At a Glance
Screenshots
Summary
I found 23andMe’s ancestry results to be interesting and fun to use. I was able to view the scientific basis for my results, and a wealth of information to explore about my ancestry, haplogroups, and Neanderthal heritage.
I was impressed by the detailed breakdown I was given for my British and Irish results, and hoped that later updates would allow me to view my other ancestry results in more detail.
The DNA Relatives family finder tool was easy to navigate, and I imagine would be useful for people wishing to trace their relatives. All in all, I thought 23andMe’s ancestry analysis was great value for money, and look forward to seeing how my results will improve over time through their free updates.
Full Review
Founded in 2006 by C.E.O. Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe is one of the largest DNA testing companies in the world. Their ever-growing database currently contains the genetic data of over five million people, many of whom choose to share their data for research.
I was interested to see what 23andMe’s analysis of my genetic data would tell me about my ancestry composition, and how much of me would turn out to be Neanderthal!
Please note that reviews of the health-related aspects of the test can be found here.
Product Expectations
To find out more about their ancestry DNA test, I went to the 23andMe website. On the information page, I read that my DNA could tell me where my ancestors lived more than 500 years ago. I’d receive a regional breakdown showing where they came from, and I’d also be able to view my results on an “Ancestry Timeline”, showing an estimation of when different ancestors had entered my family tree.
23andMe also had a family finder featured, called DNA Relatives. This would allow me to connect with people who share DNA with me, and even message them. If I didn’t want to be discoverable to my relatives, I could opt out of this feature.
If I connected with my genetic relatives I would be able to see which chromosome segments I share with them, which could help me to place my DNA cousin matches in my family tree.
As part of their genetic ancestry analysis, I would discover which maternal haplogroup I belong to. If I was male, I’d also be able to see my paternal haplogroup. Only people born biologically male could trace their paternal lineage through the Y chromosome inherited from their father, while both sexes were able to trace their maternal ancestry through the mitochondrial DNA from their mothers.
Although people born biologically female would not be able to trace their paternal lineage using their own DNA, I read that could connect with my male relatives on my father’s side (such as my biological father, brother, paternal uncle, etc.), and discover my paternal haplogroup that way, so I wasn’t completely excluded from the paternal ancestry analysis.
One feature I found interesting was the Neanderthal inheritance breakdown, which would show me how much Neanderthal DNA I’d inherited. Neanderthal traits included shorter height, back hair, and sneezing after eating chocolate – all things that our homo sapiens ancestors apparently found attractive.
In the “How It Works” section, I found a picture of the kit, and a breakdown of the process of ordering a kit, using it, registering online, mailing it back, and receiving results. I’d collect the DNA sample myself using a saliva collection kit: no blood, no needles.
Ordering Experience
The ordering process was very straightforward. I could order an ‘Ancestry’ or ‘Health + Ancestry’ test from their website, and check out using their secure server or with PayPal. The kit was mailed to me within a few days. Before returning my sample, I had to register my kit online, which required me to agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
In the Privacy Policy, I learned that my data would be used for research only with my consent. If I consented, they would use my “de-identified” genetic information and self-reported information in a large pool of customer data for research analyses.
They’d also use my data to improve their services. (I gathered my consent to this was implicit in agreeing with the Privacy Policy.) Analyzing customers’ data would allow them to refine their ancestry results, for example.
I found I would be given control over how my genetic information would be stored and used. If I wished, I could choose to have my saliva sample destroyed after analysis. It would be up to me whom I shared my information with. If I wanted to, I could share it with friends, family members, healthcare providers, other 23andMe customers (i.e. via DNA Relatives), and third-party services that accept 23andMe data. 23andMe would not share my information with public databases, or sell, share or lease it without my consent.
In the Terms of Service, I read that sometimes the lab is not able to process a saliva sample. If that was the case, I would be asked to re-test free of any additional charge.
Once I had registered online, I returned my kit using the same box it came in, which had a pre-paid postage label on it. I was able to track the progress of my sample online, and was even told who had signed for it once it reached the lab!
It took about two weeks for my sample to reach the lab, and another two weeks for my data to be analyzed. In the meantime, I was able to read up on ancestry analysis, the laboratory process, and so on, and watch a video explaining how they would extrapolate my genetic data.
I could answer a research survey, which contained mostly health questions. If I consented to have my information used for research, then my answers would be used in conjunction with my genetic data.
The Results
Two weeks after my sample reached the lab, I received an email saying my results were ready, with a link to view my reports. Clicking this took me to my account login page. After logging in, I was taken to a user homepage, where I could see summaries of my ancestry analyses, and browse my ancestry results (and health results too, if I had them). I could also choose to download my raw data.
Results Section: Ancestry Composition
The first thing that greeted me on the Ancestry Composition page was my ancestry map. According to this, I was – uninterestingly enough – 99.9% European.
The map was interactive, so I was able to zoom in on different parts by clicking on the various population percentages. I could also view individual reports for the different regions, which would give more exact locations where 23andMe believed my DNA had come from.
I found I was 56.9% “British and Irish”, a slightly lower percentage than I’d anticipated, since for all I knew my family was exclusively English, Irish and Scottish. Clicking “View Report”, I found I could view a highlighted map of Britain and Ireland, showing the sub-regions they believed my ancestors had lived (shown below).
My father’s family come from the Lake District in the northwest of England, and so I thought that 23andMe had pinpointed this well. However, I apparently had inherited little DNA from my mother’s family in East Anglia, though my Irish ancestry showed a connection to the counties bordering Northern Ireland, where my grandfather had come from.
I could also read and explore the histories of Britain and Ireland, and there were articles about Irish and British culture, like the famous Savile Row tailors, and the whisky brewers on the Isle of Islay.
Disappointingly, I found that although I had inherited 19.3% “French and German” DNA, they were unable to pinpoint where exactly my ancestors had heralded from. This meant that this result was not very illuminating for me at all, since the area defined as “French and German” also covered Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and even Corsica. If I was able, I could help improve this report by telling 23andMe what I knew about my Franco-Germanic ancestry. Unfortunately, I didn’t know anything.
It was the same story for my Scandinavian ancestry: I couldn’t say whether my Scandi ancestors had been Norwegian, Danish or Swedish – and neither could 23andMe. They had also estimated that I had the barest sliver of “Broadly West African” DNA, at 0.1%. This covered a huge area, and I was unsurprised that they were unable to narrow this result down, since I had inherited so little West African DNA.
There was also an Ancestry Timeline, which gave an estimation of when ancestors from different populations had entered my family tree.
Hovering over the different populations on the timeline gave more information about when the ancestor had entered my family tree, and their likely relation to me. My Scandinavian ancestor was probably my third- to fifth-great-grandparent, and was born between 1780 and 1870.
If one or both of my parents were 23andMe customers, I would be able to see which ancestries I had inherited from them by connecting with their profiles.
There was an Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting section, which showed which segments of my chromosomes I’d inherited from which region (shown below).
Clicking on the different population percentages painted different parts of the diagram, so that I could see which parts of my chromosomes were French or German, Scandinavian, and so on. I could also change the confidence level to get more conservative results.
Results Section: DNA Relatives
One tool that has got 23andMe (and other DNA ancestry sites) a lot of attention recently is their family finder tool: DNA Relatives. This was an optional tool, and I discovered that even while using it I could choose the amount of information I wished to share, and so I could be fairly anonymous if I chose.
I could choose whether I wanted to participate in “Open Sharing”, which would allow my DNA relative matches to see my full name, results from my Ancestry Composition report, and our overlapping DNA segments (which could be used to identify familial relationships). I could use the tool without opting into Open Sharing, and I could still – if I wished – respond to share requests.
If I didn’t opt into Open Sharing, then I could choose whether my full name, first or last name, or initials were visible. My gender would be automatically displayed.
For my profile, I could add an introduction about myself, choose whether or not to display my birth year, enter my location (which could be as broad as the country I live in), and choose whether or not to share the locations of my grandparents’ birthplaces. There was a tick box for people to indicate Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and I could also enter surnames I knew belonged to my ancestors, and share a link to an online family tree.
I had 1034 relatives in the database, most of whom were in the US, though some were in Canada, Britain and Ireland, and Australia. I could view the general locations of my ancestors on a map, and the vast majority of them seemed to be on the East Coast of the United States. My closest relative was estimated to be a second to third cousin, with whom I shared 1.31% of my DNA, and 9 chromosome segments.
If I wished, I could contact my DNA relatives, and share ancestry reports with them. If I had close family in the database (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.), I could “Share and Compare” genetic traits and ancestries with them.
Results Section: Maternal Haplogroup
Since I lack a Y chromosome, I was unable to view my paternal haplogroup unless I connected with my father or paternal male relative. However, both men and women were able to view their maternal haplogroups thanks to the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) we all inherit from our mothers.
I discovered that I belonged to the maternal haplogroup J1. I could view a diagram of my haplogroup’s migration out of Africa and into Europe and Asia as far back as 150,000 years ago! (Shown below.)
I read that my haplogroup, J1, was rare among 23andMe customers, with only 1 in 16,000 belonging to it! The J1 branch dated back to a woman who lived about 27,000 years ago in the Middle East, where many of her descendants still live today. I read that one of my J ancestors reached western Europe about 4000 years ago – and her descendants presumably eventually ended up in the British Isles.
Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry
The Neanderthal Ancestry section was really interesting. I discovered I had 271 Neanderthal variants, which sounded like a lot at first, until I saw that this was fewer than 56% of 23andMe customers!
Some of these genetic variants have already been associated with certain traits, which could be traced back to Neanderthal ancestors (shown below).
I discovered that the only known Neanderthal trait I’d inherited was a tendency for less back hair, which was nice. On the “Scientific Details” tab, I was able to view the precise genetic marker they had found which was associated with having less back hair. I found I’d inherited both copies of the variant from my parents. Though I had many other variants inherited from Neanderthals, most of them had not yet been linked to specific traits.
There was also a short history of Neanderthals, who were thought to have encountered and bred with Neanderthals in the Middle East or Europe about 60,000 years ago.
I found it fascinating to think that I’m descended from another species of human living so long ago, and hoped that the research conducted by 23andMe and others would continue to tell us more about them!
Summary
I found 23andMe’s ancestry results to be interesting and fun to use. I was able to view the scientific basis for my results, and a wealth of information to explore about my ancestry, haplogroups, and Neanderthal heritage.
I was impressed by the detailed breakdown I was given for my British and Irish results, and hoped that later updates would allow me to view my other ancestry results in more detail.
The DNA Relatives family finder tool was easy to navigate, and I imagine would be useful for people wishing to trace their relatives. All in all, I thought 23andMe’s ancestry analysis was great value for money, and look forward to seeing how my results will improve over time through their free updates.
Index
- Summary
- Full Review
- Product Expectations
- Ordering Experience
- The Results
- Results Section: Ancestry Composition
- Results Section: DNA Relatives
- Results Section: Maternal Haplogroup
- Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry
- Summary
At a Glance
Screenshots
Summary
23andMe’s ancestry services were informative, interesting, and fun to use. I was able to view the scientific basis for my results, and was given a wealth of information to explore about ancestry, haplogroups, and Neanderthal heritage. The Ancestry Composition results could have been more specific, and I look forward to them growing more refined as more people are added to the database. The DNA Relatives tool was simple to use, and I imagine would be a useful tool for people wishing to trace their relatives.
The test was a competitively priced, lifetime service, which I look forward to continuing to explore as it’s updated.
Full Review
Founded in 2006 by C.E.O. Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe is one of the largest DNA testing companies in the world. Their ever-growing database currently contains the genetic data of over five million people, many of whom choose to share their data for research.
I was interested to see what 23andMe’s analysis of my genetic data would tell me about my ancestry composition.
Please note that reviews of the health-related aspects of the test can be found here.
Product Expectations
To find out more about their ancestry DNA test, I went to the 23andMe website. On the information page, I read that my DNA could tell me where my ancestors lived more than 500 years ago. I’d receive a regional breakdown showing where they came from, and I’d also be able to view my results on an “Ancestry Timeline”, showing an estimation of when certain populations had entered my family tree.
There was information about their family finder feature: DNA Relatives. I saw that this tool would allow me to connect with people who share DNA with me, and even message them. I could opt out of this feature if I wished to remain anonymous.
Connecting with genetic relatives would allow me to trace my population inheritance, and see which relatives I shared DNA with from the 150+ reference populations around the world. I would also be able to see which chromosome segments I share with my genetic matches, which could help me to place them in my family tree.
I would discover which maternal haplogroup I belong to. If I was male, I’d also be able to see my paternal haplogroup. People born biologically male could trace their paternal lineage through the Y chromosome they inherited from their father. Both sexes were able to trace their maternal ancestry through the mitochondrial DNA from their mothers.
Although people born biologically female would not be able to trace their paternal lineage using their own DNA, I read that could connect with my male relatives on my father’s side (such as my biological father, brother, paternal uncle, etc.), and discover my paternal haplogroup that way.
One feature I found interesting was the Neanderthal inheritance breakdown, which would show me how much Neanderthal DNA I’d inherited. Neanderthal traits included shorter height, back hair, and sneezing after eating chocolate – all things that our prehistoric ancestors apparently found attractive.
In the “How It Works” section, I found a picture of the kit, and a breakdown of the process of ordering a kit, using it, registering online, mailing it back, and receiving results. I’d collect the DNA sample myself using a saliva collection kit: no blood, no needles.
Ordering Experience
The ordering process was very straightforward. I could order an ‘Ancestry’ or ‘Health + Ancestry’ test from their website, and check out using their secure server or with PayPal. The kit was mailed to me within a few days. Before returning my sample, I had to register my kit online, which required me to agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
In the Privacy Policy, I learned that my data would be used for research only with my consent. If I consented, they would use my “de-identified” genetic information and self-reported information in a large pool of customer data for research analyses.
They’d also use my data to improve their services. (I gathered my consent to this was implicit in agreeing with the Privacy Policy.) Analyzing customers’ data would allow them to – for example –refine their ancestry results.
I found I would be given control over how my genetic information would be stored and used. If I wished, I could choose to have my saliva sample destroyed after analysis. It would be up to me whom I shared my information with. If I wanted to, I could share it with friends, family members, healthcare providers, other 23andMe customers (i.e. DNA Relatives), and third-party services that accept 23andMe data. 23andMe would not share my information with public databases, or sell, share or lease it without my consent.
In the Terms of Service, I read that sometimes the lab is not able to process a saliva sample. If that was the case, I would be asked to re-test free of any additional charge.
