Genealogy Software Upgrades: Should You Do It?

With the holidays fast-approaching, we’re bound to see ads for next year’s genealogy software popping up (if they’re not already). But do you really need to upgrade? I’m a relatively tech-savvy individual. But that doesn’t mean I run out to buy the latest (greatest?) genealogy software every time it’s released. And I have a few reasons for that:

  • Most updates don’t contain enough new features or any one big new feature that makes it worth the upgrade cost.
  • Many new releases are buggy so I prefer to wait a bit (maybe this comes from being married to a software developer and hearing all the horror stories).
  • New software means a new time investment, either to import data from the old version or to learn the new version. This time of year (when new versions often come out) I’m too busy with my year-end business goals and prepping plans for my company in the new year to worry about these immediate updates.

What about you? Do you upgrade your genealogy software every time a new version is released? Do you wait or do it right away? Or are you more choosier about which upgrades you purchase? Tell me in the comments.

Jenn is a professional writer and publisher, and the founder of Climb Your Family Tree.

She first became interested in genealogy as a teenager. Since that early start, she's spent 28 years putting her personal passion and professional research skills to use in exploring her own family history while assisting others in their genealogical journeys.

In addition to running Climb Your Family Tree, Jenn is a long-time PR, social media, and online marketing specialist and she's been a digital publisher / web developer for over 20 years. She owns a variety of web properties including All Freelance Writing, Freelance Writing Pros, Kiss My Biz, and NakedPR.

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