The three services above are our top picks for the best DNA test. They weren't the only ones we tested. What follows are some additional options, none of which eclipse the 23andMe, Ancestry, or FamilyTreeDNA tests in any significant way.
My legacy
MyHeritage offers a free tier of services that includes some basic family tree building and access to excerpts from historical documents. It also includes a report of your genetic makeup across the company's 42 supported ethnicities, identifying relatives and relationships where possible.
We found MyHeritage's user interface to be much less intuitive and more difficult to navigate than others. It is one of the few companies that offers a comprehensive research database of historical documents, DNA analysis and health screening, but we found the integration between them to be a little clumsy. In 2018, MyHeritage committed security breachrevealing the email addresses and hashed passwords of more than 92 million users.
Living DNA
LivingDNA shares its offerings in a different way than others. Your Ancestry DNA Kit provides an overview of your ancestry in 150 geographic regions and maternal and paternal haplogroup information and access to the company's genetic matching tool. The $129 “Wellness Package” includes reports on your physiological compatibility with vitamins, food and exercise. $225 prosperity and provenance gives you all of that.
While it does not sell or share data, the company has a a lot limited family match database; a company representative declined to give me a specific number, but said it contains fewer than 1 million profiles. If you want to identify and make connections with relatives, there are better choices on the market.
Whole genome sequencing
There are several companies including Complete genomes, Veritas Genetics, Nebula Genomics and Dante's Laboratorieswho can sequence your entire DNA — otherwise known as your genome. This level of analysis is only suitable for advanced users. Not only is it expensive—these tests can cost thousands of dollars, in some cases—it requires a sophisticated understanding of both genetics and the array of technical tools needed to research and interpret your results. The cheapest genome-wide tests cost about $195.
For most people, the main reason for whole-genome sequencing is to dive deep into your genetic makeup for health. You can collect your personal disease risk factors, drug sensitivities, and your carrier status; that is, what you can pass on to your children. All of these efforts can also be undertaken (to a less intensive degree) with some of the more affordable options listed above. We suggest starting with Nebula Genomics. You can too upload an existing DNA sequence from the Ancestry or 23andMe DNA database and get Nebula's reports at a discounted price.