MyHeritage Review 2024: Is Their DNA Test Worth It? (2024)

MyHeritage Review:Our Experience With MyHeritage’s DNA Testing & AncestryAnalysis [Updated 2024]

Table of Contents

MyHeritage Rating Based On OurReview

⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Rating: 3out of 5stars

MyHeritage scores 3out of 5 stars in our comprehensive review. While MyHeritage’s DNA test provides autosomal genetic data and a wide range of genetic genealogy tools, their DNA test misses out on important ancestry and health data from the mitochondrial chromosome and Ychromosome.

MyHeritage Facts

Who, Where, andWhen: Gilad Japhet,Israel,2003

Why: Provide a database ofhistorical recordsusers can browse forfamily historyinformation.

How: At first, MyHeritage was available only on PC in 6 languages, but is now available on theirwebsite.

Website: myheritage.com

Databases: Over 13million

Security: Data breach exposed 92 million people’s private information on June 4,2018.

Pricing (USD):

Upload Data: Free
Ancestry Test: $79 ($49 duringsales)
Ancestry +Health Test:$199

Alternatives: Sequencing.com offers lower-cost and more comprehensiveDNA tests that include both Ancestry andHealth aswell as offering a whole-genome sequencingservice.

Overview

MyHeritage DNAis a consumerDNA testingservicespecializing in genealogy, family history, and family trees. A software engineer by the name ofGilad Japhetdeveloped MyHeritage or My Heritage in 2003. This was his second attempt at developingfamily historysoftware. The first software was afamily treebuilderthat helped people trace theirroots.

The company is located in Or Yehuda,Israeland most of its users live in Europe. This means the MyHeritage database is primarily composed of people of European ancestry. People in theUnited Statesalso use the site, especially those with a Europeanbackground.

While MyHeritage is available globally, the number of people who use the site from Asia, South America, and Africa are small when compared to their Europeancustomers.

The site includes genealogy documentation services that allow an individual to research ancestry and family history using their MyHeritage account. These documents are obtained from publicly accessible historical record databases andinclude:

• Newspaper Articles
• Family Photos
• Immigration Information
• Death Certificates

In addition to tools that enable traditional genealogical exploration, MyHeritage also provides an add-on genetic genealogy service based on their own DNATest.

MyHeritage’s DNA testingis a new service, introduced in 2016.DNA datacan be matched with other users in their database to find possible family connections based on genetics. Users who take aDNA testcan review the results online or via the MyHeritageapp.

TheMyHeritage websitereceives millions of visits a day, but reports are limited. For more about ourMyHeritage review, keepreading.

Sequencing.com also offers aDNA testkitand freerawDNA dataupload for a wider range of comprehensive genetic genealogicalinformation. Learn more about ourDNA testingserviceand ancestry reportsby ⁠clicking here.

About the MyHeritage DNA TestKit

Review of theAncestry KitfromMyHeritage

The⁠MyHeritageDNAtesting kitcan be ordered on their website. As you can see above, there is an option to receive a free month of the MyHeritage Complete plan. The MyHeritage Complete plan is a subscription plan that allows a person who takes the MyHeritage DNA testto find DNA matches and explore historicalrecords.

If the plan is not canceled within the first month, MyHeritage WILL charge testers a ‘special introductory price’ of $149 for the first year. The regular price is $299 per year and will be charged for the second year if the subscription to MyHeritage is not canceled duringthe firstyear.

When a customer receives MyHeritage’s DNA collection kit, they activate it and use the enclosed cottonswabto collect aDNA sample. TheDNA sampleis mailed to the lab for analysis, which can take up to a month.DNA resultscan be viewed online or using the MyHeritagemobileapp.

MyHeritage DNA TestTechnology

The type of genetic testing used by MyHeritage obtains data on less than 0.1% of a person’sgenome.

MyHeritage uses DNA microarray technology for their DNA test. It is important to understand that this is a different type of genetic testfrom whole genome sequencing.DNA microarray’sdo not sequence a person’s genome. Instead, this type of genetic test obtains data onaround 700,000 genetic variants (such as SNPs) throughout a person’s genome. This may sound like a lot of data but is actually a relatively small amount compared to a person’s whole genome, which consists of 3 billionvariants.

