You might be wondering, Which DNA test should I take? <\/em>There are even DNA tests that give you comprehensive, personalized health reports \u2013 not just ancestry reports. It\u2019s important to note that a DNA test can tell you a lot more information than just ancestry information.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/em>To nail down an answer to this question, Matt Baker took 5 different DNA tests from reputable DNA testing kit companies. A detailed DNA test comparison was his goal and he filmed a Youtube video so he could offer his viewers an honest, first-hand account of each DNA testing kit.<\/p>\n Before diving into DNA test comparisons, here is how to do a DNA test. Generally speaking, when it comes to actually do a DNA test, there are typically two methods of collection. Some companies have kits that provide you with a swab that you simply rub against the inside of your cheek, and then you place that swab in a vial of liquid. Other companies have kits that require you to spit a bunch of times into a vial.<\/p>\n The rules are quite simple: Avoid eating or drinking for at least 30 minutes before you take the DNA test. This also means you shouldn\u2019t have brushed your teeth in the last 30 minutes.<\/p>\n The 5 DNA testing kits Matt has reviewed are:<\/p>\n 1.<\/strong> CircleDNA<\/strong><\/p>\n 2. FamilyTreeDNA<\/strong><\/p>\n 3. Ancestry.com<\/strong><\/p>\n 4. 23andMe<\/strong><\/p>\n 5. MyHeritage<\/strong><\/p>\n $189 \u2013 $629 USD<\/strong><\/p>\n Matt Baker starts us off with a review of CircleDNA. He begins, \u201cUp first is CircleDNA, which in US dollars goes for anywhere from $189 \u2013 $629. This price gap depends on whether or not you get the premium DNA testing kit that provides you with the most extensive information about yourself. You can really<\/em> get to know yourself better with CircleDNA. Now, CircleDNA is the most expensive kit of the 5 I\u2019m reviewing, but keep in mind that you get what you pay for.<\/p>\n CircleDNA is primarily focused on preventative health and general wellness and health-related information. In this regard, CircleDNA definitely gives you the most detailed personal health report of any DNA kit I\u2019ve tried. In fact, they market themselves as \u201cThe world\u2019s most comprehensive DNA test\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n None of the other companies in my DNA test comparison held a candle to CircleDNA\u2019s health and wellness reports.<\/p>\n If you go to https:\/\/circledna.com\/<\/a> and use my discount code MATTB33, you can get 33% off your CircleDNA kit.<\/p>\n Eventually, they\u2019ll analyze your sample and provide you with reports. 20 personalized reports in over 500 categories. This will be provided to you on the CircleDNA app. I took the premium CircleDNA test, so I received a lot of information about myself to go through.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go over my results from CircleDNA,\u201d Says Matt. \u201c I can\u2019t share everything, because CircleDNA provides over 500 reports in 20 categories<\/strong>. They checked my health risk for 36 hereditary cancers<\/strong>, as well as 79 other health conditions.<\/strong> Fortunately, I am not at an elevated risk genetically for any cancers. However, I did learn that I\u2019m at a higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes.<\/p>\n I already knew that diabetes runs in my family, so this report did not really surprise me. However, it reminded me that I should probably cut back on the sweets.<\/p>\n Interestingly, the CircleDNA report did not predict that I was at a higher risk for ulcerative colitis, which is a disease I did in fact have in my 20s. This just goes to show that your genetics \u2013 what\u2019s written in your DNA \u2013 is not your destiny or your life sentence. Most health conditions that humans end up with are actually a result of not just their genes, but also their environment, and their lifestyle choices.<\/p>\n While discovering more about our genetics can help us live healthier lives to some degree, a DNA test is not a replacement for common sense lifestyle choices that are healthier and preventative.<\/p>\n CircleDNA was also tested to see whether or not I was a carrier for 163 (mostly rare) hereditary conditions.<\/strong> These are often single genes that may end up causing the development of a disease in oneself or one\u2019s children. From this report, I learned that I\u2019m a carrier for a gene that can be particularly dangerous for those who are heavy smokers. Fortunately, I\u2019ve never been a smoker, nor have either of my kids. But it is something I do plan to mention to my doctor just in case, and if I was a smoker, this report would have me second-guessing my lifestyle choices.<\/p>\n Another neat report that CircleDNA gives relates to drug responses. It covers 103 FDA-approved drugs.