DNA advisor and avid family historian Karen Evans compares the pros and cons of the autosomal DNA tests on the market. Read on to learn which test is best for you; and if you’ve already taken a test, read on to ensure you’re getting the most from your DNA test results

Ithought about taking a DNA test for years. My paternal grandfather was illegitimate and so was a greatgrandmother and her mother!

But I hesitated.

If I’m honest I wondered whether spending that amount of money would be worth it and, more importantly, whether it would help with any of my ‘missing father’ brick walls. I watched as prices slowly began to fall and the choice in tests grew. I finally took the plunge in 2017 at a family history show where there was a tempting, too-good-to-resist offer on a FamilyTreeDNA test. And, oh what an exciting, educational and sometimes frustrating area of genealogy it opened up!

Goodness, I was naïve, having done little DNA research despite being a long-standing family historian. It was a steep learning curve and I made mistakes but, ultimately, I’m so glad I took that first step.

So here is my (hard learned) take on the tests available and the pros and cons they have.

I won’t be covering Y DNA or MtDNA tests here. Instead, I’m focusing on autosomal tests which are the most popular DNA tests taken by family historians from the following companies: 23andMe, Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, LivingDNA and MyHeritage.

‘I finally took the plunge in 2017 ... on a FamilyTreeDNA test. And, oh, what an exciting, educational and sometimes frustrating area of genealogy it has opened up!’

Let’s dive into the details!

Cost

Prices vary greatly depending on the time of year. Many of the companies offer discounted tests around Christmas and Black Friday; Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are also popular times to drop prices.

However non-sale prices are: 23andMe £99, Ancestry £79 plus shipping (£9.99 for one kit and then £4.99 for any additional kits ordered at the same time), FamilyTreeDNA £70 (depending on conversion rates from dollars to sterling), LivingDNA £74.95 and MyHeritage £84. Some of these companies require a subscription to access all the tools (see below) so this needs to be factored in.

Taking the test & waiting times

Whichever company you use they will need a sample of your DNA. Some companies (23andMe and Ancestry) ask for a small vial of your saliva, the others (FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage and LivingDNA) require a cheek swab. Both methods are painless and all the companies give clear instructions on how to take a sample.

I often see people on social media ask how long it will take before their results to come through once they have sent their sample. The simple answer is…it all depends.

If you are in the UK and take an Ancestry test, for example, you may notice the return address on the box is for Ireland. It does go to Ireland but is then shipped to the US, and I have known this to take a month before it begins processing. If you send a test off just after Christmas the wait will probably be longer as all the people who had a test as a present are sending theirs off too! The quickest turnaround (post box to results) I’ve had is sixteen days; the longest was nine weeks.

Size of database

This is an extremely important factor when buying a DNA test. The more people in the database of the DNA company with which you test, the greater the chance that you will find matches, which will help with your research question.