So you shelled out $60 – $200 dollars on a genealogical DNA test. You’ve looked at your DNA ethnicity pie chart. It gave you something interesting to bring up at the dinner table. But now what?
The number of things you can do with your DNA to help solve mysteries on your family tree are far too many to cover in just one short blog post. Thus, we have decided to put together a series of posts on getting the most for your money out of DNA tests. Let’s face it, they aren’t cheap. We’re here to help make that money count.
1) Start With AncestryDNA
When I advise people as a professional genealogist on DNA matters, I typically tell them to start by purchasing a DNA Kit from Ancestry.com. I do not represent Ancestry in any way, and I receive no compensation from them to say this. It is a conclusion I have come to based on a few simple facts.
First, Ancestry.com has a far larger database of DNA data than any other company, by far. A handy, constantly-updated chart on The DNA Geek blog reveals that, as I write, Ancestry.com has at least 10 million DNA tests in their database, twice as many as second-place 23andMe. The more DNA samples a company has in their database, the more that database has to offer you as a consumer as far as solving genealogy puzzles, plain and simple.
Second, Ancestry does not allow you to upload DNA results from any other company to their database. The only way to compare your DNA that of others in the AncestryDNA database is to purchase a DNA kit from them directly. Other companies, such as MyHeritage, GEDmatch, and Family Tree DNA, allow you to upload your DNA data from other companies into their database for free. (23andMe does not allow this.)
These two factors lead me to advise clients to purchase an AncestryDNA kit first and then upload the data from that test to MyHeritage, GEDmatch, and Family Tree DNA in order to get the best possible DNA tools and data comparisons at the lowest cost.
2) Buy During a Sale
The typical price for an AncestryDNA kit is $99 plus shipping, but they go on sale quite often, and in predictable patterns. Good dates to check on DNA sales include
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Christmas
- DNA Day (April 25)
Buying during a sale can save a decent amount of money. The lowest I have seen the kits sell at is $59, though $79 sales are far more common
3) Download Your Raw DNA Data File from Ancestry
I highly recommend downloading your DNA data from Ancestry soon after your results come in. This is a major first step in having great control over your DNA data and in taking advantage of the many tools and databases outside Ancestry that can help you interpret and analyze it. The handy video below walks you through how to do this:
4) Upload Your Raw DNA Data File to MyHeritage, Family Tree DNA, and GEDmatch
Once you have your Ancestry DNA data downloaded, you can upload it to MyHeritage using the simple process outlined here. It’s free until December 1! Take advantage while it lasts.
Next, upload your results to Family Tree DNA by following the instructions here. This will allow you to see your DNA matches within their database for free. Family Tree DNA has a lot of other, powerful tools that allow you to analyze your DNA. If you wish to access these, there is a modest $19 fee.
Lastly, upload your DNA data file to GEDmatch. To do this, follow the instructions in this video:
GEDmatch offers a very large set of DNA analysis tools completely free. A small set of more advanced tools are also available for $10 a month. For those with privacy concerns, be aware the GEDmatch is used by law enforcement to solve crimes and identify victims of crime. The site offers a wide range of privacy options, which we discuss here.
5) Ethnicity Results are Nice, But the Real Gold is in Your DNA Matches
After uploading your DNA data to MyHeritage, Family Tree DNA, and GEDmatch, your DNA results can now be compared to millions of other testers. You also have access to a wide array of tools to help you analyze these matches in ways that can help you solve mysteries in your tree. This last topic is far too large for us to cover in this blog post, so stay tuned for more updates on this in the future.
Hi! Not sure who to ask, so I thought I would try you! After uploading my DNA from Ancestry to GEDmatch, I wasn’t finding DNA matches to a surname I believed was in my tree (distantly). However, after changing the minimum cMs in the GEDmatch form, for one to one autosomal DNA matches, from the default of 7, to 2, I found tons of matches to the surname I was looking for. Many of the matches show segments over several chrom. and while they aren’t very large (maybe 5.9 cMs) they are there. Can I trust this method for matching my DNA to my distant cousins in my paper trail?
Hi, Elizabeth! When you get down to small cM counts like that, it’s good to be careful. The odds of a false match go up dramatically. Be sure to use triangulation techniques to verify the connection. Check to make sure that you have three or more matches descended from the same ancestor who match you in the same spot on the same chromosome. This will help you verify that you have a true match.