23andMe vs AncestryDNA: How To Make An Informed Choice?

Features	23andMe	AncestryDNA
Ancestry Breakdown	1500+ regions	1000+ regions
Health Reports	Yes (with Health + Ancestry service)	Yes (with AncestryHealth service)
Raw DNA Data Download	Yes	Yes
Third-party Compatibility	Yes	Yes
Customer Support	Email and Phone	Email and Phone
Family Tree Building	Basic	Advanced (with subscription)
Database Size	Over 10 million	Over 18 million
Neanderthal Ancestry	Yes	No
DNA Matching	Yes	Yes
Maternal/Paternal Lineage	Yes (with additional cost)	No
Chromosome Browser	Yes	No
Genetic Health Risk Reports	Yes	Yes (with AncestryHealth)
Carrier Status Reports	Yes	Yes (with AncestryHealth)
Wellness Reports	Yes	No
Traits Reports	Yes	Yes (with AncestryHealth)
Sharing of DNA Results	Yes	Yes
Privacy Protection	Yes	Yes
Research Participation (Optional)	Yes	Yes
Subscription Services	No	Yes (for extra features)
Offline Results Access	Yes	No
User Experience	Sleek, easy-to-navigate interface	User-friendly interface, more extensive genealogy focus

When it comes to personal DNA testing, two names often dominate the conversation: 23andMe and AncestryDNA.

But how do they stack up in a head-to-head battle of features?

In this comprehensive comparison of 23andMe vs Ancestry DNA, we’ll delve deep into the offerings of both to help you decide which DNA testing service best suits your needs.

Overview: 23andMe vs Ancestry DNA

23andMe and AncestryDNA are leaders in the direct-to-consumer DNA testing market, offering insights into ancestry, traits, health predispositions, and more. They have fundamentally changed the way people explore their genetic heritage and understand their health. Here’s a detailed breakdown of their features:

Ancestry Information

Both companies offer extensive insights into your ethnic origins and potential relatives.

23andMe: Offers a breakdown of your ancestry composition across 1500+ regions worldwide. This includes Neanderthal ancestry and a timeline of ancestral history. The service also offers an automatic family tree builder and DNA Relative Finder to connect with genetic relatives.

Source: 23andMe website

AncestryDNA Test: Its strength lies in the vast number of geographic regions (1000+) it covers, and the size of its DNA database, which is the largest in the industry. This gives you a more detailed view of your heritage and higher chances of connecting with distant relatives. It also offers advanced family tree features, though these come with an additional subscription fee.

Source: AncestryDNA website

Health Information

23andMe: This is where 23andMe excels. Alongside ancestry information, they provide comprehensive health reports. This includes carrier status for certain conditions, wellness reports, trait reports, and health predisposition reports. The data provides actionable insights that can contribute to lifestyle changes or discussions with your healthcare provider.

AncestryDNA: Initially, AncestryDNA focused solely on ancestry information, but they now offer a separate health service called AncestryHealth. This service provides insights into certain health conditions and traits and also includes access to genetic counseling resources.

Raw DNA Data and Third-party Compatibility

Both services allow you to download your raw DNA data.

23andMe Raw Data: 23andMe provides access to a wide range of genetic variants, especially those related to health and traits. This makes it popular for individuals who want to use third-party services for further health-related analysis.

AncestryDNA Raw Data: AncestryDNA gives extensive data on ancestry markers. While it may not provide as many health-related markers as 23andMe, it is a preferred choice for genealogy enthusiasts looking to cross-reference their data with other genealogical databases.

Free DNA Raw Data Explorer Tool

Should I do both 23andme and Ancestry?

Not necessary. Both companies have shown equal caliber when it comes to ancestry reports. Go for 23andMe if you want your raw data to be more compatible with health reports from third-party raw data analysis companies.

User Experience and Support

Both companies have user-friendly websites, but their approaches differ.

23andMe: Their service provides a sleek and intuitive interface. Genetic data is presented with clear explanations and visually appealing graphics. They also have robust customer support, with options for phone or email help.

AncestryDNA: AncestryDNA also offers an easy-to-navigate interface with appealing visual data representation. Their larger customer base sometimes leads to longer wait times for customer support.

