What is Family Tree Maker?
Family Tree Maker is a free, browser-based tool in the Design & CSS suite. Add family members with birth and death years, link them to parents and partners, and watch generations stack automatically. Export as JSON.
The headline benefit: build an interactive family tree with partners and generations.
Unlike most online tools that upload your file to a server, process it, and send it back, Family Tree Maker runs entirely in your browser. Open DevTools → Network while using it and you'll see zero file-upload requests — only static assets (JavaScript, CSS, fonts) load. Your data never leaves your device.
Why use this family tree maker?
Three reasons EasyFileKit's Family Tree Maker stands out from the crowd:
Private by design — all processing happens locally via JavaScript and WebAssembly. No server ever sees your input.
Instant — no upload wait, no queue, no server round-trip. Results appear the moment you act.
Free & unlimited — no accounts, no watermarks, no daily caps. Use it as many times as you like.
How to use Family Tree Maker — step by step
Here's the complete walkthrough. Everything happens instantly in your browser:
Step 1. Add family members with names and birth/death years.
Step 2. Link each person to a parent and an optional partner.
Step 3. Generations stack automatically.
Step 4. Export your tree as JSON.
That's it. No sign-up, no upload bar, no waiting. If something doesn't work as expected, check the FAQ below.
Common use cases for Family Tree Maker
People reach for Family Tree Maker in a few recurring situations:
When you need the result now and can't wait for a server-based tool to upload, queue, and process your file.
When your file is private or sensitive — financial documents, personal photos, medical PDFs — and you don't want it travelling across the internet.
When you're on a slow or metered connection — uploading a 50 MB file just to compress it makes no sense when the same work can happen locally.
When you've hit the daily limit or paywall on another "free" tool site.
Privacy: what actually happens to your data
This is the single most important point about Family Tree Maker, so it deserves its own section.
You can verify this yourself in under 30 seconds:
Open Family Tree Maker in your browser.
Press F12 to open DevTools.
Switch to the Network tab and tick "Disable cache".
Use the tool — drop a file, type text, whatever the tool needs.
Watch the Network log. You'll see only static assets (JS, CSS, fonts, icons). No request contains your data.
This isn't a setting you toggle or a promise in a privacy policy — it's how the tool is architecturally built. There is no upload endpoint to call.
Family Tree Maker: EasyFileKit vs server-based tools
Most "free" online tools that do what Family Tree Maker does follow the same model: you upload your file to their server, they process it with a backend script, then they send the result back. Here's the honest comparison:
| Feature | EasyFileKit | Server-based tools |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Instant (no upload) | Slower (upload + queue + download) |
| Privacy | Complete | Your file is on someone else's computer |
| Cost | Free, unlimited | Often capped or "premium" gated |
| Works offline | Yes (PWA) | No |
|---|---|---|
Server-based tools aren't evil — they exist because some tasks genuinely need heavy backend compute. But for everything Family Tree Maker does, client-side processing is strictly better for you.
Under the hood: how Family Tree Maker works
Family Tree Maker is built with modern browser APIs. Depending on what it does, it may use:
Canvas API — for image manipulation (pixel-level access, filters, resizing).
Web Crypto API — native, hardware-accelerated cryptography (AES-GCM, SHA-256, PBKDF2) for any encryption or hashing.
pdf-lib / pdf.js — fully client-side PDF creation and rendering.
MediaRecorder API — for capturing screen, audio, and video.
WebAssembly — for heavy codecs (image compression, media processing).
All of these run inside your browser's sandbox. They cannot access your filesystem (beyond files you explicitly choose), cannot make network requests with your data, and cannot run persistently in the background.
Pro tips for getting the most out of Family Tree Maker
Bookmark the tool — it works offline once cached, so you can use it even without a connection.
Install EasyFileKit as a PWA — open the browser menu and choose "Install app" for a standalone window and offline access.
Use it on mobile — every tool is fully responsive and works on phones and tablets, not just desktops.
No file size anxiety — because nothing uploads, you can process large files that server-based tools would reject or charge for.
Frequently asked questions about Family Tree Maker
Q: How are generations calculated?
A: We traverse from root members (those with no parent) and group descendants by depth, so each generation lands on its own row.
Q: Can one person have multiple partners?
A: The current version supports one partner per person. You can add half-siblings by setting their parent to either side.
Q: What happens when I delete someone?
A: Their children's parent pointer is reset to root, so the tree stays intact.
Q: Can I export?
A: Yes — your tree is exported as JSON for backup or re-import.
Try Family Tree Maker now
The tool is right above this article — scroll up and start using it. No sign-up, no upload, no limits.
If you found Family Tree Maker useful, explore the rest of the Design & CSS suite — there are more tools that work the same private, instant, free way. And if you have a question that isn't covered in the FAQ above, the About page has our contact email.