The type of DNA microarray used by MyHeritage isthe⁠OmniExpress-24 chip manufactured by Illumina. Other companies, such as AncestryDNA and 23andMe, also use DNA microarrays manufactured by Illumina but they do not use the OmniExpress-24 chip. For example, 23andMe, LivingDNA, and Sequencingall usethe ⁠Global Screening Array-24, also known as the GSAchip.

TheGSA chip used by 23andMe and Living DNA provides data on around 700,000 genetic variants but only some of those variants are the same as the variants tested for by MyHeritage’sOmniExpress-24 chip. While Sequencing.com also uses the GSA chip, advanced bioinformatics processing enables their test to provide data on around 30 millionvariants.

While both are excellent high-density DNA microarrays, when compared to the MyHeritage OmniExpress-24 chip, the GSA chip is usually regarded as being the more advancedmicroarraythat provides more comprehensive data for health and wellnesspurposes.

MyHeritage’s Laboratory

MyHeritage’s DNA testing for US-based customersis contracted out toGene By Gene, a genetic testing laboratory located in Houston, Texas. This is the same laboratory that provides testing for several other DNA testing companies including FamilyTreeDNA (also known asFTDNA).

FamilyTreeDNA is actually owned by Gene By Gene. This close connection between FamilyTreeDNA and Gene By Genemaybe a privacy concern for some due to the news in 2019that ⁠FamilyTreeDNA provides the FBI with access to its DNAdatabases.

The Gene By Gene laboratory used by MyHeritage is both CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited. These are two important certifications that mean the laboratory has been validated by regulators and that the testing performed is consistentlyhigh-quality.

It is unknown whatlaboratories MyHeritage uses for customers who live outside the United States. The certifications of those laboratories are alsounknown.

What theMyHeritageDNATestAnalyzes

MyHeritage offersautosomalDNAtesting, which means their test provides data on chromosomes 1-22 and the X chromosome. It is important to note that MyHeritage’s DNA test does not provide any data on the mitochondrial chromosome. Their test also provides very limited data on the Ychromosome.

Children receiveautosomal DNAfrom their father and mother. Since it is a mixture, it can be difficult to identify relatives from past generations, especially those who are five or six generations back. AutosomalDNAtestingis sufficient for basicgenealogicalresearch but lacks the ability to provide deep ancestry analysis that requires data from the mitochondrial chromosome and, for males, data from the Ychromosome.

MyHeritage doesn’t testmtDNAandYDNA.

Mitochondrial chromosome DNA, also known as mtDNA and chrMT DNA, gets passed down from mother to each child.This allows mtDNA to be used totracethe maternal lineage of aperson.

Chromosome Y DNA, also known as YDNA and chrY DNA, gets passed down from father to son. This allows YDNA to be used to trace the paternal lineage of males. Since females don’t have a Y chromosome, studying the paternal lineage using YDNA is only applicable tomales.

It is unfortunate that the MyHeritage DNA test only provides autosomal data. There is a tremendous amount of useful information, both for genetic genealogy and health, located on the mitochondrial chromosome, which is not included in the MyHeritage test. Their DNA test also doesn’t obtain comprehensive data on the Y chromosome. The Y chromosome contains important genetic genealogy and health information formales.

DNA tests offered by other companies not only provide autosomaldata but also provide comprehensive data on both the mitochondrial and Y chromosomes. Both ofSequencing.com’s tests,the⁠UltimateDNA testand Ultimate GenomeSequencing, provide comprehensive data on all chromosomes. The UltimateDNA Testobtains comprehensive data on chromosomes 1-22, the X chromosome as well theMT and Y chromosomes while Ultimate Genome Sequencing, which includes clinical-grade whole genome sequencing,sequences the entire mitochondrial and Y chromosomes end-to-end. This means it obtains 100% of the mitochondrial chromosome and 100% of the Y chromosome in addition to all otherchromosomes.

