Built for professional genealogical investigation
ProofTrail

Your family tree shows what you found. ProofTrail helps you show how you know.

Research beyond the family tree.

Bring the moving pieces of a genealogy investigation into one private workspace, examine competing possibilities, and preserve the trail behind your conclusion — without forcing your research into a tree before the evidence is ready.

No credit card required · Free plan available

More from ProofTrail

Research first. Go further when you need to.

Research your own cases, build professional-level genealogy skills, or connect with a qualified researcher.

Research

Run your investigations in ProofTrail

Organize people, records, DNA, evidence, hypotheses, contradictions, timelines, and reports in one case-centered workspace.

Create a free account

Learn

Build stronger skills in ProofTrail Academy

Learn one lesson at a time, complete full training levels, or follow the complete pathway toward the ProofTrail Research Professional credential.

Start small with individual lessons or follow the full professional path.

Explore the Academy

Professional Network

Hire a genealogist — or become one

Find a ProofTrail Research Professional for your case, or complete the required Academy competency pathway, earn the credential, and opt into the professional directory.

What makes ProofTrail different

Case-Centric Architecture

Everything — evidence, people, DNA, hypotheses — lives inside one organized investigation case.

Evidence-First DNA Match Analysis

Import genealogy match/comparison reports and get AI-powered plain-English interpretations. Raw genotype files are not accepted.

Private by Default

ProofTrail does not publicly publish your investigations. Your research remains under your control, with processor access limited to operating requested features.

A workspace built for the investigation, not just the tree

Keep the evidence, reasoning, DNA work, open questions, and research history connected while you work toward a conclusion.

DNA Workspace

Organize DNA matches, shared matches, chromosome data, and relationship evidence from any testing platform.

Case Management

Keep every investigation organized in one place with structured workflows and lifecycle tracking.

Evidence Tracking

Store documents, screenshots, PDFs, records, and research notes — all linked to the people and events they support.

AI Research Assistant

Turn complex DNA and genealogy evidence into plain-English summaries with suggested next steps.

Historical Timeline

Extract historical events from evidence and build connected timelines — not just research activity.

Investigation Board

Visually organize people, evidence, hypotheses, and leads for each case.

Report Generator

Create professional research reports from everything collected during an investigation.

Private by Default

Your investigations are not publicly published by ProofTrail. Cases belong to you and sharing remains under your control, subject to authorized service-provider processing described in the Privacy Policy.

Stop managing chaos. Start solving mysteries.

Without ProofTrail

  • ✕Scattered notes across apps
  • ✕Screenshots saved everywhere
  • ✕DNA matches in spreadsheets
  • ✕Evidence lost in email
  • ✕No clear research trail

With ProofTrail

  • One organized case per investigation
  • Link evidence to the people and events it supports
  • DNA analysis connected to the investigation
  • Documented research history
  • Evidence-linked reports when you are ready to conclude

Who uses ProofTrail?

Built for investigators who need more than a family tree builder.

Adoptees searching for biological family Genetic genealogists Professional genealogists DNA researchers Private investigators Family historians Anyone solving a complex family mystery

Your investigations stay private

Cases belong to you. ProofTrail does not publicly publish your research unless you explicitly choose to share it through a supported feature. Authorized service providers may process information only as needed to operate requested features, as described in the Privacy Policy.

Simple, transparent pricing

Start free. Upgrade when you're ready for more.

Account Sale · Ends September 30

Monthly plans are discounted for the first month. Annual plans are discounted for the first year.

Free

Free

Start one investigation with the essentials.

  • Free Academy guides & placement test
  • Included fictional Academy practice case
  • 1 lifetime investigation case of your own
  • Basic people & relationships
  • Basic evidence organization
  • 1 starter hypothesis (draft/testing)
  • Basic research log & timeline
  • Manual DNA match entry
  • Manual capture & filing
  • 3 lifetime document transcriptions
  • Data ownership & basic export
Get Started Free
★ Sale price

Researcher

$24/month

$17 first month

Save $7 first month

  • Everything in Free
  • Unlimited investigation cases
  • Full people, relationships & evidence tools
  • Unlimited hypotheses, evidence correlation & Genealogical Assurance
  • Full timelines & case trees
  • Advanced DNA Matrix, profiles, comparisons & expanded imports
  • Full Quick Capture, OCR, AI suggestions & import-review workflow
  • Research timer, sessions & version history
  • Standard evidence-linked reports (ProofTrail branded)
  • Standard AI assistance & monthly transcription allowance
  • Individual case collaboration
Start Researcher
★ Sale price

Professional

$49/month

$35 first month

Save $14 first month

  • Everything in Researcher
  • Client portals & client-facing case sharing
  • Custom firm name, logo, accent color & footer
  • Remove ProofTrail branding on exported reports
  • Research timer & hourly billing tools
  • Higher AI & transcription allowances
  • Expanded professional workflow
  • Expanded audit & version access
Start Professional
★ Sale price

Team

$99/month

$70 first month

Save $29 first month

  • Everything in Professional
  • Team-wide collaborator management
  • Team workspace & role-aware administration
  • Shared team cases & researcher assignments
  • Case invitations, sharing & granular permissions
  • Team standards & shared report settings hub
  • Team audit trails & version accountability
  • Highest included AI & transcription allowance
Start Team

The Free plan includes one lifetime case to try things out — no credit card required. See the full pricing page for annual billing and plan details.

Frequently asked questions

A few things to know before you start

ProofTrail includes research software, education, and a professional network. Here is how the pieces fit together.

What is ProofTrail?
ProofTrail is a case-centered genealogy investigation workspace. It helps you connect people, records, DNA match information, evidence, hypotheses, contradictions, timelines, next actions, and reports around the research question you are trying to solve — rather than treating the family tree as the whole investigation.
Is ProofTrail free to try?
Yes. You can create a free account and use the Free plan with one lifetime case. No credit card is required to start.
Do I have to be a professional genealogist to use ProofTrail?
No. ProofTrail is built for family historians, adoptees, DNA researchers, genealogy hobbyists, investigators, and working professionals. You can use the research workspace without entering the professional credential pathway.
What is ProofTrail Academy?
ProofTrail Academy is the learning side of ProofTrail. You can study individual lessons and modules, complete full training levels, explore specialty pathways, or follow the complete competency path toward the ProofTrail Research Professional credential.
Do I have to buy the entire Academy at once?
No. You can purchase individual lessons, modules, levels, or other eligible Academy options and build your training over time. If you later move into a larger Academy option that contains eligible content you already purchased, the eligible prior purchase amount is subtracted from the larger purchase price. No store-credit balance is issued.
How do I become a ProofTrail Research Professional?
You must complete the required Academy competency pathway, meet the required assessment and practical standards, resolve any required revisions, and earn an active ProofTrail Research Professional credential. After that, you can complete your professional profile and choose whether to activate a public directory listing.
Can I hire a genealogist through ProofTrail?
Yes. The Hire a Genealogist directory features ProofTrail Research Professionals who have earned the ProofTrail credential and chosen to accept clients. You can send a research request and, when appropriate, share your ProofTrail case with the professional you choose.
Does ProofTrail accept raw DNA files?
No. ProofTrail works with genealogy DNA match and comparison information used as research evidence. It does not accept raw genotype files for sequencing or analysis.
Is my genealogy research private?
ProofTrail does not publicly publish your investigations. Cases remain under your control, and you decide when to use supported sharing features. Authorized service providers may process information only as needed to operate requested features, as described in the Privacy Policy.

Ready to start your first investigation?

Create your free account and open your first case in minutes.

Create Free Account