Q: How long does it take to get your results from each of these vendors?

23andMe’s test results arrive 2-3 weeks after they receive your sample. MyHeritage’s results are ready in about 3-4 weeks; AncestryDNA’s results arrive after 6-8 weeks.

Question 1

When should someone choose a 23andMe DNA test?

Accepted Answer

Both 23andMe’s ancestry test and its ancestry + health test offer some of the most accurate, detailed, and substantive reports in the industry. If you’re hungry to find out about your family’s origins, your Neanderthal ancestry, your genetic disease risk and so on, 23andMe delivers a very satisfying amount of information at a great cost, whereas other vendors may disappoint in comparison.

Question 2

When should someone choose an AncestryDNA test?

Accepted Answer

If your interest in your ancestry includes your genealogy, and you’re interested in building the most robust possible family tree, AncestryDNA is an excellent choice. Moreover, its ethnicity estimates are considerably more accurate than those of its chief rival, MyHeritage DNA.

Question 3

How do these vendors compare on cost?

Accepted Answer

For just an ancestry test, MyHeritage DNA is consistently the most affordable with its list price of £64.61. 23andMe is £80.97, and AncestryDNA is also priced at £48.25. 23andMe’s test costs £162.75.

Question 4

How long does it take to get your results from each of these vendors?

Accepted Answer

23andMe&rsquo;s test results arrive 2-3 weeks after they receive your sample. MyHeritage&rsquo;s results are ready in about 3-4 weeks; AncestryDNA&rsquo;s results arrive after 6-8 weeks.

Question 5

Which vendor is less expensive: 23andMe or AncestryDNA?

Accepted Answer

If you are looking to get information about your ancestry, 23andMe (starting price: £80.97) and AncestryDNA (starting price: £48.25) are priced the same. Therefore, you will need to base your decision on what each ancestry DNA test kit offers and what you are specifically looking for. Essentially, 23andMe’s DNA reports cover more topics and go into more detail than AncestryDNA. However, AncestryDNA has the added advantage (for an added fee) of enabling you to construct an online family tree that you can populate using the company’s vast historical and DNA databases. You can also check out some of the other best ancestry DNA kits if neither one provides you with all the data you want.

Question 6

Who should choose 23andMe over AncestryDNA?

Accepted Answer

23andMe’s reports are much more substantive than AncestryDNA’s reports for ancestry and they also offer DNA health testing for your genetic risk and carrier status for a number of conditions. For instance, 23andMe’s ancestry report explores your maternal and paternal haplogroups and your Neanderthal ancestry; AncestryDNA’s report does not. So if you’re looking for more information for your money, 23andMe is the clear choice.

Question 7

Who should choose AncestryDNA over 23andMe?

Accepted Answer

If your family genealogy is important to you, AncestryDNA is a better option. 23andMe allows you to build an online family tree for free, where you can manually add all relatives you know about. 23andMe will automatically add people to your tree who appear to be related to you based on your DNA; AncestryDNA will not do this for free. But if you’re willing to pay for a monthly subscription to AncestryDNA’s genealogy service, they will suggest a lot more new relatives for you to add. This is because AncestryDNA not only has many more people’s DNA in its database, but also many more historical genealogy records.

Question 8

What features does 23andMe provide that AncestryDNA does not?

Accepted Answer

23andMe’s ancestry report includes information on your maternal and paternal haplogroups as well as your Neanderthal ancestry — none of which comes with an AncestryDNA report. AncestryDNA currently doesn’t offer health DNA testing, but 23andMe can also analyze your DNA for your risk for several genetic diseases and your carrier status for over 20 congenital conditions. It also includes information on how your DNA may affect traits like diet, exercise, and sleep, eye color, and finger length. You also get a customized health action plan. AncestryDNA doesn’t provide any of these features.

Question 9

What features does AncestryDNA provide that 23andMe does not?

Accepted Answer

Both 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer you a free online family tree builder, but if you want to be able to tap a huge online genealogy database to flesh out your family tree, 23andMe doesn’t have that capability. By contrast, AncestryDNA has the world’s largest DNA database (16 million) as well as the world’s largest database of historical genealogy records (6 billion), and can therefore be very helpful in locating a huge number of living and deceased relatives to add to your tree.

Question 10

How accurate are the results from MyHeritage?

Accepted Answer

The MyHeritage ancestry test compares your DNA to 42 different reference populations from 2,100+ regions to estimate your ethical and geographical origins. Therefore, while some populations may not be as well represented as others, you can still expect an accurate ethnicity estimate.

Question 11

How long does it take to receive my MyHeritage Ancestry results?

Accepted Answer

You can expect to receive your results four to six weeks after the lab has received your sample, but it may be quicker, depending on how busy the lab is. If you want faster results, 23andMe’s are generally delivers in just two to three weeks.

