The vast world of DNA testing can reveal a variety of interesting facts about your life.
Did you know that there are many possibilities to select from? Whether you want to know about your lineage and ethnicity, there’s sure to discover everything you need to know about it. MyHeritage keeps you in check of these things. However, they’re far from being the sole ones working in this field of business.
Each individual has his or her own intentions that lead them to other choices. Namely: privacy, authentic information as well as the possibility of getting to meet potential relatives or family. Believe it or not this may be the final item on their bucket lists before they can be at peace. Certain families are okay with having relatives who are not blood-related. Why? They are family too.
This article will review MyHeritage’s competitors and how they help people from all walks of life discover their roots. Let’s go!
Before you go on, you may want to watch this video by Family History Fanatics on YouTube that gives a quick overview. Afterward, you’ll want to read the rest of the article for a more comprehensive review of MyHeritage.
MyHeritage vs. AncestryDNA
Our first rival is Ancestry DNA.
Both companies offer autosomal tests as well as tests kits, which is essential for DNA testing. Tests give an estimate of ethnicity, as well as an analysis of the various lineages across the globe. A difference in comparison to MyHeritage is that AncestryDNA’s database contains fourteen million entries. However, their results take longer than MyHeritage. It includes a monthly fee of $99, which provides for benefits from their reports.
Another issue is that you are unable to upload your own DNA data. In addition, the option to make your personal information private is not possible too. This could be a warning, especially for people who prefer their privacy over anything other things. Luckily, MyHeritage lets you set the DNA to be private so it would not be given away to unwanted third parties.
Like many other companies, they show an option to subscribe. AncestryDNA has three plans to choose from:
- U.S. Discovery – $24.99/month
- World Explorer – $39.99/month
- All Access – $49.99/month
Some are easily explained, such as the U.S Discovery tier. There are records of families from all fifty states in the U.S. If you are not a resident there, you can choose the World Explorer tier as it contains records from all countries across the globe. The last option is premium plans in which you will get exclusive content such as access to Newspaper.com Basic and Fold3.com.
While the number of records may appear remarkable, AncestryDNA may not cover certain countries, particularly those around Asia. MyHeritage’s database is smaller, which is an advantage since it is divided into 42 regions. The regions can then be researched to locate particular communities that aren’t mentioned too often. Think of any tribe and there’s a chance that a DNA test result might be related to one of these tribes.
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MyHeritage and. Family Tree DNA
The next platform we will discuss is Family Tree DNA.
From the beginning, Family Tree DNA has Y-DNA and mtDNA tests, not provided by MyHeritage. These tests can help you identify potential relatives that are on either the mother’s or father’s side exclusively. They do have the autosomal general test known as”Family Finder. “Family Finder” for any lineage.
Both platforms are active in their communities, and they prioritize your own privacy. Therefore, it is up to you whether you’d like the information you provide to be found by families who are looking for missing relatives. But, Family Tree DNA does not have as many areas that are covered as MyHeritage. There are 24 regions on their website. Nonetheless, this can be an option if they are unable to satisfy your needs.
To offer their services, Family Tree DNA has three kits available. They are:
- Family Ancestry: $59
- Maternal test Cost: $159
- Test for paternity: $119
After you’ve gotten the results, you cannot really record it on the form of a family tree electronically regardless of their name. This could be a problem for some people as they want to see how far their family tree goes. It is also not possible to find any health information regarding your ethnicity. MyHeritage can help with this, since you can view common disorders in 18 carrier status reports. If you’re looking for precise details about your family’s history, go for MyHeritage.
> > Click Here to Try MyHeritage for Free < <
MyHeritage vs 23andMe
Our third one on the list is 23andMe.
This is the first company to receive approval from the FDA as a risk screening tool for diseases. To complement it, you can access it via their website or mobile app. In it, information about your health and ancestry is available. It is possible to build an ancestral tree of your family and explore things like genetic risk, the science of genealogy, and genetics as a whole.
