Who Is the Best Person to Do the Ancestry Dna Test in a Family

DNA testing has revolutionized the world of genealogy over the past few years and has now become an essential tool for family unit history inquiry. There are many first-class genealogy reasons to have a Deoxyribonucleic acid test: confirming your family tree, breaking brick walls, connecting with new cousins, and learning almost your indigenous make-upwardly are but a few.

This article will compare the 2 leading Dna testing companies who sell autosomal DNA tests for genealogy purposes: AncestryDNA and 23andMe. 23andMe became the first company to offering direct-to-consumer autosomal DNA testing for ancestral purposes in 2007, and Ancestry began selling tests v years later in 2012 in the The states. Just which is best if you want to test for genealogy purposes? Let's bank check them out.

Providing the Dna Sample

Both tests are professionally packaged, easy to use, contain simple to follow instructions and provide helpful return shipping options. The first affair yous should exercise for both companies is activate the kit online at the applicative website. Next yous need to provide your sample, and these companies use exactly the same collection method: both tests require a saliva sample so y'all have to fill a pocket-sized tube with around a quarter of a teaspoon of saliva to complete the examination. Once you have done this, all you lot demand to do is identify the completed sample in the provided render shipping box and pop it in the post. Processing times for both companies vary depending on recent sales, but in that location is non a great difference in the wait time and yous should receive your results with both inside 3-6 weeks.

Winner: Draw (almost identical feel)

Database Size

This is one of the most crucial considerations, as the larger the database, the more than matches you will receive and the better your chances of being successful in using your DNA results to aid your family tree enquiry. Ancestry has by far the largest database of all of the testing companies with over xv 1000000 testers, while 23andMe has the second largest with over 10 one thousand thousand testers. These are the 2 large powerhouses of the genealogy DNA testing world, just the Beginnings database is simply larger and this cannot be overlooked, especially if yous have a mystery to solve.

Winner: AncestryDNA

Ethnicity Estimates

Autosomal Dna tests consist of 2 primary features—an ethnicity gauge and a DNA match list. Ethnicity estimates requite you an idea of the regions in the world your ancestry stems from and evangelize this data in percentages. Ethnicity estimates are the most well-known and advertised aspect of autosomal tests, but it's actually the DNA match list that is the most valuable for genealogical purposes. It'due south important not to take ethnicity estimates as well literally (they are called estimates for a reason!) and to be aware that they will differ betwixt companies, as each has its own reference populations and algorithms. Companies also periodically update and refine their estimates so they are prone to change over time equally the applied science improves and reference sets increase in size. Having said all that, information technology can be great fun to see your own ethnicity map!

Over 500 global regions make upwards Ancestry's ethnicity estimate portfolio. Ancestry has besides developed "Genetic Communities" and these are identifiable by a circle with a dotted line within the "Deoxyribonucleic acid Story" area of your test results. Genetic communities are primarily based on the trees of your matches and this is what makes them unlike from the regular ethnicity gauge portion of the results. The organisation, for instance, has noticed that I accept many matches with ancestors from Ulster, Ireland on their trees and therefore suggests that it's likely I too have ancestors from Ulster. It even drills down to specific regions of Ulster in the form of Tyrone, Londonderry and Antrim, and South Down and Northward Louth. I exercise indeed have ancestors from these areas and then this role of the test proves to be very accurate in my personal experience.

23andMe'southward ethnicity judge is called "Ancestry Limerick" and information technology evaluates a tester's ancestry based on over 1,500 geographic regions. It also provides a special sub-regional feature called "Recent Ancestor Locations" (RALs). These populate using data provided by your matches on the birth locations of their grandparents which rather limits the telescopic. I find it sometimes skews toward urban locations since more than people have tested from those areas only it certainly can provide some interesting data.

23andMe also offers several other unique features inside their Ancestry Composition report. Firstly there's an "Beginnings Timeline" which predicts when your ancestors may have lived in particular regions. There is likewise a tool which displays which ethnicities and the percentages thereof you received from which of your parents, so long as you have at to the lowest degree 1 parent tested. The all-time of their unique features, however, is the "Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting" which provides a chromosome map that breaks upwards your DNA segments past ethnicity. This can be very helpful when you have several very distinct ethnicities in your beginnings, but not and so helpful if your beginnings is mainly from similar areas.

