There are quite a few software packages available to create your family tree, online or offline. The best way to find what is suitable for YOU is to do some research of your own ;) I have provided some links here for some of the available software, together with a description from the download site or the developer's site, to give you a starting point. I have only listed a small percentage of what's actually available, so please only use this as a guide! If you're on a mailing list, I recommend asking for advice or opinions if you've never used a genealogical software program. There will be a wealth of information amongst members of a mailing list and they will be more than willing to help, or at least put in their two bob's worth! ;) Remember to check with the list owner to verify this is an acceptable topic before posting!!

All software names are clickable and will take you either to a download site or a web site regarding that software. I do not recommend or endorse any of these software programs as some I have never tried. I myself use Personal Ancestral File software and find it suits my needs adequately ... it's also free! ;) I have recently acquired Family Tree Maker and am now using this, however, I personally feel that some features of PAF are better than FTW.

For those of you using a Mac, links to software that is strictly for your computer are in red (don't quote me on the strictly bit though!). Good luck with your search and may your tree never drop its leaves :D

Legacy Family Tree 5.0 Deluxe Edition is now available for US$19.95 at the time of updating this page (August 2005). The list of features for this program is endless. Without a general description of the program, it would be easier to read the site information yourself and decide whether or not this is the program for you.

3D Family Tree 1.1 is designed to help you use the power of 3D viewing to see the complex relationships in your family tree such as generations, siblings, and marriages. 3D Family Tree turns your personal data into a 3D tree that can be rotated, zoomed, or expanded to meet your viewing needs. In this shareware version you can view only the Kennedy family tree and not your own data. The registration price is $30.

Ages - Family Tree Database 1.3 - The Ages Family Tree Database is a genealogy software for your family tree. Its intuitive user interface lets you easily enter your data. It includes integrated notes and image management, a complete set of events, and a flexible entry of dates (between 1794 and 1797). It is highly compatible through direct usage of GEDCOM files and suitable for even large trees (tested with more than 50,000 individuals). Version 1.3 features integrated source management and Windows 2000/XP compatibility. (Please note that on Download.com where I got this information there is a 100% satisfaction rating, although only 4 ratings have been given and apparently received 5 out of 5 cows by Tucows)

Ancestral Quest 3.0 makes it possible for anyone to perform genealogy. It is easy to learn and fun to use. Version 2.1 adds custom reporting, generation of a Web page from your data, event calendars, new LDS features, and the ability to select an entire branch of your family tree.

Brother's Keeper is a Windows genealogy shareware program that will help you organize your family history information. It also lets you print a large variety of charts and reports. The registration price is $49.

GenoPro is a program for building genograms. GenoPro is intuitively easy to learn, simple to use, yet capable of handling the most complex genealogy trees. GenoPro can insert unlimited pictures for each individual and family, and help you to create a CD-ROM of your family album. GenoPro has a powerful report generator to generate detailed reports in the language of your choice. Those reports can be printed using Word or published on the Web using your Internet connection. GenoPro has built-in reports in 12 languages and you are welcome to add your own language or customize an existing report to your taste. GenoPro has an excellent tool to compile statistics about your family and ancestry. With a few mouse clicks, you can find everything from the oldest ancestor to the largest family to the individual most divorced. GenoPro can import and export your family tree in the GEDCOM format so you can share your data with other genealogy softwares. This new version has the TableLayout to find errors or missing data, and can create interactive reports in the language of your choice.

Personal Ancestral File 5.0 is a new Windows® based version of one of the most widely-used genealogical management programs for home computers. The popular new software program can be downloaded free of charge via the Internet. PAF 4.0 does not provide genealogical data. Instead, its program helps users organize their family history records. It can produce, in automated or manual form, records for personal family histories or charts and logs to help users in their search for missing ancestors.

Cumberland Family Tree is a powerful second generation genealogy program - many features, multi-lingual, easy-to-use! Automatically links names as they are added to the database. Include 250 events per person, multiple marriages, scanned photos and documents, sources, stories and more... Print 31 different reports. Even create your very own indexed family history book! The major concept of CFT-Win centers around creating your very own Family History Book (although the program still maintains the capability of printing individual reports). The body of your book will likely consist of the unique "Story" reports, which have the capability of taking your dry data - such as dates and places - and structuring them into a delightful readable form. By allowing you to add up to 250 events in a persons life and attaching notes to those events you can easily create a full and complete biography on each individual in the database! Imagine showing ALL major events of a person's life in this fashion: births, church ordinances, schooling, addresses, immigrations, marriages, occupations, travels, awards, deaths, burials and any other life event you could think of! In addition, you can easily document your data with source notes which can be end-noted when printing the story reports. The Indexed Book will keep track of all individuals as you create the book and at the end show an index of every individual in the book - plus you can print the source notes which will have been footnoted througout the book. And if you think the Indexed Book is a wonderful idea, imagine what it will be like when you add photographs and scanned documents! A wide variety of Photo reports can also be generated: pedigree charts with photos, descendant charts with photos, family groups charts and even a photo album.

Gene Macintosh Genealogy Software is a shareware genealogy database for the Macintosh. Use Gene to store family data and notes, draw and print family trees and pedigree charts, create web pages from your database, and exchange GEDCOM data with users of other genealogy programs. Gene is capable of handling complicated databases with thousands of names, multiple marriages and divorces, adoptions, illegitimate children, and intermarriage between relatives.

Although Family Origins Version 10.0 is the easiest to use genealogy software available, it is also one of the most powerful. It has the following features: open up to 9 databases at once; drag and drop people between databases; open multiple copies (and views) of the same database; unlimited people, facts, notes, sources, places; over 50 predefined fact types (birth, marriage, death, occupation, religion, etc), or create your own; create user defined family fact types (in addition to individual fact types); easily track multiple relationships, such as adoptions, foster parents, etc; integrated backup and restore help safeguard your data; support for international character sets; family Origins Explorer lets you easily find and edit anyone in your family tree; marriage lists lets you search by marriage (including wife's maiden name); select full ancestor or descendant trees for GEDCOM, reports, etc.; select all related individuals for GEDCOM, reports, etc.; a true 32 bit program; print heirloom quality trees; print detailed family stories with full documentation; dozens of useful reports; multimedia scrapbook; put your family on the world wide web; quick and easy; powerful search capabilities; professional documentation; full GEDCOM 5.5 support so you can exchange data with other programs; includes many useful tools; powerful database merging; and full LDS support.