In-Depth Comparison of the Ancestry Reports

23andMe Ancestry Report

1. Ancestry Composition: 23andMe provides a detailed breakdown of your ancestry by percentage across 1500+ regions globally. It utilizes a chromosome painting feature, which shows the geographical origin of different segments of your DNA.
2. Haplogroups: Both maternal and paternal haplogroups (for males) are traced, revealing deep ancestral paths dating back thousands of years.
3. Neanderthal Ancestry: This feature indicates the number of genetic variants you share with Neanderthals and how that compares with other 23andMe users.
4. Recent Ancestor Locations: Based on the DNA of 23andMe customers with known origins, this feature shows regions where your ancestors might have lived a few hundred years ago.
5. DNA Relatives: You can find and connect with relatives who share DNA with you, from close family to distant relatives.
6. Automatic Family Tree Builder: A basic family tree is automatically generated using your DNA relatives and is adjustable as per your knowledge of your genealogy.

AncestryDNA Ancestry Report

1. Ethnicity Estimate: AncestryDNA provides an estimate of your ethnic makeup across 1000+ regions worldwide. It shows percentages of your DNA that come from different regions.
2. Migrations (Communities): It tracks the migration paths of your ancestors over time and identifies specific communities where your ancestors might have lived.
3. DNA Matches: You can find potential relatives based on shared DNA. This feature also estimates the possible relationship, like a 4th-6th cousin.
4. ThruLines™: AncestryDNA creates potential family trees by connecting your DNA matches and showing how you might be related to them.
5. Family Tree Service: AncestryDNA has a more detailed family tree feature, allowing you to add personal knowledge and research. Note that this requires a subscription to Ancestry’s services.
6. Historical and Geographic Insights: AncestryDNA pairs its genetic data with its vast collection of historical records and documents to provide a more contextualized view of your family history.

23andMe Health Report: An Overview

23andMe offers a broad range of health-related reports as part of their Health + Ancestry Service.

These are divided into a few categories: Health Predisposition Reports, Wellness Reports, Carrier Status Reports, and Traits Reports.

1. Health Predisposition Reports: These reports give insights into your genetic predisposition for certain health conditions. They do not diagnose any health conditions but rather highlight genetic variants that may increase your risk. They cover conditions like Type 2 Diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease, Celiac Disease, and more.
2. Wellness Reports: Wellness Reports focus on lifestyle and physical traits that are influenced by your genetics. They might cover topics like sleep patterns (such as a “deep sleep” report indicating how likely you are to be a deep sleeper), weight (including how your weight might be influenced by saturated fats), lactose intolerance, and more.
3. Carrier Status Reports: These reports show whether you carry genetic variants that could affect your children’s health. They cover a variety of conditions that could be passed down to offspring, from Cystic Fibrosis to Sickle Cell Anemia and more. It’s crucial to note that these reports are not intended to tell you about your own health, nor do they describe a complete view of potential conditions your child could inherit.
4. Traits Reports: Traits Reports explore how your DNA influences your physical features, taste preferences, and other characteristics. These can include fun insights like whether you’re likely to prefer sweet or salty, whether you’re more likely to be a morning person or a night owl, or even if you’re likely to have a “photographic memory.”

Remember, while these reports provide fascinating insights into how your genes might influence your health and other characteristics, they’re not diagnostic tools.

They don’t account for all possible genetic variants that could affect these traits, and they don’t incorporate other factors like lifestyle or environment. Any concerns or significant findings should be discussed with a healthcare professional.

Lastly, 23andMe also allows the opportunity to participate in research by answering survey questions. This data, when compiled with data from other users, help 23andMe in its ongoing research efforts, and in turn contributes to the scientific community’s overall understanding of genetics.

Pricing

As of now, the basic ancestry services of both companies are comparably priced. For health-related information, 23andMe’s Health + Ancestry service costs more than the basic AncestryDNA kit but less than the AncestryHealth service.

Please note that the prices for 23andMe and AncestryDNA services may vary over time and based on geographic location. You should check the respective websites for the most current prices and deals.

Services	23andMe	AncestryDNA
Ancestry-only Report	$99	$99
Health + Ancestry Report	$199	$179 (AncestryHealth)
VIP Health + Ancestry Service	$499	Not available
Monthly Subscription	Not available	$19.99-$49.99

23andMe’s VIP Health + Ancestry Service includes two Health + Ancestry kits, priority lab processing, premium customer support, and a personalized ancestry report.

Ancestry’s subscription is for its Ancestry.com services, which include access to historical records and advanced features for family tree building.

Privacy

Both companies have privacy policies stating that your data will not be shared without your explicit consent. It’s important for users to thoroughly read and understand these policies before proceeding.

Takeaway

Both 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer comprehensive ancestry reports, but they focus on different aspects.

23andMe tends to delve more into ancient ancestry and provides health-related reports.

In contrast, AncestryDNA, with its larger database, offers more extensive genealogical resources and a more detailed look at more recent ancestry, especially when paired with its subscription-based services.