Both Ancestry and 23andMe regularly update their ethnicity estimates so information technology's worth checking back every so often to come across if yours has inverse in any way.

Winner: AncestryDNA (this is a close telephone call every bit 23andMe's offering is first-class, but Ancestry win for Genetic Communities!)

Deoxyribonucleic acid Match Lists

Whichever autosomal DNA testing company y'all choose to test with, the Deoxyribonucleic acid friction match listing provided is by far the virtually important feature for genealogy purposes. Essentially this is a listing of all other testers in the database who share DNA with yous, starting from the closest to the most distant. Match lists provide the proper noun of the lucifer, a relationship prediction or range, and the amount of DNA shared in centiMorgans or as a pct. The vast majority of your matches will be 3rd or more distant cousins with whom you share a set of mutual ancestors, and if yous tin can identify those common ancestors you could verify that line on your tree, solve mysteries, break brick walls, add new branches to your tree, and connect with new cousins who share your interest in family history. Finding and connecting with living cousins tin can be one of the most exciting and rewarding benefits of DNA testing; your new cousins may have family stories and photographs they tin share with you lot that you would never detect any other manner.

Beginnings's layout for the Deoxyribonucleic acid match list is very clear and improvements this year hateful it's now possible to organize matches into 24 colour-coded groups, every bit well as filter them in a number of helpful means. I find the Ancestry match list past far the easiest to organize due to these features and ane of my favorite filtering options is being able to filter past the newest high matches—when then many new people are testing every day wading through lots of tiny matches to find the all-time new ones tin can exist very tedious. The search capabilities are as well very useful as you can now search your match list via username, ancestral surname and location. Additionally you can write notes on each match to keep rails of your research and these are at present visible on the master match list.

The 23andMe match listing is likewise very well laid out and provides a number of helpful searching and filtering options but does not have the same color-coding organizational capabilities every bit Beginnings. It is possible to "favorite" matches of interest, but not to organize them into specific groups. There is also a annotation function, merely be aware this is at the foot of the individual match page, and not the main match list.

Ane central matter yous need to understand nearly the 23andMe lucifer list is that it is express to your closest ii,000 matches, and this number takes those who have opted out of existence shown as a match into account, so the number volition mostly be lower than ii,000. Another of import indicate is that 23andMe testify the corporeality of DNA y'all share with a match as a per centum on the master match list as opposed to in centiMorgans (cMs) equally Beginnings does. They do include the cM numbers on the individual friction match page, still, under "View Deoxyribonucleic acid Details."

23andMe operates a organization through which you can send connexion invitations to your matches in order to connect with them and share more data, although be aware if they have called to exist "open sharing" on the site, you volition already take access to all of the information yous gain if a match accepts a connection invitation.

The search and filtering capabilities on 23andMe are fantabulous as y'all tin can run a number of searches and filters at the aforementioned time and you're not limited to merely one or 2. You can search 23andMe lists via match name, ancestral surname, location and fifty-fifty haplogroup. Information technology's equally possible to sort your matches by the highest new ones as you can on Ancestry. Ane filtering choice 23andMe has that the other companies do not is if you lot accept been able to test only one parent, you tin can filter past side, due east.g. "mother'southward side" and "non female parent'due south side." This is very useful in that situation.

Winner: AncestryDNA (this is a tight phone call as both are excellent, only Ancestry has the edge due to the colour-coding organizational capabilities)

Shared Matches

Shared matches are very ofttimes the key to working out how your matches chronicle to yous and so the shared match function provided past the companies is one of the most vital tools they can offer. Ancestry's shared friction match list is well laid out and extremely helpful but be aware that information technology merely comprises matches who share over 20cM with y'all, and information technology does not listing how much Deoxyribonucleic acid the shared matches share with each other—to notice that out y'all would have to exist invited to see their list or ask them if they would provide the information personally.

23andMe'southward shared match list, called "Relatives In Common," does not have a limit in the style that Ancestry's does, so it will show every shared match, including the lower level ones. It also provides total information on how much DNA the shared friction match shares with both the tester and the match.

