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Frequently asked questions
What f-tree is, what it costs, what it can reach, and how to move your family between devices.
The basics
Is f-tree really free?
Yes. There is no subscription, no trial, no advertising and no paid tier today. f-tree is open source under the MIT licence, built and maintained by one person.
Exporting and importing your own tree is designed to stay free, whatever else changes.
Is there a limit on how many people I can add?
No. f-tree puts no cap on the number of people in a tree, and there is no paid tier that lifts one. A very large tree is slower to pan and zoom on a phone, which is why the chart can draw initials instead of photographs (Settings, Photos on the chart). Nothing else changes.
Does f-tree need an account or an internet connection?
No account, ever, and no internet connection to use it. Three optional things touch a network, and each is off until you switch it on: the update check, the check for new book templates, and nearby sharing, which talks to a device on the same Wi-Fi.
Where is my family tree stored?
On your own device. The Android app keeps it in a private database on the phone. The Windows and Linux apps keep it in a .ftree file that you choose, and write to it about a second after every change.
Nothing is uploaded, because there is no server to upload to.
Which devices does it run on?
Android 8.0 or newer, Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), and Linux, with a .deb for Ubuntu, Debian and Mint plus a portable folder and an AppImage. There is no macOS or iPhone version yet.
Family trees and relationships
Can I add a relative whose name I don’t know?
Yes, and this is the reason f-tree exists. A person with no name is a valid person: record the great-grandmother nobody wrote down, place her in the family, and give her a name years later without disturbing anything around her. The guide to unknown ancestors covers what to write down and how to date someone you only half remember.
How does the relationship finder work?
Pick any two people and f-tree names how they are related, for example “first cousin once removed” or “mother-in-law”, and lists every person the line runs through. It walks marriages as well as blood relations, because “my wife’s mother” is what people actually ask.
Does it support Hindi?
The interface is in English. The family words are in Hindi: switch Family words to हिन्दी and relationships are named with 65 Hindi kinship terms, such as मामा, चाचा, ताऊ and बुआ. See the complete Hindi relation chart.
Can I import a GEDCOM file?
Not yet. f-tree uses its own documented .ftree format, a ZIP holding a plain tree.json and your photos, which you can read without the app. GEDCOM import and export has not been built.
Can several people work on one tree?
Not at the same time, since there is no shared server. Instead you send one branch as a small file and the other person imports it. The import merges into their tree, never overwrites it, and shows the evidence for any possible duplicate before adding anyone. See how to merge two family trees.
Privacy and trust
What does f-tree know about me?
Nothing. There is no analytics, crash reporting or advertising in the apps or on this website. The privacy page lists every Android permission and what can reach a network.
Is my tree encrypted?
Not by f-tree itself. It relies on your device’s own protection, such as Android’s device encryption and your lock screen, and an exported .ftree is an ordinary ZIP on purpose. If your family history is sensitive, keep it on a device you lock.
Why does Windows warn me when I install it?
The Windows installer is not code-signed, so Windows shows “Windows protected your PC” and lists the publisher as Unknown. Choose More info, then Run anyway. Every file is built in the open by GitHub Actions and has a SHA-256 checksum you can check.
Why isn’t the Android app on the Play Store?
f-tree is installed from a signed APK for now. Your browser and Play Protect will each ask for a confirmation, and the install guide shows exactly what to tap. The APK is signed with a key that stays the same for every release, so an update signed by anyone else refuses to install.
F-Droid, the app store for open-source Android apps, is the next place f-tree is headed.
Sharing and your data
How do I move my tree between my phone and my laptop?
Export a .ftree file and open it on the other device, or use nearby sharing to send it over the Wi-Fi you are both on. Both screens show the same six digits so you know it reached the right device.
What happens to my tree if the project stops?
Your tree is a file you already hold, in a format documented in the repository, and the apps are open source under the MIT licence. Nothing depends on a server staying up.
Can I print my family tree?
Yes. f-tree makes a PDF family book on your own device, with a cover, everyone in the family, a generation at a time and an index. Living people show only a birth year unless you turn full dates on. See the family book.
Not here? Ask on GitHub. Questions there get answered in public, so the next person can find the answer too.
Still deciding?
It’s free, it works offline, and there’s nothing to sign up for. Try it with a single name.