<\/strong> It tells you which drugs may not work as well on you personally, based on your genetics.<\/p>\n Some more fun and interesting things I learned in my CircleDNA report included:<\/p>\n The above is just a small sampling of the hundreds <\/em>of fun facts the CircleDNA test told me about myself.<\/p>\n Finally, there was an ancestry report included that was very basic.<\/p>\n As I said, CircleDNA is primarily focused on health, not ancestry. Yes, their ancestry report is basic, but some people might argue that the health-related reports are more important, anyway.<\/p>\n The other 4 DNA testing kits I\u2019m reviewing, however, are more focused on genealogy and will likely have more information about ancestry. Don\u2019t expect any of the next DNA tests covered in this DNA test comparison to having the health reports CircleDNA includes in their test.\u201d<\/p>\n $80 \u2013 $360 USD<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLike CircleDNA, FamilyTreeDNA also uses the more convenient swab method of sample collection,\u201d says Matt. \u201cFamilyTreeDNA costs anywhere from $80 \u2013 $360. At first, $80 for a basic test seems quite cheap, but that\u2019s because they separate out their more detailed reports, which cost extra.<\/p>\n There\u2019s Autosomal DNA, Mitochondrial DNA, and Y-Chromosome DNA.<\/p>\n Autosomal DNA is the DNA you\u2019re probably most familiar with. It\u2019s the DNA that is inherited from both your parents. This is your DNA that is approximately 50% from your mother, and 50% from your father. So, testing your autosomal DNA gives you information about your entire family tree as a whole. So, for example, you probably have 16 great-grandparents, each of whom contributed (on average) about 6% of your DNA. Now, those exact percentages can actually be quite different for everyone, which is why a DNA test comes in handy. For many people, like myself, their ancestors came from a variety of different places. So, an autosomal DNA test can give you an approximate breakdown of where those ancestors came from.<\/p>\n My ancestry report from FamilyTreeDNA was more detailed than the one from CircleDNA. However, once again, the results seem a bit off. Way more Eastern European than I would expect, which just goes to show, these composition estimates are just that. They\u2019re just estimates <\/em>and each company comes up with their estimates in slightly different ways.<\/p>\n There\u2019s another thing an autosomal DNA can do, which FamilyTreeDNA provides, but CircleDNA does not provide. This is to provide you with relative matches. This report shows you other people who have taken the same DNA test who share a high percentage of the same DNA as you. IT ranks them according to the closeness of the relationship. Those who were adopted and share a high percentage of DNA with others in the report, can actually reach out to those people and try to figure out how you\u2019re related to them.<\/p>\n With this DNA test, you\u2019re not automatically given a family tree. You\u2019re given a list of potential relatives (if they\u2019ve also taken the test and are therefore in the system) but it\u2019s up to you to do the research and make up your family tree yourself.<\/p>\n Now we\u2019ll move on to explain the second type of DNA, which is \u00a0Mitochondrial DNA. Inside every cell in your body are cell parts called mitochondria. Those mitochondria contain DNA that is totally different from your main DNA, which is stored in the nucleus. It\u2019s different because 100% of that DNA comes from your mother. In other words, your mitochondria is the same as your mother\u2019s mitochondria, which is the same as her mother\u2019s mitochondria, and so on. So a Mitochondrial DNA test can tell you information only about a very small section of your family tree (your matrilineal line). But unlike an autosomal test, it can tell you information that goes back much farther in history. I\u2019m talking like tens of thousands of years far back. This is because mitochondrial DNA basically never changes unless there\u2019s a case of a rare mutation. Major mutations only occur every few thousand years. This means that if person A has a certain mutation, and person B has the exact same mutation, we know they share the same matrilineal line. These lines are called haplogroups and are labelled with alphabetic codes. My haplogroup is called \u201cU\u201d and FamilyTreeDNA provides me with a map that shows me where my line broke off from the main branch.