Additionally the "Shared DNA" column is very helpful and is similar to MyHeritage'southward triangulated segments—"Yes" means that y'all share at to the lowest degree i exact segment with both the relative in common and the shared match, and "No" ways the iii of you match each other, but not on any exact segments. If a particular lucifer is not "open sharing" y'all will non be provided with the "Shared DNA" column data, unless they accept a connexion request.

23andMe's shared match listing is a truly excellent tool and one of the nearly informative shared lucifer offerings across all of the companies aslope that provided past MyHeritage.

Winner: 23andMe

Family Copse & Messaging

Some other of the most important features the companies can provide are family trees of matches and a office for yous to create your own family tree to share with your matches if you wish. Beginnings is one of the industry leaders when information technology comes to provision of trees and personal tree-building tools. You tin also upload a gedcom if you have created a tree with your own family history software. Whether or non your match creates or attaches a tree to their results is an private decision nonetheless, then how many trees you have to piece of work with will vary depending on your personal matches.

One of the major disappointments with 23andMe over the by few years in terms of genealogy testing has been the lack of any family tree provision on its site. Sharing family tree information is the backbone of working out how y'all chronicle to a lucifer, so this is a real problem. It has non been possible to build a tree to share with matches on 23andMe for several years and, therefore, matches oasis't been edifice trees to share either. It is possible to add a link to a tree you've built elsewhere to your profile and to add basic information on your "Family Background" such as the birthplaces of your grandparents and your bequeathed surnames, but in practice many people do non fill these in.

In the last few months, yet, 23andMe take taken some steps to rectify this state of affairs. Firstly they now allow the linking of FamilySearch copse to their system: non many people have used this facility yet simply information technology's a step in the correct direction. Even more recently they released their own "Family unit Tree" beta tool. This is an automated tree-building tool which aims to predict your genetic family tree using your matches. It will endeavor to place your matches into a tree and you can add to that tree manually. This is an exciting new tool and a real stride forward for 23andMe given their lack of family unit copse in recent times, merely it is notwithstanding very much in its infancy and merely time will tell if it solves the problem of lack of trees on the site.

Another important feature that both sites offer is the ability to contact your matches. Their messaging systems are similar and easy to apply.

Winner: Ancestry

Boosted Features

Beginnings offers an array of boosted features and tools including common antecedent hints, highlighted shared surnames if you and your match take linked trees, predicted human relationship probability charts (similar to The Shared cM Project tool at Dna Painter), comparison of ethnicity estimates, a facility to invite others to access and fifty-fifty manage your Dna results, a map showing where your matches are located (if they accept given that data on their profile) and mother's and begetter's side filters if you've tested your parents.

Beginnings'due south newest feature, Thrulines, uses the company'south vast number of family trees to endeavour to identify common ancestors betwixt yous and your Dna matches.

Thrulines tin provide y'all with some excellent clues equally to how your matches relate to you, simply the key is to always investigate each theory fully earlier accepting it as fact.

23andMe also has a wide assortment of additional features, such as comparing of ancestry composition results, and a map showing the location of your matches, simply the 2 near important unique additional pieces of information they provide are the Neanderthal Ancestry report and maternal and paternal haplogroups. Y'all will be able to learn how many Neanderthal variants you have inherited and the haplogroups provide data on the ancient origins of your direct paternal and maternal lines (only men will receive the paternal haplogroup equally it is based on testing of the Y-Chromosome which women practice non inherit). Do not confuse the maternal and paternal haplogroups with the Y-Dna and Mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic acid tests FamilyTreeDNA sells, as those offering matching databases in addition to haplogroup designations, but the reports and haplogroup information 23andMe provide will certainly give y'all an interesting glimpse into the origins of your direct paternal and maternal lines.

Winner: AncestryDNA (this is close but Ancestry gets the nod for Thrulines)

DNA Tools & Segment Data

23andMe provides detailed DNA segment data and boasts both one-to-one and one-to-many chromosome browsers. A chromosome browser is a visual tool that tin can be used to compare matches. It allows you to see the exact segments of Dna that matches share in mutual with you and each other, and on which chromosomes these are located.

