Not sure what to get that one friend, family member, or coworker? Consider getting this to help them find out where their ancestors really came from. Melissa Rorech, Reviewed.com
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There are several companies that offer genealogical testing in the United States. The largest ones include:
Ancestry.com
AncestryDNA has the largest customer base and number of reference panels, giving it the broadest global representation. The majority are from Europe but has focused on expanding its depth in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Because of its strong family tree integration, it is considered the most powerful, especially for finding distant family and connections.
23andMe
This site has more a medical and health focus rather than family tree focus, but is also highly-regarded for its ancestry work. It does not release the number of people in its reference panels, but has been building them out. In 2016, it launched an African Genetics Project, focusing especially on African countries from which the majority of enslaved peoples were brought from to the Americas.
Family Tree DNA
While smaller than the other two, it has long been sold in countries around the globe, giving it a broad representation. It is the oldest of the genealogical DNA testing companies, founded in 2000.
MyHeritage
While this company has a higher percentage of non-U.S. customers, many are in Europe. It is based in Israel and is considered especially good for finding genetic matches to global Jewish communities.
AfricanAncestry.com
Founded in 2003 and entirely Black-owned, this site focuses solely on customers’ African heritage. It has 33,000 African lineages in its database and also provides a wealth of information about African heritage for its customers.
Living DNA
Based in the United Kingdom, it is especially strong in tracing connections to individual English counties. The company also provides good detail for China and India and plans to launch a new service for those with African ancestry in 2019.
WeGene, 23Mofang
These are both Chinese companies that specialize in Asian genealogical DNA testing. However, their main sites are in Chinese, making them difficult to use for those who do not read Chinese.
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