Best DNA Test for 2025

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Justin Jaffe Managing editor

Justin Jaffe is the Managing Editor for CNET Money. He has much than 20 years of acquisition publishing books, articles and probe connected concern and exertion for Wired, IDC and others. He is the coauthor of Uninvested (Random House, 2015), which reveals however fiscal services companies instrumentality vantage of customers -- and however to support yourself. He graduated from Skidmore College with a B.A. successful English Literature, spent 10 years successful San Francisco and present lives successful Portland, Maine.

Coauthor of Uninvested (Random House, 2015)

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Taylor Leamey writes astir each things wellness, specializing successful intelligence health, slumber and nutrition coverage. She has invested hundreds of hours into studying and researching slumber and holds a Certified Sleep Science Coach certification from the Spencer Institute. Not to notation the years she spent studying intelligence wellness fundamentals portion earning her bachelor's degrees successful some Psychology and Sociology. She is besides a Certified Stress Management Coach.

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With truthful galore at-home DNA tests present available, learning much astir your genetics and ancestry is easier than ever. All you person to bash is take an online service, person a DNA investigating kit, nonstop backmost the required samples and hold for your results to get digitally. A DNA trial allows you to larn much astir your heritage, health, familial conditions, household past and imaginable familial matches that whitethorn link you with long-lost relatives.

We tested fashionable DNA investigating services, paying adjacent attraction to their prices, reputations, privateness policies, methodologies and the accusation the results offer. Here are the champion DNA tests you tin effort from the comfortableness of your ain home.

Watch this: Here's however familial genealogist CeCe Moore finds imaginable transgression suspects

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Editor's note: Since this nonfiction was published, 23andMe has experienced a information breach, consequent lawsuit, committee members resigning and layoffs amidst fiscal struggles, but you can delete your relationship and data. You tin besides work much astir the brand's existent privateness and information argumentation here.

What is the champion DNA trial overall?

Since DNA investigating is idiosyncratic to everyone, the champion trial wide volition beryllium connected your preferences and crushed for wanting a DNA test. We evaluated the pursuing tests based connected price, offerings, methodologies and more, but it's important to bash your owed diligence to probe a company's existent policies to marque definite they align with your needs.

Best DNA tests of 2025

AncestryDNA's work is peculiarly good suited for leveraging an introductory DNA investigation into heavy humanities probe to physique retired a household tree. The basal DNA kit service provides you with an "ethnicity estimate" derived from its proprietary sequencing techniques. It's noteworthy that the company's familial testing, which is outsourced to Quest Diagnostics, is chiseled from that of astir different companies, which usage paternal Y chromosome and/or maternal mitochondrial DNA methodologies, and little is known astir the peculiar criteria it uses.

AncestryDNA says its database contains much than 18 cardinal profiles, making it the largest of each the DNA trial kit services. The institution besides maintains a almighty instrumentality for searching done hundreds of humanities papers databases, but immoderate substantive probe volition rapidly bring you to a paywall.

An entry-level rank provides entree to much than 6 cardinal records successful the US and includes a escaped two-week trial. The World Explorer rank broadens your entree to the company's 27 cardinal planetary records. The All Access tier includes unlimited entree to Ancestry's humanities and modern database of much than 15,000 newspapers and subject records from astir the world.

FamilyTreeDNA offers each 3 types of DNA tests: autosomal DNA, Y-DNA and mtDNA. It's the sole institution to ain and run its ain investigating facility, The Houston-based Gene-by-Gene familial lab.

The idiosyncratic interface is simply a spot much analyzable than what you'll find connected different sites, but FamilyTreeDNA provides the astir implicit suite of introductory tools of immoderate supplier we tested. For each benignant of test, you're presented with matches, a chromosome browser, migration maps, haplogroups and connections to ancestral notation populations, accusation astir mutations and a nexus that lets you download your earthy data.

The company's entry-level Family Finder bundle costs $79. The trial results supply accusation astir your taste and geographic origins, place imaginable relatives and connection entree to the company's monolithic DNA database. There is besides a Maternal Ancestry trial for $159, Paternal Ancestry for $199 and a Paternal Ancestry successful Great Detail bundle for $449.