On the private lucifer page under "View DNA details," a one-to-one comparison between you lot and your match is displayed. This graphic provides additional details that none of the other browsers on the market do, eastward.g., whether your match shares completely identical or half identical regions with y'all. Nosotros each have ii copies of every chromosome (one copy inherited from mom and one inherited from dad) and a friction match could match you on 1 re-create of both copies: the near common relatives that would friction match on both copies would be total siblings, since they will likewise inherit Dna from both parents.

Comparing between total siblings showing how they share Deoxyribonucleic acid on both copies of their chromosomes

23andMe's "Advanced Deoxyribonucleic acid Comparison" tool is a fantastic 1-to-many Chromosome Browser which allows you lot to compare yourself or any of your matches (so long as they are open sharing or individually sharing with you) with upwardly to v other matches at a time.

X-DNA (Chromosome 23) data is also included and exact start and terminate locations along with cM amounts are neatly displayed in a table underneath the visual. This is an splendid and comprehensive chromosome browser.

Ancestry does non provide segment information or a chromosome browser for privacy reasons. The lack of detailed segment data is one of the few negatives for Beginnings and if yous want to utilize sites like Deoxyribonucleic acid Painter for chromosome mapping you take to be aware it's not possible to exercise this with Ancestry matches unless they upload their results to a site that provides segment information such as GEDMatch, FTDNA or MyHeritage.

Winner: 23andMe

Raw Information Transfers

Some major DNA testing companies permit you to upload results from competitor companies into their databases for gratis. You need to be aware that neither Beginnings nor 23andMe permit uploads to their sites so you take to take a direct examination with both if you wish to get into their databases. Conversely you lot can download your raw data from both sites to upload to the sites that do have transfers (MyHeritage, FTDNA and LivingDNA).

Winner: N/A

Health Insights

Although this article's focus is on testing for genealogy purposes, information technology would be remiss not to mention wellness testing, as this has been a chief focus for 23andMe over many years and they are well-known for this. Their "Health + Ancestry" test includes the Ancestry aspects I have been assessing but also provides health predisposition reports, carrier status reports, wellness reports and trait reports.

Ancestry, upward until this betoken, has never focused on health and wellness in the mode 23andMe always have, but recently they added a new feature chosen AncestryTraits, which can exist appended to their test for $20 and provides 26 personal trait reports such as center color and bitter sensitivity. Then, on October 15th, they announced that they will be branching into the wellness testing arena with two new products named "AncestryHealth" and "Ancestry HealthPlus," with the former being an entry level health test and the latter a more comprehensive one.

Given information technology'southward non possible at this fourth dimension to assess the Ancestry wellness offer, and 23andMe are the long-term market leader on this front, I have to recommend 23andMe if you are looking to gain health insights from one of these 2 tests.

Winner: 23andMe

Toll

An AncestryDNA exam will currently prepare you back $99 plus shipping ($9.95 for the first kit and $4.95 for each additional kit) while a 23andMe ancestry-only kit will also cost $99 plus shipping ($9.95). Both 23andMe's "Ancestry + Health" exam and Ancestry's new "AncestryHealth" test currently cost $149. There are, however, regular sales at both sites and it's worth looking out for those especially at Dna Twenty-four hour period in April and Black Friday in November.

Winner: Draw

Conclusion

Overall Winner: AncestryDNA

For genealogy purposes, the near of import consideration when choosing which company to Dna examination with is database size; the larger the database the more chance you accept of successfully finding matches that volition aid you with your family history research. For this reason lone Beginnings, with a database of over xv 1000000 testers in comparison to 23andMe's still very large over 10 million database, is the winner in this detail battle. If you're serious about using DNA testing for genealogy, though, it'south best to get into all of the major databases if y'all possibly can, as you don't know where your best matches may choose to test. If y'all want to exam somewhere with excellent tools in terms of segment information or if you are more interested in health insights, then 23andMe would exist the winner for y'all, so appraise your individual goals before making a decision. I have given this boxing to Ancestry for genealogy purposes, but my top recommendation is always to test at both these powerhouse companies if you can!

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Source: https://www.top10.com/dna-testing/ancestrydna-vs-23andme

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