Ancestry vs. 23andMe: How to Choose the Best DNA Test Kit for You

I tried the AncestryDNA kit, which comes with a saliva collection tube and cap, a return pouch, and a prepaid box with return labels. To register the kit, I downloaded the Ancestry app and scanned the barcode on the side of the collection tube. You can also register your kit online and enter the number manually.

When you create an account, the app asks for your consent for several items, including permission to process your sample, to store the sample if you want future testing, and to participate in research. The research involves administering surveys and questionnaires that AncestryDNA says it will use to better understand human history and health.

I refused to give permission for my sample to be stored or to participate in research. AncestryDNA asks a number of 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 someone else’s. You will have the opportunity to review all information before proceeding.

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

Ancestry doesn’t use the standard Y-chromosome and/or mitochondrial DNA methodologies that most others use – so we know less about how it actually analyzes DNA.

After spitting into the tube, I sent the kit and confirmed in the app that it had been shipped. The app “tracked” the kit’s journey, from receipt at the lab to processing and more, before telling me my results were ready.

Your results include an AncestryHealth report and an Ethnicity Estimate report. AncestryDNA also tells you which other users your DNA is closely matched to. It marked my aunt, who also used the site, as Close Family. The app allowed me to compare our ethnicity estimates and gave me the option to message her.

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

Pros:

• You can refuse to store your sample or participate in research.
• The AncestryHealth report is broken down into notable health outcomes, health outcomes, and wellness outcomes. The reports include information about cancer risk, carrier status for diseases such as cystic fibrosis, and the health of your blood.
• The well-being reports provide you with information about your vitamin levels, among other things.
• AncestryHealth can flag potential health problems based on the family history you’ve shared or based on variants detected in your DNA sample.
• You get one Ethnicity Estimation Reportwhich shows which regions of the world your ancestors were likely connected to. This area on the map was color coded, along with the other areas my DNA was linked to. The AncestryDNA Regions list contains over 1,000 regions that your sample will be tested against, so you can also see where your DNA returned no results.
  

Disadvantages:

• The family tree aspect and the DNA aspect required two separate apps. The desktop version keeps everything in one place if you’re working in a browser.
• The health screening does not have approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

I tried the Health and Ancestry kit, which came with the saliva collection tube and cap, a return pouch, and a prepaid box with return labels. 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 enter the code manually.

The 23andMe kit asked for permission for several items when I created an account, as AncestryDNA did. I was able to save my sample for future testing, participate in research, receive health reports, and have the option to share my step data from a fitness app for a more comprehensive view of my activity. I rejected everything except the health reports.

Unlike Ancestry, 23andMe do have FDA approval as a risk screener for a handful of genetic conditions and diseases. If you are mainly interested in DNA testing for this, then 23andMe is the better choice.

The app tracked my sample’s journey to the lab and the DNA extraction process. 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 showed a little bit of Ashkenazi Jewish background, but my timeline indicated that the relative would have been alive five to eight generations ago. You can also view your results as a chromosome painting, showing where in your chromosomes a specific region matches and how often it occurs.

There were many facets to explore in the results. For example, 23andMe gave me more information about each region where my DNA matched. When I tapped the icon for each country, 23andMe told me about the history of the region and the migration patterns of its people over time and also offered resources to learn more about the culture, ways to find an Airbnb booking and other functions. I was also able to look for possible relatives among 23andMe users and found my mother’s cousin.

Pros:

• 23andMe is approved by the FDA as risk screening.
• 23andMe’s health reports include predispositions, carrier status, well-being, traits and a health action plan. Predispositions tested for Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, celiac disease and more. The laboratory would test for certain genetic variants.
• The wellness report included items of interest such as whether or not you are a deep sleeper, how much you are likely to move during your sleep, genetic weight, and other factors.
• The reported properties are particularly interesting. It detailed how likely it was that I would have a certain eye color, hate cilantro, have freckles, hate eating noises, be bitten more by mosquitoes, and other things.

Disadvantages:

• As with AncestryDNA, 23andMe specified that the test results were not a diagnosis or a guarantee that a disease would not be diagnosed later.