<\/p>\n Finally, the third type of DNA is Y-DNA. Now, Y-DNA is kind of the opposite of mitochondrial DNA in that it only gives you information about your father, and your father\u2019s father, et cetera. This test is only available to males. You might remember from biology class that generally speaking, females have XX chromosomes, and males have XY chromosomes. This is because it\u2019s the presence of a Y chromosome that determines if someone is male. That Y chromosome only ever comes from one\u2019s father. Hence, like mitochondrial DNA, it never changes, except for rare mutations. So, FamilyTreeDNA gave me a haplogroup map for my Y-DNA as well. In my case, I belong to the group R-M343, also known as R1b, which happens to be the most common haplogroup in Europe. This haplogroup represents well over 50% of men in Europe.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a female who wants to learn more about her patrilineal line, you\u2019d have to get your father, brother or paternal uncle to do the FamilyTreeDNA test, too, because only males have Y-DNA.<\/p>\n The $80 (lowest) cost of FamilyTreeDNA is for Autosomal DNA results only. Mitochondrial $160 extra. Y-DNA is $120 extra. So, that\u2019s $360 in total if you want all three types of DNA results. This is more expensive than the remaining three DNA testing companies I\u2019m going to review, but again, you get what you pay for. What sets FamilyTreeDNA apart is that it gives you way more information on the various mutations in your mitochondrial and Y-DNA. And to be honest, this is where it got way over my head because I\u2019m not an expert when it comes to genetics.<\/p>\n FamilyTreeDNA, therefore, is a DNA test I would recommend primarily to those who possess knowledge at the expert level of genetic genealogy.\u201d<\/p>\n How to Swab<\/p>\n $100 \u2013 $200 USD<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe third DNA test I took was 23andMe,\u201d says Matt. \u201cThis test is unique in that it offers both genealogy and health reports. If all you want is the genealogy information, it\u2019s only $100 USD. If you want both genealogy and health reports, it\u2019s $200.<\/p>\n With 23andMe, you have to spit into a tube. On the genealogy side, it\u2019s pretty similar to FamilyTreeDNA. 23andMe offers an ethnicity report (its best estimate) along with a list of potential relatives.<\/p>\n One thing to note about 23andMe, however, is that they do give you your haplogroup results at no extra charge. Since I did a whole video on my 23andMe ancestry results back in 2019 when I received them, I won\u2019t go into any more detail about that when it comes to 23andMe.<\/p>\n I will, however, discuss 23andMe\u2019s health results a bit, since my 2019 video review didn\u2019t really touch on the health report side of things.<\/p>\n 23andMe does not offer any health reports as comprehensive as what CircleDNA offers. 23andMe does check for several dozen genetic diseases and provides you with a bunch of random and cool information such as what kind of earwax you have, and whether or not mosquitoes love biting you. Since 23andMe is always updating their research, you do tend to get new reports from them as time goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n $100 USD<\/strong><\/p>\n Genealogical Ancestry Report<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAncestry.com uses the spit method, as just like 23andMe, they don\u2019t provide a swab collection method,\u201d Matt states. \u201cSimilar to 23andME, Ancestry\u2019s basic DNA test costs $100. This test is primarily about your ancestry information.<\/p>\n No health information or information aside from ancestry will be provided with this DNA test. It does not give you your haplogroup information, either.<\/p>\n This DNA test does give you a breakdown of where your ancestors came from. This is where Ancestry is a company that really stands out because its ethnicity report is much more detailed. This is primarily because of all the DNA companies, they have the largest database of users, particularly when it comes to North Americans. So, for me, they broke down my European ethnicities into finer categories. They also are able to predict which North American settler communities my ancestors belonged to. From what I know of my family tree, Ancestry.com seems to have this information spot on. I know that most of my ancestors came from Germany, England, and Ireland and settled in Nova Scotia. And this is what my Ancestry.com results showed. So, because Ancestry DNA is basing their results on such a large database of people who, like me, live in North America, I\u2019d lean towards saying that these particular ethnicity results are probably the most accurate of the 5 tests I\u2019ve taken.<\/p>\n When it comes to relative matches, Ancestry again stands out, because of its large database. So if your primary goal with DNA tests is to find relatives, and you\u2019re from North America, then Ancestry is probably the best test to start with.<\/p>\n However, if you do any of these DNA tests, be prepared for the possibility of uncovering some surprises. There are numerous stories of people discovering that their father wasn\u2019t really their father, or that they have a half-sibling they did not know about. You might think this would never happen to you, but that\u2019s what other people thought, too. I actually discovered a first cousin I knew nothing about. I never knew she existed. It turns out, she\u2019s very kind and had a similar health problem to me. Meeting her online was pretty cool.