Written by Michelle Leonard
23andMe is one of the major DNA testing companies and up until today it has been substantially more expensive to test with them for genealogical purposes in the UK. Unlike other leading companies who sell tests solely for genealogy, it has only been possible to buy a combined health and ancestry test from 23andMe for £149 including shipping.
For some time, however, they have offered an Ancestry only test without the health reports in the US at a much reduced price ($99) and I have long wished they would also offer this here in the UK. The good news is that today an Ancestry Only test for the UK, Canada and selected EU countries (Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and The Netherlands) was finally launched bringing 23andMe's price more in line with the other companies.
For some time, however, they have offered an Ancestry only test without the health reports in the US at a much reduced price ($99) and I have long wished they would also offer this here in the UK. The good news is that today an Ancestry Only test for the UK, Canada and selected EU countries (Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and The Netherlands) was finally launched bringing 23andMe's price more in line with the other companies.
I'm delighted that customers in the UK and other countries who also have not had access to the more affordable test before can now buy 23andMe tests for family history without having to pay for the health reports as well. The test is being sold for £79 + £9.99 shipping in the UK, €99 + €9.95 shipping in the five EU countries and C$129 + C$19.95 shipping in Canada. There is also an international price of $99USD + shipping for countries in which 23andMe is unable to sell their health test; you can see a list of these countries HERE. Shipping costs will vary between countries and custom charges could apply.
This is excellent news for anyone who wants to test at 23andMe in the UK without paying £149 to also get the health information and it makes 23andMe much more affordable for genealogy. It is especially helpful for those with a mystery to solve who should try to get in all of the major databases. My recommendation for those with unknown ancestor mysteries has previously been to test at 23andMe last due to the cost and to wait for sales but now I will be recommending the Ancestry only test as it is a more viable way to get into 23andMe's database.
The Ancestry Only test includes ancestry composition (23andMe's ethnicity estimate), Y-DNA (males only) and MtDNA haplogroups, information on how much Neanderthal DNA you inherited and, most importantly, your DNA cousin match list and tools to work with it. Be aware that you have to opt in to DNA Relatives to receive your matches.
This is excellent news for anyone who wants to test at 23andMe in the UK without paying £149 to also get the health information and it makes 23andMe much more affordable for genealogy. It is especially helpful for those with a mystery to solve who should try to get in all of the major databases. My recommendation for those with unknown ancestor mysteries has previously been to test at 23andMe last due to the cost and to wait for sales but now I will be recommending the Ancestry only test as it is a more viable way to get into 23andMe's database.
The Ancestry Only test includes ancestry composition (23andMe's ethnicity estimate), Y-DNA (males only) and MtDNA haplogroups, information on how much Neanderthal DNA you inherited and, most importantly, your DNA cousin match list and tools to work with it. Be aware that you have to opt in to DNA Relatives to receive your matches.
Other autosomal tests, apart from LivingDNA, do not give you Y-DNA or MtDNA haplogroups and these can sometimes be helpful when trying to work out how someone matches you. If you are looking for Y-DNA and MtDNA matching databases, however, only FTDNA's standalone Y-DNA and MtDNA tests offer this service.
If you have not yet taken an autosomal DNA test I would still recommend testing at AncestryDNA first due to the sheer size of their matching database (over 5 million at the last count). 23andMe, however, have the second largest autosomal database at over 2 million testers as of April this year. This new more affordable test means you could get into both databases at a much reduced cost. I recommend transferring your AncestryDNA and older 23andMe tests to FTDNA but be aware that you will only get your highest confidence matches due to chip incompatibilities so it is still worth considering doing a full Family Finder test at FTDNA if you want the lower confidence matches. Another thing to take into account is 23andMe recently moved to the new GSA chip that is not compatible with being uploaded to FTDNA or regular GEDMatch but can be uploaded to GEDMatch Genesis.
This is a step in the right direction from 23andMe and very welcome for the UK testing market and genetic genealogy community!
If you have not yet taken an autosomal DNA test I would still recommend testing at AncestryDNA first due to the sheer size of their matching database (over 5 million at the last count). 23andMe, however, have the second largest autosomal database at over 2 million testers as of April this year. This new more affordable test means you could get into both databases at a much reduced cost. I recommend transferring your AncestryDNA and older 23andMe tests to FTDNA but be aware that you will only get your highest confidence matches due to chip incompatibilities so it is still worth considering doing a full Family Finder test at FTDNA if you want the lower confidence matches. Another thing to take into account is 23andMe recently moved to the new GSA chip that is not compatible with being uploaded to FTDNA or regular GEDMatch but can be uploaded to GEDMatch Genesis.
This is a step in the right direction from 23andMe and very welcome for the UK testing market and genetic genealogy community!
Michelle Leonard is Ancestry Hour's resident DNA #genesgenius! You can catch her on Twitter as @GenealogyLass and you can follow her business page Genes & Genealogy on Facebook.
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