Genogram Builder vs SmartDraw

The documented templates focus on family trees

SmartDraw starts the workflow in Tree Diagrams with a Family Tree template. It supports photos and a choice of layouts, which fit a family history handout. The same workflow lets people contribute corrections through editing or comments.

For a genogram assignment, list the symbols and connections the marking guide requires before choosing a template. For example, a line showing descent says a different thing from a line describing conflict. In Genogram Builder those meanings are recorded as separate relationships.

Read the annual terms before comparing prices

The advertised SmartDraw Individual price is an introductory monthly equivalent billed annually. Its Team offer has a minimum of three users. Compare the whole year and the number of people who need a licence, especially if the chart is part of a one-off course.

SmartDraw documents PDF, PNG and SVG downloads for family trees. Genogram Builder offers PNG and PDF with a free account and reserves SVG for paid plans. Open a sample file before deciding if either output meets the requirements.

Rebuild from the original family tree

Keep the SmartDraw document and export a PDF to use as a reference. Enter the people and structural connections in Genogram Builder, then add emotional lines, dates and details as separate passes. Compare the finished chart with the source so a name or branch does not disappear.

Try the same family in both tools

Use a fictional case with grandparents Jo and Peter, their daughter Mina and her two children. Give one child a different other parent, and write a note showing that one birth year is approximate. Make the case small enough that a second person can trace all the lines without help. The chart should show both who belongs to each branch and why one detail remains uncertain.

In SmartDraw, begin with a family tree example and put the oldest generation at the top. Move one existing child to the right before adding the second branch. Check how the connectors behave after the move. If the template treats both children as one sibling group, adjust the positions and branch lines until the relationship reads correctly. Keep a legend beside the diagram for any line styles you choose to add.

In Genogram Builder, make the same people and connect each child to the intended parent or partnership. Add the same dates and check the key. Try the same revision by changing a relationship after the draft is complete. Compare what had to be edited in each tool. The test gives you a concrete basis for deciding whether you want to manage the drawing as a general diagram or maintain a set of family relationships you can revisit.

Separate ancestry from the extra notation

A family tree view is often enough for a report that asks who descended from whom. In the test case, the tree should let the reader follow both children to Mina and identify the other parent on each branch. An assessment or assignment may also need a household boundary, a distinction between biological and adoptive relationships or an emotional line. Write down the exact marks required before evaluating either tool.

In a general diagram, use a consistent label and line style for each additional meaning. Draw one copy of the mark in the legend and explain it in a short phrase. Ask a reader to identify the two types of parent connection and one emotional tie from the legend alone. If different line styles look alike at print size, make the marks easier to distinguish or use a short text note.

In a dedicated genogram editor, check whether the named relationship is available and appears in the chart key. The case may still call for a custom mark. If it does, include the definition in the handoff, especially when another person will edit the file. Use the same test on a black-and-white printout if that is how the recipient will read it.

Review the handoff before choosing a tool

Ask whether the recipient needs to change the chart, comment on it or see a final image in a report. When the recipient only needs a picture, test a PDF or image with the title and key at the size it will appear. When two people will maintain the chart, agree on the editable source and check whether the other person can open and revise it.

For a team that already uses SmartDraw, repeat the chart trial in the workspace and plan the team would use. Ask one reviewer to follow the two branches and mark a correction. Make the change in the editable diagram, export again and check that the report still fits on the page. That gives you a comparison of review and delivery effort as well as drawing effort.

For a genogram that will be updated in several sessions, keep a dated reference image and an editable backup at each significant revision. Test that the backup opens before relying on it. A one-page image is useful for the record, while the editable copy is what you need to add another partnership or correct a relationship later. Choose the tool that fits the part of the workflow you will repeat most often.