I have seen these DNA tests advertised over the past several months and I was interested in learning more about my DNA. There are two main kits being advertised, the ancestryDNA kit from ww.ancestry.com and the Ancestry service by 23andMe. I decided to take both tests in order to figure out which one was the better option and to see if the results would be similar.
Ease of Purchase
Both test kits are relatively easy to purchase. You can order directly from either website www.23andme.com or ww.ancestry.com/DNA . The DNA ancestry profiling test is $99 dollars with both companies, however 23andMe offers an Ancestry Service + Health kit for $199. I purchased this option to get more information and to see if it was worth it. You can often find promotional deals for these kits. I was able to buy the ancestryDNA kit for $69 with a promotion. The 23andMe kit was on sale during Amazon PRIMEday where the Ancestry kit was $49 and the Ancestry + Health kit $99. After purchasing both kits they arrived in mail within 2-3 days, with the 23andMe arriving first.
WINNER: SAME
Sample Submission
ancestryDNA kit
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23andMe kit
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One difference between the two kits was the ease of using the sample tubes. I did find the 23andMe kit sample tube easier to seal. With the ancestryDNA kit, I was not entirely clear I had sealed the sample tube correctly and feared the saliva sample may leak out during shipping.
WINNER: 23andMe just barely
Waiting process and website use
Shortly after registering each kit, I received a confirmation email from both companies. It was from this point I started noticing the major differences bewteen both companies. In order to sign up for use, you have to authorize the genetic tests and read through the terms of agreement.
The 23andMe website clearly states in their terms of agreement that they are offering this commercial service as apart of a larger goal to perform medical research. They have made this well known publicly even recently signaling that they may be developing DNA-based therapies for various diseases using tour genetic information. You are offered an option to be excluded from any medical research as well. They also offer an affirmation that the company will not use your personal information. I signed up to be apart of the medical research with 23andMe after all I am a scientist. As a result there were surveys for me to take that just provided additional information to the company. They only took a few minutes and were not a nuisance.
AncestryDNA also has a terms of agreement to sign that is pretty standard. However, the ancestryDNA website started to feel more like a sales pitch. Shortly after signing up it became apparent that their goal was to sign me up for other services which include a monthly subscription. It made me pause for a minute but luckily they didn’t turn into a spam attack after I declined to sign up.
WINNER: 23andME
Results
The results came in a few days short of 4 weeks, with ancestryDNA arriving one day before the 23andMe results.
ancestryDNA Genetic Community |
ancestryDNA Ethnicity Estimate |
23andme Ancestry profile |
DNA Health Report |
WINNER: AncestryDNA for heritage specificity, 23andME for level of scientific presentation
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed this little experiment of science becoming mainstream. I can see these companies offering paternity tests in this fashion pretty soon and putting Maury out of business. YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER!
I think both of these kits will appeal to different types of individuals. If you are just interested in understanding how your DNA relates to your specific heritage based upon individual countries and you are looking to find long lost relatives I recommend the ancestryDNA kit. If you are interested in finding out a little bit more about yourself from a health perspective while becoming a productive member of scientific study I recommend 23andMe. Either way you get to learn a little it about yourself and your DNA.
These results got me feeling kinda like an Oreo.
In light of this little experiment I may have to plan a trip to Cambodia to hit up the Fam!
To purchase your own kit:-
23andME Ancestry Service 30% off ($69) |
40% off ($59) ancestryDNA kit If you purchase a kit using our link you we may receive a referral fee |