March 27th, 2018 | Updated on April 23rd, 2024
DNA Test, personal DNA test is becoming more popular with each passing day. The number of people who have had their DNA analyzed now exceeds 12 million, according to industry estimates.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms.
DNA has become a commodity sought by scientists and biotech companies, each hoping to collect enough to wring out new knowledge in new ways.
If I’m adopted, should I have DNA testing? If you are an adoptee looking to find your birth family, I would recommend testing with DNA adoptees test.
DNA testing has been highly successful in finding relatives. There are still people testing though, who are finding only distant relative matches. Your best chance at finding the person you are looking for is when both parties have tested.
DNA has become a sought-after concept for scientists and biotech companies, each hoping to collect enough to wring out new knowledge in new ways.
Beyond burning questions about mankind’s origins and the public’s fascination with ancestry, the popularity of DNA testing has also opened up new possibilities in the beauty and fitness sectors, particularly when it comes to the personalisation of products.
The world’s consumer genetic testing market was worth $70m (£53m) in 2015, and is expected to rise to $340m (£261m) by 2022. It’s expanded beyond the ancestry sector and into beauty, health and fitness, and even dating.
These large databases mean that there are more opportunities to get matched with distant cousins or find long-lost or previously unknown relatives.
DNA test kits have become immensely popular in the last decade and astonishingly, it even turned out to be a profound gift during the holiday season.
Many tests like 23andMe, AncestryDNA have come into the market and are being added to more people’s bucket lists, every day.
With many manufacturers trying to come with their own DNA test kits, things are getting a little bit overwhelming.
As a result, a lot of people started giving up because they’re not entirely sure about the kit that they want to buy.
While that kind of sucks, we are here to tell you the whats, whos, wheres, and whys should not just be passed up because of this confusion.
Therefore, we at our portal have done some research to list you the best DNA test in the market.
We’ve looked at five of the most popular DNA test kits out there: AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage,Living DNA, and Family Tree DNA.
Analyzing the five different DNA test kits, we are going to take you through a rundown of each of the kit along with what they will do, the pros and cons and the pricing so that you can decide which kit is the best one for you.
Before we get into the detailing of each kit, as a reader, it is important for you to know about few fancy terms that might pop up again and again in this article. These terms will let you know how to handle the DNA testing kits as well.
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Autosomal Testing
A basic and a popular method of genetic testing, this is the first method used.
It is nicknamed as the family finder in the market and it usually takes a look at the 22 pairs of different chromosomes which are not involved in the determination of sex.
Mostly, these are used for cousins, distant relatives and as well to find the ethnic mix of a person through mixture percentages.
The test will also reveal the eye color, the heritable diseases as well as the genetic traits. Each kit listed here does the autosomal testing for you and therefore you don’t have to worry about it much.
mtDNA
Short form for Mitochondrial DNA, this testing is used to trace the mother’s lineage.
In this test, the DNA strands of a mother that are passed down to the child are tested.
There is a little chance for it to be altered so you can trace the maternal line as far as you can with the help of this testing.
Y-DNA
A test entirely focused on the Y chromosomes, as the name says is of the father lineage.
If you know enough science, you might as well know that the Y chromosome usually stands for the male chromosome, and therefore, this test studies the DNA strands that are passed down to the son from the father.
One can find the entire paternal line, as far as they can with the help of the Y-DNA test. The only limitation is that only males can use this test.
A thing to know about the autosomal testing is that even when it shows the links between your relatives, you should remember that there will always be a mix of both the sides and therefore, it won’t necessarily show the side of the family that they actually came from.
The other two tests mtDNA and Y-DNA can trace back to 100 generations or a little less, while the autosomal can trace to 8 generations.
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Top Five Best DNA Tests
1. Ancestry DNA
The popular DNA testing as it is, most people use AncestryDNA to get the pie chart that shows the DNA mixes as well as to uncover the distant relatives who are not actually shown in the family tree. Once, a woman has discovered that she is related to George Washington.
All you need to do is fill the testing tube with the spit and then send it back for testing and wait for a maximum of 8 weeks. The results are indefinite and you can log on to see the updates of the family tree, anytime, after that.
Pros: AncestryDNA pulls the results from a gigantic genealogical pool with 5 million DNA sets in the picture. All these DNA are collection from 150 ethnic regions that contain around 700,000 locations and the domain also includes the migration data of the world.
Said to contain the largest database with the DNA test kits, the DNA can be linked to any one of the family trees if they are signed on the Ancestry.com. Therefore, through this test, you can not only find your family tree but also can reach out and connect. The results of this test will never go out the website as long as you’re subscribed to that.
There are also options to contact the database, with the matches being so great which is why this is one of the best DNA tests available to connect with the biological relatives.
