So, you want to take a DNA test?

“The story of his great-grandfather…was his own story too.” – Kelly Cherry

Currently, DNA is the biggest genealogy ‘buzzword’. Chances are, if you watch TV at all, you will see ad after ad persuading you to take an Ancestry DNA test. The other company you might see advertisements for is 23 and Me. But, how do you know which test to take?

First, you need to decide why you want to take a DNA test.

Are you looking to receive percentages for your ethnic makeup?

Do you want to find close relatives?

Are you looking for health information/traits?

All of the above?

There are many DNA tests on the market. Today I will examine three of the most popular DNA tests on the market so that you may decide which is best for you.

My Ancestry DNA ethnicity estimate

AncestryDNA – The most popular and most well-known of the DNA tests. This test is $99.00 (don’t pay this price - wait until the test goes on sale! Sales usually happen around holidays.) Out of all of the major DNA testing companies, Ancestry has the largest database of members. This means that if you take a DNA test with Ancestry, you will probably receive a very large number of matches (I took this test and I have a little over 40,000 DNA matches). So, if you are looking for close family or are looking to connect with others to fill in your family tree, this is a good test to take.

Another feature that makes the Ancestry DNA test appealing is the ability to link your Ancestry family tree to the results and view the family trees of your matches. When others link their trees, the system will tell you who your ‘common ancestors’ are, so that you can easily see how you are related. If you are looking for cousins, Ancestry DNA is your test!

However, if you are looking for just for health information or information about traits, then do not purchase the test. In the last few months, Ancestry has begun to release information about traits (an additional $9.99 after you receive your test results). Traits that are available so far, include birth weight, earlobe type, eye color, and probability of freckles, among others. Because this feature is new to Ancestry DNA, the information is not as accurate as it could be quite yet. And, there are only a handful of traits available. If traits and health information is your motivation for taking a DNA test, then do not buy this one.

23 and Me – The next most popular test is 23 and Me. There are two options when buying this test: just information about ethnicity, or the ethnicity test with health and trait information. The kit which includes both is $199.00 and the ancestry kit is $99.00 (Again, wait for a sale. As with Ancestry, sales will always pop up around holidays).

If you are looking for health information, 23 and Me is for you! The health and ethnicity test will include information about the BRCA gene (risk for breast cancer/ovarian cancer), risk for celiac disease, risk for type 2 diabetes, risk for age-related macular degeneration, among many others. The trait information includes likelihood to prefer vanilla or chocolate ice cream, cilantro taste aversion, and ability to match musical pitch. The trait and health information available through the 23 and Me test is great!

If you are looking for cousins and other DNA matches to be able to connect with family and fill in your family tree, then do not buy this test. I have done both the Ancestry DNA test and the 23 and Me test. I have 40,000 close family and distant cousin matches on Ancestry. To compare, on 23 and Me, I only have a little over 1,000 matches.

Also, there is not a convenient ability to link your family tree on 23 and Me. Very recently, 23 and Me partnered with FamilySearch, so you are able to upload your FamilySearch tree on the website. However, if you have a tree on MyHeritage or Ancestry, there is not a way to easily upload it to 23 and Me. Not having this option makes it much more difficult to figure out which side of the family your matches are from and how exactly they are related to you.

Because the 23 and Me customer database is smaller, the ethnicity estimate will likely not be as accurate. So, if you are interested in knowing your ethnicity estimates, it is best to skip this test. I felt that my estimate was less accurate than my Ancestry DNA estimate.

MyHeritage – Clocking in at $79.00, MyHeritage is the least expensive of the tests listed here. Often, it is on sale for twenty dollars less than that. Also, MyHeritage just released a health and ancestry combined test which is $199.

If health information is your game, the MyHeritage combined test is a good choice. Many of the reports included are the same as what the 23 and Me test offers (risk of breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, celiac disease risk, etc.)

The MyHeritage website also allows people who have taken DNA tests from other companies (23 and Me, Ancestry, Family Tree DNA, etc.) to upload their DNA results. This is a fantastic feature! I uploaded my Ancestry DNA results to MyHeritage and I received tons of new matches and a separate ethnicity estimate from MyHeritage.

The MyHeritage DNA test also links to your MyHeritage family tree. The company has a feature which is called ‘Theory of Family Relativity’, which is like Ancestry’s ‘common ancestor’ feature. The website will scan your family tree and the family trees of your matches to discover how you are related and who your common ancestors are.

Another great feature is that MyHeritage will allow you to upload your family tree from Ancestry, FamilySearch, and other websites, so that you do not have to do the work twice.

Lastly, MyHeritage is the only DNA company with an international reach. Based in Israel, MyHeritage has its DNA tests available to those across Western and Eastern Europe, North America, South America, and parts of Africa and Asia. This is an incredible thing because you are able to connect to cousins from the homelands of your ancestors – who are still living there! For example, I have DNA matches on MyHeritage in Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, France, Poland, Ukraine, and Russia.

To summarize, I would recommend testing with Ancestry or MyHeritage. While 23 and Me is still a good test it is harder for me to recommend because the database is quite small, there is not a good way to link a family tree, and ethnicity estimates do not seem to be as accurate.

There are many options and features to consider when taking a DNA test. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Happy DNA test hunting J