23andMe is arguably the astir fashionable kit, and that's wherefore it's our prime for the champion DNA trial for beginners. The investigation is segmented into 3 main categories: health, ancestry and traits. The basic ancestry and traits test includes an investigation of your familial makeup, including your regions of origin, maternal and paternal lineage and Neanderthal ancestry. Once you opt-in, the company's lucifer database -- which has much than 10 cardinal profiles -- volition place and connection to link you with radical who stock a DNA lucifer with you.

23andMe's website and mobile app are precise casual to navigate, and they're brimming with comprehensible accusation astir some ancestry and health, arsenic good arsenic the subject of genetics and genealogy. The main dashboard offers intuitive links to accusation connected exploring your ancestry, learning astir familial risks for wellness conditions, gathering retired a household histrion and connecting with relatives. Among each the DNA tests we tried, 23andMe delivered the champion instauration to my caller and past genealogy, on with an investigation of my familial health.

You person casual entree to a afloat scope of privateness preferences and consent options. You tin inquire the institution to store your saliva illustration indefinitely for aboriginal investigating oregon person it discarded. Having signed disconnected erstwhile we archetypal signed up, we subsequently changed our minds astir giving the institution support to stock our information with researchers extracurricular of 23andMe and were capable to retract the consent with the click of a button.

Editor's note: In 2023, 23andMe experienced a information breach that affected almost 7 cardinal users, which aboriginal resulted successful the institution paying a $30 cardinal currency colony successful a class-action lawsuit. This year, amidst fiscal struggles, 7 autarkic directors of the company's committee resigned and 40% of its workforce was laid off. However, if you nary longer privation to person your accusation shared with the company, you tin delete your relationship and familial data. For much information, you tin work 23andMe's current privateness policy.

The 3 services supra are our apical choices for the champion DNA test. They weren't the lone ones we tested. What follows are immoderate further options, nary of which eclipsed the 23andMe, Ancestry oregon FamilyTreeDNA tests successful immoderate important fashion.

MyHeritage

MyHeritage offers a escaped tier of work that includes immoderate basal household tree-building and entree to excerpts of humanities documents. It besides includes a study of your familial constitution crossed the company's 42 supported ethnicities, the recognition of relatives and connections to them wherever possible.

We recovered MyHeritage's idiosyncratic interface acold little intuitive and much hard to navigate than others. It's 1 of the fewer companies to connection a broad probe database of humanities documents, DNA investigation and wellness screening, but we recovered the integration among them to beryllium a spot clumsy. In 2018, MyHeritage committed a information breach, exposing the email addresses and hashed passwords of much than 92 cardinal users.

Living DNA

LivingDNA divides its offerings successful a antithetic mode than others. Your Ancestry DNA kit provides an overview of your ancestry successful 150 geographical regions and accusation astir maternal and paternal haplogroups and entree to the company's familial matching tool. The $129 "well-being package" includes reports astir your physiological compatibility with vitamins, foods and exercise. The $225 Wellbeing and Ancestry gives you each of it.

Despite not selling oregon sharing data, the institution has a very constricted household lucifer database; a institution typical declined to springiness maine a circumstantial fig but said that it contained little than 1 cardinal profiles. If you're looking to place and marque connections with relatives, determination are amended choices successful the market.

Whole genome sequencing

There are aggregate companies, including Full Genomes, Veritas Genetics, Nebula Genomics and Dante Labs, that tin series each of your DNA -- different known arsenic your genome. This level of investigation is due for precocious users only. Not lone is it costly -- these tests tin tally into the thousands of dollars, successful immoderate cases -- it requires a blase knowing of some genetics and a scope of method tools required to research and construe your results. The slightest costly full genome tests outgo about $195.

For astir people, the main rationale for sequencing the full genome is to dive heavy into your familial wellness outlook. You tin glean your idiosyncratic hazard factors for diseases, cause sensitivities and your presumption arsenic a carrier; that is, what you mightiness walk connected to your kids. All of these efforts tin besides beryllium undertaken (to a little aggravated degree) with immoderate of the much affordable options outlined above. We suggest starting with Nebula Genomics. You tin besides upload an existing DNA series from Ancestry oregon 23andMe's DNA database and get Nebula's reports astatine a reduced price.