Cons: This DNA test does not offer any separate mtDNA, Y-DNA tests and therefore, if you’re trying to get a tracing of your maternal or paternal lineage, it won’t happen. Your results just stay your family tree and relatives as the Ancestry DNA can’t give you the other details.
Also, the people of East Asia find the AncestryDNA troublesome and frustrating, because it doesn’t have samples that can provide enough data for the rest of the world.
Price: AncestryDNA test kits are available on Amazon for $79, but normally you will have discounts happening during the sales.
2. 23andMe
As the name says, the test will collect a unique set of 23 chromosomes. Being the only kit to offer the healthy screenings apart from the autosomal testing, you need to fill this tube as well with the spit and send it for the testing and wait for 8 months for the results. Just like the above test, your results are kept in discreet and you can log in, to know about your family tree.
Pros: A unique thing about 23andMe is that it does the health screenings all the way.The basic version however just traces the ancestry of a person, but with the deluxe option, you can as well get a health screening.
23andMe have health tests that can provide you with valuable information about health risks, genetic illnesses, health conditions, genetic traits and health risks as well that run in the family. This test also has the ability to provide a heads-up about the checkups that you might want to go through.
Cons: 23andMe has a smaller genealogical community when compared to the AncestryDNA and therefore, the results are not pulled from different places across the world. The second largest database, it still is significant.
Price: 23andMe is the easiest DNA test kits that one can find. You can get it at CVS, Walgreens, and Target. The starting price of the rest is around $29.99 and the lab fee will be around $69 – $169.
If you’re buying it on the official website of 23andMe, depending on the basic or the deluxe test, you will find a reduction of $10 on it. However, Amazon sales are frequently up and you can get the test for a more reasonable price.
3. Living DNA
If you are looking for the bang to find the buck and are looking to get all the above-mentioned tests at a time, then finding the Living DNA an getting it done is the best option you can find. Another thing about it is most of the results will only be linked to the UK regions.
Living DNA is the kit that goes in depth with all the British Isles. The test offers a tool through which you can swab the inside of the cheek and send it back to get the results in 12 weeks. The results here are kept indefinite and you can log on anytime know about your family tree.
Pros: Living DNA is the best deal that you can find, in case if you’re looking forward to getting the three tests done at a time. If offers the mtDNA and Y-DNA in the basic kit without any additional charges which none of the other kits have.
Also, it pulls the info from 80 geographical locations altogether saying that Living DNA provides detailed information when it comes to the region.
Cons: Unlike the other tests that are available on the list, Living DNA doesn’t have a database to connect with the relatives and therefore, it can’t give you the family tree. When compared to the other tests, it will take the longest to get the results back.
Price: The Living DNA test costs around $99 and indeed is the best deal if you want to find something more than the autosomal testing. Together, all the three tests usually add up to $199 and nothing less.
4. FamilyTree DNA
Said to be one of the extensive tests in the bunch, FamilyTree is the best kit to find the genealogical links especially when you have a larger budget. Just like Living DNA, it will ask you to swab the insides of the cheek and send the tool back for the testing. The result will be back in 8 weeks and the results will be kept on the list for around 25 years.
Pros: The Family TreeDNA gives the option both for Y-DNA and mtDNA analysis and it is known to give the in-depth paternal and maternal results when compared to other kits.
However, if you have gotten any genealogical tests before to get the genetics information from outside, this data can also be uploaded to the portal as raw data in order to be analyzed. The options to contact the matches are great and therefore, it is one of the best ways to connect with the biological relatives.
Cons: Though FamilyTree DNA does offer all the three tests, they should be conducted separately. This means you should be having three different swabs and three different payments, making it the expensive kit where three tests can be done.
Price: The price of FamilyTree DNA starts at $79.99 for the Family Finder and adding the Y-DNA test will only bring the price to $169, while the mtDNA will make it $199. Pricey, yes, but it is worth the analyses.
5. MyHeritage
If you are low on the budget and are looking for the autosomal test and it alone, MyHeritage is the key for you. Even the first timers will find the kit to be appealing and as well as user-friendly because of the features that it contain.
Swabbing the tool with insides of your cheek can do the work for you. You can send the tool back for testing and get the results done for 3-4 weeks as they are stored for around 25 years.
Pros: MyHeritage is the cheapest and the fastest test and it sends results back in 4 weeks, making it the fastest DNA test. You don’t even have to have a monthly subscription in order to access the results.
MyHeritage has a database pulling from more than 2 regions and is the third biggest database in the list. You can go online and link yourself to your family tree. There is an option to upload the raw data as well if you have previously gotten any genealogical tests that you would like to be used or included in the results.
Cons: Though MyHeritage has a database full of few regions, it is small when compared to other kits here. Also, it doesn’t offer separate Y-DNA or mtDNA tests; so you can’t really find results regarding your paternal and maternal lineage.
Price: MyHeritage is available on Amazon for just $69, making the cheapest kit on the list.
