Test Your DNA
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Personal DNA testing is more popular now than ever before, as it can be done easily in the comfort of your own home at an affordable cost. It's even the subject of TV shows, including TLC's Who Do You Think You Are? and PBS's Finding Your Roots, in which famous people discover new things about their heritages.
We looked at five services to evaluate their simplicity, relative-matching features, and the best overall DNA-testing experience. In addition to AncestryDNA (the genetics-focused arm of Ancestry) and 23andMe, we also explored HomeDNA , MyHeritage DNA, and National Geographic Genographic Project.
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How DNA Kits Work
Each of the kits work similarly: You answer a few questions about yourself, order the kit, collect your sample, register the kit (this is very important), send it back, and wait for the results. That said, they differ in the collection process and, to a smaller extent, the cost of shipping. When we tested 23andMe back in mid-2015, the company was unable to accept DNA samples collected in or sent from New York State, because of local laws (we had to cross the border to New Jersey). The company was also prohibited from shipping DNA kits to Maryland.
The 23andMe shipping issues resulted partly because when the company first launched, it tested for a litany of health issues and genetic markers for disease, raising concerns from the FDA and other agencies. The company stepped back and has been working more closely with governmental agencies as it rolls out more features.
Those restrictive laws are no longer on the books, but as DNA testing companies add more features, including tests related to medical conditions, more of these laws could surface. Be sure to check a site's terms of service to see if there are any restrictions in your locality before signing up.
Swab, Scrape, Spit, and Send
The most important part of this process is registering your kit before shipping it. All five services require this, and if you don't do it, you won't be able to access your results. This requirement is to protect your privacy—your name won't appear on the kit or the results—and to easily track your kit as it goes through the process. Of course, when you sign up for an account with these services, your identity will be associated with it, but the sample and any reports stored on the service's end will just have a unique barcode.
Some services include shipping costs in the cost of the kit; AncestryDNA's $99 fee includes two-way shipping. National Geographic's Genographic Project ships the kits for free, but you have to purchase postage when you send your kit to their lab. 23andMe tacks on a two-way shipping fee of $9.95 for the first kit and $5 for each additional one. HomeDNA includes a prepaid envelope to return your sample and offers three shipping options: $7 for two-day shipping, $14 for overnight, and free shipping that takes 7 to 12 business days. Finally, MyHeritage charges $12 for shipping; if you order two kits, you pay $6, and if you order three or more, you get free shipping.
Once you've shipped your sample, it's waiting time. All of the DNA testing services we reviewed confirmed receipt of the sample via email, and most estimated the results would take anywhere from three to eight weeks to process.
Note that DNA testing isn't the only kind of kit that collects physical evidence from you these days. Ubiome is one noteworthy example. The service evaluates your microbiome—basically the bacteria that live in and on you. In our review, we took its gut biome test, which required our intrepid reviewer to send in a poop sample (insert poop emoji here).
DNA Results and Family Tree Features
Next, you'll receive an email alert that your results are ready, and that's when the fun begins. Your results may not be as dramatic as those portrayed in TV ads, but you may find some surprises. One important note: Results are different for women and men. Women, who have the XX chromosome, can only trace back the maternal line. Men, having the XY chromosome, can track back the maternal and paternal line, painting a complete picture. If you're a woman, it's worth asking your brother, if you have one, to take a test and share the results. When some of these services ask for your sex when you order your kit, they simply want to know about your chromosomes.
AncestryDNA, 23andMe, HomeDNA , Living DNA, and MyHeritage DNA all provide reports of your ethnicity, some showing maps of where your ancestors lived along with information about the particular countries and regions. National Geographic goes further back, pinpointing where in Africa your ancestors came from and tracing migration patterns through to near-present times. It's less about your personal genetic makeup and more about who your ancestors were and how you're connected to the beginning of civilization.
On all platforms except for National Geographic, you can initiate a search for relatives, though some services let you upload your National Geographic results for further analysis. The software continually searches for DNA matches as more people share their results. This feature may be useful if you're building a family tree or looking for relatives you've never met; otherwise, it may more of a nuisance. You can opt in or out at any time, and the DNA service doesn't share your contact information. Relatives can message you through the software, though. If you already use genealogy software, you may be able to download your results and upload them into your preferred program. Otherwise, AncestryDNA and others featured here have family tree software that you can easily link.
