How to choose a DNA test?

By Pablo Blanco Traverso, expert in genetic genealogy and DNA testing.

Taking a DNA test raises a key question: Which one to choose and why? The best-known companies are FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, 23andMe, and AncestryDNA, but before deciding, it's crucial to know that they all have in common a basic DNA analysis to:

1. Estimate your ethnic origin, a breakdown of where our ancestors come from, offering percentages from different geographic regions and ethnic groups

2. Find relatives who have also been tested through your autosomal DNA.

The main difference lies in the results:

• 23andMe includes in the base price the analysis of Haplogroups (the lineages of the X and Y sex chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA), which allows you to trace the origin of these chromosomes through many generations. It is also the only tool that includes the analysis of the Neanderthal presence in your DNA.

• FamilyTreeDNA also offers a basic Y chromosome analysis in its base kit, but for more in-depth Y chromosome analysis or mitochondrial DNA analysis, an additional service is required.

• MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA offer the best DNA tools.

To find living relatives through DNA testing, the key is the number and origin of each company's samples:

1. AncestryDNA has the largest database (23 million), ideal for the US and Europe.

2. 23andMe (15 million) is very popular globally, but has less focus on American populations.

3. MyHeritage (7 million) is very strong in Europe and Jewish communities, but its American presence is also significant.

4. FamilyTreeDNA (2 million) is the smallest, but is very diverse.

Simple conclusion for genealogists:

• AncestryDNA and 23andMe dominate in size.

• American genealogists often prefer MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA due to their specific tools and the quality of their matches with an American presence.

Regarding ethnicity:

Although all DNA companies use the same genetic data as you, their ethnicity results vary. This happens because each company uses its own algorithm (a kind of "window") to interpret that data. Therefore, the breakdown of your ethnicity varies from one to another. Regarding ethnicity accuracy, AncestryDNA and 23andMe are generally considered the best, while MyHeritage often offers more divergent estimates than the others.

For genealogy (family tracing), each company has a different approach:

• AncestryDNA is strong because of its large database of historical records (documentation), but has fewer advanced DNA tools.

• FamilyTreeDNA focuses on powerful DNA analysis tools but does not offer historical records.

• MyHeritage stands out for its ease of creating detailed family trees, although the information in those trees is entered by users and is not always verified with documents.

Regarding prices:

• AncestryDNA: It has a mid-range price for DNA testing, but requires a paid subscription to access its vast collection of historical records and genealogy tools. Health services are separate.

• 23andMe: It usually has the highest price if you choose the complete ancestry and health package. The payment is a one-time fee, with no mandatory recurring subscriptions required to see your results. Purchasing the health service is optional.

• MyHeritage: It is often the cheapest, especially during sales. Like Ancestry, you need a separate paid subscription to access its genealogy records and DNA tools.

• FamilyTreeDNA: Their prices vary because they offer different types of tests (for paternal, maternal, or general lineage). They run sales on specific dates. Currently, it's the only one that accepts data processed by other companies.

What do we use in DNA and Genealogy to search for biological parents?

All of them, because since the databases aren't connected, we try to have samples from all the sites, which increases our chances of finding close relatives. To this, we add GedMatch, a laboratory that accepts samples from all DNA sites free of charge.