Our Review of the MyHeritage Ancestry, Family Tree & DNA MatchingReports

OurMyHeritage reviewfound the reportcontains:

• Ethnicity Estimates
• Family Tree Builder
• DNASmart Matches

The information forethnicity estimatescontains ancestral roots for 42 ethnic regions worldwide. These ancestral roots are shown as percentages on a map. Unfortunately, the exact locations of those roots are not identified, which comes as a disappointment. An example is that it can be difficult to identifyScottishvs.Irishdescent on themap.

The information gained from the report can be used to buildfamily treeswhen including general locations where events took place (births, deaths,etc.).

Below you will find a sample MyHeritage report showing the Ethnicity Estimate. The report shows the sample person has Chinese heritage. The reportincludes users withDNA matchesand information about users’family trees. For the sample person, there were no close family or extended family matches but there were 59 distant relativematches.

Can You Download MyHeritage DNA Data and Upload It Third-PartySites?

One of the great things about a DNA test is that there’s always more to learn. Once you’ve taken a DNA test, most reputable test providers allow you to easily download the raw DNA data. While the A, C, G, and T’s of the raw data look like gobbledygook to most people, there’s actually a lot you can do withit.

Can You Download Your Raw DNA Data FromMyHeritage?

Yes, MyHeritage allows you to download your raw DNA data. Youcan download your raw DNA data from your MyHeritageaccount. When you download the data, MyHeritage provides it within a zip file that’s around 7 MB in size. Inside the zip file is the file that contains your raw DNA data, which is in CSV format andaround 24 MB insize.

Opening the csv file reveals all of your raw DNA data. There are four columns ofdata:

1. Variant ID
   • This is the ID for that specific genetic variant. It’s represented asa ⁠rsid(an acronym for Reference SNP cluster ID), which is the standard international identificationsystem.
2. Chromosome
   • This is the chromosome that the variant is located on. Numbers range from 1-22 and letters are either X or Y. MyHeritage doesn’t test the mitochondrial chromosome so there’s no M or MTdata.
3. Position
   • This is the chromosomal position of the geneticvariant.
4. Genotype
   • This is your data. It’s represented as two letters. If you see two dashes, that’s a ‘no-call’, which means the test was unable to determine your results for that specific genetic variant. This doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with your DNA as it is normal for there to be a small number of no-calls in every DNA test. This is part of the quality-control process and helps ensure that data below a certain quality threshold is not reported (and instead will appear as twodashes).
   • Only SNPs are included in the results. MyHeritage does not test for insertions or deletions or any other type of geneticvariant.

Can You UploadMyHeritage DNA Data To Third PartySites?

Yes, most third-party sites accept MyHeritage DNA data. These sites perform analysis on the data and provide a wide range of insights that are usually not available fromMyHeritage.

For example, Sequencing.com has more than 100 different DNA analysis apps and reports that are compatible with the DNA data from MyHeritage such as for rare disease screening, health, personalized nutrition, optimizing sleep, and improving cardiovascularhealth.

Popular sites to upload MyHeritage’s raw DNA data filesare:

• ⁠Sequencing.com
• ⁠WikiTree
• ⁠GEDmatch
• Promethease

Can You Upload DNA Data From Other Tests Into DownloadMyHeritage?

Yes, MyHeritage allows you to upload data from other test providers suchas ⁠23andMe, ⁠AncestryDNA, ⁠Dante Labs, and ⁠Sequencing.com. Users can uploadrawDNA data from other DNA test providers to locatenew relatives. This is a catch,however.

While MyHeritage makes iteasy to uploadDNA data into theirsystem, theydo not allow you to download that data at any time in the future. So while you can upload data files from other DNA tests toMyHeritage, you will not be able todownload thatfile.

But wait, didn’t we just say that MyHeritage does allow DNA data to be downloaded? Here’s the catch:the only data that MyHeritage allows you to download is the raw DNA data obtained from MyHeritage’s DNA test. So if you purchase a test through MyHeritage, you can download that data. If you purchase a test from someone else and then upload that data to MyHeritage, you cannot download thatfile.

Because of this, MyHeritage is not a good option for storing DNA test data from other testproviders.