23andMe started out by testing for genetic markers of diseases and medical conditions before rolling that back in response to the governmental concerns. It has since started slowly adding more health-related features with approval from the FDA. In April, 23andMe got approval to offer risk analysis for ten genetically linked diseases. The company now offers two options: Health + Ancestry ($199) and Ancestry ($99). The Health + Ancestry plan includes testing for genetic health risks and carrier status, as well as reports on your genetic weight, hair loss, and other traits.
If you're the family-tree manager for the family and want to track DNA results for other family members, you can do so. In some cases, you may have to create a separate account for each kit that you're managing. You can also share your results as well with other members and connect family trees.
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Again, be sure to read through the terms of service and any other agreements before proceeding. Don't agree to anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. You might consider watching the video below, too.
How We Test DNA Services
We evaluated each kit by ordering one, just like any customer would, and tracking how long it took to arrive at the lab and to get processed. Then we compared the breadth and depth of the results to see what rose to the top. The whole process was a lot of fun, in part because of the anticipation of getting the results. Most of the kits warn that testing your DNA can lead to surprising—even life-changing—results. For example, there's the story of a woman who thought she was Irish, but her DNA test revealed she was also European Jewish, Middle Eastern and Eastern European. After diligent research, she discovered that her father, who had died years earlier, had been switched at birth with another child.
Of course, there's also a good chance that you won't be surprised at all, but there's satisfaction in knowing for certain where your ancestors lived and how you came to be who you are. For more ways to investigate your family history, check out The Best Genealogy Software and Services.
Note that it's not just the human members of your family whose ancestry might interest you. The best dog DNA test kits can help you tell a Maltese from a mutt, and we've reviewed the top choices on the market.
Best DNA Testing Kits Featured in This Roundup:
23andMe Review
MSRP: $199.00Pros: Thorough ancestry reports. New health reports continually added if you opt-in. Fun and interesting interactive features.Cons: Health-related DNA testing doesn't provide a guaranteed vision of your future health.Bottom Line: 23andMe offers a trove of information about both your personal genetics and your deeper ancestry. This top DNA testing service also offers looks for genetic health risks, as well as your carrier status for many conditions.Read ReviewAncestryDNA Review
MSRP: $99.00Pros: Easy-to-understand, continually updated results. Free shipping. Numerous online resources.Cons: Matching feature can be overwhelming.Bottom Line: AncestryDNA is an easy-to-use tool for exploring your background. If you have an Ancestry family tree, the service can even find relatives among the 5 million DNA profiles it has already collected.Read ReviewLiving DNA Review
MSRP: $99.00Pros: Covers 80 worldwide regions. In-depth geographic reporting.Cons: Constructing DNA profile can take between 10-12 weeks.Bottom Line: Living DNA is an affordable testing kit for tracing one's ancestry back thousands of years.Read ReviewHomeDNA Review
MSRP: $199.00Pros: Simple sample extraction process. Free shipping available. Detailed look at your ancestors' migration patterns.Cons: Relatively expensive. Lacks supplemental information about researching your past and understanding DNA results. Doesn't update results as new research arises.Bottom Line: HomeDNA can give an extremely close look at where your ancestors lived, but it doesn't offer much else in the way of researching your past or understanding more about your genetics.Read ReviewNational Geographic Genographic Project Review
MSRP: $199.95Pros: Tracks your ancestor's migration patterns back 200,000 years. In-depth information. Interactive features.Cons: Focuses more on your ancestors' genetic makeup than your personal genetics.Bottom Line: The Genographic Project is less about you than your ancient ancestors and their journey across the world. It's anthropologically fascinating, but look elsewhere for more personal genetic data.Read ReviewMyHeritage DNA Review
MSRP: $99.00Pros: Easy to understand results. Family tree software and research resources included.Cons: Collecting sample is tricky. Doesn't give any context to your results.Bottom Line: MyHeritage DNA offers a basic look at your genetic makeup, but it doesn't include any information to help you interpret the results or learn more about how your ancestors lived.Read Review