23andMe provides a range in privacy options and options to choose from. Based on your personal preferences you can revoke any consent you have given to the business when you change your mind. The saliva samples are collected and results are reported within 3 to 4 weeks.
What 23andMe concentrates on is paternal and maternal, Neanderthal tests, and autosomal tests. The most significant advantage here is they cover more than 1500 regions around the world. This might not be appealing to all, but if you want to trace back to smaller groups, they will help. The results that are precise may be more effective than a more general outlook.
In order to avail their services, there are three types of tests available. All tests come with customer service and a customized walkthrough of your DNA results. You can choose:
- Basic Ancestry and Traits – $79
- DNA Health Test – $129
- VIP Health and Ancestry – $429
Although you may get added DNA results from 23andMe, the price may not be sufficient for all. For MyHeritage customers, there is the choice of availing of the tests via kits or subscriptions. The subscription starts at $79/year which is the same as their basic tests. As for the kits, at an additional $90, you basically get the same assistance but with more capability. It is important to note that DNA tests are not cheap; they go through numerous procedures to obtain the result and also identify possible relatives.
MyHeritage and. FamilySearch
This genealogy service has another approach when it comes to information access.
The first and most important thing is that FamilySearch offers its services for no cost. This is due to the organization being a non-profit entity. They have a strong partnership with platforms such as MyHeritage or AncestryDNA. Their online records contain more than 300,000 digital books, even if they are not correctly indexed.
FamilySearch’s database includes family trees available for public and private use. If you have shared trees, you are able to view potential relatives as well as loved ones and the ways they’re related. Private trees will not be visible in a search engine due to privacy reasons.
There are physical reports like genealogical documents, including vital census records and records. However, when you are setting up the tree of your families, it is not possible to download it. In addition, setting up the tree is a long process too. Another issue is that they won’t provide any type of DNA tests. However, if you don’t have the budget or resources to trace your lineage it is possible to start here and then discover what happens.
If you are planning to conduct a thorough genetic test for your DNA, then you can always visit MyHeritage.
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MyHeritage vs. Xcode Life
The last platform we review is Xcode Life, a platform located in India.
Xcode Life has various reports that you can use. The majority of them are related to health such as fitness, nutrition and, of course, health. The general reports provide results within 24 hours and in the format of PDF. However, they do not offer any kind of ancestry report. Don’t worry; they do have more services than they do not have.
They are able to accept raw DNA information that’s already been given from their partners. They can also accept:
- 23andMe
- Family Tree DNA (FTNDA)
- Ancestry DNA
- MyHeritage
These DNA files are then used to create their huge health reports. The user is the sole judge on the kind of report they want to get. This company’s own privacy policies however, you must remove the DNA information manually. To ensure that any personal information is to be removed, customers must contact Xcode Life.
Pricing in Xcode Life also have bundles to select from. What they offer is:
- Best Seller Pack – $49: nutrition, fitness, health, allergy, skin reports
- Super Pack – $89: nutrition, health, fitness, allergy, skin precision medicine, as well as methylation reports
- Mega Pack for $99: contains the individual report packages for all nine
The main drawback of this system is that you cannot trace your own lineage. While you can utilize your DNA from the past for other purposes, it’s only for the individual you are. It is still possible to go here to find out more about your DNA, at least.
The Final Verdict
Short story, MyHeritage is the best option for any DNA-related requirements.
It is possible to discover the origins of your family, and it’s traceable into an entire family tree. The DNA test is also autosomal which is the industry most commonly used test for any genealogical research. When you have the results, you have the option of calling those who are in line with the test you took. This is particularly important for people who want to meet their loved ones an end-of-life visit.
They are also simple to use, and people of all ages can benefit from them. Results will come in 3-4 weeks, with an email sent to you containing the results.
In the case of privacy, MyHeritage never sells personal information to third-party companies. This is to protect the DNA samples given to the company as it is also uploaded in their database. It will supply the DNA samples if they are expressly requested by their owner.
There isn’t any information regarding health-related issues found in the DNA test results, you’ll have to charge a bit for any additional details. Overall this is the best place for everything genealogical.
