source software, meaning it doesn’t require any subscription or payment. You can simply download the software from the official Gramps website and start using it.

Yes, Family Tree Maker supports multiple languages, including English, French, German, Swedish, and more. This makes it accessible for non-English speakers who wish to explore their ancestry.

Gramps also supports multiple languages including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, and others. This promotes inclusivity and makes the software accessible for a diverse set of users.

Yes, you can share your Family Tree Maker data natively, either via email or by publishing your family tree data online. This supports collaboration and sharing of genealogical information with family and peers.

In Gramps, users can share their research by exporting their data to various formats like HTML, pdf, svg, and more. You can then share these files with others through any medium of your choice.

The frequency of updates for Family Tree Maker can vary. The developer, MacKiev, does provide regular updates to improve functionality and solve potential issues. Users are encouraged to check the official MacKiev website for the latest software updates.

Your data with Gramps is secure as it is stored locally on your system. As an open-source software, it doesn’t share your data with third parties without your permission. In addition, Gramps offers password-protection for databases to ensure data safety.

If your Family Tree Maker data accidentally gets deleted, you can restore your data using the backup feature. It is always recommended to regularly backup your genealogy data to prevent data loss.

Yes, you can transfer your genealogy data from Family Tree Maker to Gramps. Both software support the GEDCOM file format, which allows for the smooth transfer of data between different genealogy software.