Other Features

• Users can search their surnames to locatefamilymembers.
• For advanced users, the MyHeritage ancestry report also includes information about geneticsequences.
• Users can contact theirDNA matchesto start a discussion. Messaging also allows users to comparegenetic testingresults.
• MyHeritage’s⁠chromosome browsercan help users identify shared DNAsegments.
• A new feature as of 2020is ⁠Photo Enhancer. The tool removes blur and haziness from antique photos to make it look clear. There arealso ⁠several other softwaretools available for Mac and Windows that can help restore antiquephotos.
• ⁠Instant Discoverieswill applyfamily historyto afamily treeautomatically.
• The Record Detectivetool helpsfamily treebuildersknow where to place recordscorrectly.

TheMyHeritage DNAHealthKitReview

TheMyHeritageDNAKitcan also provide health information by purchasing the health report. The regular price of the health report is $199 and the sale price is usually$99.

It contains 42 personalizedhealth reports, 18 reports on genetic conditions, and 18 carrier status reports. Each of the health reports provides information on a single disease, such as Type II Diabetes. Those thinking of having children or are parents already will be interested in the information on which genetic conditions can be passed on to offspring, such as Tay-Sachs, cystic fibrosis, and manyothers.

Thehealth reportdoesn’t take center stage but it’s an added feature that MyHeritage started to promote more heavily in 2020. MyHeritage continues to add conditions and reports to its lineup to boost its competitive edge on some other sites such as23andMeandSequencing.com.

An important consideration is that the type of DNA testing technology used by MyHeritage(discussed earlier in thisreview)does not sequence a person’sentire genome. Instead, of obtaining comprehensive data about every gene, the testonly obtains several datapoints on some genes. The rest of the gene’s data remainsunknown.

For example, MyHeritage’s DNA test provides data on 103 variants in the BRCA1 gene. These variants increase the risk of Breast Cancer. While this is significantly more than the twoBRCA1 variants tested by 23andMe, MyHeritageonly tests around1% of the total number of variants in the BRCA1 geneknown to increase the risk of Breast Cancer (thereare ⁠more than 10,000 variants in the BRCA1gene known to increase the risk of breastcancer).

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will obtain data on all 10,000 variants in the BRCA1 gene since it sequences the entire gene end-to-end. WGS also sequences all other genes end-to-end. MyHeritage, however, does not offer WGS testing. WGS is availablefrom Sequencing.com as part of the Ultimate Genome Sequencingservice.

Benefits of a MyHeritageSubscription

MyHeritage offers an annual subscription called the Complete plan. As a subscriber, customers can use their DNA matches to obtain expandedfamily treeinformation. It’s also possible to see fullgenealogicalrecords, such as census records, death certificates, birth certificates, and marriage records. The comprehensive database provides rich data that can be easily placed on afamilytree.

Our Review of MyHeritagePricing

• MyHeritagepricingis $79 for an ancestry-only DNA test and $199 for an Ancestry + Health DNAtest.
• Subscribers pay $299 peryear.
• Search access tohistorical recordscosts $189 peryear.
• The expandedfamily treesubscription costs $129 peryear.

MyHeritage Review onPrivacy

MyHeritage collects private information from its users. The information is solely used to make connections between relatives, analyze DNA, and reporting.Credit cardinformation is used for payableservices.

Informed consent is the only wayDNA datacan be shared for scientificresearch.

The only people who have access to the personal information of customers are people who work for MyHeritage. MyHeritage notes that these individualshave been through extensive background checks and training to ensure personal information is kept secure andprivate.

DNA sharing can be turned off by disablingDNA matchesandDNAresults.

[Download the MyHeritage's Privacy Policy](https://sequencing.com/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/283026/privacy_policy_-_myheritage.pdf)

For those concerned about privacy, you may also be interestedin learning more about thelaboratory that MyHeritage contacts to perform itstesting.

Customer Support Review forMyHeritage

This is our review for MyHeritage’scustomer supportteam. During ourDNA review, we encountered technical difficulties. We reached out to thecustomer supportteam and received a solution to the problem within 30hours.

We found their customer supportto be professional and courteous. They were eager to help and successfully helped to resolvethe technical issues that we hadencountered.

A toll-free number is available to call MyHeritage and can be used from many countriesincluding:

• United States
• ​Canada
• Israel
• Most European countries

Review of MyHeritage’s HelpCenter

MyHeritage’s sitealso includes a ‘Help Center’. The Help Center has information for people wanting to know more about how to use MyHeritage as well as information about genetic testing, ancestry,and genetic genealogy. It also contains useful tips on how to build a robustfamilytree.