Once I had registered online, I returned my kit using the same box it came in, which had a pre-paid postage label on it. I was able to track the progress of my sample online, and was even told who had signed for it once it reached the lab!
It took about two weeks for my sample to reach the lab, and another two weeks for my data to be analyzed. In the meantime, I was able to read up on ancestry analysis, the laboratory process, and so on, and watch a video explaining how they would extrapolate my genetic data.
I could answer a research survey, which contained mostly health questions. If I consented to have my information used for research, then my answers would be used in conjunction with my genetic data.
The Results
Two weeks after my sample reached the lab, I received an email telling me my results were ready, with a link to view my reports. Clicking this took me to my account login page. After logging in, I was taken to a user homepage, where I could see summaries of my ancestry analyses, and browse my ancestry results (and health results too, if I had them). I could also choose to download my raw data.
Results Section: Ancestry Composition
The first thing that greeted me on the Ancestry Composition page was my ancestry map. According to this, I was – uninterestingly enough – 100% European.
The map was interactive, so I was able to zoom in on different parts by clicking on the various population percentages, which gave a little information about those regions.
I found I was 65.8% “British and Irish”, a slightly lower percentage than I’d anticipated, since for all I knew my family was exclusively English, Irish and Scottish. My next highest percentage was “French and German” at 15.9%, followed by “Broadly Northwestern European” at 12.8%, and Scandinavian at 5.2%. These categories were a little broad, but I hoped that as 23andMe gained more information from their members they would become more refined.
There was also an Ancestry Timeline, which gave an estimation of when ancestors from different populations had entered my family tree (shown below).
Hovering over the different populations gave more information about when the ancestor had entered my family tree, and their likely relation to me. My Scandinavian ancestor was probably a third- to sixth-great-grandparent, and was born between 1750 and 1840. For my more closely-related French or German ancestor, the estimation was a bit narrower: they were probably my great-grandparent or second- or third-great-grandparent, and were born between 1840 and 1900, meaning they might have lived through the First World War!
If one or both of my parents were 23andMe customers, I would be able to see which ancestries I had inherited from them by connecting with their profiles.
There was an Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting section, which showed which segments of my chromosomes I’d inherited from which region (shown below).
Clicking on the different population names painted different parts of the diagram, so that I could see which parts of my chromosomes were French or German, Scandinavian, and so on. I could also change the confidence level to get more conservative results.
Results Section: DNA Relatives
One tool that has got 23andMe (and other DNA ancestry sites) a lot of attention recently is their family finder tool: DNA Relatives. This was an optional tool, and I discovered that even while using it I could choose the amount of information I wished to share, and so I could be fairly anonymous if I chose.
I could choose whether I wanted to participate in “Open Sharing”, which would allow my DNA relative matches to see my full name, results from my Ancestry Composition report, and our overlapping DNA segments (which could be used to identify familial relationships). I could use the tool without opting into Open Sharing, and I could still – if I wished – respond to share requests.
If I didn’t opt into Open Sharing, then I could choose whether my full name, first or last name, or initials were visible. My gender would be automatically displayed.
For my profile, I could add an introduction about myself, choose whether or not to display my birth year, enter my location (which could be as broad as the country I live in), and choose whether or not to share the locations of my grandparents’ birthplaces. There was a tick box for people to indicate Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and I could also enter surnames I knew belonged to my ancestors, and share a link to an online family tree.
I had 941 relatives in the database, most of which were in the US, though some were in Canada, Britain and Ireland, and Australia. My closest relative was estimated to be a second to third cousin, with whom I shared 1.31% of my DNA, and 9 chromosome segments.
If I wished, I could contact my DNA relatives, and share ancestry reports with them. If I had close family in the database (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.), I could “Share and Compare” genetic traits and ancestries with them.
Results Section: Maternal Haplogroup
Since I lack a Y chromosome, I was unable to view my paternal haplogroup unless I connected with my father or paternal male relative. However, both men and women were able to view their maternal haplogroups thanks to the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) we all inherit from our mothers.
I discovered that I belonged to the maternal haplogroup J1. I was able to view a diagram of my haplogroup’s migration out of Africa and into Europe and Asia as far back as 150,000 years ago! (Shown below.)
I read that my haplogroup, J1, was rare among 23andMe customers, with only 1 in 16,000 belonging to it! The J1 branch dated back to a woman who lived about 27,000 years ago in the Middle East, where many of her descendants still live today. After the Ice Age ended (about 12,500 years ago), agriculture flourished in the area, causing the population to boom, and leading many of her descendants to migrate west and north into Europe and Central Asia.
One of my J ancestors reached western Europe about 4000 years ago, eventually ending up in the British Isles.
Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry
The Neanderthal Ancestry section was really interesting. I discovered I had 271 Neanderthal variants, which sounded like a lot at first, until I saw that this was fewer than 57% of 23andMe customers!
Some of these genetic variants have already been associated with certain traits, which could be traced back to Neanderthal ancestors (shown below).
I discovered that the only known Neanderthal trait I’d inherited was a tendency for less back hair, which was nice. On the “Scientific Details” tab, I was able to view the precise genetic marker they had found which was associated with having less back hair. I found I’d inherited both copies of the variant from my parents. Though I had many other variants inherited from Neanderthals, most of them had not yet been linked to specific traits.
There was also a short history of Neanderthals, from their discovery in the Neander Valley in Germany, way back to our common ancestor: homo heidelbergensis, which inhabited Africa, Europe and parts of Asia from at least 700,000 years ago up to about 200,000 years ago. Modern human beings (homo sapiens) are thought to have encountered and bred with Neanderthals in the Middle East or Europe about 60,000 years ago.
I found it fascinating to think that I’m descended from another species of human living so long ago, and hoped that the research conducted by 23andMe and others would continue to tell us more about them!
Summary
23andMe’s ancestry services were informative, interesting, and fun to use. I was able to view the scientific basis for my results, and was given a wealth of information to explore about ancestry, haplogroups, and Neanderthal heritage. The Ancestry Composition results could have been more specific, and I look forward to them growing more refined as more people are added to the database. The DNA Relatives tool was simple to use, and I imagine would be a useful tool for people wishing to trace their relatives.
The test was a competitively priced, lifetime service, which I look forward to continuing to explore as it’s updated.
Index
- Summary
- Full Review
- Product Expectations
- Ordering Experience
- The Results
- Results Section: Ancestry Composition
- Results Section: DNA Relatives
- Results Section: Maternal Haplogroup
- Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry
- Summary
At a Glance
Screenshots
Summary
In summary, the genetic ancestry test from 23andMe was excellent. All the interactive features were beautifully displayed, easy to use, and there were a dozen more tools compared to the other ancestry providers I've tried.
The Neanderthal section was an unexpected highlight, and I was impressed by the scientific details accompanying each result. The abundance of diagrams and explanations also made the report easy and enjoyable to go through.
Although the differing number of matches between the DNA Relatives and DNA Family sections caused slight confusion, I haven’t seen any other test that provides such a wide range of information about DNA relatives, which was both fun and informative. This test is great value for money and I would definitely recommend it.
Full Review
23andMe are one of the largest DNA testing services in the world, with over two million genotyped members. I was intrigued to see what their test would tell me about my genetic ancestry compared to the others I've tried.
Product Expectations
I was told the test would cover my maternal and paternal lineage going back over 500 years, that I’d receive my Neanderthal DNA percentage, and would be shown what proportion of my DNA comes from various populations around the world. I’d be able to break down my European ancestry by region, contact living relatives in the 23andMe database, and even build an extended family tree. I also learned that the test would compare my DNA to 31 reference populations from around the world, all of which were listed.
I really appreciated being able to preview what I should expect to find in my kit, as well as the thorough explanation of how they would test my DNA and interpret it to provide me with results.
Ordering Experience
The ordering process was really straightforward and once I had paid, I received the kit within five working days. I was charged $9.95 for shipping, which seemed a lot, but this did include the cost of return postage as well. After sending it off, 23andMe confirmed receipt in under a week.
The Results
Four weeks later, an email indicated my results were ready in my online account. I was quite impressed with this as the website had warned that results could take up to 12 weeks.
Upon signing in I was shown a dashboard which contained a contents of my results, a ‘What you can do’ section, with links to surveys and video resources, and a 'Research' section that prompted me to answer survey questions. There was also a slider at the top with suggestions of specific results to take a look at.
There were a range of possible ways in which to view the reports. As well as being able to view my results one-by-one, I was given the option to download and print a report summary. I could also do this for each individual result, each of which contained links that allowed me to share them via email, Facebook, or by copying the link to my clipboard.
Results Section: Ancestry Composition
The first section I looked at started with an 'Ancestry Composition' map (shown below) which revealed that my DNA was 100% European. This didn’t come as a huge surprise, as I’m Irish, but I have to admit I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t come across any unexpected ethnicities in my DNA.
My European ethnicity was broken down into Northwestern European (99.2%), Ashkenazi Jewish (0.3%), Southern European (0.3%) and Broadly European (0.2%). A huge 95% of my Northwestern European DNA was British & Irish and the rest was determined to be Broadly Northwestern European and Finnish.
I was also able to view this information as a proportion of each of my 23 pairs of chromosomes, which was accompanied by a more detailed breakdown of the different populations. This provided a good way of visualising these results and made it easier to understand how they were worked out.
For some of the ethnicities identified in my Ancestry Composition, yet other diagram showed me the approximate time period in which my most recent ancestor had likely lived. This added an extra level of information that helped me to understand my ancestry composition even more clearly than before.
Results Section: DNA Relatives
Another section was titled ‘DNA Relatives’ and gave me the chance to view and connect with those that shared sections of my DNA.
Before I could see my matches, I was given the chance to choose the name that was displayed to them. There were a range of options: my initials, my first initial and surname, my first name and surname initial, or my full name. I was also given the option to share my results in ‘Open Share’, meaning that my matches would be able to view my full name, my ancestry results and any overlapping chromosome segments we had. I really appreciated being given this choice, and it made me feel in control of my own data. I was also pleased to see that I could change my preferences at any time, and even opt out of the DNA Relatives feature if I wanted.
Once I had completed these preliminary sections, I was shown the list of my matches. This list showed that I had 1180 DNA relatives in the 23andMe database; one of which was a second cousin, and the rest of which were third to fifth or even more distant cousins.
All of these relatives were displayed in a list and I was given the option to contact them to share ancestry details, view the surnames of their relatives and compare their haplogroups to my own. For those that had opted to Open Share, I was able to see the chromosome segments that we shared. Most of my matches had not chosen this option, but I was able to request this information from them.
I was slightly disappointed to find that my closest match (second cousin) had chosen to remain anonymous, as I initially thought that I wouldn’t be able to access any of their information or contact them. However, this wasn’t the case and I was able to view their maternal haplogroup (not their paternal one as they were female) as well as the percentage of DNA that we shared. I was also able to request to see the rest of their ancestry information, presumably including their name. All of my anonymous matches were accompanied by a notice informing me that this option is no longer available. Those that are currently showing as anonymous will have to set up a username to continue to use this tool, so hopefully this won’t be an issue in future.
Results Section: DNA Family
In addition to the DNA Relatives tool, I was able to see more general information about my matches in the DNA Family section. This sorted my relatives into different levels of relationship, showing how many were ‘Close Family to Second Cousins’, ‘Third to Fourth Cousins’ and ‘Fifth to Distant Cousins’ (shown below).
The diagram made it easy to assess how many of my matches were closely related enough to consider as family, and added a bit more explanation about what the different relationship categories actually meant. The one thing that was slightly confusing was that in the main ancestry menu, that showed all of results, it was stated that I had 1175 relatives, whereas this feature showed 1216. Seeing as the former of these numbers matched the figure in the DNA Relatives section, I assumed that this was the correct, but had no idea where the extra 41 had come from.
The other features in this section offered a range of general information about my matches. Whilst a lot of this wasn’t particularly related to ancestry, it was a great bonus to have this information, and was fun to compare to my own results. One of these features was a map of the US, with the states coloured different shades of blue according to how many of my matches lived there. It was interesting to see that the place where I had the most relatives was my own state, California, especially as none of my close family were matches.
The other main feature of this section provided information about the traits and experiences of my matches (shown below).
Whilst this information wasn’t particularly serious or useful in terms of my ancestry research, it was really fun to see the general trends. It was funny to see, for example, that, just like me, my relatives were coffee snobs, being 50% less likely than other 23andMe users to drink instant coffee.
Results Section: Haplogroups
The ‘Haplogroups’ section revealed that my paternal haplogroup was 'R-L21’ and that my maternal one was ‘H2a2b1’. I wasn’t entirely sure what haplogroups actually were, so was pleased to see, below this result, a short explanation. It described how a haplogroup was a family of maternal or paternal lineages that descend from a common ancestor. It went on to explain what my haplogroups could tell me (eg. where my ancestors came from thousands of years ago), but also what they couldn’t be used for (eg. confirming that someone is a close relative), providing just the right amount of detail to make it useful without becoming too complicated.
Alongside the result, I was shown a map. My maternal one is shown below.
I thought that this was a great way of visualizing my result, but also provided extra information. It started with ‘Haplogroup L’ which was dated at 180,000 years ago. It was explained that every living person today could trace their maternal line back to this haplogroup. From here it went through various other haplogroups that had eventually led to H2a2b1, giving information about each and showing the migratory paths of the populations within it.
I also learned that Luke the Baptist may have belonged to haplogroup H. This really put in to context how long ago haplogroup L was!
In the Scientific Details section, a ‘Haplogroup Tree’ was displayed to show how far back various paternal groups branched from each other. I was given the option to move it around to see more details of different parts of the tree. Whilst I enjoyed the interactivity of this feature, I would have liked the option to see the whole thing at once, or at least a larger section, as well.
Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry
The ‘Neanderthal Ancestry’ section was probably the most fun part of the report, and showed that I had 291 Neanderthal DNA variants (more than 71% of other 23andMe customers!). Although this seemed like a lot, I was surprised (and somewhat reassured) to learn that this accounted for less than 4% of my overall DNA.
As well as this information, however, the impact that this DNA may have had evolutionarily was included (shown below). I was fascinated to discover that as a result of my Homo sapiens ancestors mixing with Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago, I have a genetic variant that means I’m likely to have slightly less back hair than average!
This section also included a timeline of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens history, which was interesting and included information about different physical traits that evolved in each species, as well as where and when the species are thought to have encountered each other. I was particularly impressed with this part of the report, as it provided so much context, making my result much more meaningful.
