AncestryDNA

Ancestry

AncestryDNA gives you two DNA testing kit options: An AncestryDNA kit (currently on sale for $59, results of which include ethnicity and historical details and DNA matches, with the option to pay $10 more to see how your DNA influences personal traits like eye color and hair type), or an Ancestry Health  (currently on sale for $99, which includes everything the other kit does, plus personalized health reports and a family health history tool). 

I tried the Ancestry Health kit, which cost about $109 after shipping, and comes with a saliva collection tube and cap, a return bag and a prepaid return label box. To register the kit, I downloaded the Ancestry app and scanned the barcode on the side of the collection tube. You can register your kit online too, and just manually enter the number. 

When you make an account, the app asks for your consent on several items, including consent to process your sample, to store the sample if you want future testing, and to participate in research. Research includes taking surveys and questionnaires that AncestryDNA says it will use to attempt to better understand human history and health.

Read more: What AncestryDNA taught me about DNA, privacy and the complex world of genetic testing

I declined consent to store my sample or participate in research. AncestryDNA asks a few questions about your health history. You can edit what information becomes public or private on the site, and how you want to appear to other users if your DNA matches with someone else. You’ll have an opportunity to review all information before proceeding.

Ancestry has 16 million users profiles, compared to 23andMe’s 10 million, which should in theory mean more accurate results. However, Ancestry does not use the standard Y-chromosome and/or mitochondrial DNA methodologies most others use — so we know less about how they actually analyze DNA. 

After spitting in the tube, I mailed off the kit and confirmed that it was sent off in the app. The app “tracked” the kit’s journey from being received at the lab to processing and more before it told me my results were in. 

The AncestryHealth report came in first, and was broken down into Notable Health Results, Health Results and Wellness Results. The reports include information about cancer risks, carrier status for diseases like cystic fibrosis and your blood health. The wellness reports break down to give you information on your vitamin levels among other things. 

AncestryHealth can flag potential health conditions based on the family history you filled out, or by variants detected in your DNA sample. However, the site reiterates multiple times that the report you receive isn’t a diagnosis. The health screening also does not have FDA approval. 

Read more: In the future, not even your DNA will be sacred

Outside of the health report, the test generated an Ethnicity Estimate report, which showed what regions in the world my ancestors were most likely linked to. AncestryDNA estimated my highest connection was England, Wales and Northwestern Europe. It also flagged the Scottish Lowlands, Northern England and Northern Ireland. This area on the map was color-coded, along with the others that my DNA was linked to. The AncestryDNA Regions list has over 1,000 regions that your sample is tested against, so you’ll see where your DNA didn’t turn up results too. The report also included brief history of each area. 

AncestryDNA also tells you which other users your DNA closely matches with. It flagged my aunt, who also used the site, as Close Family. The app let me compare our Ethnicity Estimates and gave me the option to send her a message.  

I’d already made a family tree on the Ancestry website, so it was interesting to link my DNA results to the tree. A downside was that the family tree aspect and the DNA aspect required two separate apps; however, the desktop version keeps it all in one place if you work on a browser. 

23andMe

23andMe

If you choose 23andMe, you can pick from three different DNA testing kits. An Ancestry and Traits kit ($99) breaks down your ancestry and gives a report on genetic traits. The Health and Ancestry kit ($199) adds on health insights and FDA-authorized reports. VIP Health Ancestry ($499) comes with two kits, priority processing in the lab, and a walkthrough of your results on the phone.

I tried the Health and Ancestry kit, which came with the saliva collection tube and cap, a return bag and a prepaid return label box. Like AncestryDNA, 23andMe also required kit registration (in-app or online) prior to testing. I downloaded the app and scanned the barcode on the side of the collection tube. You can also manually enter the code.

The 23andMe kit asked for consent on several items when I made an account, as AncestryDNA did. I could store my sample for future tests, participate in research, get health reports, and had the ability to share my steps data from your fitness app for a more comprehensive look at your activity. I declined all except the health reports. 

Read more: Genealogy site credited with helping ID Golden State Killer suspect

Unlike Ancestry, 23andMe does have FDA approval as a risk screener for a handful of genetic conditions and diseases — if you’re primarily interested in DNA testing for this purpose, 23andMe is the better choice. 

The app tracked my sample’s journey to the lab and the DNA extraction process. In the final report, which I could view in the mobile app or online, 23andMe broke down a majority of my ancestry into European > Northwestern European > French and German, British and Irish. The app tested 216 populations to generate the report.

23andMe can display the results in a timeline, so you can see approximately how many generations ago your most recent ancestor came from each region. For example, my results turned up a tiny bit of Ashkenazi Jewish background, but my timeline indicated that the relative would’ve been alive five to eight generations ago. You can also view your results as a Chromosome Painting, which shows where in your chromosomes a specific region matched and how prevalent it is.  

There were a lot of facets to explore in the results. For example, 23andMe gave me more information on each region my DNA matched with. If I tapped on the icon for each country, 23andMe told me about the history of the region and the people’s migration patterns over time, and also provided resources to learn about the culture, ways to book an Airbnb to visit and other features. I could also seek out possible relatives among 23andMe users, and found my mother’s cousin. 

23andMe’s health reports included predispositions, carrier status, wellness, traits and a health action plan. Predispositions tested for Parkinson’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, celiac disease and more. The lab would test for certain genetic variants. Like with AncestryDNA, 23andMe specified that the test results weren’t a diagnosis or a guarantee that you wouldn’t be diagnosed with a disease later on. The wellness report included interesting items like whether or not you’re a deep sleeper, how much you likely move in your sleep, genetic weight and other factors. The traits report was particularly interesting. These detailed how likely I was to be able to have a certain eye color, hate cilantro, have freckles, hate eating sounds, get bitten more by mosquitos and other things. And a lot of it was right! I would have had to pay extra to learn about these features with the AncestryDNA kit.