<\/p>\n Ancestry.com\u2019s website is specifically designed for helping you build your family tree and fill in gaps. There\u2019s this very easy-to-use interface to do this. Plus, it offers you access to millions of online records. Of course, if you want access to all those records, you do have to pay for a monthly membership which costs around $25 per month.\u201d<\/p>\n $80 USD<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe final DNA test I took and reviewed is MyHeritage,\u201d Matt explains. \u201cThis one luckily uses the swab method, and its base price is $80 for a basic test. MyHeritage is a lot like Ancestry. However, at the price point of $80, they hold the distinction of being the least expensive test on the market. Sometimes they even have sales where it\u2019s even cheaper.<\/p>\n Similar to my Ancestry results, MyHeritage showed me that my ancestors mostly came from Germany, England and Ireland, and showed me the settler communities my ancestors were part of. This information was correct. I also received a list of relative matches to find relatives, and the ability to build my family tree using their website. Similar to Ancestry, if you want full access to all of their online records, there\u2019s an option to purchase a monthly membership.<\/p>\n There\u2019s one more difference I should point out between MyHeritage and Ancestry, aside from the fact that MyHeritage is a bit cheaper. This main difference is that Ancestry.com is primarily geared towards North America, and therefore has the upper hand when it comes to North American records. However, if you\u2019re from Europe or want more access to European records, then MyHeritage has the upper hand. And regardless of where you live, MyHeritage has the upper hand if you are Jewish.\u201d<\/p>\n Surely you understand more about the five DNA tests now, but what we provided was merely information \u2014 they do not manifest user experience which is, very likely, a major concern before undergoing a DNA test. No worries, if you are thinking, \u201cis CircleDNA good?\u201d We have answers ready for you! No, we are not singing our own praises, these are all heartfelt words from our customers. So, is CircleDNA good? Let\u2019s find out!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\u201cIn the interest of full disclosure, I did receive some of these DNA tests for free, for review purposes. However, I have kept an open mind and remained objective, while reviewing each of the 5 DNA tests honestly.\u201d \u2013 MattB<\/em><\/h3>\n
How to Do a DNA test?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"circlemagazine-circledna-dna-test-comparison\"](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/iMJFtzkkPIMpWVV2thcQs64vwXBxsDvfP_Xj4QVJOj8BtGY8UQW4l-2SZl2TsA21kG1H-ybV7j5H25YMmWYtExSfaS4Ffu2u6QmozClR4NarO2E64i6xPVJ98q39ood1jkDzo0BZ\")
1. CircleDNA<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\u201cThe world\u2019s most comprehensive DNA test\u201d \u2013 CircleDNA<\/em><\/h3>\n
![\"circlemagazine-circledna-dna-test-comparison\"](\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/N0bCZ0kChH9Qc1ceXqYAd4LvRshb5x3HraOBW0aDqglt_8pM8AET6KUxHzNpGrza9_HbfUU-T3qOaRht5JUV641YVSJpjCDWCm0Uxs69ZJ8hBrtBiAUBUMvzVwQ9-EZ5KwaXOivY\")
Matt\u2019s CircleDNA Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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2. FamilyTreeDNA<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"circlemagazine-circledna-dna-test-comparison\"](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/r6STsDKdZbcScN4tJh0SU-xFpz29j5mbON1JZbMm_2fGR8y5fKru8TZUtWLHj39r5QGzsCM8lSBo1Bm2VSMQo9sXHUFd9pGEQfvjxOHoVj-1RSKNo8SAX-QBiCjyhRjmsH_69MrC\")
3. 23AndMe<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"circlemagazine-circledna-dna-test-comparison\"](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/mV9Z4c2EEhnx_QMwD7_vuVvXB3rd72LBld8-riQO48-Q6NLDY96QF-Jub6IVIPqDFzHGhbPP7nrFYdKNMyqGBWARfwYcVZ-Yj9Ygr_LWcbZQT7fwHjZF_vLg-pq_BBnAF8iSaTbT\")
4. Ancestry.com<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"circlemagazine-circledna-dna-test-comparison\"](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/aGSI_RrH63upDJP7tMotPJDPLbWNpHZEv3wGn_PsyDdTbNm7bE5z7hJheOk5U-qge3s3gxMntV1AmtjK7R0-2OcF_4bZiUFULJJ0HwuSlL6Avsk_Cqcf1EMQOIufTlau5240b_hB\")
5. MyHeritage<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"circlemagazine-circledna-dna-test-comparison\"](\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/jWIrkGuDtox6UEGBp8tisxjAYBXe_DnRfKSuVyd1i1ssa7iI1o_FBiddDo-AmhGpWDrY2eJ9aFxJVoiEyHkXjT-9f0o4Jn_pF1C5IddEOROGYipur9apRmAAPS_0UoeUe4lzxvUO\")
Is CircleDNA Good?<\/h2>\n