Results Section: DNA Data
A big advantage of this test was that I could download my digitized DNA data, which could then be uploaded to third party sites. I expected the tool to simply provide me with an indecipherable digitized file of my genetic variants, but there was a lot more offered in this feature.
I was able to search any gene or SNP (genetic variant) and was given information including its position and my personal genotype. Even those which weren’t screened for in the test were included in the search results. There was also an option to ‘browse by chromosome’ which allowed me to see the locations of different genes and genetic variants.
I would say this is a feature mainly aimed at those that want to explore their DNA further than is possible from the results in the main report. There were words and phrases (eg. intergenic) that I was unsure about, which, unlike throughout the rest of the results, these weren’t accompanied by an explanation. However, I definitely understood enough of it for it to be a worthwhile feature, and I’d recommend at least having a quick look.
Results Section: Share and compare
A ‘Share and compare’ tool allowed me to build my family tree by entering details about my known relatives and linking them to my distant relatives in the 23andMe database. This formed an extended family tree which was easy to interact with and was very intuitive.
Summary
In summary, the genetic ancestry test from 23andMe was excellent. All the interactive features were beautifully displayed, easy to use, and there were a dozen more tools compared to the other ancestry providers I've tried.
The Neanderthal section was an unexpected highlight, and I was impressed by the scientific details accompanying each result. The abundance of diagrams and explanations also made the report easy and enjoyable to go through.
Although the differing number of matches between the DNA Relatives and DNA Family sections caused slight confusion, I haven’t seen any other test that provides such a wide range of information about DNA relatives, which was both fun and informative. This test is great value for money and I would definitely recommend it.
Index
- Summary
- Full Review
- Product Expectations
- Ordering Experience
- The Results
- Results Section: Ancestry Composition
- Results Section: DNA Relatives
- Results Section: DNA Family
- Results Section: Haplogroups
- Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry
- Results Section: DNA Data
- Results Section: Share and compare
- Summary
23andMe Review
February 4, 2023
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I recently took a DNA test and was extremely disappointed with the results. The company promised to provide in-depth information about my ancestry and genetics, but instead, all I received was basic information that I already knew. I was extremely disappointed that I did not receive any genetic information that would be useful to me in understanding my health and other important aspects of my life.
I was led to believe that the test would provide me with a comprehensive understanding of my ancestry and genetics, including information about my relatives, my ethnic background, and my predisposition to certain health conditions. But instead, all I got was a basic overview of my ancestry that I could have found for free online. I was extremely disappointed with the quality of the results and the complete lack of genetic information that I was promised.
Not only was the information lacking, but the process of taking the test was also incredibly frustrating. The instructions were confusing, and I had trouble collecting a sufficient sample of my DNA. When I finally received my results, I was disappointed to see that they were so basic and provided no new information.
I was especially disappointed because I had paid a premium price for the test and expected to receive high-quality results. I felt like I had wasted my money on a product that was not worth the investment. I was extremely annoyed that the company had made promises that they did not keep, and I felt like I had been misled into buying a product that did not deliver on its promises.
I would not recommend this DNA test to anyone who is looking for comprehensive and accurate information about their ancestry and genetics. The company’s promises were misleading, and the results were not worth the time or money spent. If you’re looking for a DNA test that provides real insights into your ancestry and genetics, I would suggest looking elsewhere.
In conclusion, I was extremely disappointed with the DNA test that I took. The company promised to provide comprehensive information about my ancestry and genetics, but instead, all I received was basic information that I already knew. The process of taking the test was also frustrating, and I felt like I had wasted my time and money on a product that was not worth the investment. I would not recommend this DNA test to anyone looking for meaningful and insightful information about their ancestry and genetics.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2023-02-04
23andMe Review
January 28, 2022
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I found my dad after 48 years of not knowing him. One listed relative (half cousin) had my dad’s last name. I sent a message just to see if he knew my dad ……he did! That relative wasn’t a half cousin he ended up being my dad’s half brother! So glad I received the 23 and me kit as a gift! Otherwise I would’ve never found my dad!!! Thank you 23 and me!!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2022-01-28
Do not buy this product
July 24, 2020
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The Family Tree algorithm is broken. I have been hung up on several times when calling, or left on hold for hours when asking to speak to a supervisor. When I ask for a refund I have been immediately hung up on. The customer service is terrible. The only reason I bought the product was for the Family Tree. It crashed and was down for weeks, and when it came back it was wrong.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2020-07-24
Cool features
June 5, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Love to discover where I come from, me and my family have taken this dna test and we are very satisfied!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-06-05
Worth it!!
June 5, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
When you first get it and look through the entire thing in 2 hours it seems so underwhelming, after all you just spend weeks waiting for your results and 100+ dollars on it. But its so fun to be able to go on week after week and do surveys and look at the new data collected VERY INTERESTING. So far I’ve gotten one of my friends and my mom to get one and I definatly think that if genetics even slightly interests you, it is a great little test.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-06-05
Very interesting
May 22, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Being a child of a closed adoption I was interested learning more about my relatives and ancestry. My wife bought me the health and ancestry kit. I got everything I was hoping to find and more.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-05-22
Loving the experience
May 13, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have done other dna tests, and “23 and me” is by far the most informative! Other companies expect you to pay monthly fees to see less details than you can see on “23 and me”. I have found and been in contact with relatives. I love the side by side comparisons of dna!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-05-13
Easily Understandable
May 12, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The way 23 and Me explains everything is accessible to the average person
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-05-12
Amazing!
May 10, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I got my kit in July 2018 and got my results that August and I’m so happy I did! I was able to find out that I’m much more mixed than my family wants me to think, and some helpful health information as well! I’ve also been connected to a side of my family that I know little to nothing about, which has been so great being able to learn new things! Other than some little presentation things that bother me and a few bugs, this service is perfect for me!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-05-10
Ancestry Composition
April 14, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I brought this back in Sept 2013,and am really glad that I did.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-04-14
ancestors
April 10, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I love this stuff but am far more interested in exploring my ancient ancestors and older generations of my family tree, than today’s modern humans and my very distant cousins… is there any information that can be included in our ancestries that would pinpoint more ancient ancestry other than knowing how much neanderthal i have?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-04-10
23andMe Answerd That Age Old Question
April 7, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Geneaology has always been a passion of mine, 23andMe helped me find the missing pages to my family story book. I was able to find missing pieces to my family puzzle and answer the age old Genealogy question “What else is out there?” Thank you 23andMe.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-04-07
Health and Ancestry...a real eye-opener!
April 3, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Although the DNA results did not surprise me, the health results were so interesting and helpful.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-04-03
Love The Accuracy
March 30, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have had this for 2 years now and the wealth of information and insight into my particular personality is amazing. I always look forward to updates that I receive very frequently and I always learn something new about myself. The only thing I say that could be better and it’s not 23 & Me’s issue, is if people using the service could take time and answer all of the questions frequently and if they could reach out more to their potential matches then it would help more people. It’s a user issue really. The DNA reports can also be uploaded to most genealogy sites and that makes results even more exciting. Now if the DNA could provide a facial feature showing evolution of our looks from our first ancestor up to today then this would be worth $1000 but I took the $199 health package and now have a better understanding of my chances of having issues with my health later in life. Love 23 & Me!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-03-30
Finding my father
March 25, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I never knew my birth father….not even his name. I only had a story about a letter meant for my mother that came around the time I was born, which my grandmother destroyed rather than give to my mother. Through 23&Me DNA, I not only found my birth father (who sadly had passed in 2011) but I discovered hundreds of relatives who are still living and whom I am now getting to know. I now have my entire family and genetic history and am able to give my children another 1/4 of their information. Since their father was adopted and had no information about his birth parents, now my children have at least 1/2 of their family and genetic history as well. I am so grateful to 23&Me for giving me the gift that no one else in the world could ever give me…..my identy!!! Thank you, 23&Me!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-03-25
Comparisons
March 23, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
23andme has been fun and educational to belong to and enlightening about the genealogy and health of my brother, my husband and me.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-03-23
Fantastic website and product!
March 23, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The features of this website are awesome! It gives the ability to connect to relatives. Also, there is a good amount of information regarding genetic results.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-03-23
Great and very educational
March 2, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I purchased three years ago and i love it. I get great information from 23 and me
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-03-02
My Experiences
February 24, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have been in 23 & Me for 3 years and have found it fascinating to see what me DNA can tell me about health situations and other predispositions. One thing that I thing is strange is to find relatives like 5th and 6th cousins. Not that they matter to me, but I think some people do this DNA testing and are surprised when a close relative shows up. For example, I have a Nephew that turned up, we exchanged a few messages and he went dark. If you are afraid of finding a potential close relative don’t do this. I did it to find relatives as I was adopted and have nothing as far a true relatives.
On the whole my ex[experience has been positive. I give it 4 1/2 donuts out of 5.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-02-24
Fascinating
February 13, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Between 23&me identifying relatives, and Family Tree, the church of the Later Day Saints genealogical records, I have discovered that my history is fascinating.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-02-13
Many great things but one point of frustration.
February 7, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
23andme provides a great value to customers in a unique and meaningful way. First, they offer haplo groups and autosomal ancestry services in addition to a great suite of insightful medical and trait based reports. I have been around genealogy DNA services for almost 10 years now. I have seen all of the major players through their ups and downs. Especially the downs when their ethnicity sample sizes get unbalanced towards the preponderance of American test takers and without a doubt, 23andme has been the most accurate based on well documented family lines. Its amazing how incorrect ethnicity results can be at the other companies. Beyond this, the segment research at 23andme is unsurpassed. The other players are just now getting to it. When reconciling DNA matches, 23andme is by far the most accurate of the tests I’ve taken. In every case, through hundreds of ICA discoveries, the projected relatedness has been spot on. I won’t name the other company that fails so miserably with their algorithms but if you are comparing them and trying to decide on which test to start with, don’t walk, run, run as fast as you can from the company that starts with an A. Literally matches show up on your DNA list there but when you click on their profile they are instantly unrelated. Every day is an adventure with them, you never know what 3-4th cousins will inexplicably be removed and replaced only to see them show up again a few days later. All in all 23andme is value rich and portable, meaning you can take your results and most 3rd party analytical companies can work with your data to provide you even more value. My one gripe about 23andme and the only reason I don’t give it 5 stars is its contact messaging system. If you want a single place to go to check your inbox for messages from other users and use the inbox like a real messaging client- don’t get your hopes up here. 23andme has really failed to provide any value in their messaging system. Unless you catch a tiny notification in the extreme upper right area of the navigation you won’t even know someone wrote you a message unless you happen to click on their profile from your list. So aggravating i simply don’t use their communication system for contacting cousins unless I am unable to find an email for them at another of the sites. Did I mention clicking on the notification when you do get lucky and see it shows a scripted context menu that lists previous messages sent your way, however, that list gets quickly unusable as it stretches down to fill the screen. What’s more, when you do click on a message link to try and read it, the website slows to a near crawl. Such indicates a very poorly planned and sloppily coded messaging system. Anyway, I just can’t hate their messaging system enough. The nice feature is it maintains a side list of communications directly on the profile of a contact but they failed to take the next step and provide an inbox where all past communications can be managed from one spot. Its a shame really, such a great product made worthless for its intended use- find and communicate with cousins.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-02-07
What a surprise!
February 2, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I totally enjoyed all the reports not everything was as it usually is as far as traits, but we can improve by participating in the surveys. I have to say though you need to completely prepare yourself for all results. I have no one to ask and at 64 I now have no biological parents.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-02-02
A unique gift that keeps on getting better
January 21, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I purchased my kit in 2016 and my bought my Mom one this Christmas in 2018. Results keep getting more accurate and the access to updated health reports (and new ones) is just phenomenal. There are many purchases I’ve regretted in my life, but this is not one of them.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-01-21
23andMe Review
January 20, 2019
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
This genetic test had a super fast turn around!
The result were extremely thorough and precise.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-01-20
Comprehensive Analysis
January 9, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
In a few words, 23andMe provides both an exciting and comprehensive genetic analysis, very useful in determining ancestry and health traits that impact my family’s medical decision making.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-01-09
Very Good! But...
January 9, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Almost all of the information is correct, some of the traits aren’t accurate but that was okay. But when I first got my results, it said I was Armenian (which is correct, I am known for that), but one day I was bored so I decided to look at my reports again and it said I was Iranian and not Armenian at all. I am quite sure that is incorrect since my dad’s side of the family comes from Armenia, so I was quite upset when I saw that was part of my report. But other than that, I was fascinated by the results.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-01-09
Not a good experience
January 7, 2019
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Difficult to use and no customer service to help. The guides are not helpful in trying to determine a relationship and the results information is too vague and confusing. I do not recommend 23&me to friends.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2019-01-07
A Powerful Ancestry Tool! Am I Rothschild?
December 31, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
23&Me was a big help in my life. I have 298 Neanderthal varients almost all from mother, mostlikely the tip of the iceberg(punny.) The service put a 100% Ashkenazi Jewish and 100% Irish British parent both slotted exactley 1690-1780. I went back and found my 3rd great-pa under Carl Mayer Rothschild and the Irish Bishops daughter Henrietta Foster (as grandpa was managing all the properties of Pope Pius IX out of Senigalia Italy and his son was living in the vatican.) With 23&Me you might find someone famous in your family history!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-12-31
More Information about African ethnic identities.
December 31, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I would like to thank 23 and Me for revealing a lot about my ancestry. I would like to get more detailed knowledge about my African and Native American ancestry, in the form of specific tribes, etc..
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-12-31
Great product
December 20, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I found really interesting things about me and my relatives.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-12-20
Pros and Cons
December 19, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Over the past several years I have discovered quite a number of second and third cousins through 23andme. I would like more information about how to use the haplogroups.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-12-19
This data and information is just an idea away.
