DNA testing has come a long way in a few short years. It was once a highly expensive procedure and is now a very affordable service available to the general public, highlighting how far DNA testing has come. In fact, there are countless DNA testing services available for anyone that wishes to trace the roots of their family tree and gain a better understanding of the genetic history.
What is DNA Testing?
DNA testing is the scientific process of testing an individual’s DNA, often from a small sample of blood, hair, or skin. It’s got many applications, including parental and genetic testing, where the person getting tested has their genetic profile analyzed and mapped.
Not only does this allow people to determine their parentage and relationship with other people, but it also offers insight into one’s ethnic heritage. This provides more details about the ancestry and one’s family tree, so it’s understandable why the process has become so popular.
Which Offers the Best DNA Testing?
While there are many consumer DNA testing services available, not all share the same high standards. Perhaps the two most notable and reputable services come from Ancestry and 23AndMe, both of which have become industry leaders in the consumer market.
Which is Better?
To understand which service may be better, it’s important to look at what each offer, their fees, and the overall results produced.
Ancestry
Charging roughly $100/£70, Ancestry offers good value for money as they provide an impressive range of services to suit many people. Services include DNA matching and mapping, ethnic profiling, and identifying genetic backgrounds.
Most come in a single package, so you get a good range of services for your investment, making it especially appealing for those looking to discover their genetic history. You can discover your family tree dating back thousands of years, which is certainly a cool thing to know!
Of course, it’s probably better applied when used to find current family members you may not know about. If aiming to find out more about your family history, whether current or dating back centuries, Ancestry is a fine choice.
23AndME
23AndMe charges about the same fee as Ancestry, while also offering a wide range of services, although it does offer a few more than its main competitor. These services are impressively diverse, with the likes of DNA Family, DNA Relative Finder, Neanderthal Ancestry, and Paternal & Maternal Haplogroups.
An additional package also covers your current health risks and traits by testing your DNA. This is a bit costlier but is a great choice for people that want to identify potential genetic health risks they may have.
Even for their ancestry package, you do get a few more services included compared to Ancestry. Whether you want to see if you have any Neanderthal DNA or want to find out your great-great-grandparents, it’s a good service worth paying for.
Conclusion
23AndMe certainly offers a richer choice of services within their packages, which are also similarly priced to Ancestry. They also provide health reports based on DNA testing, which is something many people wish to know.
However, if you simply want to trace back your family tree, Ancestry is still a fine choice. It goes very far back and has some of the best genealogy testing results, so is worth checking out for people wanting to know more about their family tree.
When it comes to discovering more about your health along with your family tree and ancestors, then 23AndME is the better option, you can find out more about each easily online.