HomeDNA

HomeDNA sells investigating kits nether respective brands, including DNA Origins, and has a retail beingness astatine Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens. This institution doesn't person a sterling estimation successful the familial genealogy world. When we precocious spoke with Debbie Kennett, a familial genealogist from University College London, she referenced the company's notoriety for delivering "bizarre results" and expressed uncertainty astir the efficacy of its specialized tests for peculiar taste groups. HomeDNA did not respond to CNET's enquiry astir its investigating process oregon results.

HomeDNA reports don't stack up peculiarly good against those returned by different companies. Results are summarized connected a azygous webpage, though you besides get a PDF that certifies that you've "undergone DNA testing" and shows the continents and countries wherever your DNA originates. There's nary evident adjacent measurement oregon immoderate actionable information that comes with your results.

African Ancestry

African Ancestry promises to hint its customers' ancestry backmost to a circumstantial state and place their "ethnic radical origin." Unlike astir different companies, African Ancestry doesn't connection an autosomal DNA test. Instead, it offers an mtDNA trial oregon a Y-DNA trial (for males only). In opposition to your modular DNA analysis, African Ancestry's study doesn't supply the percent of DNA that's apt to person originated crossed a scope of regions. Instead, African Ancestry claims to hint your DNA to a circumstantial portion of Africa.

According to experts, African Ancestry's DNA tests travel up short. As explained in a blog post by African American familial genealogist Shannon Christmas, the company's methodology simply doesn't analyse a capable fig of DNA markers to present connected its selling promises.

On the positive side, African Ancestry says that it does not support a database of lawsuit accusation and that it volition not stock oregon merchantability your DNA series oregon markers with immoderate 3rd party, including instrumentality enforcement agencies. African Ancestry promises to destruct your DNA illustration aft your trial results are delivered.

We did a batch of probe into the DNA investigating market, addressing each enactment based connected its price, database size and the extent of its offerings. We besides noted the companies' methodologies and reputations. We besides noted further factors specified arsenic household matching and privateness policies.

There are galore options for location DNA tests retired there, not each of which are the close prime for you. When shopping, you should support a fewer cardinal factors successful caput that'll assistance you find the champion DNA trial for you.

Your intentions

To start, you request to determine what your extremity is erstwhile it comes to investigating your DNA. Are you trying to link with household members, research humanities documents oregon get a snapshot of your wellness traits? While galore of the champion DNA tests overlap successful what they offer, astir radiance successful peculiar areas. For example, Ancestry is the champion DNA trial prime if you privation to usage your DNA investigation to dive into humanities probe to physique your household tree.

Cost

DNA tests aren't what I'd see cheap, though affordable options exist. It's indispensable to support your fund successful caput erstwhile buying for a DNA test. Some tests person tiered offerings astatine a level rate, portion others necessitate subscription fees to entree their databases.

Privacy

Volunteering your wellness accusation to companies is simply a large deal. Before you buy, you should afloat recognize what happens to your information and results. It's shared with you, but who other has entree to it? Some DNA investigating companies stock your results with instrumentality enforcement and pharmaceutical companies.

If you're utilizing a location DNA investigating service, you're apt looking for 1 of 3 things:

Ancestry and household history: The archetypal large gully of a afloat DNA trial is that you'll get a elaborate breakdown connected ancestry and ethnicity, and the migration patterns of your communal ancestors. Spoiler alert: Your taste inheritance whitethorn beryllium radically antithetic than you deliberation it is. You'll besides find retired what a haplogroup is.
Relative identification: With your permission, immoderate DNA services volition fto you link with relatives you ne'er knew you had; different folks with matching DNA who person utilized the work and likewise fixed their support to link to imaginable relations.
Health and illness info: DNA investigating tin besides bespeak conditions for which you whitethorn person a predisposition. It's a arguable feature, to beryllium sure. Knowing that you person a familial predisposition to a definite signifier of crab whitethorn marque you much vigilant for testing, but it whitethorn besides pb to accrued stress. You whitethorn extremity up worrying astir a wellness information that whitethorn ne'er develop, adjacent if you're "genetically susceptible" to it. The anticipation of mendacious positives and mendacious negatives abounds. Any specified accusation should beryllium discussed with your doc earlier you enactment upon it.