December 3, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
For example, my father died 4 years ago so i have no DNA. But my mother is and we are connected along with cousins, wife etc. Turns out my mother and father are distantly related as my wife and I as well. So I find places where I am more related to a distant relative than my mother is. This implies I am related through my father’s side. They could scan my 1000 relatives on the backend and show these oddities. I’ve asked 23andme and not gotten a fitting response.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-12-03
Lifetime Discovery
December 1, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I am glad I participated in trying 23&Me a couple years ago, I was able to find out my true ethnicity that had me wondering all of my life and thankfully I no longer will have to question it. With that said, I am thankful for 23&Me as I was able to meet a 1/2 brother and find my biological mother as well. 23&Me helped fill in many gaps and questions that I had pondered throughout my life!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-12-01
Getting to know myself
November 30, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I received 23&Me as a gift and it has been wonderful. The health reports have been very enlightening and family connections alone are worth everything. I am truly grateful for the family connections. Many adoptees are finding biological family members and are no longer “lost”. This, again, I have experienced. Thank you for the information and the connections to my families.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-11-30
Found my brother and family through your 23 and me
November 28, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Thank you so much for 23 & me DNA. I recently found my fathers son that we did not know excisted. His daughter took your DNA test we were a high match. I recieved a message that she thinks her dad in my dad’s son. To my shock he had the same first middle and last name as my dad. It turns out that all he knew was his father was a car salesman and was from ky. His mother told him she picked his name out of a phone book. He though he would never know who his real father was all he knew was he was told his father was a nice man. Being the late 50’s and early 60’s and my dad being married with 4 children made a diffucult decision for his mother to keep this a secret. She probally had a hard decision to make. My dad never knew he had a son whom was born in Chicago in 1960, as neither did we. I have spoken to him and his daughter whom live in another state now and we had a instant connection, he is a wonderful man as well as his daughter. He plans to visit with his wife this summer, i am so excited i can hardly wait. We would have never know him or his family had his daughter and I not taken the 23 & me DNA test. Wow! what a shock, but a happy one. I just wish my dad had lived to meet his son and grandchildren he never knew about. Thank You 23 & me…..
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-11-28
Very Detailed & Informative
November 28, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
This is a great tool! I have made connections and started filling in gaps in my ancestry. I have found close family members I’ve never met or knew about until now.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-11-28
23&Me Changed my life!
November 26, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I was adopted when I was five months old, I knew nothing about my history…nothing! My wife gave me a kit when I was sixty six. In a few weeks I was contacted by two new cousins which then opened the floodgates. I was discovered by my paternal family…my huge paternal family! I was immediately accepted into the klan as the long lost son. This has been a glorious experience.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-11-26
Excellent site and fun results
November 15, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I found the site easy to navigate and attractive. The DNA analysis interesting and useful. The customer service was amazing and fast responses. Thank you for all your help and the experience with my 23andme DNA data. I am in Canada
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-11-15
Great Information
October 28, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this for my husband and me to learn more about our ancestry and health. I was pleased with the amount of information available. I had also done ancestry. I was able to connect with a cousin I had never met. She helped lead me to my birth father, whom I thought I would never know. It’s been amazing.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-10-28
should have done this sooner!
October 28, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I had been using a different search program for a few years and having dead ends. I got this one about a month ago and have already found a potential half sister I didn’t know I had!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-10-28
Useful Tool
October 24, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I do find the comparison tool to be very useful. Quite frustrating are the number of folks who do not wish to share trees. I would like a function to be put in place that is someone is not willing to share their tree, that they do not have access to mine. So many folks are very guarded, and this is their right. I just feel to get something from those of us who are being very open, the very least you should be willing to share your information.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-10-24
Pretty Amazing
October 22, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
This product is pretty amazing! I found out so much about my ancestry!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-10-22
Interesting Results
October 19, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
My 23andMe results were interesting to say the least! I found out I am 13% Euro, which I think is a lot being that I am a brown girl! :) I also found out something amazing that I never knew, PLUS a whole lot of relatives, some of which are near and dear to my heart! We’ve formed bonds, and I wouldn’t change a thing! The ONLY thing I hate is that 23 doesn’t update our Ancestry Composition much/often! Great experience!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-10-19
I waited too long to get this!
September 30, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m responsible for our family’s ‘family lore’ so it was a matter of time before I bought a dna test. 23 and me seemed like the best choice from what I’ve read and our family tree is now making headway again.
What I didn’t expect was the health info – I’m definitely a worrier, especially when it comes to my heart health (heart problems run in the family), and so the medical reports were super reassuring for me (I got low risks across the board)
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-09-30
Lots of fun
September 29, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I wasn’t expecting anything exciting to show up for my ancestry since I’m Japanese Canadian. What I really wanted to know was if I was a carrier for any health issues …specifically cancer, parkinson & alzheimer. The results showed that I wasn’t a carrier for any of the health issues they tested for.
My ancestry had one surprise but not a biggie…I have a small amount of Korean DNA that was introduced to my family in the 1700s…can you believe they can pinpoint a time period!!!!!
I also love that I can download the raw data and upload it to other sites for free. So I have bought 5 kits for my adult kids.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-09-29
Absolutely Terrific
September 25, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Informative and interesting scientific results. Email notification at each step, including “results are ready” when testing was complete. A wealth of information about my ancestry, haplogroups, and fun to read my Neanderthal heritage. Ancestry Composition results very generalized but should improve tremendously as database grows. Terrific for tracing relatives.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-09-25
Family found!
September 24, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I was able to help a relative that was adopted at 7 months old, find his biological mother on 23andme over 45 years later in life, what a gift! Soon after finding his mother, he found his father. What a wonderful tool you have developed 23andme to be able to reunite families!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-09-24
Interesting health and ancestry information
September 17, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I purchased a couple months ago, I was excited to find out about my ancestry and background. Very informative and split off in sections that makes it easy to find info. I also enjoy the surveys and being able to contribute to research.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-09-17
23andMe gives you the whole Picture
September 7, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I ordered the Healthy + Ancestry kit to get more information on my genetic makeup related to finding out more about my genealogy. I have used other sites and find 23andMe to be the most comprehensive and useful for my findings. One feature that I really love is in the DNA Matches section, you can sort your matches by users who have all 4 grandparents born in one country. This has proven to be extremely helpful in determining how others are related to you. Another great feature is learning your maternal haplogroup. This is so helpful in learning about where your ancestors originated and again if any matches have the same it aids in figuring out your connection. The health information is a major bonus and love that new reports are consistently being released since receiving my results many months ago. I overall find it to be the best product on the market if you really want to learn about yourself. There are so many useful features on the site that can help you learn about your ancestry and genetic makeup. I absolutely love it!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-09-07
23andMe different results from others.
September 6, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
23andMe has differing results well within the range of comparative DNA kits. I prefer this kit because one has the ability to upload into other kits. Accuracy is about 85%. As a biologist and geneticist myself 23and&whether “their” scientists realize or not has debunked some “archeological theories” based on Bone findings. That is all I can say about it. I would recommend it over other kits.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-09-06
The unexpected self
September 5, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
The most interesting fact about the 23andMe test was discovering that I’m not at all who I grew up thinking I was. What I believed to be my ancestral makeup ended up being simple cultural association. I am very thankful to the 23andMe community for making this discovery possible. And of course the health report is just as important and helpful in allowing me to understand what course I must take in life to maintain my physical wellbeing. Yes, I would, and have recommended this product to multiple friends and family members who have purchased it and are just as excited about it as I am. Thank you 23andMe.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-09-05
Glad to know my DNA now helps researchers
August 30, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Our son gave us our 23andme kits in 2012 so we got health information no longer available. We found it interesting and helpful. I also got confirmation that I have Native American ancesters several generations ago.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-08-30
MY FAMILY IS A TREE, I AM A SMALL TWIG
August 27, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I have had a number of DNA tests and want to find my family, with name changes DNA is the only way. The results as to ancestry have been different, members from the Log vary as to who signs up. 23 and me has set me in the right direction.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-08-27
loved it
August 22, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
really loved my experience with this company, the results were very in depth and told me lots and more about what i wanted to know, was easy to understand as well. very pleasant.
elmgren from canada
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-08-22
Great results
August 21, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Found relatives that I never knew existed just keep getting surprised
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-08-21
Used to be fantastic
August 18, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
When I first discovered 23and me I was its biggest fan. I found myself spending hours on the program with family & friends & talked a bunch of people into purchasing a kit. The web pages were very straight forward and easy to follow. Then they changed the web pages several years back. I was lost, family info I loaded was lost, customer service was unable to help. Every change they have made to the web pages since has left me further and further behind making it near useless as I spend most of my time trying to find info that used to be a click away.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-08-18
Long lost sister found.......
August 14, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I never knew I had a sister until she did the 23 and me test – the story is long and sordid but now at 43 years old I feel like I am completed, I always felt like someone else was out there – little did I know it was a piece of my father who passed in Feb of 2017. He took his “secret” to the grave. This woman and her children have blessed my life in so many ways, and its only going to continue to grow as the bond strengthens. This is the second time in my life this has happened – first time was 25 years ago non dna testing, now I have 2 amazing sisters in my life that I am close to and love more than life. If it weren’t for 23 and me, I may not have ever known about her. Thank you for making it so amazing to connect with people, and find out our history’s!!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-08-14
We tested my father's DNA
August 8, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
The collection process was easy to understand and complete. The information provided was understandable, and based on the confirmed matches, extremely accurate.
We also sent the raw DNA results to Xcode for processing to see what information was available about his health based on his DNA. The whole process was very simple, and the reports were amazingly accurate.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-08-08
New dad! New relatives! Major health discovery!
July 26, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I did 23andme mainly for the genealogy but when I received the health reports they provided vital information my doctors needed. I was treated for two hereditary problems and was able to then have my children tested, too. Finding a new father, aunt, two half sisters and numerous cousins was wonderful but the health information was truly phenomenal. Thank you 23andme for providing this service. I highly recommend it to all of my friends and family.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-07-26
Finally I have a real blood family.
July 25, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
My adopted family and cousins are wonderful, but their history has never been mine. Now I know who I am. This is empowering and life affirming.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-07-25
23andMe Review
July 19, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I sent in first test. They could not use it because the sample was not big enough. Second one sent in.
They said they could not find my DNA and would refund my money. NO REFUND EVER CAME.
STILL WAITING MONTHS LATER.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-07-19
Thanks to 23&me, my life is forever CHANGED!!!
July 13, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
After 16 years, my new Auntie, that I discovered through 23&me helped me find my biological father and her half brother. My biological Father did not know that he had a 50 year old daughter OR THAT THE MAN WHO RAISED HIM WAS NOT HIS BIOLOGICAL FATHER. I can not begin to explain all the amazing details of this EPIC Story but I hope to tell as many people as possible about 23&me and how it gave the missing puzzle pieces to my life. I AM VERY GRATEFUL. I love the dad that raised me and nothing will change the love I have for him or my family…But now I have a bonus family…Life is good!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND 23&me.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-07-13
Very accurate in ancestry
July 12, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I’ve done a couple of DNA testing services and found 23andMe to be the best ancestry-wise. I know a good portion of my ancestry and 23andMe was very accurate in breaking it down. I also met a second cousin through 23andMe who lives pretty close to me. I love the health reports and have found the website to be easy to navigate and understand. This is the DNA testing site I recommend.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-07-12
23andMe Review
July 11, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
These people are exceedingly uncooperative and unpleasant. When I was unable to bring up their report on my computer and asked them to mail me a copy, they refused, even though they had been fully paid. I suggest that anyone who wants their dna studied avoid these people and instead place an order with ancestry.com, which is a little cheaper, uses the same technology, and is an order of magnitude more cooperative.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-07-11
Fascinating!
July 9, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Did this sometime ago and I really enjoy it. I found out a lot about my family since some of them have already done this. In particular I really appreciate that 23 and Me brings you up to date as more research shows more about DNA. I enjoy participating by answering research questions and being able find out what has been discovered from DNA groups answering these questions.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-07-09
NOT good
July 9, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Your card is charged when you order the kit.
They lost?? my 1st sample, had to be sent 2nd one.
Customer service is ESL offshore people, difficult communication.
Will NOT USPS mail results .
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-07-09
Free kits :)
June 26, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Thank you very much for the free kits given to the refugees & immigrants looking for their children & families. :) God bless you & very proud of your participation in the true American Spirit! :)
Sincerely future client
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-06-26
Can't stop!
June 24, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this after a co-worker raved about it. I have grown up knowing I was 50% Italian, 25% Polish and Lithuanian…wrong! Now I just collected my Italian fathers DNA to see exactly what he is…he is not happy…ha ha! I also loved seeing the health reports…nice to know whether or not you have an increased risk of certain illnesses so you can be prepared and watch for signs with your doctor…excellent product…thank you!!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-06-24
Thankful
June 21, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I am excited about my dna matches and the insight to me. It is amazing to learn about my ancestry and my story. I have a chance to learn my mother’s side of me, since she was adopted with no knowledge as to her ancestry.
It is all amazing!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-06-21
Don’t buy!
June 18, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
This company sells to 3rd parties and doesn’t vet them, so you have a good chance of losing your money. Our codes didn’t work when tried them and their answer was when these tests were “originally” bought off their website, the credit card was stolen, so either they are saying we bought them with a stolen credit card (in which case we would have to be awfully stupid criminals to then turn around and send them our DNA), or they sell them to other to sell to the public (which they seem to do a lot), this is actually even worse because they are not vetting the vendors they are selling these kit to and are. Doing nothing to protect the consumer. If they can’t get this simple thing right, do you really want them to have your DNA on file?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-06-18
Expect the Unexpected!
June 14, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
This was a very simple process, easy to use, and very exciting. I loved answering research questions while waiting for my results, and I am enthralled in what came out of it. I highly recommend this to anyone who even has a slight urge to do it. It’s definitely worth your time.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-06-14
Awful and misleading test for Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.
June 12, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
23andMe is a very good site for ancestry matching with lost relatives and health screening.
As far as giving accurate breakdowns of your true ancestry, they’re quite useless for many.
I was given the “Ashkenazi Jewish” designation on 23andMe and that is listed as “100% European.”
Ok… So then I got 0% of any European sub-group.
Hum… Ashkenazi Jews are “100% European” but 0% of any European sub group is attributed to us?
This is totally garbage and an autosomal DNA test is supposed to list actual ethnic origins and not the location your ancestors lived in for the last 500 years.
By 23andMe’s criteria; a pygmy’s from Sub Saharan Africa would be listed as “100% European” and “0% African” if their community relocated to Europe 500 years ago.
Sorry, but if you’re looking for a factual assessment of your ancestry, with no political bias, I would strongly suggest testing at LivingDNA.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-06-12
It's fascinatin what you can learn about yourself.
June 5, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I decided to take the full test because I was adopted and have never met any biological relatives. I know very little about who I came from. It’s been just a few months since I took the test, and I’ve now been in contact with 3 relatives and have traced back my heritage all the way to the 1700’s with my 8x great grandfather fighting in the Revolutionary War!
I have since bought 2 more kits, one for my adopted sister (who was jealous) and one for my biological brother. I can’t wait to learn more about my family through his results and to learn about my adopted family as well.