While our review of MyHeritage media attention has been favorable, there was one important event that is negative. MyHeritage reported asignificant ⁠data breach in2018. Hackers managed to infiltrate MyHeritage’s databases and steal the usernames, email addresses, and passwords for92 millioncustomers.

Other than this hack, the media has an overall positive view of MyHeritage. News outlets even use MyHeritage to search past newspapers to compare to the present day, such as what life was like duringthe⁠Spanish Flu compared toCOVIDin2020.

MyHeritage continues to partner with related organizations in the ancestry industry, suchas⁠FamilySearch.org. With their partnership, they have been able to add 2 million records to itsSuperSearch.

Disadvantages of MyHeritage

• MyHeritage’s DNA test only obtains autosomal data and does not provide data on the mitochondrial chromosome, which is important for both ancestry andhealth
• Their DNA test only obtains data on SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). It does not obtain any data on INDELs (insertion-deletion variants), CNVs (copy number variations), SVs (structural variations) or MITO (mitochondrialheteroplasmy).
• Higher pricedDNA testingkits for health +ancestry
• Testing technology provides limited genetic data for comprehensive healthanalysis
• Expensive yearly subscriptioncosts
• Ethnicity matching seems to be inconsistent when compared to otherancestry DNAsites
• The database is primarily made up of European records, which isn’t helpful to people from other parts of theworld

Advantages of MyHeritage

• TheDNA testis easy to useas it’sa simple cheekswab (no blood and nospit)
• The DNA test turn-around-time is usually within fourweeks
• The site is available in 42languages
• Extensive database offamily historyrecords, newspapers, and DNAdata
• Test resultscan be accessed online or using theirmobile app that’s available forboth iOS andAndroid
• Family treebuildersfind MyHeritage features easy touse

Customer Reviews ofMyHeritage

Amazon Reviews forMyHeritage

5 Star Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wasn’t sure what to expect with theMyHeritageDNATestKitbut we were all pleasantly surprised. The test itself was simple and easy to use, and we received email updates from MyHeritage while they were processing our DNA. When we got the results we were really interested and surprised to see what came up. Little did we know we had relatives in countries around the world. To view the results, we logged in to MyHeritage with the password they provided and were able to view the results. We were able to see both in map and list form how many people and from what regions we were related to. It gave us specific details as to what percentage of our DNA came from what regions of the world, and how we were related to various other people. We have the option to message and connect to distant relatives via theMyHeritage website. (Only frustrating part was that you have to sign-up to MyHeritage Premium to really take advantage of reaching out to people. Something we’re really tempted to do now that we’ve seen what its capable of…) Overall, the process was much simpler than expected and we got really interesting results that we never expected! The world is definitely a smaller place than we imagined… JonathanM.⁠AmazonReview

4 Star Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think theDNAtestresultswere great. I just wish that the company didn’t want to charge more for reading their genealogy research, especially research that others have done on their ownfamily trees, or that can be retrieved for free in other places on the internet. How many websites does one need to join and pay in order to get their ownfamily history? LauraA.⁠AmazonReview

3 Star Review

⭐⭐⭐

Before buying theMyHeritageDNAtestplease be aware that UNLESS YOU BUY A MYHERITAGE MEMBERSHIP FOR A YEAR OR MORE YOU WILL BE LIMITED ON WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH YOURRESULTS.
I got my results and can see the percentage of each nationality that my DNA carries with a map showing the areas. It also shows I have 2036DNA matches. I can see the person’s name, the country they are from, and what percentage of DNA we share and our possible relationship (Example: John Doe, 3rd-5th cousin, shared DNA .05%). When I click to view the person’s tree it brings me to the “upgrade your account” page. So to see the trees of the 2036DNA matchesI must purchase the Premium Plus membership, that has the tree searching included, for the price of $175 ayear.
Had I known this I would have gone with a company that either gave you full access toDNA matchinformation or allowed you to buy a (less costly) monthly membership.JeepLady⁠AmazonReview

Trustpilot Reviews forMyHeritage

Trustpilot is a trusted and popular website for leaving reviews about businesses. MyHeritage is part of this site and has over 10,000 reviews for a cumulative star rating of 3.7.

