By Oreo I mean mostly black (African) with some white (European) sprinkled in the middle. Overall I have pretty basic DNA.

Being from the Caribbean I have always wondered which part of Africa our slave ships hailed from. Interestingly enough it seems like Massa’s DNA got filtered down through the grapevine also *sips tea*

As a scientist I have been intrigued by the surge of these genetic tests being sold commercially so that people can find out where they came from. With the 2 main companies offering genetic testing as a service being ancestryDNA & 23andme, I decided to give it a shot. These tests have become so popular that they recently sold out on Amazon PRIMEday.

Without any clear idea as to which test is better I decided to test my DNA with both services to see if they give comparable results but also to see if one was better than the other.

Setup for these tests were relatively simple, and painless. I paid for the tests online and they came in the mail within a week. They were both spit tests that required a generous amount of saliva. Once done the packages were sealed and mailed back to the respective companies. Test results take 4-6 weeks to receive by email. The results came in a day between each other.

Which DNA test kit is better? 23andME vs. Ancestry DNA

The good news is that both test results were similar

23andME: 58.6% Sub Sahara African, 39.1% European

ancestryDNA: 62% West African, 36% European

There were several slight differences with the way the results were presented and the significance of the results. AncestryDNA is a lot more specific with the individual countries stating that my lineage derives from 21% Cameroon/Congo, 11%Benin/Togo, 11% Senegal and 9% Ivory Coast, I had no idea that these lineages were apart of my ancestry. 23andME gave a general Sub Sahara location. The European Ancestry was similar across both tests.

Both tests provided genetic profiling of ancestry DNA. With 23and me I opted for the Ancestry DNA + Health Kit that provided additional health information for 75 tests including Late-onset Alzheimer's & Parkinsons disease, sense of taste for bitter and sweet flavors or even whether or not you have a unibrow. So ladies no matter how hard you pluck your DNA cannot lie. AncestryDNA does not offer this service.


Fun Fact: I do not have a genetic predisposition for hair loss or a bald spot. Thanks MOM, because I definitely didn’t inherit that from my Dad.

Due to the nature of the genetic tests, AncestryDNA appeared to have a lot more cross references of other individuals that you may be related to. They suggested a couple people who may be 2nd and 3rd cousins based upon our DNA profile. I also found someone who was related to my grandmother on his or her family tree. Pretty Cool!

It may also be worth noting that 23andME is leveraging their genetic testing capacity to develop the latest therapeutic drugs while also performing academic research. Therefore your DNA may end up in a study unless you chose to decline upon sign up.

Overall the experience was painless and informative. It’s a great way to see genetics in action. Our DNA packs a lot of information about us, so it is refreshing to see some of the observations that we take for granted are hardwired to our core.

Might be worthwhile to see where you came from. STAY WOKE!

For more in depth look at how the kits compare CLICK HERE->


To purchase your own kit:-

23andME 15% off Health + Ancestry Service ($169)

30% off ($69) ancestryDNA kit