Both Ancestry DNA and MyHeritage launched their companies around the same time, and they were focused on building the family tree of those that took their tests.
Since then, they have progressed into offering more services and digging deeper into the past.
If you are looking to have your DNA tested to find out more about where you come from and your family’s history, you will likely come across these two companies during your search as they are two of the most well known DNA testing companies.
It is clear that from the two choices presented, Ancestry DNA is the most popular choice, and they have sold more than 10 million kits in comparison to MyHeritage.
This will give them a strong advantage when it comes to providing information on your ancestry background, as they have a bigger pool to base their information on.
We are going to look at all of the similarities and differences between the two companies to find out all there is to know about them. If you are struggling to choose which company to go with, hopefully, you will be able to make a well-informed decision by the end of this article.
Ancestry DNA
Ancestry DNA is an excellent DNA testing service that uses the latest testing technology to discover more about your family tree and family history.
They are able to combine DNA science with a large family history database in order to tell you about your own genetic ethnicity and identity, and to help you discover new familial ties.
The company can map ethnicity back through multiple generations to give you insight into different possibilities. The service can even help you to explore relationships with people that you didn’t even know that you were related to through their extensive list of DNA matches.
To take this test, you will need to purchase a kit online that will be sent to you in the post. You can take the test at home, and it comes with straightforward instructions to follow.
The kit comes with a saliva collection tube, where you will have to provide a sample, and then you send the sample back in the mail.
Your DNA will then be processed in a lab and compared with other results to figure out all of your specific information. These results will be viewable online through the ancestry DNA website.
MyHeritage
MyHeritage is a unique place where families can meet online through their website, communicate with each other, share stories, and preserve their heritage. They offer different services to keep you connected with the past and apply this information to the present.
Through this platform, you can get a DNA testing kit, which makes it easier for anyone to start their journey to the past and preserve their findings for the generations that will follow.
The DNA test with MyHeritage will allow you to test your own DNA in order to reveal valuable information about your familial connections from the past and to figure out your own ethnic origins.
You can purchase a kit from their website,which will then arrive in the post with everything you need to test your DNA. Inside the kit is a cheek swab, and it will take you just two minutes to complete the test.
All you have to do next is send it back to the MyHeritage DNA lab, where they will run thorough tests before inviting you to view your results online within 3 to 4 weeks.
Ancestry DNA Vs MyHeritage
Both of these companies actually started in the exact same way, which is as genealogy resources. They didn’t offer DNA testing originally, and this was something that they offered later, when their databases were more advanced.
Ancestry DNA offered their first kit in 2012, whereas MyHeritage didn’t start offering their DNA testing services until 2016. However, both of these tests are quite similar.
Both of these tests will connect you to your heritage and will give you an estimate of your ethnicity background, which is a breakdown of all of the places around the world that your DNA is connected to.
In terms of the differences between the tests, the way in which they are taken varies slightly. For the Ancestry DNA test, you will be required to provide a sample of your saliva, and for the MyHeritage test, you only need to give a cheek swab.
Another difference is the amount of users that take tests from each company. Ancestry DNA has a larger client base, which means that they also have a larger reference to compare results with. This should also mean that your results could be more specific when considering geographical location as a factor.
Both companies can offer ethnicity estimates in over 1000 global regions, which is very impressive. If you are looking for a more narrowed result, then Ancestry DNA is probably going to be the better choice out of the two.
The test is so specific, that it can even be narrowed down to certain towns and villages, depending on where your ancestry is located. This is a great advantage as it can tell you specifically where your relatives are from, which can give you a better idea of your history.
This level of accuracy comes from the mass amount of users that the company has, and they will combine all of their research into one huge database.
There are also services with both companies that aren’t related to the actual tests. With their subscription service, you can build on your family tree, linking back to the past.
The test will help you find more information so that you can add to your family tree further than your own knowledge can take you.
Both companies can give you information about if and when your family moved around, and what areas they may have migrated to, so you can learn more about them.
Family Tree and Other Research
As well as having the opportunity to test your DNA, you can also use both of these sites to conduct research into the past and build your very own family tree. Both of these companies started as research companies, so their databases work relatively similarly.
They both have massive historical records that date back through multiple generations and contain billions of records that range from birth and death certifications, marriage records, and even some immigration documents.
All of this information will help to provide more details that will build your research and family tree. You will be able to find out so much more about the past due to the amount of research that both of these companies have access to.
Another similarity between these two companies is that they charge access to these records based on a subscription service. It even costs the same amount with each service for a full year of access to their historical record databases and family tree software.
You can choose either to pay the amount in full for the whole year, or you can pay a smaller amount each month. It is up to you to choose between the two options, but the monthly subscription is a great choice for those on a budget.
There is only really one main difference between these two companies when it comes to the research and family tree aspects, which is that MyHeritage actually has more European records than its competitor, and Ancestry DNA has a higher number of North American records.
If you believe that your family is more likely to be directly connected to either of these areas in specific, then it is probably a better idea to go with the company that has more records nearer to that area.
This will provide you with an advantage as there will be access to more relevant information.
Health Risks Related to Your Genes
As well as all of the other amazing things that getting your DNA tested can lead to, it will also enable you to find out how your genes may increase your risk of getting certain health conditions like heart disease, cancer, and more.
If you are specifically getting your DNA tested to look at these factors, then MyHeritage is actually the better option. This is because they offer more reports than their competitor.
Ancestry DNA is more focussed on the ancestry side of things, and they only report on six different health risks. Two of these reports are about the risks for cancer, and four of them are related to blood and heart health and conditions.
These reports will be interesting to look at regardless, but it might not give you all of the information that you were looking for.
My Heritage will give you the same options to look at as Ancestry DNA, plus an additional six reports that include risk factors that are associated with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Crohn’s disease.
If you want to know more about your health condition predispositions, then MyHeritage is the best place to look as they provide you with more information.