Phylogenetics and networks on iPhone and iPad

These apps are native iOS versions of open-source desktop programs for phylogenetics and biochemical network analysis developed by Daniel H. Huson and colleagues at the University of Tübingen. They are built with Java and JavaFX, compiled to native code, and share the full computational core with their desktop counterparts, so the results and file formats are identical on both.

The apps run entirely on the device. They do not collect data, do not need an account and do not connect to the internet. See the privacy policy and the support page.

Android versions are planned.

Getting the apps

SplitsTree App is available on the App Store. The other apps are being tested through Apple’s TestFlight before their App Store release. To take part, install the free TestFlight app on your iPhone or iPad, then open the link for the app you want to test, or scan its QR code with the camera. Builds expire after 90 days; TestFlight updates them automatically. Feedback is welcome through TestFlight’s own feedback button or the support page.

App	Get it
SplitsTree App	App Store: apps.apple.com/app/id6476155107
PhyloSketch App	Beta: testflight.apple.com/join/aI8AMADo
CatReNet App	Beta: testflight.apple.com/join/uzWuC2ju
PhyloParallelograms App	Beta: testflight.apple.com/join/MugknuQW

SplitsTree App

Compute and visualize unrooted and rooted phylogenetic trees and networks from distances, aligned sequences, trees or splits. The app provides the algorithms of the SplitsTree desktop program, including neighbor-net, split decomposition, consensus networks and the phylogenetic outline, and the same interactive viewers.

Details · Paper (Huson and Bryant, Nature Methods 2024) · Desktop program · App Store

PhyloSketch App

Draw rooted phylogenetic trees and networks with a finger or pencil, capture them from a photo of a printed figure, lay them out and export them in Newick format. The app reports the mathematical properties of the network that is being drawn.

Details · Paper (Huson, PLOS Computational Biology 2025) · Desktop program · Beta on TestFlight · App Store: coming soon

CatReNet App

Analyze (auto-)catalytic reaction networks: given a set of catalyzed reactions and a food set, compute maximal RAFs, CAFs and pseudo-RAFs and other autocatalytic subsystems, and visualize and animate the networks.

Details · Paper (Huson, Xavier and Steel, Bioinformatics 2024) · Desktop program · Beta on TestFlight · App Store: coming soon

PhyloParallelograms App

Compare multiple rooted phylogenetic trees on the same taxa using phylogenetic parallelograms, a visualization in which the trees are drawn in parallel in one coordinate space, so that shared structure and conflicts are immediately visible.

Details · Paper (Huson, Cetinkaya and Zhang, paper under review) · Desktop program · Beta on TestFlight · App Store: coming soon