23andMe vs. Ancestry (2024)
Updated on January 29, 2025
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23andMe vs. Ancestry (2024)
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Our verdict: Ancestry is the best DNA testing company for ancestry reports, finding relatives, and exploring your family history.

But when it comes to health testing and learning more about your unique genetic makeup, you should go for 23andMe.

Choosing between the two isnโ€™t as simple as it sounds. While AncestryDNA is generally better for ancestry readings, 23andMe has some interesting features worth buying. 

To help you decide, hereโ€™s an in-depth review comparing them based on the tests they offer, the results you get, their accuracy, and added cost. 

Key Differences Between Ancestry vs. 23andMe

We scanned through hundreds of customer reviews. Hereโ€™s a summary of what people keep saying about these DNA testing kits:

AncestryDNA Review

ProsCons
Easy to use and understandDNA results can take up to 6 to 8 weeks
Breaks down your ethnic origins for the last five generationsEthnicity estimates may not be accurate for everyone who takes it
A large database helps you find more relatives and build family treesPeople you match with may not be interested in connecting with you
Can accurately determine your relationship with DNA matchesA subscription is needed to access features for in-depth research
Provides valuable tools for discovering your family historyEnglish test instructions and reports can be a barrier for global users who speak other languages

23andMe Review

Pros Cons
Quick and simple testing processThe kitโ€™s delivery may be delayed depending on where you live
Detailed ethnic background that may align with family records and storiesDNA samples can get lost in transit
Accurate for finding close relativesResults may take long to arrive
Transparent about the turnaround time for your DNA test resultsAncestry results and traits may not match up with what you know
Customer support quickly resolves issues and provides refundsSome users complain of unresponsive or unhelpful customer service

Know Your DNA Reviews

Best DNA Kit

Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn more about yourself. Read our best DNA test page to find the best one for you.

What DNA Tests Do 23andMe and Ancestry Offer?

Like its namesake, AncestryDNA specializes in ancestry kits and historical records. It can help you learn more about your ethnicity and family history.

Meanwhile, 23andMe focuses more on DNA health testing. It can uncover genetic health risks that may affect you or your child while tracing your familyโ€™s health history.

Hereโ€™s a closer look at their testing kits and services:

23andMe DNA Test Kits

23andMe offers two kits and a subscription that includes a more comprehensive ancestry and DNA health test. 

These include:

  • 23andMe Ancestry + Traits โ€“ Uncovers migration routes of ancestors from your fatherโ€™s side and traces your origins to over 2,000+ regions. The report also includes genetic traits such as taste, smell, appearance, etc.
  • 23andMe Health + Ancestry โ€“ Itโ€™s the same as the traits kit, but you also get health and wellness reports on genetic health risks, carrier status, and other genetic markers that can influence your health.
  • 23andMe+ Membership โ€“ If you sign up to become a member, you will receive the Health + Ancestry kit and all of its results. Membership also provides pharmacogenetics, reports on genetic risks, and access to new features for up to a year.

Ancestry DNA Tests

Ancestry has two kits and packages them with other services, including DNA Matches, which helps you find possible relatives. This includes:

  • Ancestry DNA Traits + All Access โ€“ Includes a more advanced trait test that can identify genetic traits that affect your health and appearance. Youโ€™ll also get three months of access to U.S. and international records.
  • Ancestry DNA Test โ€“ This test tracks your ancestorโ€™s migration routes and origins to more than 1,800 regions, but it doesnโ€™t give you access to other services.
  • Ancestry DNA + Family Tree โ€“ This package includes the Ancestry DNA kit, along with other features such as an ethnicity estimate, three months of access to U.S. and international historical records, and a family tree.

Comparing Ancestry and 23andMe Results

Now that weโ€™ve covered the tests each DNA testing service offers, letโ€™s see how their reports stack up against one another.

Ancestry Reports

AncestryDNAโ€™s Ethnicity Estimate can show you where your ancestors might have come from. It can even show you the genetic communities or places where you and other users might share a common ancestor.

23andMe offers an ancestry composition report that tells you where your ancestors from the last five to ten generations might have lived. It will also reveal the migration patterns of your ancestors from both sides of the family.