The health results were also a great relief. I never had a family medical history done, so it’s great to know I’m not a carrier of anything! The different genetic traits are also lots of fun.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-06-05
A work in progress
June 2, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
23 and me is a work in progress. Since I joined there have been many changes . It seems like the company is trying to get a handle on what the final product will look like. I like the genealogy part of it. I like the list of DNA matches and how they are related to me. I have used it to help me solve my family tree. I like how the compare feature works with the matches in common. . It actually shows how closely related the person I am comparing is to my list of relatives. Some of the other genealogy sites don’t have this feature. They will give you a list of matches in common but won’t tell what the percentage of the relationship is. Its good that the anonymous option is being eliminated. It was frustrating trying to find out who the person was. They would not answer you. People complained about this. A actual name should be required also , not just initials. The health feature I liked when it first came out. Had some good info. It didn’t bother me. The govt said it had to change which is too bad. I am grandfathered in , but I never pay much attention to the health end of it anymore . Seems to be watered down. I like answering the health survey questions. I hope it helps somebody out. 23 and me is one of the tools I use for genealogy . I am glad its out there. Sounds like it heading in the right direction and getting things squared away.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-06-02
Great findings
May 24, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
23 and me allow me to connect with a 2nd cousin that was given up for adoption. His father was a very promanent man in Louisiana, who happen to be my uncle. I have put together a family reunion in July. It is a very beautiful story, I would be willing to share in more detail, if you choose.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-05-24
Really Interesting
May 16, 2018
Autosomal Analysis
I love anthropology and have wanted to do this for ages. I was not dissapointed. It is super cool to see ancestry and neanderthal DNA makeup.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-05-16
Amazing Service!
May 11, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
I had always wanted to delve deeper into my past, and 23andMe has really proven that anyone’s past is more detailed than they may think! I have met some amazing people, who share ancestors with me, through this service. I have also been able to explore more of what makes me who I am, in genetic terms and health terms. It has really allowed me to get to know the world beyond my typical scope, and I cannot wait to see what comes next! Being able to see the company grow has been quite the experience.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-05-11
Tough to Connect
May 10, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
It is way more difficult to connect with your relatives than it ought to be. They need a few new IT folks to help smooth this out. I bought each kid a kit, and none of them show up in my ancestry list though it acknowledges them. Very confusing. Probably younger folks may have an easier time with it.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-05-10
Information learned by only way available
May 8, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
In our family we have been able to find long lost sisters we never knew existed. We have found out true paternity. We are preparing for possible health issues. We have participated in research experiments. We have improved our lives by the information shared by this company. It was much more of a revelation than I ever dreamed. My sisters, daughter-in-law and soon my husband will become part of the process. I am delighted with my experience. I have even reconnected with lost cousins. Keep up the good work.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-05-08
Found long lost family
April 26, 2018
Maternal Analysis
I have thoroughly enjoyed my 23andme experience. I have been able to locate long lost family members and was sent a family tree regarding relatives that I did not even know existed. It has made me so happy to finally have this information and have discovered so much regarding my identity. Very thankful for this service. Thank you 23andme!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-04-26
Great product
April 19, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
Had this for a birthday present a couple of months ago and have been totally fascinated by the results ever since. My sister has done it too and comparisons with a relative are really interesting. Would thoroughly recommend. It was so easy to do…..brilliant!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-04-19
Interesting..so exciting
April 18, 2018
Autosomal Analysis & Family Finder
My children bought me one for Christmas…one of the best presents I have ever had..so informative..gave me great piece of mine…such a great present…Thank you!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-04-18
Native blood
April 2, 2018
Autosomal Analysis
On permitting other researchers to view my DNA I found that my native blood went up over 200% I am like why ? Nearly all others that did my DNA say I am at least 3% you say tips I am 0.4, I now have paper proof of my native descent from ancestry, the fact that my ancestor was reported and returned and did not return alone but with a wife and grown sons and he had been e enslaved for dept in the region of my now proven ancestry, that and the fact they left kids in the USA and Canada who are native and black ancestry from his wife who was half and half
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-04-02
Eye Opening
April 1, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I really thought I knew about my health as well as my ancestry, and it turns out I had much to learn. The health report is amazing, they look at your specific DNA and compare it to variants linked to many different health related issues! I learned that I was a carrier of a specific illness, which doesn’t necessarily mean I will have it, but carrying the gene can possibly be passed down to my children. It is always interesting to see the new health reports as the company is always updating. My ancestry was surprising because I mostly heard stories of where my ancestors derived from, and it was amazing to see my specific genes mapped out! You can see your DNA compared to different regions as well. This also leads me to the DNA relatives tool! This is super cool because it encourages you to investigate your roots and figure out how you are related to a certain person. It is such a fun past-time! (Addicting as well, but so much insight is to be gained!) It allows you to even download the raw DNA code, which I haven’t done, but I think it is really neat to have that option. I highly recommend this.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-04-01
I found my bio family 25 years after being adopted
March 30, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I received the 23andMe Ancestry and Health kit as a gift for Christmas. Christmas Day I mailed my sample out and a few weeks later I had my result. I was connected to over 1,000 cousins. One cousin was a second cousin who, after a few more weeks, was able to connect me to my biological grandfather and father. Within 72 hours of that I had talked to everyone in my biological family. Since being connected to my biological family I have a much better sense of who I am now. It has filled in many missing pieces and I would do it over in a heart beat. I am extremely pleased with my 23andMe experience!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-30
Finding Out About Me!
March 29, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My wife purchased my kit for me as a Christmas gift. I have always been interested in my family origins, and have had trouble connecting the dots through traditional family tree methods. 23andMe was the perfect tool to help me uncover a lot of missing pieces, and we decided to purchase the Health portion as well. I am now able to make decisions related to improving my health based on my DNA report. How amazing is that!? I am so pleased with this service, and can’t wait to see what else 23andMe has in store for the future!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-29
Amazing product!
March 25, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m so happy that I’ve come across this product! The features are great and I love the setup/layout they provided for us. It’s simple and really helps us to understand ourselves, and where we’ve come from, better. I do wish they’re was a way to tell us what % we are of french and/or german instead of % French & German, etc. The health benefits are really interesting and a great insight into our future. And the DNA Relatives Tool is such a great aspect! Highly recommended if you’re wondering about your family’s ancestry, health warnings, or trying/interested to find family members.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-25
Great Information
March 23, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I am happy I did this testing. Just to have some insight into health and ancestry is really nice to know.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-23
Really Insightful, even if I am a bit boring
March 22, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I got this kit as part of a study. It didn’t reveal much I didn’t know(other than a bit of Fennoscandian DNA) but it was amazing seeing the spread of where I come from and how my DNA shapes me. There’s not much information on Native American DNA, and being Latino means I’m a mutt, but it’s amazing seeing the map clean up over time as more data is added.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-22
Know the basics
March 19, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I think this product is great is you want to know where you have came from and affirm certain legends in your family that runs in your blood. However, it won’t tell you much if you come from places like South America or Asia. It will give you a broad idea of where your family line hails from.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-19
amazing
March 17, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
When I was in high school one of the history projects was doing a family tree. My older sister is very detail oriented so she found quite a bit of relatives. I got this to see if the ancestry matched what my sister found.
These results were spot on. I already knew I was French, Irish, German, Ukrainian. I was surprised to find traces of British, Italian (I love tea and Italian food haha), and a hair of Northern Africa.
I was curious about health stuff. I don’t have any children but wanted to see if anything would show up in case I do.
Lastly, I wasn’t looking for any family. But I found 1 already. We don’t live anywhere near each other. It was amazing because she didn’t know any of her family on her mothers side. We’ve exchanged pictures and we do have the same smile and jaw line! We’re different generations (2nd cousins) and I’m glad the physical features are the same
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-17
I'm going to meet my sisters!
March 12, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought a 23andme test several years ago, and eventually found many relatives, one a first cousin. I couldn’t get her to respond, and so I stopped looking at 23andme as often. Fast forward to this past weekend, and a second cousin makes contact. He asked around the family for someone who might have put a child up for adoption, and I’ll soon be meeting my sisters. Obviously, I’m very happy with 23andme.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-12
Exciting and informative!
March 3, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Easy to use, fun and fascinating. I was astonished to find so many relatives using the DNA relatives tool. Most were distant cousins, but one actually knew my uncle! I found the Ancestry tool fascinating and threw in a few surprises, but make sense when you think about it. The Traits tool was fun to use, but got a couple of things wrong such as hair colour and texture. Another exciting thing is when reports get updated so check in regularly for updated results or new DNA relatives!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-03
Found my son
March 1, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
About a year after I submitted I was contacted by my son who had been adopted in 1971. I’m still hoping to find my son from 1970 through 23andMe.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-03-01
Continual updates
February 28, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was quite surprised by the dedication 23nme has to those of us who have been tested. I enrolled with 23nme almost two years ago, and am still receiving research questions and updates to my health wellness tendencies. Very thorough company, very happy I decided to go with this firm rather the others out there.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-02-28
A Gift For Life
February 27, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
23andMe is the best gift you can give someone or yourself because it is the gift that will keep on giving. The information I learned from 23andMe is very valuable to me and my family. As much as you think you know yourself, 23andMe will teach you more. I enjoy the health and ancestry information I got on myself and I also enjoy the research aspect of 23andMe. With 23andMe I can give back to my community by contributing to important research. Also the more I contribute the more I learn about myself and others. There are so many gifts within the 23andMe product that everyday I discover something new about myself and people like me. I recommend 23andMe to everyone because it is the gift you owe yourself. Get 23andMe and Get to know yourself better and help others find out who they are as well.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-02-27
the best of what's out there
February 26, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
this has been a good and learning experience. the ancestry and health information are good and explain ancestry origins much farther back than genealogical records so can be quite different than we thought. we are not supposed to mention competitors so I won’t mention names but another service got my relationship with my sister completely wrong whereas 23andme got it right. On the negative side, not having a family tree feature on 23andme makes finding these DNA matches difficult to discern. On the health front, the list of traits like asparagus urine and similar traits are basically useless and the space could be devoted to more genetic carrier status or health risk features.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-02-26
An answer to many questions
February 24, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The test is simple, the updates are easy to find, and the explanation of the results are very informative. My results helped to clarify many family beliefs and clear up a lot of “tall tails.” Being able to reach out to new found family members has helped us share photos of shared ancestors we’ve never seen or knew of before now.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-02-24
23andMe Review
February 21, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Zero help for a customer who has weak computer skills. I lost my password book and was able to rebuild my contacts successfully except for 23andme. After repeated shunts in the same 23nme loop over and over again, I realized that I was not able to get a new password through the system. So I asked on line for someone to contact me thinking I would get a message in a few days. Some 10 days have gone by and I cannot find new relatives or even answer someone’s message. ZERO RESPONSE. I would not recommend 23nme anyone. Senior citizens should shun the company, Although the system compels me to award a minimum of one star, in fact I’d give it a MINUS ONE star. I am sorry I ever used this service.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-02-21
Exciting and informative!
February 19, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Easy to use, fun and fascinating. I was astonished to find so many relatives using the DNA relatives tool. Most were distant cousins, but one actually knew my uncle! I found the Ancestry tool fascinating and threw in a few surprises, but make sense when you think about it. The Traits tool was fun to use, but got a couple of things wrong such as hair colour and texture. Another exciting thing is when reports get updated so check in regularly for updated results or new DNA relatives!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-02-19
IT TOLD ME ABOUT ME
February 1, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I wanted to no about my health, 23 and me just did that and
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-02-01
So happy with my purchase!
January 31, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
23andme gave me a sense of who I was. My dad was very convinced who he was but that left me wondering where the other half of me came from. Love the health info. too. I felt relieved to get it but it also let me know I could have vision issues later in life so I know to seek professional treatment sooner rather than later. Thank you 23andme! Bought kits for both my kids and can’t wait to connect the results with them!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-31
Adopted but finally found!
January 31, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I tested my DNA about 3 years ago and uploaded it to GEDmatch in hopes of finding my biological family, since I’m adopted. Just two weeks ago I was contacted by a great niece, and since then I have spoken to three of my half siblings! I’ll be traveling to meet them soon! I highly recommend this for adoptees. I also like their health studies.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-31
Incredible
January 27, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My 2nd cousin had a college class project to determine whether he was a descendant of Genghis Khan, who is thought to have sired 0.5% of the total world’s population by one measure. While he was not a Khan kid, it turned out that he also did not have the genetic makeup that would account for his mother (my first cousin) being 100% Korean as we expected. It caused quite a stir in our family. 2 yrs later, about 10 members of my immediate and extended family- 1st and 2nd cousins included, used 23 and me to determine that no one who we thought was 100% Korean was even much more than half Korean, tops. We even had a DNA party with about 25 or so friends who all took the test, to determine traits such as who was the most Neanderthal, the most mixed, most unusual/ unexpected, etc…
This was a great eye opener, and an amazing and fun journey. The release of the health reports a year or so later, was an even bigger plus, providing some confirmation of suspected issues, as well as some measure of comfort for others. I am fascinated to learn that a group of my maternal line’s descendants comprise native American populations going down the Pacific coast to the tip of South America, and that I also have relatives all over the world. To me, 23 and me has shown how closely intertwined and related humanity is, and how easy it is to lose sight of our journey together. I would recommend this test highly to everyone, and especially to anyone who wants to know who they are, where they came from, and the connection of man across our small planet.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-27
easy to use
January 27, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
lots of information and I have found the site so easy to use, would recommend if you are interested in your background
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-27
Unbelievable results
January 23, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this kit in hopes of learning about my ancestry, as I do not know my biological father. I ended up learning a lot about myself and my health, but more importantly I found my biological father, through the ancestry connection feature which matched me to an Uncle. I would totally recommend this service to anyone.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-23
is there any hope?
January 22, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This is the only way I know to try to contact 23andme. My email address has changed and I’m trying to tell them to send my results to my new email address, but when I try to log in I’m told it’s an invalid email address. Well, duh. It should not be this hard. Please contact me.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-22
DNA relatives, a pleasant surprise
January 14, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was given the kit as a gift as I am interested in health and genetics. Simple to use, and fascination result. Most interestingly, it identified a second cousin, and having made contact, we have been able to trace our family connection, it’s been amazing and unexpected .
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-14
Love the breakdown
January 11, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I really like how the ancestry is broken down. I’ve also done research and found out that 23andme is the most accurate. The only downfall is that no one ever responds to messages. If you are looking to find out who your family is, I would choose a test over than this one, because really, everyone ignores their messages and there aren’t any trees.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-11
Very Interesting Process!