Afraid of needles and drafting blood? Good news: That's not an contented with the champion DNA tests. All you request to bash is spit into a vial oregon hitch a swab successful your rima -- each the familial information needed for these tests is contiguous successful your saliva -- and vessel the DNA illustration to the institution for analysis.

The crushed that a saliva illustration works, arsenic good arsenic humor (or hairsbreadth follicles oregon tegument samples), is that your DNA -- which is abbreviated for deoxyribonucleic acerb -- is contiguous successful each of them. It's the basal familial codification contiguous successful each of your cells that marque up your cardinal attributes, from the colour of your eyes to the signifier of your ears to however susceptible you are to precocious cholesterol.

The cardinal presumption you request to cognize erstwhile comparing DNA investigating services are:

SNP: Genotyping is done by measuring familial variation. One of the much communal is SNP genotyping, which measures the variations of a azygous nucleotide polymorphism. The much of these a institution measures, the much granular the analysis.
Autosomal DNA testing: An autosomal trial that's effectual for men and women, and which traces the lineage backmost done some maternal and paternal bloodlines.
Y-DNA: The Y-DNA trial tin lone beryllium administered to men, and traces DNA backmost done the patrilineal ancestry -- fundamentally from begetter to gramps to great-grandfather and truthful on.
mtDNA: The mtDNA is matrilineal and lets you hint your ancestry backmost done your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and truthful on.

There are 3 types of DNA tests, each with its ain peculiar strengths, limitations and rationales.

An autosomal DNA test is the champion concern for astir beginners; it tin place relatives betwixt 5 and 7 generations back, crossed some maternal and paternal lines.
Only men tin efficaciously usage a Y-DNA test, which identifies antheral relatives connected the paternal enactment reaching backmost 60,000 years. If you're looking to hint the past of your family's surname, this is the trial to use.
Mitochondrial DNA testing, besides known as mtDNA testing, tin find familial relationships connected a maternal enactment from up to 150,000 years ago; some men and women tin instrumentality this benignant of test.

Each investigating institution volition springiness you an investigation of your DNA trial results. These results could see your geographical root -- immoderate assertion to beryllium capable to pinpoint a circumstantial country, municipality oregon adjacent "tribe" -- arsenic good arsenic your familial ancestry creation and your susceptibility to peculiar familial diseases. We should enactment that these tests don't service a diagnostic purpose. A doctor-administered familial trial and a follow-up with a familial counsellor are important if you deliberation you person a familial disease. No online investigating institution offering results from a saliva illustration tin substitute for a wellness trial administered by your doctor.

Certain companies volition besides service up "matches" from their DNA databases, which volition springiness you a caput commencement connected connecting with imaginable relatives and connection immoderate grade of family-tree probe support. AncestryDNA, for example, offers a subscription work that includes entree to hundreds of databases containing birth, decease and matrimony announcements, census documents, paper archives and different humanities records.

Some DNA companies merchantability tests designed for circumstantial ethnicities oregon specialized kits that assertion to shed airy connected your optimal tegument attraction regimen oregon weight; others connection tests designed to place the familial constitution of your feline oregon dog. (Yes, you tin get a canine DNA test.) The experts we spoke to were dubious of the efficacy and worth of these tests and recommended avoiding them.

Can a DNA trial compromise your privacy?

Can I usage a DNA trial to find paternity?

Yes, DNA tests are the most close way to find the paternity of a child. Samples request to beryllium collected from some the kid and the suspected genitor to marque a determination. For the champion accuracy, you request a trial that specifically checks for paternity, not conscionable ancestry.

Can I get a DNA trial for my dog?

Yes. Several companies merchantability canine DNA tests to assistance you find the breed of your carnal and surface for imaginable familial wellness issues.

Three fashionable brands are Wisdom Panel (for some dogs and cats), Embark (for dogs only), and Basepaws (for cats only).

David Gewirtz contributed to this story. The existent mentation is simply a large update of past revisions and includes hands-on impressions of astir of the services listed.

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