MyHeritage vs. 23andMe DNA Testing Kits Comparison

We all find it fascinating to learn more about our ancestral roots.

Questions like, Where did I come from? What can my past tell me about who I am? Do I have living relatives who I can connect with? 

Taking that first step can be overwhelming, especially with so many companies on the market claiming to be able to help you.

In this article, we’re going to look at two of the market leaders and help you to decide which is the best fit for your needs. 

MyHeritage and 23andme both offer DNA testing for ancestry composition and provide information on possible health risk factors.

Genetic testing can go along way in answering questions about who you are, and it’s a journey that many people want to explore. To get started we’ll compare some of the main points of each company, and the services they provide. 

Tests Available

Both companies offer autosomal DNA testing. Autosomal DNA is excellent for tracing your family tree.

In humans, our DNA is 99.5% identical to and is passed down from our parents. Everybody’s DNA has small variants that make each one of us unique.

Through Autosomal testing, we can look at these differences and trace our family tree back by five or six generations. 

Automosal DNA checks are one form of testing. 23andMe goes a step further than MyHeritage and also test X-chromosome DNA, Y-chromosome DNA, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)

These additional tests will take a look at your haplogroups, tell you more about your maternal and paternal lines and also estimate your Neanderthal DNA. 

MyHeritage collects your DNA through a cheek swab, which some people prefer over the saliva swab that 23andMe offers. The young and elderly may find it challenging to produce enough spit for the salvia sample. 

23andMe offers more extensive testing and therefore has advantages over MyHeritage.

We give 23andMe 8/10, and MyHeritage gets 6/10.

MyHeritage Tests

Both companies will be able to provide you with similar ethnicity estimates and where your genes come from. 

MyHeritage was founded by Israeli entrepreneur Gilad Japhet in 2003.

Historically they covered mainly the European market but in recent years have extended to cover worldwide regions. 

The company made its first DNA kit accessible to the public in 2016.

Before this, MyHeritage provided software and access to an extensive document database. This historical database provides a very solid platform when it comes to researching your family tree. 

MyHeritage has advantages over 23andMe when it comes to researching your family tree.

They have an extensive database and hold over 8.8 million historical records, including over 34 million family trees. 

MyHeritage allows you to do in-depth research on your family history, connect to your relatives, and use your report to help build your family tree. 

We rate them at 7/10 for their range of DNA tests

Health Tests

The health tests give you a view of your ancestry, but the main focus is on the traits that affect your day to day health based on your genetic makeup. 

For $199, you’ll receive a testing kit that includes eighteen genetic risk markers for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Type II diabetes, and Crohn’s.

However, this number could rise as My Heritage is continuously working on adding more testing parameters to their genetic health tests.

You’ll also receive an ethnicity report as a part of this test, as well as access to the family tree database.

The test involves a simple cheek swab and a health questionnaire, with results arriving within four weeks.

We give them a 7/10 for their health tests.

23andMe Tests

The company is based in California and has a strong ethos of ‘helping people to access, understand, and benefit from the human genome.’

23andMe were leaders in offering DNA testing, and their first kit was available as early as 2007, back then at a premium price of $999. 23andMe have always had a much stronger focus on researching DNA for health and personality traits.  

23andMe is one of the few companies that have FDA (Food and Drug Administration) registration on their DNA testing kit. 23andMe does not hold as much historical data, and their family tree services are not as in-depth as MyHeritage.

We’re giving 23andMe a decent 6/10 for DNA tests

Health Tests

If you want to learn more about yourself, your past, and your health, then 23andMe, are the clear leader. They have been collecting and analyzing health information for a lot longer than MyHeritage. 

23andMe has much more detail included their reports. The reports include information on your personal traits as well as health risks. Personal traits such as the likelihood of bunions, hair thickness, and your food preferences are examples. 

We put them at 8/10 for health DNA tests.