January 10, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I ordered 23andMe to get a better look at my DNA background. I was really surprised by my results. I am really interested in drilling down further and creating a family tree to see who I’m related to. Should be fun!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-10
So fascinating.
January 9, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I love 23andMe. I have learned so much about myself that I would have never known. I even discovered over a 1000 relatives that are also 23andMe members.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-09
DNA
January 7, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this months ago and I’m happy I did. I have learned a lot about my ancestors and where they came from. I have found a few missing family members and made new friends on this site. It’s been a learning experience for me and my family.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-07
Adoption Reunion 71 years later
January 7, 2018
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My father last saw his sister 71 years ago until yesterday. She was given up for adoption. Thanks to 23 and Me, after years of searching, she was finally find and he saw her for the first time again yesterday and I got a new Aunt. Without 23 and Me, this never would have been possible. Forever grateful for this service.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2018-01-07
Results CANNOT be right
December 29, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I took this test as kind of a gag with my fiancée, and your results are way off. How can a middle easterner be 95% Northwestern European and 0.5% Native American? I don’t even look remotely European, like at all. My great grandfather took an English surname when he got off the boat, which is why I have one. Did they just look at my last name and guess my ethnicity? Not to mention, all of my “relatives” on there are not even remotely related to me. VERY misleading, highly inaccurate.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-12-29
A Great Product with Superb Follow-up
December 19, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I took the Ancestry & Health test some 4 months back & have been delighted with the various Reports. On the Health side, I must admit I found the standard Reports a little underwhelming – I already know the colour of my hair & eyes, etc. However the ability to download the full analysis & then do my own searches for genetic predispositions was exactly what I wanted. On the Ancestry side I have apparently over 1,000 relatives on the 23andMe database – including my daughter! Through the system I managed to contact a previously unknown second cousin and so have been filling in lots of missing bits of my family tree & solving a couple of family conundrums at long last. The only warning I would give about using 23andMe (or any other such good service) is that it can be very compulsive and you will find that you are spending an inordinate amount of time on the site.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-12-19
Excellent for family genealogists
December 18, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The health features are very nice, but I’ve benefitted the most from the ancestry reports. I’ve looked for ancestors from various regions for the past 20+ years and hadn’t been able to find the ones I was looking for. My ancestry report confirmed that I have no Native American history (which I had strongly begun to suspect) and that I do have Jewish ancestry (which I’d already determined). I could have saved a lot of time if I had this product 20 years ago.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-12-18
Validating results!!
December 12, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My family has traced our lineage back to those who first immigrated to America (the Colonies) in the 16 and 1700’s but it all seemed to stop there. My family, for the most part, was content with simply knowing when and from whence our ancestors came. I wanted to know more. I wanted to learn everything I could and to go as far back as their trails would take me. I chose one ancestor and trailed him back to Scotland. Once there, I discovered his great-grandparents had the titles, Lord and Lady, and things exploded from there. I went as far back on a direct line (grandparents only) to Charlemagne and I was ecstatic! I felt this explained a lot about my family, their quirks, their mannerisms, why some are a bit snobbish in-spite of humble upbringings BUT then I ran into doubt. The ancestor that I had chosen to trail in the beginning could: a) have been a prisoner of war captured at the Battle of Dunbar and sent to the colonies where he chose to remain and the descendant of those upper-class Scots or b) a poor, uneducated immigrant who couldn’t spell his own name.
The latter is argued heavily but there was very little evidence to fully support/prove/disprove one way or the other. Well, I feel that I have my own proof, as unofficial and insignificant as it may seem to others. 23 and Me confirmed through my DNA the regions where my ancestors lived and that matches exactly the research I’ve already completed. AND I share DNA with countless users on 23 and Me that have the last names of those that I traced back on that “royal” branch. Now, I don’t mean just one surname, I’m talking several. Some of which would have derived from prominent or noble Scottish Clans. Crazy coincidence or validation of the years of research? I’m going with validation.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-12-12
Great features
December 9, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
23andme is the best because the results are understandable and interesting, great detailed features and very knowledgeable.Easy to connect with relatives.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-12-09
Found my biological father!
December 5, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The Health + Ancestry results were very interesting! I am Latino and I had questions about where my ancestors originated from. My genetic health results were informative, luckily no bad signs for me. The biggest shocking result were my DNA relatives. I got a 50% DNA match with a man I have never met. 23andMe told me he was my predicted father. I messaged my predicted father and he saw my profile photo and he knew there was no doubt I was his daughter. Long story short; my mother was told by her gynecologist she was infertile. I got to meet my biological father with my mom and legal father (who named me and raised me since day one) a week after we messaged each other. It was a very bonding and a once in a lifetime experience that would’ve never have happened unless I took a 23andMe test. I’m eternally grateful for 23andMe to help me and my family discover something we wouldn’t be able to do on our own!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-12-05
Results
December 4, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My son just had the 23and me DNA test done to see if he had any relatives he didn’t know about. I had mine done with Ancestry. He asked “now what”? I answered: Not much since 23andme doesn’t have a huge database like Ancestry. This is the one thing people that order a DNA test are missing. I have already received many contacts from relatives as well as reconnecting with ones I had forgotten about. Go with Ancestry or MyHeritage. they have the big databases.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-12-04
23 & Me Is Scamming my parents!
November 29, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought 2 23 & Me kits for Mother’s and Father’s day on 5/1/17. My mother’s test never did work. It took until October to refund my money! This was after many attempts. My father’s information is inaccessible d/t E-mail problems. They refuse to help us unless I scan or E-mail them my fathers passport or State Drivers License. This is an invitation for identity theft at its finest! He didn’t need this to sign up…why would I send my fathers actual documents to no mans land?? WTF? They have refused any attempt to help us unless we offer up his entire life! They will not refund my money. They are rude, and I am very disappointed in this company. I feel we have been scammed!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-29
Celebration of Diversity
November 28, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
As a young adult, and even when I was growing up, I was always either not “Hispanic enough” for the people that I consider my friends. But truth be told, I’m more diverse than I thought! The beauty of diversity is how it brings people together. Just being genetically diverse helps to close the gap between people greatly – even if the culture is not practiced! I have the privilege of knowing my genetic makeup and I’m very thankful for 23&me because I now know I am 44.8% East Asian and Native American, 41.7% European, 4% Sub-Saharan African, 2.7% Middle Eastern and North African, 0.1% Oceanian, and 6.8% Unassigned. (Previously, I was approximately 12% Unassigned, and now it’s less because more data was collected!)
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-28
An Unexpected Twist
November 28, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was adopted into my family, so I had no idea what my genetic history was. I originally submitted a test kit to find out if I had any potential genetic problems and to see if I was right about my background. Turns out I mostly was, but that wasn’t the twist.
The twist happened last week. Another 23andMe user shared his test results with me; turns out we’re probable half brothers. Over the weekend we shared a bit of information and now I’ve got a pretty good idea of who my biological father was, and he (and his family) were surprised by my existence. And the information I’ve found out so far has gone a long way to help me look up my biological mother.
I’ve always known who I am, but 23andMe has helped me find out where I came from. And I’ve got more exploring to do….
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-28
Understand yourself people!
November 27, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Just told my husband I bought this for him and he’s over the moon!! I’ve akready had mine done and I’m a total advocate – understand yourself people!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-27
Worth it
November 12, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I received this kit a while ago and it has really given me some perspective. My family know doesn’t know a lot about our families past or who they were. This was able to help me put some the pieces together and learn so much about myself as well. Just a great experience over all!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-12
Great Site, glad I did the test
November 11, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought the kit in hopes of finding some DNA family as I was adopted as a baby. I found many relatives, and even met a few who turned out to be very nice, and I have learned allot about my ancestors, health and roots. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-11
The best birthday present I could've ever received
November 9, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was extremely pleased with my ancestry composition report and it revealed many truths about my ancestors that I had no idea about before. It most importantly let me know what I am, which I didn’t know much about until I took the test.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-09
Not worth the time
November 5, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was doing a test study , they sent me two test claiming the first one didn’t work and followed the directions to a t both times . They claimed both times it didn’t work .
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-05
Scientifically Enlightening
November 2, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was looking for genetic, and wellness information, being I was adopted, and had no idea of my genetic background (thinking I was Irish, or German all along), this proved enlightening to discover more about my ancestry (I am Balkan, and Italian), though the real surprise was when I found a half brother on this site, that which linked me to finding my biological father (after 48 years), and discovering he is still alive as he is 82. My mother has not been discovered yet. I additionally discovered through my father I have 6 half-siblings. First and foremost I had to thanked him for my DNA, being I am still very young-looking, healthy, and not a carrier for any disease, and his reply was “we have good livers in this family and longevity is on our side”.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-11-02
A brick wall where customer service should be
October 25, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I joined 23&me several years ago, but I’ve had trouble logging on from day one. In my 2 to 3 DOZEN attempts to contact customer service has gotten me exactly NO WHERE. There is no phone, no live service, simply an email crew that I guarantee has never read a single email.
5 months ago my husband got a kit as a gift and sent his sample off. He was eventually able to get on and see his results, and send me an invitation. I can not access my own account or the invitation. He repeatedly wrote CS and asked that I be added. So I tried taking it up again yesterday. Here are three emails from today, after once again having my request for help with my account IGNORED and getting a lecture about privacy concerns ( as an excuse not to honor my husband’s request that I be given access)
Me:
“XXXX (husband) made it very clear to you that he WANTS me to have access. He has sent you this request several times
I also can’t access my OWN account. You told me to go in through my sister’s account ( ponder that – my sister has access to my account but I can’t have access to MY OWN, but you’re concerned about privacy?)
I have repeatedly been told to change my password, to access my own account. Every time I do, I get a page that says I need to set up my profile. I HAVE A PROFILE. This is confirmed when I try to rebuild one and get a page that tells me I can’t proceed because I have a profile already. I am then told to reset my password and it all starts again. “
Amber @ customer service:
“Each and every participant has the right to protect the privacy of his or her data analysis and are under no obligation to share the resulting data with the purchaser or anyone else.
We consider this matter to be a domestic dispute and will not pursue the resolution you are seeking.”
Seriously. They went there. I cut and pasted that straight from their email. So I forwarded it to my husband. He wrote them.
Husband: “The only reason I am participating in your data mining scam in the first place is for XXXXX (me, his wife). Get her account access issues straightened out now!
Then get her sharing access to my account.
If you can not handle these two simple requests, refund our money and purge our data from your system”
Actually, DH asked for a refund 3 months ago, when he could not access his account either. They ignored his request. And did so again today:
Amber responded the exact same thing they have responded with for years now – she simply told me to log in to my own account. They flat out will not acknowledge my original complaint that I can not access my own account.
You have two choices if you have a problem with this company – hire a lawyer or accept that you gave your money and DNA information to an extremely sketchy company that has a brick wall where their customer service should be
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-25
Why bother
October 25, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I thought I would learn percentages of the various nationalities in my DNA. I basically learned nothing. Very general like “Eastern European”. That I knew.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-25
Found a close relative
October 19, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My mom was adopted so I had no idea of my maternal lineage. Through 23 and me I found my aunt (moms half sister). My mom had no idea that she even had a half sister when she passed away.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-19
Found a close relative
October 19, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My mom was adopted so I had no idea of my maternal lineage. Through 23 and me I found my aunt (moms half sister). My mom had no idea that she even had a half sister when she passed away.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-19
Exciting
October 18, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I wanted to get a record of possible relatives and locations, the reports gave me an understanding of how I came to be me. My reports were easy to understand and the comparison with other relatives was not hard to read.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-18
Exciting
October 18, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I wanted to get a record of possible relatives and locations, the reports gave me an understanding of how I came to be me. My reports were easy to understand and the comparison with other relatives was not hard to read.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-18
23andme The Ultimate Investment I've Made & Love!
October 16, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I purchased my kit around the middle of July 2017 and received my 23andme Ancestry Composition on Sunday August 20, 2017! My investment in 23andme Ancestry & Health Reports were My Ultimate Most Valuable Investment I have ever made! My Health is My Wealth and 23andme opened my eyes! Genetic Health Risk Reports! My Research began with 23andme! I Am So Excited to have had Discovered such Exciting and Interesting Ancestry Composition Iberian 27.9 Percent this is Shocking! I knew I had Southern European and Spain but I never knew how much I had! I Am Very Excited to have contributed to Science & Research and will continue to do so! Thank You 23andme!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-16
Informative to a point
October 15, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I really enjoy genealogy as a hobby and have been excited to get this factual scientific information to add to my understanding of who I am . I’ve given kits as gifts to both of my parents and although that has provided a wealth of information and a interesting mystery I’m working on solving, I find that any ancestry research really depends on the cooperation of other people who match as your DNA relatives. I enjoy answering research questions and feel like I’m really contributing when I get emails from 23 and me letting me know that my feedback has been involved in discoveries. It’s very satisfying. I also find it easy to research genetic information and then search my own raw data for insights. I’ll be gifting a kit to my twin sister soon.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-15
Great Information
October 15, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The information is vast and it takes a lot of concentration to understand some of what I find. Very interesting but so much of it I don’t understand when I compare the info with my siblings information. Very helpful and very thorough.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-15
Great Information
October 15, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The information is vast and it takes a lot of concentration to understand some of what I find. Very interesting but so much of it I don’t understand when I compare the info with my siblings information. Very helpful and very thorough.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-15
Most Trustworthy Company
October 15, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Very accurate ethnic breakdown! Newest company but has a large sample size of 10,000 people, more than the other companies. Only company that reports things on confidence levels, with a 50% confidence level being the minimum to report ethnicities. Most accurate test for me between MyHeritageDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, & AncestryDNA. Not to mention, the additional tests are pretty awesome!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-15
Awesome Experience
October 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Really a fun experience. There were a few surprises in my ethnic background that I found totally fun. But more than tracking my family history the health portion was a blast. Somehow they knew I am not a deep sleeper, don’t drink caffeine, maybe thinner than the avg person in my age group, have wavy hair, etc… It has been a very enjoyable experience. I have had several friends that have done the same package and we are having fun comparing our results.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-13
Awesome Experience
October 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Really a fun experience. There were a few surprises in my ethnic background that I found totally fun. But more than tracking my family history the health portion was a blast. Somehow they knew I am not a deep sleeper, don’t drink caffeine, maybe thinner than the avg person in my age group, have wavy hair, etc… It has been a very enjoyable experience. I have had several friends that have done the same package and we are having fun comparing our results.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-13
NOT for Asian Ancestry
October 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Shipment to results took one month. The results were disappointing. My ancestry report was very broad; I was half East Asian and half Southeast Asian. I was hoping the report would be more specific. The report also confirmed things I already knew like my lactose intolerance, Asian flush, unattached earlobes, straight hair, etc. Customer service is literally non-existent. You’re better off using an inexpensive testing service then analyzing the raw data. Not AT ALL worth the money.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-13
23andMe Review
October 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Was a great help to me, Thanks Mable
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-13
23andMe Review
October 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Was very helpful ,but what happened to kit I sent in, did post office lose it or did 23andMe lose it
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-13
Found Family In Nearby
October 12, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Thank you 23& Me. You were a game changer! My husband and I left Chicago, IL where both our families have lived for generations for work in Northern Wisconsin. But, thanks to you, we came to realize that we just moved closer to family we didn’t know we had. My favorite new assistant Sarah turned out to be my cousin! And, I turned out to be 3-4th cousins to my new friend Jody and HER only known biological relative as she was adopted back in ’52! We now have lots of family within 5 to 30 minutes of us to spend special occasions and holidays with and our kids are still growing up around family.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-12
Terrible service and results
October 11, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
First off you CAN NOT DOWNLOAD YOUR RESULTS as of August 2017….BE WARNED! I spoke to Darren in a call center somewhere outside of the US who told me this. I asked to speak to a manager named Martin who confirmed it. I asked for a refund since I am 50% Italian on my Dads side, I have the family tree to prove it, and the report shows 0.00% Italian and says I am German and French. He even checked and saw that and thought it was strange. He said he would forward my issue and someone will email me within 1-2 days about both issues. Something is way off here. I would look at other tests and confirm that you will be able to download it.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-11
Great advice from Nadja
October 10, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
After waiting forever for help, Nadja was extremely helpful, She was patient, asked clear questions, and guided me perfectly to the solution to my problem. She is a standout, much better than an earlier person.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-10
Awesome Experience
October 9, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Really a fun experience. There were a few surprises in my ethnic background that I found totally fun. But more than tracking my family history the health portion was a blast. Somehow they knew I am not a deep sleeper, don’t drink caffeine, maybe thinner than the avg person in my age group, have wavy hair, etc… It has been a very enjoyable experience. I have had several friends that have done the same package and we are having fun comparing our results.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-09
Good Jounery
October 5, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m Chinese,though 23andme,I know plenty of imformation that I don’t know before,so I bought it to my father and my mom.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-05
Good Jounery
October 5, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m Chinese,though 23andme,I know plenty of imformation that I don’t know before,so I bought it to my father and my mom.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-05
Simply thrilled
October 3, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Just such an amazing spread of information from a tiny saliva sample!! I’m very pleased to be part of their research project and their responsiveness on email is very good indeed.
