RootsMagic Essentials

RootsMagic Essentials is the free counterpart to RootsMagic 4 (*Est. $30), and it shares many of the same features, including the easy-to-navigate interface. The main differences are that there's no built-in web search or web page creation and you don't get free technical support. Randy Seaver, a genealogy teacher, says Essentials has nearly all the features a novice genealogist could want. You can add and edit an unlimited number of family members, create basic reports and save data as a Genealogical Data Communication (GEDCOM) file (GEDCOM files are compatible with many genealogy programs and is a sort-of universal file format for genealogy research). You can easily upgrade to the paid version should you want more advanced reports or the ability to create wall charts. Eastman says that RootsMagic Essentials is more powerful than the "old fashioned" Personal Ancestral File (Free download).

RootsMagic Essentials gets brief overviews from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and Genea-Musings.com. Download.com reviews the trial version of RootsMagic 4, which has similar features to Essentials, while Amazon.com reviews of RootsMagic 4 offer a glimpse into how the software works on an ongoing basis.