Review of Ancestry and 23andMe
DNA saliva tests have been around for awhile. Long enough for Ancestry.com have tested 15 million people; 23andMe have tested 10 million people. The subject came up during a family gathering, some had tested, and I was curious enough to try it.
Starting with 23andMe; I sent my saliva and had my results within 5 weeks. I was excited when all the information was revealed and saw familiar family names immediately, including my brother. To trace your father’s family, a male decedent needs to test as boys have both the y and x chromosome. Learning about relatives, ethnicity, haplogroup, and my health traits was very interesting.
Our light haired fair skinned sibling has a strong Welsh, Irish, and Scottish heritage. My dark haired brother and I have British, French, and trace amounts of Iberian. Siblings can have different origin profiles based on which DNA variants are passed to each child.
With my results I found immediate relatives I didn’t know I had, a first cousin who wasn’t aware our family existed. I’ve discovered connections to people I’ve known all my life without knowing we were related. Most important is remembering my mother’s stories about relatives and their connections.
- 23andMe My test was successful on the first try. The results were informative, the ethnicity was more inclusive and detailed down to the region. Comparing DNA matches is easy as clicking on a DNA match as all matches with similar DNA will be listed. The phone app is easy to navigate and offers similar features of a larger screen.
- Ancestry.com Multiple failed tests, Ancestry replaced the tests at no cost until successful. The Ancestry app is nice and in some ways quicker to navigate than 23andme. Comparing like relatives is easy, but requires an extra click or two. One thing that ancestry has that other DNA testing doesn’t; building your family tree. (more on that later)
Additional Genome Testing
Once you have a successful DNA test result you can upload your genome to alternate sites. This allows your to find additional matches and other ethnicity results to compare.
- GedMatch A free site that allows you to upload your raw DNA and search for other matches. The website is rather rudimentary, I didn’t find close family members.
- MyFamilyTree This is a free site that allows you to upload your raw DNA information.
- MyHeritage Another free site that allows you to upload your raw DNA information.
Having tried both DNA tests, I like both 23andMe.com and Ancestry.com as they each have their strengths and weaknesses.
23andMe has more in-depth ethnicity information along with historical timeline. The 23andMe app is a richer experience as it’s colors and layout are visually appealing. When looking up common matches the results show how close both you and the compared match have in common with the other people. I got results after just one test.
Ancestry.com with more people in their database, but not by much. Building family trees is a fabulous added feature. For me, it was easier to determine which side of the family people were from with Ancestry. You can make notes for each match very easily, create groups for easy sorting, highlight favorites, and review family trees.
