Free online genogram maker and creator
Create a genogram in minutes. Add family members, draw relationships and emotional bonds, mark medical history, then export to PNG or PDF. No signup needed.
Last updated July 2026. Based on McGoldrick et al., Genograms: Assessment and Treatment (4th ed., 2020).
- Standard McGoldrick-Gerson notation
- 66+ relationship and emotional bond lines
- No signup to build or export
What is a genogram?
A genogram is a detailed family map. It goes beyond a family tree by charting relationships, emotional bonds, and medical history across generations in standard McGoldrick-Gerson notation. Therapists, social workers, and medical teams use them to spot patterns at a glance.
Learn more about genogramsHow to make a genogram
Build a complete family map in four steps, in the editor above.
- 1
Add family members
- Click Add Individual in the toolbar, then click the canvas to place a person: a square for a male, a circle for a female, a diamond when gender is unknown.
- Set the name and gender in the panel on the right.
- Start with the person the genogram centers on, then work outward through partners, parents, and children.
- Drag symbols to rearrange, or click auto-arrange to tidy the layout.
- 2
Connect partners, parents, and children
- Select a person and add parents, a partner, or a child from the toolbar. Each is placed and connected for you.
- To link two people already on the canvas, drag one of the blue bubbles: sideways for a partner, top for a parent, bottom for a child.
- Pick the couple line type: marriage, divorce, cohabitation, engagement, widowhood, and more.
- Mark parent-child lines as biological, adopted, or foster.
- 3
Mark medical history and emotional bonds
- Record birth and death dates, and mark deceased family members.
- Add color-coded medical conditions. They fill the symbol, so hereditary patterns stand out.
- Draw emotional bond lines between any two people: close, fused, distant, cut-off, conflict, and the rest of the 37 standard patterns.
- The legend explains every symbol and line you used, so the genogram reads on its own.
- 4
Export your genogram
- Click Finish & Export in the top right.
- Choose PNG for documents and slides, or PDF for print.
- Include the legend and background, or leave them out.
- Download before you close the tab; the free editor does not store your work. A free 7-day trial saves it to an account so you can keep editing.
For what to ask the family and what belongs on the diagram, read the how to make a genogram guide. Every editor feature is in the documentation.
Genogram creator with AI
The free maker above is manual. Genogram Pro adds an AI genogram creator: describe the family in plain text and it draws the people, relationships, emotional bonds, and medical conditions in standard notation. You edit the result like any other genogram.
Most useful for large families or intake notes you already have in writing. AI generation is a paid feature, included in the 7-day free trial.
Why Genogram Pro?
Most free genogram makers are design or diagramming apps with a template dropped on top. You get blank shapes and wire up the notation yourself. Genogram Pro builds the symbols, relationship rules, and layout into the tool.
Generic diagram and design tools
- You start from a template and rearrange plain shapes by hand
- Squares and circles carry no built-in genogram meaning
- Relationship lines are generic connectors you style yourself
- Medical history and emotional bonds are not modeled
- The layout drifts out of alignment as the family grows
Genogram Pro
- Built only for genograms, with no template to wrangle
- Standard symbols for gender, vital status, and orientation
- 66+ correct relationship and emotional bond line types
- Color-coded medical conditions on each individual
- Add parents, children, and siblings with one click
How the common alternatives compare
| Feature | Genogram Pro | Canva | Word / Google Docs | Lucidchart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genogram symbols | Built in, standard notation | Template shapes you restyle | Manual shapes and text boxes | Generic shape library |
| Relationship and bond lines | 66+ line types | Generic connectors | Manual lines | Generic connectors |
| Medical condition tracking | Color-coded per person | None | None | None |
| One-click relatives | Parents, partners, children | No | No | No |
| Layout cleanup | One-click auto-arrange | Manual | Manual | Manual |
Full comparisons: Genogram Pro vs Canva and Genogram Pro vs Lucidchart.
Genogram symbols at a glance
The core notation, drawn exactly as it appears on the canvas.
Person symbols
Male
Conventionally placed on the left of couple pairs.
Female
Conventionally placed on the right of couple pairs.
Unknown / Other
Used when gender is unknown, non-binary, or unspecified.
Deceased
X drawn through the person symbol. Birth and death dates noted nearby.
Gender identity and orientation
Trans Male
Square (identified male) with inner circle (biological female).
Trans Female
Circle (identified female) with inner square (biological male).
Gay Male
Square with solid triangle.
Lesbian
Circle with solid triangle.
Couple lines
Marriage
Default couple bond. Male placed left by convention.
Divorce
Finalized legal dissolution of marriage.
Widowed
Marriage ended by death of a spouse.
Cohabitation
Unmarried couple living together in a committed relationship.
Emotional bond lines
Very Close
Deep bond. They talk about everything and support each other.
Distant
Little emotional connection. Contact is rare or superficial.