Question 12

Does MyHeritage cover the cost of shipping?

Accepted Answer

MyHeritage DNA covers the cost of sending you your test kit, but you must pay the return postage for mailing your sample back.

Question 13

How expensive is MyHeritage compared to competitors?

Accepted Answer

MyHeritage DNA’s tests start at £64.61 are consistently less expensive than those of its chief competitors, 23andMe, starting at £80.97 and AncestryDNA, starting at £48.25.

Question 14

What sort of subscription plans does MyHeritage offer?

Accepted Answer

MyHeritage’s genealogy service is available in several tiers. Its Basic service is free, but only allows you to add 250 people to your family tree, and doesn’t let you add Smart Matches from the company’s historical records database to your tree.

The Premium subscription can accommodate 2,500 family members, and includes Smart Matches, as does its PremiumPlus subscription, which can accommodate a family tree of unlimited size.

Then there is a Historical Record Data plan that is limited to 250 people, like the basic service, but lets you access the company’s entire 12 + billion record database of historical data. And finally, the Complete package is limitless both in how many people your family tree can accommodate, and how many historical records you may access.

MyHeritage also offers a Health subscription that updates your DNA findings to reflect new health reports as they become available.

Question 15

Do the MyHeritage at-home DNA test kits ever go on sale?

Accepted Answer

MyHeritage regularly offers special discounts and deals throughout the year. You can also always find up-to-date coupon codes for MyHeritage’s test kits on our coupons page.

Question 16

Which test is more accurate, 23andMe or MyHeritage?

Accepted Answer

In order to make give you an ethnicity estimate, MyHeritage compares your DNA samples to 42 different global populations. This doesn’t allow your ethnicity results to be as precise and accurate as the ones you get from 23andMe, which compares your samples to more than 1,000 global populations.

Question 17

Which provides more value, 23andMe or MyHeritage?

Accepted Answer

“Value” is subjective. But while MyHeritage DNA’s test kits are usually more affordable (starting at £64.61) than the ones from 23andMe (starting at £80.97), the reports you receive from MyHeritage DNA include considerably less information and are less accurate than the ones available from 23andMe. Also, 23andMe updates your DNA results to reflect the company’s ongoing refinements to its ancestry and health testing, whereas MyHeritage charges an annual fee to do this.

Question 18

Which vendor provides better health reports, 23andMe or MyHeritage?

Accepted Answer

It’s not clear if there’s any difference in the accuracy of the two company’s health results. But 23andMe tests your risk for more diseases, and your carrier status for more congenital disorders, than MyHeritage DNA does. And while a MyHeritage health test only addresses your disease risk and carrier status, 23andMe’s health test also includes additional information such as how your DNA may affect wellness traits like diet, exercise, and sleep, and physical traits like eye color and finger length. 23andMe also gives you a customized health action plan.

Question 19

Which vendor provides better ancestry reports, 23andMe or MyHeritage?

Accepted Answer

MyHeritage DNA’s ancestry reports are limited to providing you with an ethnicity estimate and identifying your likely DNA relatives around the world. 23andMe also tells you about your maternal and paternal haplogroups and how much of your DNA came from Neanderthals. 23andMe’s ancestry reports are more detailed and substantive, and its ethnicity estimates are more accurate, than the ones from MyHeritage DNA.

Question 20

How do 23andMe and MyHeritage compare on price?

Accepted Answer

MyHeritage&rsquo;s DNA tests are usually less expensive in their list price than 23andMe&rsquo;s tests, and are more likely to be on sale at any given time.

Question 21

Which vendor is less expensive: MyHeritage or AncestryDNA?

Accepted Answer

MyHeritage’s DNA tests are usually less expensive (starting price: £64.61) in their list price than AncestryDNA’s tests (starting price: £48.25), and are more likely to be on sale at any given time.

Question 22

Who should choose MyHeritage over AncestryDNA?

Accepted Answer

MyHeritage offers you basic information about your ancestry at a lower cost than AncestryDNA. MyHeritage’s genealogy subscriptions are also considerably less expensive. Therefore, MyHeritage is a better choice when cost is a key consideration. If you want to learn more about the best Ancestry DNA tests, click here.

Question 23

Who should chose AncestryDNA over MyHeritage?

Accepted Answer

AncestryDNA’s ancestry reports are more detailed and accurate than MyHeritage’s ancestry reports. And AncestryDNA also has the largest DNA database as well as the largest database of historical records in the world, which should allow you to find more relatives and discover more about your family’s past. If cost is no object, you’re more likely to be happy with the ancestry information you get from AncestryDNA.

Articles by Moss Stern

Moss Stern is a professional writer, amateur musician, voracious fiction reader, recreational bicyclist, cutthroat Scrabble player, and gleeful health and science nerd. He resides in the vicinity of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.