With Ancestry’s TreeSync having recently been discontinued, and replaced by MacKiev’s FamilySync, it has left many Family Tree Maker users wondering what to do.
While you could upgrade to Family Tree Maker 2017, if you’re not 100% sure about it, there is actually an alternative, and that is RootsMagic.
RootsMagic recently had the following to say ….
… the question everyone has been asking has been, “Will any other software be able to search and share data with Ancestry? Today, we finally have an answer to that question: “Yes!” We’re pleased to announce that we will be working with Ancestry to bring these features to RootsMagic in the near future.
Search – RootsMagic’s WebHints will search Ancestry’s extensive collections of historical records from around the world and let you download those records into your own file.
Share – RootsMagic’s TreeShare will let you share data between your RootsMagic files on your computer with your personal Ancestry online trees. You’ll also be able to download people, events, and even pictures from Ancestry onto your computer through RootsMagic.
Import – RootsMagic will be able to directly import your Family Tree Maker files, without having to go through an intermediate GEDCOM file, giving you the cleanest, most complete transfer of your data. RootsMagic will also be able to download your online trees from Ancestry.
For answers a heap of other questions that I’m sure you have, the team at RootsMagic have put together a long list of FAQs for you, which you can find here: http://www.rootsmagic.com/ancestry/default.aspx.
Just to be clear, the syncing feature in RootsMagic is NOT YET AVAILABLE, but it is coming soon, and it will be a free update for anyone who already has RootsMagic 7. So keep an eye on our blog, or even better, sign up to RootsMagic, and they will let you know when it’s available.
RootsMagic is one of the world’s best genealogy programs having been around since 2003, and has proven itself as a good quality, easy-to-use, and well supported program. Currently made for the PC, RootsMagic do have a way of making it work on a Mac, but also claim that they are working on a native Mac version.
The team at RootsMagic believe in letting you “try-before-you-buy”, so they have created the RootsMagic Essentials version, which you can download for FREE. This is simply a cut-down version of the paid version, but it is still very useable, and certainly enough to see if this program will work for you. So why not give RootsMagic a try.
TRY IT OUT: Download RootsMagic Essentials here
BUY IT NOW: Buy RootsMagic 7 here
That quote is a very old and very unfulfilled statement. It might happen by yearend 2017 (or not again). Their mac version is even further down the pipeline since that team is working on tree sync.
However, Family Tree Maker from MacKiev is currently field testing the new Ancestry tree sync and will release the new version probably within a month. Pricing is very reasonable and those who purchased in the last year are grandfathered in. The current FTM version from MacKiev is a fast stable program that worked well with Ancestry. MacKiev spent a year on bug fixes and performance after Ancestry dumped the program and it showed.
Hi John, thanks for your comments, and I agree FTM is a great program, and we look forward to the release of FTM 2017 soon.
I did a test run bringing FTM 2014.1 database over to RootsMagic–it was GREAT! Loved it! Now I wonder, since I’m upgrading to FTM 2017, too, will I be able to moved my database from FTM 2017 to RootsMagic with the same success? Not sure if RootsMagic is working with this one, too. If it’s not then I will use the data from 2014 and make my changes later. Any hints?
Thank you, Sandra