---
title: Chart Types
description: "AncestorPress supports six chart types. Each shows your family data from a different perspective. You select the chart type when creating or editing a Chart in **AncestorPress → Charts**. ## A1 - Descendant Vertical Chart (Free Version Default) Shows a…"
url: "https://www.ancestorpress.com/docs/chart-types/"
updated: "2026-05-23"
category: AncestorPress Family Trees / Charts
---

# Chart Types

AncestorPress supports six chart types. Each shows your family data from a different perspective. You select the chart type when creating or editing a Chart in **AncestorPress → Charts**.

## A1 - Descendant Vertical Chart (Free Version Default)

Shows a person's descendants in a vertical tree flowing downwards. The root person appears at the top, with children, grandchildren, and further generations below. This is the most familiar family tree format.

**Best for:** Showing how a family grew from a single ancestor over multiple generations.

**Root person:** Set to the oldest ancestor you want to start from.

![](https://www.ancestorpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Chart-Descendant-Vertical-Free-Default-1024x501.png)

📸 **SCREENSHOT :** Example of the Default Descendant Chart showing the vertical layout

## A2 - Descendant Horizontal Chart - Pro Plus

The same descendant data as the default chart but laid out horizontally — the root person appears on the left and descendants extend to the right. Useful for trees that are wider than they are tall, or for embedding in landscape-oriented pages.

**Best for:** Large trees that need more horizontal space, or layouts where a wide chart fits better than a tall one.

**Root person:** Set to the oldest ancestor.

![Chart A2 -  Descendant Horizontal](https://www.ancestorpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Chart-A2-Descendant-Horizontal-1024x1014.png)

📸 **SCREENSHOT:** Example of the Horizontal Descendant Chart showing the horizontal layout

## B1 - Ancestor Vertical

A genealogical pedigree chart. Shows a person's direct ancestors - parents, grandparents, great-grandparents - in the classic branching format used in genealogy research.

**Best for:** Displaying direct lineage for research purposes. Familiar format for genealogists.

**Root person:** Set to the person whose pedigree you are showing.

![](https://www.ancestorpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Chart-B1-Ancestor-Vertical-1024x511.png)

📸 **SCREENSHOT:** Example of the Ancestor Vertical Chart

## B2 - Ancestor Horizontal Chart - Pro

The standard format pedigree chart. Shows a person's ancestors going backwards in time. The root person appears on the left, with parents to the right, then grandparents, and so on. This is sometimes called a fan or pedigree layout and is useful for tracing a specific person's ancestry.

**Best for:** Showing where a specific living person's ancestry comes from.

**Root person:** Set to the youngest person - yourself or the person whose ancestry you are tracing.

![](https://www.ancestorpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Chart-B1-Ancestor-Horizontal-1024x674.png)

📸 **SCREENSHOT:** Example of the Ancestor Horizontal Chart

## C1 - Compact Text Chart - Pro Plus

Displays descendants as a structured text list rather than a graphical chart. Each generation is indented, with key dates shown inline. This format is highly readable on mobile devices and loads faster than graphical charts for large families.

**Best for:** Very large families where a graphical chart becomes unwieldy, mobile-first sites, or users who prefer a text-based view.

**Root person:** Set to the oldest ancestor.

![](https://www.ancestorpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Chart-Descendant-Compact-Text-Pro-Plus-555x1024.png)

📸 **SCREENSHOT:** Example of the Descendants Compact Text Chart showing the indented text format

## E - Hourglass Chart - Pro Plus

Shows both ancestors and descendants of a root person in a single chart. The root person appears in the centre - ancestors extend upwards and descendants extend downwards, creating an hourglass shape. This gives a complete picture of where a person fits in the broader family.

**Best for:** Showing a specific person's full family context - where they came from and what they started.

**Root person:** Set to the person at the centre of the chart - typically yourself or a key ancestor.

![](https://www.ancestorpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Chart-Hourglass-Pro-Plus-1024x791.png)

📸 **SCREENSHOT:** Example of the Hourglass Chart showing ancestors left and descendants right of the root person

## Choosing the right chart type

| I want to show... | Use this chart type |
| --- | --- |
| How a family grew from one ancestor | Descendant (Default or Horizontal) |
| Where a specific person's ancestry comes from | Ancestor Horizontal or Pedigree |
| Both ancestors and descendants of one person | Hourglass |
| A large family that works well on mobile | Compact Text |