5 Star Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Joy came back to me very promptly and was extremely courteous and sympathetic of my situation when asking for a refund of the automaticrenewal.
I will certainly be using My Heritage in the future once my financial system improves. Great overall communication and service :) - Alanah W.on⁠Trustpilot

4 Star Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

While I encountered some initial problems with activating a new “Complete” subscription — specifically gettingcustomer support— I called back into the Sales Line and a wonderful agent was able to help me both get my account up and running … and provide exact guidance with solving some technical issues related to uploading and managing gedcom files. She was truly exceptional — compared to almost all types of technology support agents I’ve received help from! (Thank you, Rosie!) - Steve M.on⁠Trustpilot

3 Star Review

⭐⭐⭐

I was trying to find out how to invite aDNA matchto see my (private)tree.
The MyHeritage rep was very helpful, but there appears to be no way that you can invite someone not listed in your tree to see a private tree.Other genealogy sites give a simple way of inviting anyone you authorise to view yourtree.
This is ‘clunky’ and needs improving. - Gueston⁠Trustpilot

MyHeritage Reviews on Better BusinessBureau

MyHeritage has an ⁠Arating on theBetter Business Bureau(BBB) despite more than 250 complaints. Most complaints are about billing issues. MyHeritage has beenhighly responsive when addressingcomplaints filed with the BBB.

The most common complaint about MyHeritage is that people didn’t know they would have to pay for the membership to research information about theirfamily history. While thetest resultsare interesting, many people were under the impression they would have access to the site along with theirreport.

MyHeritage FAQs

The following are some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) we found during ourMyHeritagereview.

Is MyHeritage free?

The only part of the site that is free is the DNA upload section. Those who already haverawDNA datafrom anotherDNA testingcompanysuch as23andMe,AncestryDNA,Ancestry.com, etc. can upload their DNA instead of buying anotherDNA testkitfromMyHeritage.

Can I download raw DNA data fromMyHeritage?

It depends. MyHeritage allows you to download your raw DNA data as long as the data was obtained from a MyHeritage DNAtest.

While you can upload raw DNA data from other DNA tests, such as tests offered by 23andMe and Sequencing.com, you cannot download that data from MyHeritage. MyHeritage only allows raw DNA data from other test providers to be uploaded to MyHeritage but that data cannot everbe downloaded. Because of this, MyHeritage may not be a good place to store your DNAdata.

How can I download my DNA data from MyHeritage’s DNAtest?

MyHeritage allows the raw DNA data from their DNA test to be downloaded forfree. Click here forinstructions on how todownload your MyHeritage DNAdata.

How do I cancel my membership withMyHeritage?

For annual subscriptions, it’s only possible to cancel the next renewal of the subscription. There are no partial refunds for canceling a subscription once it hasstarted.

To cancel a MyHeritagesubscription:

1. Sign in to your MyHeritageaccount
2. Go to ‘My Purchases’ in the top right cornerand click ‘SiteSubscriptions’
3. Click on ‘ViewDetails’
4. Click ‘Stop AnnualRenewal’

How much does MyHeritagecost?

The DNAtest that provides both ancestry and health reports costs $199 whilethe testthat only provides ancestry information is$79.

How accurate is MyHeritageethnicity?

According to ⁠Dr. Brandon Colby, an American physician and writer on predictive medicine andgenetic testing, “The accuracy of MyHeritage’s ancestry analysis is impressive and is similar to other top genetic genealogy services including23andMe,AncestryDNA,andSequencing.com.”

Similar to MyHeritage, Ancestry, 23andMe,FamilyTreeDNA and Sequencing.com all offer their own DNA test and provide genetic genealogy services. MyHeritage, 23andMe, and Ancestry also offer a higher-priced test that includes both health and ancestry information. Sequencing.com includes extensive health and ancestry reports as part of allof their tests. FamilyTreeDNA does not offer healthinformation.

