The Best Family Tree Software for Total Data Privacy

Online trees are convenient, but some researchers prefer to keep sensitive family data on their own computer.

Gramps

Free and open source. Your data lives locally, and it handles complex research well.

RootsMagic

A local database you control, with optional syncing that you can switch off entirely.

Privacy tips

• Mark living people as private in any tree you share.
• Export GEDCOM backups regularly.
• Encrypt the backups you store in the cloud.

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