Files are the truth
No proprietary database, no lock-in. The vault is plain markdown + your photos — anything that backs up folders backs up your genealogy.
Your family tree, as plain files.
StemmaFiles is a fast desktop genealogy app whose database is a folder of readable markdown notes — compatible with Obsidian, versioned with git, backed up like any folder. Your research outlives the app. No account, no subscription, no cloud required.
Alpha — Windows first; Linux and macOS builds are planned. Free while in testing.
GEDCOM in, GEDCOM out
Import from Family Tree Maker, RootsMagic, Gramps, Ancestry or MyHeritage and export back — with a no-data-loss policy covering sources, citations, name pieces, coordinates and vendor tags.
Trees, graphs, maps, timelines
An hourglass tree with portraits, an Obsidian-style live graph, a world map with life paths and a time slider, a timeline — all offline, all fast even at 30,000 people.
Evidence-first research
First-class sources with fact-level citations and certainty, a research log for brick walls, conflict detection, and a research-health dashboard.
Print-ready reports
Seven PDF artifacts: family sheet, Ahnentafel, descendant register, pedigree chart, fan chart, person summary — and a compiled family book with a name index.
Your tree as a website
One click exports a private, portable website — clickable family tree, person pages, photos, living people anonymized. Send it to your family as a zip; no account needed to view it.
A look inside
No database. A folder.
Every person is one readable note: structured facts in the header, your prose below, relationships as links. Open it in Obsidian or any text editor — today, and in thirty years.
MyFamily/ ├── Persons/ Jan Kowalski (1888–1942).md ← one note per person ├── Places/ Warszawa.md ← curated places with coordinates ├── Sources/ 1900 Census.md ← sources cited by facts ├── Research/ Who was Anna's father.md ← research questions & logs ├── Media/ jan-portrait.jpg ← photos and document scans └── .git/ ← automatic snapshot history
Download
StemmaFiles is in alpha. The first public Windows build is being prepared — the download will appear here.
Windows installer — coming soon
Until release: write to contact@stemmafiles.com to join early testing.
Questions
Is my data locked in?
No — the opposite is the point. Your vault is a folder of readable markdown files that works in Obsidian or any text editor, plus standard GEDCOM export. If StemmaFiles disappeared tomorrow, you would lose nothing.
Do I need Obsidian?
No. StemmaFiles is a standalone desktop app. The vault merely follows Obsidian's conventions, so if you do use Obsidian (including on your phone), it opens the same files.
Does it work offline? Is there tracking?
Fully offline: embedded world basemap and place index included. Online geocoding is strictly opt-in. The app sends no telemetry, and this website sets no cookies.
What does it cost?
It is free during alpha testing. A paid license (one-time or low-cost — not a subscription that holds your data hostage) is planned for the stable release. Your files stay yours either way.
Windows says it protected my PC — why?
Early builds are not yet code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen shows a warning. Click “More info” → “Run anyway”. Signing is planned before the public release.
Which platforms are supported?
Windows first. The app is built cross-platform (Rust); Linux (.deb/AppImage) and macOS (.dmg) installers are on the roadmap.