However, 23andMe offers two unique reports that set it apart from Ancestry: the Neanderthal Ancestry Report and the Ancestry Timeline. 

  • The Ancestry timeline estimates the time period that a particular ancestry entered your family tree.
  • The Neanderthal ancestry report shows you how much DNA you share with Neanderthals.ย 

Ancestry and 23andMe offer DNA matching to help you find potential relatives within their respective genetic databases. Your report will include the degree of relationship you might have with possible DNA matches.

You can even contact your genetic relationships. However, when it comes to choosing between the two, Ancestry provides more detailed results.

Ancestry tells you if you share ancestors and DNA with a genetic match and if they have a private or public family tree you can explore. Although 23andMeโ€™s matches are not as comprehensive, they may help you find more relatives.

Their Relatives in Common feature identifies other potential relatives based on your genetic matches. It can predict your relationship with a common relative and show you if you have any shared DNA. 

The report will also tell you if you, your DNA relative, and a relative in common might have descended from the same ancestors.

Family Tree & History

Both DNA testing services allow you to create and edit your own family tree or build one using DNA matches. However, Ancestry can search family trees of your genetic matches for common surnames.

It also lets you access historical records, newspapers, and historical documents to learn more about your family history. However, 23andMe also has some unique features of its own. 

For instance, you can add your medical history and that of close relatives to your family tree. Once youโ€™ve set this up, it will be easier to see which diseases run in the family, including your parents, grandparents, siblings, children, aunts, and uncles.

Health Reports

Ancestry used to perform health screening with the AncestryHealth test, but the company discontinued it in 2021 to focus more on ancestry results.

Nowadays, it tests for genetic traits that influence health, such as dairy tolerance, caffeine consumption, and the risk of certain nutrient deficiencies.

On the other hand, 23andMe is the only at-home genetic testing company that offers comprehensive health screenings with approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Youโ€™ll get health reports on over 10+ health risks and eight genetic traits that may affect your health, plus over 45+ genetic diseases that may affect your child. If you sign up for a 23andMe+ membership, youโ€™ll get extra reports on 20+ genetic risks, four wellness traits, and a pharmacogenetics report.

Traits Reports

Both DNA testing companies offer up to 37 reports on various traits that influence your appearance, preferences, and behavior.

Some of the traits they test for, like aversion to cilantro and risk for alcohol flushing, are also the same, so you can expect similar reports.

However, 23andMe offers some fun-to-know facts about yourself that you probably didnโ€™t know were genetic, such as:

  • How often mosquitoes will likely bite you
  • What time of the day you wake up
  • Your hatred for the sound of chewing

How is the Accuracy of Ancestry vs. 23andMe?

23andMe and AncestryDNA are the two most accurate DNA tests. Ancestry can identify genetic markers with 99% accuracy.

Meanwhile, 23andMe follows โ€œrigorous standardsโ€ to ensure high-quality results. However, the accuracy of DNA test results can vary based on factors like:

  • Testing methods used
  • Size of a companyโ€™s DNA database
  • Number of regions tested (more is better)
  • Genetic diversity of the reference populations
  • Number of relatives who have taken the same test

Below is a detailed breakdown of their accuracy for each report.

Accuracy for DNA Ancestry Testing

Ancestry has more accurate ancestry reports than 23andMe. Although its references may not be as genetically diverse as 23andMeโ€™s, Ancestryโ€™s reference panel is about five times bigger.

But if you want to trace your ancestry through maternal and paternal lines, we recommend 23andMe instead. 

It performs Y-DNA and mt-DNA tests, checking for genes passed from father to son and mother to child.

Accuracy for Finding Relatives

23andMeโ€™s Relative Finder can predict genetic relationships with close family members all the way to third cousins with 90 percent accuracy or more.

Meanwhile, AncestryDNAโ€™s DNA Matches can accurately determine your genetic relationship with close relatives up until your fourth cousins.

However, if you want to improve your chances of finding relatives, you should choose Ancestry. Its DNA database is almost twice the size of 23andMe's.