Thank you 23andMe I am a happy customer :)
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-10-03
Mind boggling
September 23, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Insane that there’s so much in your spit!! The whole package is super cool, the heritage data is more interesting to me than the carrier and health data but taken all together, this is stunning value
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-09-23
WASTED MY MONEY
September 22, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My husband and I sent our test kits to their lab at the same time and were confirmed as received at the same time. My results came in a couple of weeks ago and my husband’s results still say pending. I contacted the company and was told they do not issue refunds once the sample has started to be processed. STILL NO RESULTS A WEEK LATER – STILL JUST GET “RESULTS PENDING”. They clearly screwed up and will not issue a refund – so buyer beware with this company.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-09-22
Is this guess work? I think so!
September 17, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
First off do not answer any questions before you get the DNA results back. I happen to know I have Italian and Native American. This is based on great grand parents. These 2 where not mentioned in my report until I brought it to their attention. Then the Italian was listed at very low level with it most likely came from 4th or 5th great great grand parent.
REALLY. I said my great grandfather came from Naples Italy. When I asked why that did not show up. Was given answer of sometimes it is hard to discern a region so Southern Europe was part for Italians.
That is why I say theirs is guess work, They did not mention the ones I definitely knew about. Just save your self some money ask your relatives. Also just want to say Ancestry.com was spot on for my husband. And even made the connection of relative with his brother. If you use one pay the extra it is worth it. Wish I had listened to him when he told me to use them.
DO NOT USE 23and me unless you OK with guess work.
When I tried to write review on their site. Page has expired would not allow me to.
ONE STAR ONLY BECAUSE THERE IS NO NEGATIVE
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-09-17
23 and Me delivered what I wanted
September 8, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
A brilliant suite of services, the disease and carrier info is a little over my head but the ethnic mix and matching tools are awesome. Never really been interested in genealogy before but now I’m seriously into it, scouring the forums and surname groups for help with my tree!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-09-08
NOT COMPATIBLE with other DNA companies
August 29, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
You cant combine your results with a relative from a different DNA site. This means of you have a family member on a different DNA site they wont show up. 23nme is a dna site for the US. and only people who use 23nme can be DNA LINKED
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-08-29
Exceptional
August 28, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
A really most excellent package of information provided by 23andMe. My family are excited by the information they are seeing about themselves and we are happier descendants for it!
Thank you to all the 23andMe team
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-08-28
Absolutely brilliant
August 19, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’ve spent a very enjoyable morning going through my results, I can’t wait to share my heritage with my son the next time I see him.
Five out of five!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-08-19
Got it in their sale and totally worth it
August 14, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m Irish, German, and now it appears 18% Italian which blows my mind! My Mom couldn’t believe it when I told her.
Over the moon with the test results, fascinating stuff and lots to read through. Thanks 23
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-08-14
Highly Skeptical about Results
August 12, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My results said 99% European, 0.5% N Africa and 0.4% SS Africa. Strange enough that it said I was NW Euro when my European is Greek and British, so they got it partially right I guess. Considering the fact that 99% of my DNA was Euro really made me scratch my head when I count in the fact that I’m 3/4 Native American. Neanderthal reports were cool tho, that’s why I give 3 stars… But it seriously makes me wonder who they’re using as Native American sample populations
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-08-12
23andMe as the First
July 6, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The most Robust DNA test up to date with a very improved Customer Service. Easy to sample. Very good Shipping. The best for a first Global view of your DNA.
They need to show their product out of USA and some improvements. Also need to open the free comparison among relatives.
Mostly the Best test with a few things being a bit worst than AncestryDNA.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-07-06
Good intro test
July 5, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This is a very good intro test. 23andMe may not offer the most advanced analysis, but they have a great customer service, a super intuitive user interface and make complex information easy to read. They are a wonderful test to start exploring the world of genomics.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-07-05
Absolutely the most flexible set of DNA tools
July 1, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
As above
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-07-01
Over rated
June 26, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Definitely should be in the category of OVER RATED but the company is tied to a lot of money influences so can put out super slick “cool” ads promoting their product. This of course puts other companies that actually provide better more accurate testing, at a disadvantage. My results were pathetic and scant compared to Ancestry DNA , Family Tree My Origins, and more recently. the results I received from Myheritage dna.
The results I received with 23 and Me were overall depictions of very broad regions,. but they seem to want to appear so precise that they throw in things like .01 East Asian or .01 Askenazi. Is .01 really even relavenL or provable?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-06-26
Great test with a lot of different information provided
June 16, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The test is great. My major ethnic percentage was correct and similar to a couple of other tests I have done. They seem to have difficulty with minor percentages and put them in a general region. The Neanderthal Ancestry and Maternal and Paternal Haplogroup information was also great.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-06-16
Ordering problems
June 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Difficult to order on line. Kept refusing my card, checked with the bank, my card is fine and is active. Then tried again and again each time my email comes up as an error. Called customer service he told me to use another email, still errors. Total time spent about an hour. I still do not have the order. There is no none to call about that. Really poor customer service.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-06-13
Ancestral sesults too broad-lacks precision
June 4, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Was expecting much more detail than what I received, Was an assortment of broadly Northwest European and broadly European etc, I was not impressed . The Neaderthal estimate was interesting though!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-06-04
Wealth of Information Provided!
June 1, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The information provided was extensive with both the ancestry part and the health part. I am very glad I chose this provider for my DNA analysis and ancestry.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-06-01
Shocking results!
May 31, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I expected the German and the Irish in my family tree, but the Native American and the African and sub Sahara was quite a shock!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-31
NEW ME!!!!!!
May 30, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I wanted to know deep down where I came from. 23 and Me explained it all!!! When I received my report that said “ Welcome To You “ I kind of paniced, did not open the report until almost a year later!!! I was astounded, amazed and schocked!!!! I was so surprised to know where I come from, it explains a lot about me, in which before I couldn’t explain!!!! It explains why I look the way I look, my likes it EXPLAINS ME !!!!!!I KNOW ME NOW!!!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-30
If you're hesitating, my advice: don't!
May 29, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was pleased with 23andMe’s process from beginning to end. The kit arrived promptly; it was easy and straightforward to produce and mail back my sample. You will have to accept that the turnaround on getting your reports is usually about 4-6 weeks, but I knew this going in so I was not disappointed. If anything, it made getting my results a lot more fun!
They do a fantastic job of employing beautiful, user-friend, interactive graphics to display and explain the results of your DNA analysis. This is especially helpful if you have agreed to share your DNA information with other DNA relatives on 23andMe, because you can see things like 1) How many DNA relatives reside in certain states/countries (for the sake of privacy, it doesn’t tell you who, it just tells you how many), 2) What part of your DNA you share with a particular DNA relative, 3) Your DNA relatives’ ancestral backgrounds, including ones you do not share, to give you an idea of the diverse ancestry of your fellow DNA relatives.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-29
Good, fast, and cheap genealogy with results!
May 27, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The time and money I would have spent doing my own research to get the some but not all of the information would have took me years and cost me thousands.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-27
Lots of detail
May 26, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
While already received data from another company, 23 and me was much more informative. I liked the amount of data and background information to read. Already recommended the kit to a friend. I liked the chromosome data knowing where the research originated.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-26
Easy to do.
May 23, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought it mainly for my mother who was curious about her heritage. I decided to buy one for myself since my father is deceased. We are both pleasantly satisfied.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-23
A Must Do For Everyone!
May 23, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This is money well spent! To know your background and heritage is priceless! I originally purchased the 23andMe kits for my two daughters as Christmas gifts, and then they purchased one for me for Mother’s Day. I just purchased another kit for my son-in-law for Father’s Day. This is a gift that will last for a lifetime and be invaluable to generations to come!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-23
Great experience
May 19, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Saw happy that I used 23 and Me to find out about my DNA. Opened up a whole new world for me and actually helped me learn who my biological father was! So interesting to discover who I am and where I came from.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-19
Spookily accurate
May 19, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Shouldn’t say ‘spookily’ I guess as it’s scientific!! but I was taken aback at the accuracy of the heritage and ethnic analysis. The carrier reports also illustrated a condition from my dad’s side of the family – not ideal that I’m a carrier but it’s obvs better than being a sufferer
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-19
Exceeded my expectations!
May 16, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I knew that I had siblings but I knew nothing about them. This connected me almost immediately to a half sister. I have communicated with three of the six. Very overwhelming.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-16
Ancestral roots
May 15, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m 70% British and proud to be so! I’m so very happy to have my ancestral roots investigated and relieved that 23 and Me is a doddle to navigate. My wife ordered her test at the weekend and now it’s a race to see whose heritage is the most noble…
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-15
Attention to detail
May 4, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This was a gift from my sister as she knew how much I am into the genealogy of our family! 23 and Me has answered so many questions for us with the data I got back! It confirmed the French ancestry that a great-grandfather insisted he had, though we had no proof! I have learned I have ancestors from parts of the world I never knew! And it breaks it down even further. The data is very meticulous.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-04
Surprise!
May 2, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My ancestry is quite different than reported by my parents. I was so intrigued, I spent countless hours making new connections and researching my family tree.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-02
Still waiting.....crickets
May 1, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
First I have not gotten my test results back yet, which is the point of this review. I sent my test results in 7 weeks ago and still have not heard anything. They do say on the kit 6 to 8 weeks so apparently I am on the 8 week track. When I check the website it is stuck on “Analyzing”. I noticed many reviewers get their test results in 2 to 4 weeks. I just wanted to inform consumers that it may be much longer.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-05-01
Great information, fun and informative
April 27, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I purchased the ancestry plus health version. I am really glad I did. I did have a few small surprises in my ancestry. I enjoyed learning about my Neanderthal connections and what we are learning about how it affects humans now. I also liked the health information. I especially like that 23 and me keeps me updated as new technologies or information becomes available to be shared with me. Very interesting!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-27
A highly inventive service!
April 25, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My daughter bought me a kit and I was intrigued. The resuts have been illuminating and even somewhat prescient. I have recommended to two others in my circle, my recommendation to anyone is that this is worth trying.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-25
Amazing product!
April 24, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I had no idea how much information I would learn from 23andMe! I thought I was mostly German; turns out, my genetic history is quite diverse! It was so cool sharing this information with family and friends, and I bought a kit for my mom to find out how much DNA we share. It was also very comforting to know I was not a carrier for most of the genetic diseases tested; at the same time, it was very empowering to learn that I did carry variants for two different diseases. This is the type of knowledge that I feel every person should have as soon as possible in life. I’d recommend the Health + Ancestry as a gift for anyone.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-24
Fascinating!
