RootsMagic vs WikiTree Sourcer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RootsMagic
Access and explore your family tree on your mobile device. This companion app allows you to view your genealogy data, including media, notes, and sources, in various formats. It also provides helpful tools for research and organization.
- View actual RootsMagic files
- Transfer files via iTunes/DropBox
- Pedigree, Family, Descendant views
- Search ancestors by name/record number
- View media, notes, and sources
- Relationship calculator
- Perpetual calendar
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Your family tree at your fingertips! Now you can easily take and show off your family history with you wherever you go. RootsMagic lets you carry your genealogy on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch! This viewer is designed as a companion product to RootsMagic, the award-winning desktop genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing your family history easy. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced professional, RootsMagic is the perfect tool for you! Features include: Files: * Uses your actual RootsMagic files- no conversion needed * Easily put your family history files on your device through iTunes or DropBox * Keep as many files as you want right on your device * Use the free desktop software to convert other genealogy files including PAF, Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, and GEDCOM into viewable RootsMagic files. Views: * Pedigree, Family, Descendant, and Individual Views to quickly explore your family tree * Browse people by surname and given names * Search ancestors by name or record number * View media, notes, and sources for people, families, events, and facts Lists: * Source list * To-do lists * Research Logs * Media Lists * Address Book * Repository List * Correspondence List * Place List Tools: * Perpetual calendar * Date calculator * Relationship calculator * Soundex calculator Note: Requires RootsMagic desktop family tree software or the free RootsMagic Essentials software to create, edit, or add to your genealogy files.
WikiTree Sourcer
This tool streamlines genealogy research by searching other sites for records and automatically building citations from found data. It also helps locate free versions of original sources across different platforms.
- Search genealogy websites for records
- Extract data to build citations
- Find free versions of original sources
- Minimal performance impact
- Does not modify web pages
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The WikiTree Sourcer extension saves time and typing by assisting WikiTree users with three tasks: 1. From a WikiTree profile page it provides the ability to search other genealogy websites for relevant records. 2. From one of these genealogy websites' records page it can extract data and build a citation. 3. Also from one of these genealogy websites records page it can search other genealogy websites for similar records. For example on an Ancestry page it can help find free versions of the same original source.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: WikiTree Sourcer at 83% against RootsMagic's 35%. WikiTree Sourcer also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months) and rating (4.3 vs 3.9). RootsMagic's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and ratings volume (257 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
WikiTree Sourcer holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RootsMagic has 257 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of RootsMagic's written reviews are positive against 83% of WikiTree Sourcer's.
RootsMagic ships an update every 3 months, WikiTree Sourcer every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RootsMagic | WikiTree Sourcer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (257 ratings) | 4.3 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.7% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 257 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RootsMagic, Inc | Robert Pavey |
Customer experience
RootsMagic
WikiTree Sourcer
Bugs and requests
RootsMagic
Reported bugs
3 issues- Incompatible with newer RootsMagic file formats
- Inability to load or view database files
- Crashing issues on various iOS devices
Requested features
3 requests- Allow editing and adding data on mobile devices
- Integrate with cloud storage services beyond Dropbox
- Improve user interface and navigation
WikiTree Sourcer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
RootsMagic
No in-app purchases
WikiTree Sourcer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RootsMagic free?
Is WikiTree Sourcer free?
Which has better reviews, RootsMagic or WikiTree Sourcer?
Do RootsMagic or WikiTree Sourcer have ads?
Which is updated more often, RootsMagic or WikiTree Sourcer?
Other comparisons