While there are many ways to compare direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies, we provided concise reviews below that identify the most important point of comparison. Of course, this is most important from our perspective. If you’d like us to expand this review to include additional information, please email usat [emailprotected] and let us know. We also havea comparison available in tabularform of the most popular testproviders.

AncestryDNA vs MyHeritage

Ancestry, also known as Ancestry.com and AncestryDNA,provides more geographic regions than MyHeritage. MyHeritage, however, offers more comprehensive healthinformation.

23andMe vs MyHeritage

23andMe’s DNA test provides data only autosomal DNA (chromosomes 1-22 and the X chromosome) as well as the mitochondrial chromosome and the Y chromosome. MyHeritage’s DNA test, however, only provides data on autosomal DNA. While 23andMe provides information on more health conditions, MyHeritage provides more comprehensive health analysis. For example, 23andMe tests for two variants in the BRCA1 gene associated with an increased risk of Breast Cancer while MyHeritage tests for more than100.

FamilyTreeDNA vs MyHeritage

While FamilyTreeDNA’s test obtains data on all chromosomes, they may only release data on autosomal DNA (chromosomes 1-22 and the X chromosome). They then charge an additional fee to obtain the additional data from the mitochondrial and Y chromosomes (each chromosome is sold separately). While it’s good that FamilyTreeDNA does provide the ability to obtain data on the mitochondrial and y chromosomes, some people may not like having to pay an additional fee for this data. MyHeritage doesn’t offer this data while 23andMe and Sequencing.com include the data in all of their tests with no additionalfees.

FamilyTreeDNA only focuses on genetic genealogy and does not provide health information. So if you’re interested in using your DNA data for more than just ancestry, consider test providers that offer health information such as MyHeritage, 23andMe, Ancestry, andSequencing.com.

Sequencing vs MyHeritage

Sequencing.com offers a unique type of DNA test called WholeGenome Sequencing. Thistestincludes clinical-grade 30x whole genomesequencing, which obtains data on 3 billion genetic variants (100% of the genome). It sequences all genes and all chromosomes from end-to-end including fully sequencing the mitochondrial and Ychromosomes.

Sequencing bundles this test with DNAreports on both health and ancestry as wellas a comprehensive screen for more than 10,000 rarediseases as well as a report of medicationreactions.

Summary of Our MyHeritageReview

MyHeritage is aDNA testingcompanyspecializing in ancestry. They have a comprehensive database with mostly European records, making it a great optionfor individuals whose ancestors are from Europe. DNA uploads of raw DNA data from other test providers are free and can be used forDNA matchingto findnew relativesand information for building afamily tree.Family treescan be built on the site with features that will automatically place information on thefamily treein the rightplaces.

MyHeritage sellsDNA testingkitson their site, but they also sell them onAmazon.Pricingdoes not vary from the site and is consistent between their site and Amazon. MyHeritage does run sales on theirDNA tests, primarily duringholidays.

The site has an easy to use interface andcustomer supportis both responsive and helpful. This makes MyHeritage a great optionfor people who may not be tech-savvy, but want to research their ancestry using the site’s extensive database and innovative genealogytools.

Alternatives to MyHeritage

Alternatives to MyHeritage forDNA testing, ancestry, and health informationinclude:

• 23andMe
• Ancestry
• Sequencing.com

If you’re considering MyHeritage, we hope our review helped you make a decision on whether MyHeritage is right foryou.

Did you know that Sequencing.com offers low-priced yet incredibly comprehensiveDNA kits for DNA testing? Also available is a newclinical-grade 30x whole genome sequencing test. TherawDNA datafrom both tests canbe used with a wide range of DNA analysis apps and reports atSequencing.com and can also be uploaded to MyHeritage, GEDmatch, Promethease, WikiTree, and most other sites. In addition to ancestry and health information, the Sequencing.com tests allow you to learn a wealth of information about yourself that isn’t available from other testingservices.

⁠Sequence Your Genome

Have you already taken a DNA test from MyHeritage or anothertest provider? You can upload your DNA data for free. After uploading your data, start using DNA analysis apps and reports to unlock information about your genes that isn’t available from anyother site. This includes the ability to useseveral free reportslocated in the ‘Free’ category ofthe ⁠DNA report marketplace.

Free DNA Data Upload