Accuracy for Health Testing & Traits

AncestryDNA and 23andMe both have a 99% accuracy for identifying the specific genetic variants they test for. This genes that affect your appearance, health, and other traits.

However, 23andMe is the only company with FDA approval to provide reports on genetic conditions that may affect you or your child. You can read more about 23andMeโ€™s accuracy here.

Cost Comparison of 23andMe vs. Ancestry

Their at-home genetic tests cost about the same, but 23andMe offers more reports and access to most of its features at no additional cost. Most of Ancestryโ€™s services are hidden behind a paywall.

Below, we compare the cost of the two DNA testing companies and what kind of tests and services youโ€™ll get for the indicated prices:

Cost of Ancestry DNA

The price of AncestryDNA starts at $99 for the kit and $21.99 per month for a subscription.

Ancestry DNA TestAncestryDNA + Family Tree PackageAncestryDNA Traits + All Access Package
Cost$99$100$199
Ethnicity Reportsโœ“โœ“โœ“
Ancestral Originsโœ“โœ“โœ“
DNA Matchingโœ“โœ“โœ“
Traits Reportโœ“
World Explorer Membershipโœ“โœ“
Fold3 Recordsโœ“
Newspapers.com Publisher Extraโœ“

Ancestryโ€™s packages include a three-month subscription to services that will help with your research, namely:

  • World Explorer Membership โ€“ย  Ancestryโ€™s U.S. and international records
  • Fold3 โ€“ Millions of global military records
  • Newspaper.com Subscription โ€“ Over 8 billion global articles

When your initial membership expires, you can continue with your subscriptions by choosing from one of three packages:

SubscriptionU.S. DiscoveryWorld ExplorerAll Access
Cost Per Month$21.99 to $24.99$32.99 to $39.99$49.99 to $59.99
U.S. Recordsโœ“โœ“โœ“
International Recordsโœ“โœ“
Newspapers.com Subscriptionโœ“
Fold3 Recordsโœ“

Cost of 23andMe

The cost of 23andMe starts at $99 for the kit and $29 for a one-year paid membership.

23andMe Ancestry23andMe Health + Ancestry23andMe+ Membership
Cost$99$199$199
Total Reports80+150+180+
Ancestry Reportโœ“โœ“โœ“
Traits Reportโœ“โœ“โœ“
Health Reportโœ“โœ“
Carrier Status Reportโœ“โœ“
Wellness Reportโœ“โœ“
Family Health History Reportโœ“โœ“
Pharmacogenetics Reportโœ“

23andMe Plus includes a one-year membership to the DNA service. When your membership expires, you can renew it for $29 per year.

Which DNA Test is The Best?

Each DNA testing kit has its share of good and bad qualities. Ultimately, you should pick the test that gives you the information youโ€™re looking for.

23andMe is best for health testing because itโ€™s an FDA-approved DNA test that tests for carrier status, genetic health risks, etc.

Ancestry is best for family history because it offers the largest DNA database and gives you access to extensive resources to help with your research.

Why Trust Us

Weโ€™ve been testing DNA kits for the last seven years and have taken every DNA test on the market. Weโ€™ve compared results and have been committed to testing and tracking any changes over time.

As an organization, we at KnowYourDNA are committed to helping you get the most accurate information about your ancestry, health risks, and other genetic traits.

We only choose at-home DNA tests that meet the standards of the DNA testing industry and provide reliable testing methods.

Our in-house medical experts help ensure the accuracy of our articles by reviewing them before publication.

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Updated on January 29, 2025
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4 sources cited
Updated on January 29, 2025
  1. โ€œAncestry deepens focus on Family History; will discontinue AncestryHealth.โ€ Ancestry.
  2. โ€œAncestryDNAยฎ Test Accuracy and Precision.โ€ AncestryDNA Learning Hub.
  3. โ€œFrequently asked questions.โ€ 23andMe.
  4. โ€œHow Accurate Is 23andMe?โ€ 23andMe Customer Care.
Ada Sandoval
Ada Sandoval
Content Contributor
Ada Sandoval is a B.S. in Nursing graduate and a registered nurse with a heart for abandoned animals. She works as a content writer who specializes in medical-related articles and pet health.