Discord / Conflict
Active tension. They argue, disagree, or create stress when they interact.
Cutoff / Estranged
Deliberately stopped all contact.
Start from an example or template
Open a ready-made genogram, then edit it as your own.
Genogram Assessment Template: How to Start Building from Blank
A structured template for your first genogram session, from blank canvas to three-generation map.
3 Generation Genogram Example and Template
A ready-made three-generation genogram you can open as a template, then trace medical conditions, relationship styles, and behavioral patterns across grandparents, parents, and children.
Bowen Family Systems Therapy and Genograms
Map differentiation, triangulation, multigenerational transmission, and emotional cutoff on a genogram.
Medical Genogram: Hereditary Cancer Risk
Track cancer diagnoses across family lines to identify hereditary risk patterns.
Nursing Health History Genogram
A quick-build genogram for clinical risk assessment in nursing intake.
Divorce and Remarriage Genogram
Map multiple partnerships, custody, and loyalty conflicts in blended families.
Genogram maker vs family tree maker
A family tree maker records lineage: who descends from whom, with names and dates. A genogram maker records how a family functions. Both start from parents and children, but a genogram adds what a family tree has no notation for: couple statuses like divorce or cohabitation, emotional bonds like closeness, conflict, and cut-off, and color-coded medical history.
For genealogy research, use a family tree tool. For therapy, social work, nursing, or medicine, you need genogram notation, which a family tree maker cannot express. The editor on this page draws it in full.
See a genogram and family tree of the same family, comparedMade for the people who use genograms
Therapists
Sketch the genogram during intake, then keep it open as triangles, alliances, and cut-offs surface across sessions. The emotional bond lines cover the clinical vocabulary, fused to hostile, so the diagram records what you observed. No account needed, so you can draw in session and export straight into your notes.
How genograms are used in therapySocial workers
A genogram puts household structure, custody, and support networks on one page, which is why it shows up in case files and court reports. Foster and adoptive placements have their own parent-child line types, so placement history stays legible. Export a clean PDF and attach it to the record.
Genogram for social work studentsFamily counselors
Blended families bring previous marriages, step-relationships, and two family systems of history. A genogram lays them side by side so patterns become visible to you and to the couple. Divorce, remarriage, and cohabitation each have distinct lines, and building the genogram together in session is often an intervention in itself.
Genogram for marriage and family therapy studentsMedical professionals
Color-coded conditions fill each person's symbol, so hereditary cancer, heart disease, or diabetes shows up in seconds instead of hiding in intake paperwork. A three-generation pedigree with conditions and dates of death fits comfortably in the free editor, and exports to PDF for the chart.
Medical genogram guideNursing students
Most nursing programs assign a three-generation family health history in correct notation. The editor draws the symbols, lines, and condition coding for you, so the work is the family data, not the drawing. Build it without an account and export a PNG for submission.
Genogram for nursing studentsSchool counselors
A genogram captures household composition, custody, siblings, and losses in a few minutes, about the time you actually have. It runs in the browser with no signup or installation, so it works on a school machine without an IT request. Export straight to the student's file.
Genogram for psychology studentsUpgrade for professional work
The editor above is free with no account. A 7-day free trial unlocks everything Genogram Pro offers for ongoing clinical work.
- AI genogram generator
- Describe a family in text and let the AI build the genogram.
- Auto-save with encryption
- Work saves automatically, encrypted end-to-end on your device.
- Sharing
- Share a read-only password-protected link with others.
- Reusable templates
- Save any genogram as a template to reuse its structure.
- Photos in genograms
- Add real photos and images to your genogram symbols.
- Unlimited genograms & ecomaps
- Create as many genograms and ecomaps as you need.
- Export and import
- GEDCOM import and export, plus watermark-free PNG and PDF.
- Priority support
- Fast answers over live chat whenever you need help.
Then $9.99/mo, billed annually. No charge if you cancel before the trial ends. View plan
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this genogram maker really free?
Do I need an account to download my genogram?
How is Genogram Pro different from making a genogram in Canva or a generic diagram tool?
Can I save my genogram and come back later?
What genogram symbols are supported?
Is my data private?
What types of genograms can I make?
Can I make a genogram in Microsoft Word or Google Docs?
What is the best free genogram maker?
Is there a genogram generator that draws the family for me?
Does the genogram maker work on mobile?
Is there a genogram app I can download?
Do I need a credit card to use the free genogram maker?
Can I print my genogram?
Learn more
A focused definition of genograms and how they differ from a family tree.
Step-by-step guides for every editor feature, from adding people to exporting.
Reference for all genogram symbols, couple types, and emotional bond patterns.
From gathering family data to drawing relationship lines, step by step.
Real genogram examples across clinical, medical, and educational contexts.
Spend the session with your client, not the diagram.
Start a genogram in your browser in seconds. No signup, no install.