April 22, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I had no idea the conversations and research into history this would bring up. It’s a rich experience just to delve slightly into your genetic makeup. And the continued reports that flow from your results provide more information to think about.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-22
Brilliant and you can use it to buy so many additional analyses
April 19, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Totally the defacto DNA test anyone should buy. I’ve had loads of fun having the 23andMe data I got reanalysed by other companies – the themes you see (e.g. Predicted traits, racial makeup) make you think, but the conflicts can be worrying – it’s not nice to think about companies making different conclusions about what, theoretically, should be the same mutations
Overall, for such a new service, I’m impressed by what you can learn about yourself
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-19
Good presentation
April 12, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Detailed health reports and easy to use ancestry determination.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-12
Superior work
April 12, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I used 23andMe on the recommendation of a research anthropologist at a major university. I received the results in a timely manner. The results were detailed and clearly presented. The results were also consistent with the detailed family history compiled by my great aunt, going back many generations for hundreds of years. For comparison, I also used AncestryDNA. Everything about the 23andMe analyses was clearly superior.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-12
Mystery solved
April 12, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My daughter got this for me as I have never known my paternal heritage. This answered some age old questions. although this couldn’t tell me who my father was I was at least able to know where he came from.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-12
Very informative
April 10, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this product on the recommendations from my girlfriend . The process of purchasing online was very easy. The package arrived very quickly with very easy to understand instructions. From that moment 23 and me was in contact regularly with information of where my sample was and explained each process as well as providing a lot of useful information while I waited to help me fully understand the results when they came in. I highly recommend the product as the report was packed with information and links to more.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-10
Thoroughly Interesting
April 8, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The 23andMe kit is easy to use and results came fairly quickly (about 6 weeks). Your ancestry will be interesting to explore as well as certain traits you may have. Some might make you chuckle. But on the whole the reports are informative and may provide you with information that you didn’t have but will find helpful.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-08
23&Me Review
April 6, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My friends thought I was crazy for buying a genetic testing kit but once I showed them my results they were converts (and one friend bought theirs yesterday)
23&Me have taken a different approach to helping you get to know who you
are and I buy into it – I like knowing there’s been a scientific study into my racial identity and I like having the wellness data , even though I’m 23 and it doesn’t really apply to me yet
Results took longer than they estimated
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-06
Amazing if your a science buff
April 5, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this product being mostly interested in finding out about my ancestry, but got so much more. The amount of information you get back about the genes themselves and the studies done to identify them is incredible!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-04-05
Buyer Beware
March 31, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was extremely disappointed with my 23&Me DNA test. I was originally excited about this test by all of the hype, but when I received my results, I could not believe the complete vagueness of the report. They could not even identify 30.5% of my DNA calling it “Broadly Northwest European”, “Broadly Southern European” and “Broadly European” For $199, I could have taken a dart and thrown it at a map and gotten a better report of my ethnicity! I have tried Ancestry DNA which was a good report and pretty accurate, GEDMatch, Family Tree DNA, DNALand, & WeGene were all very good sites and WAY more specific about my ancestry. 23&Me failed to mention my Spanish, Portuguese, Basque, Italian, Greek, Egyptian, Turkish, Eastern European, Scottish & Russian DNA that all of the other sites I mentioned above have given me. According to 23&Me I am only 44.7% British & Irish 20% French & German and 4.7% Scandinavian. Everything else (30.5%) is “Broadly European”, German was never mentioned before in any other report. I am an olive-skinned, dark-browned eyed & haired person (People often ask me if I am Native American) who was adopted at birth. I am trying to piece together my ethnicity and I feel like if I had only chosen 23&Me without the other companies, I would be a very confused person. If you are on the fence, don’t waste your money. The only good thing I can say about this company is their medical reports, but you can get the same thing for free on WeGene.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-31
Get involved
March 30, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Cheap compared to what you get. The ethnic breakdown blew me away!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-30
Exactly what I thought I was paying for
March 23, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This test delivered exactly as promised. I feel that from having a very good understanding of about 3/4 of my ancestral lines (my grandmother was adopted) it was pretty accurate (percentage breakdown and location) with the results (all of which are northwestern European: French/German, Swedish and British. We are pretty sure my grandmother comes from immigrant parents who were most likely from Poland or close it. My results showed 23% Eastern European Ancestry and from the chromosomal analysis you can see that an entire X chromosome is Eastern European. Suggesting that this is the X chromosome I inherited from my dad who would have inherited from my adopted grandmother.
Because 23andME provides you with the raw data you can then upload that to other online free DNA analysis tools such as Gedmatch.com and get a further breakdown of more specifics for the Eastern European ancestry (mine is Central Eastern European). Also, through Gedmatch my top relative was in fact my dad’s cousin (who I’m doubly related too and the only other relative I know of who has also uploaded their raw data (his was done by Ancestry) to Gedmatch. This leads me to believe that the 23andMe analysis pipeline is pretty accurate (good positive control having my cousin match up with me!).
I was excited to spend and evening pouring over my results and sharing them with my family and immediately bought a kit for my dad and sister (since we can then link our DNA up to further understand the ancestry breakdown). My aunt has also ordered a kit for herself because we had such fun looking at my results. The interesting things found felt like someone was reading my soul (but really it was my DNA!). For example, the results said that I would be genetically predisposed to having straight hair and light eyes (which is 100% accurate). It was fun to determine how accurately the results matched up to my actual phenotype (mine were about 95% correct and the ones that weren’t had to do with environmental factors (lactose intolerance: i’m genetically predisposed to not be but I am (really bad Giardia infection), or I’m genetically predisposed to drink more caffeine (or at least need it to wake up) and luckily I have never drank coffee in the morning so have trained myself to get through my morning fog without it (although it would explain why I HATE getting up so badly)).
All in all, this was a great test and I feel like $99 is a great price.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-23
23andme is an Excellent product & process!!!
March 17, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I think the whole process from the packaging, to the receipt of the end-product (the DNA results) was well-thought out & orchestrated. I very much appreciated the timely updates on the status of the DNA testing and interesting facts collected from the overall DNA testing of a larger & diverse population .
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-17
Clarified our heritage
March 16, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Clarified that we are of English heritage, not French. We came from the Isle of Jersey in the mid 1700’s which has been under control by either England or France during its history.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-16
Proceed with caution
March 14, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My cousin and I thought this would be a fun experiment and the family would get a laugh when we talked about the results. Imagine our shock when our profiles came back completely unrelated. Profile for my cousin was pretty close to what we expected, but mine came back as Scandinavian and British Isles. Not unexpected if you know my name, but none of my names were gifted due to family. They came from a romance book and a wonderfully kind step-father. It might be fun for a lark but don’t get too invested unless you have other resources.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-14
Love it
March 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Hubby got me this. Really interesting to find about about my maternal line
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-13
Worth every penny
March 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this as a Christmas treat to myself. I have learnt a lot and I’m glad I took part.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-13
Further back than I ever expected.
March 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My son gave everyone a test kit for Christmas. Quite a brave thing to do really. However it has proved fascinating but I was really stunned to find that it could tell that I am 3 per cent Neandertall. It’s ridiculous but I feel really proud about this if only because my wife is 3 per cent too, so clearly we are well matched!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-13
Fantastic Experience! Life Affirming!
March 9, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
WOW! The kit was a gift from my husband and I LOVE it! I learned so much about myself and am proudly recommending it to everyone! As an educator of international topics, I love how I represent so much of the world!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-03-09
Apprehensive at first but really glad I did it
February 26, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The spitting part was fun and theres heaps to learn once you get in there. I was left feeling more in control of my health and pretty excited actually about how this technology will develop in my lifetime. 23 and Me change bits of their interface regularly which reassures me about their commitment to there services. I dont have a problem writing a positive review here, but on balance, I won’t buy a kit for my mom or even my sister.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-02-26
dna results
February 25, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
must say Im disappointed. I thought as per the television that my results would tell me my grandfather was a carpenter or such like but, all it tells me is that I like most people come from Europe and Ireland and possibly Scandinavia.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-02-25
23andMe Review
February 13, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Simply amazing
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-02-13
Totally unexpected
February 12, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I possess much more French/British DNA than I was expecting (62%). My great grandparents were mainly Scottish/Swedish so this is startlingly different
My carrier status is clear which is good to know. The traits are all correct.
I have a lot of investigating to do to understand how my genetic genetic is so contrary to what I thought. Really glad I bought this test.
4 out of 5
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-02-12
Full marks for customer service!
February 6, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Didn’t actually expect a reply when I asked about my ethnic mix but 23 came back very fast – so awesome to know they’re there to help me with my results – VERY unusual in my exp :)
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-02-06
Health and ancestry
February 2, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Got my results today, everything is here – I’ve already emailed three questions to support and two ‘hellos’ to 2nd cousins!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-02-02
I love what I'm seeing
January 30, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Going through my results now, there’s a helluva lot of info here, a full report for every mutation which is awesome
I have South Asian ancestry as expected and low Neanderthal (1.1%) :)
Glad I spent the money
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-01-30
Fun and informative
January 23, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Technology clearly moves fast!! Genealogical data is crazy
Held off buying until last summer.weirdly revisit my account more often than I thought I would.fed into a few good discussions with m physician
Down sides: too many surveys, too many emails
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-01-23
Great for finding relatives!
January 7, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My cousin found my mom which led to me …Then my full brother 2half sisters and 2half brothers and a host of other close relatives !!!!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-01-07
Best way to get your hands on this data
January 6, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I saw this as an investment and I haven’t been let down. 23 and me’s reports are excellent.
I researched getting my ‘exome’ data from other sources but 23 is the best way. Their data is compatible with dozens of tools and apps – this data will definitely continue to be useful.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-01-06
Good overall
January 6, 2017
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
On balance the reports are easy to read but lacking in actionable information
The data download is valuable
The genealogical overview is pleasingly eyebrow raising, but thinking about it, this is likely due to me being a mish-mash of nationalities!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2017-01-06
Good test, needs updating
November 27, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
23andme has done good work but I think that it is relying too heavily on its past accomplishments/brand and falling way behind its competitors. Its database is not extensive and no new updates since I believe 2009. Its haplogroups have only recently been updated. So much focus on health reports, marketing and expanding its brand have many customers wondering what is going on. The information provided is generic and the unassigned DNA is relatively high even with both parents tested. I think it does great work for recent ancestry but lags behind on ancient ancestry. Databases for African Americans and Native Americans are limited at best. I still refer customers to them because it is a good product but no longer great.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-11-27
If you are Asian, don't bother.
November 21, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I would not pay extra $100 to find out things that is no big deal and already known – hair color, eye color…who cares?
Tell me something I did not know – Health testing is also no big deal. I can smell asparagus metabolite in my pee? Who cares!
As for the traits, those won’t apply to Asian – If you are Asian, just get simple DNA ancestry, if you think you are mixed. My case, I am 99.1% Japanese – I already know that too!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-11-21
$99 option is outstanding
November 18, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Highly recommend, lots of detail and a pleasure to show off :)
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-11-18
Found a first cousin
November 18, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Unbelievable!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-11-18
Very good
November 13, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Thoroughly enjoyed going through my results. The only negative is the migration routes of my ancestors – you just get heat maps with 23andMe but I’ve seen my brother’s Genographic Project results and you get the paths. Geno also gives you rough time periods where each of your paternal and maternal lines branched. I won’t be buying the Geno because there’s so much overlap but I wanted to highlight this difference to potential 23andMe buyers
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-11-13
I'm an FTDNA fan but 23andMe makes a better gift
November 6, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Simple to use, prettier graphs, slick packaging – I’ve given both as gifts but 23andMe has an edge. Plus it covers aspects of your health and physiological traits AND the recipient is more likely to have heard of it
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-11-06
Ancestry and carrier reports are the best
November 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Totally value for money – wasn’t sure when I ordered but this is one of the best purchase I’ve made in years.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-11-04
10 times better that the Genographic Project
October 15, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
And it comes one month quicker!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-10-15
Amazing accross the board
October 15, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
but i’m royally p*ssed off that i didn’t wait a few weeks and buy it for $99
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-10-15
Really happy with it
October 9, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Results as shown on their site
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-10-09
Beautiful and simple to use but Ts & Cs are massive
October 2, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’d been building up to buying a genetic test for four months before choosing 23andMe – in hind sight, I’ve made the right choice.
The ancestral display is lovely, the traits and health information is also very eye-opening!
One thing, the terms and conditions were a nightmare to reach and I gave up after 15 minutes :(
I wish I’d bought this when it was $99
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-10-02
DNA Test Misleading
October 1, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
23andMe tests DNA against reference set populations, but those are incomplete, possibly generating a misleading representation for ancestry. In my case, it is known with certainty some genetic ancestry is Native American, but none of this was reported because the reference set populations was too limited to: Colombian, Karitiana, Maya, Pima, Surui. Most Native American populations were not included in testing, explaining why my ancestry was indicated as over 99% European. Neanderthal ancestry was detected, but no Native American. If ones ancestry is covered by the reference populations used in 23andMe testing, then ancestry may be accurately reported. If not, then test report may e misleading. Very disappointed to learn of testing deficiency after report was received.
Wanted to indicate 0 stars but could not remove one star touched.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-10-01
Pretty but lacking
September 18, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’ve seen more detail in my friend’s Family Tree results. This is probably more easy to understand, however, the ancestry results feel a bit like add-ons :)
JB
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-09-18
Ancestry and wellbeing are a strange mix
August 24, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Both types of result are intriguing and naturally raise more questions. I am positive about my purchase now I’ve had time to scan the interface and the help docs. A broad view of the code I carry!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-08-24
High entertainment value :)
August 18, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Cool stuff
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-08-18
A good experience
August 18, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Good but haven’t come away feeling 100% certain that I’ve learned anything that will improve my physical state
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-08-18
All informative but boring ancesrry
August 18, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’ve like 86% Western European/British Irish.Feel a bit let down that they can’t pin it down any further yet. Like what % English? What % Scottish?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-08-18
My grandma was bowled over!!
August 18, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Think it might have been too much to go through in one sitting. She totally got to grips with it and couldn’t believe what she could learn about herself. It was a lovely experience for us both.
Thank you 23andMe!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-08-18
Results came a week earlier than expected
August 12, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
So I’m happy :)
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-08-12
Ok
August 6, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Don’t believe they got my ancestry right (no way am I 87% Western European with MY parents). Trait info is good. Inherited diseases are good. No need for the drug reactions (yet)
Generally good. Hoping they improve upon it and I don’t have to pay more for new features!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-08-06
My second review for 23ANDME
July 21, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Proud I’m helping researchers out there.
The heritage data has changed how I feel about myself for the best.
I show everyone on my phone! :))
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-07-21
Crushed my genes
July 21, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
:)
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-07-21
Heard they sold my data for $60m
July 20, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Shame I’ll never see a cent! Interface is still good tho
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-07-20
Czech descent
July 9, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Bought this test to trace the Czech side of my family and 23andMe’s results bear this out which is so reassuring for me and my brother. It’s like a missing piece of the puzzle has been found, and that uncertainty about our origin has been reduced
I am 43% Western European, 43% Eastern European with some Middle Eastern and Mediterranean thrown in.
My Neanderthal is 1.7% and my maternal haplogroups is H5.
I have 422 cousins on the database, but, only a handful are in the ‘3rd to 5th’ cousin range.
The physical traits are correct (I AM lactose intolerant as predicted), which substantiates the heritage results.
I totally endorse the 23andMe test for people with Fanily gaps to fill!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-07-09
Astonishing
July 6, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Everyone should take this test. I’m 2.8% Neanderthal and 34% Mediterranean!
Inherited condition data is interesting also
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-07-06
23andMe feedback
July 1, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Just what I was looking for. Had my results for two days now and there’s hours more fun to be had learning what it all means! Loving it!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-07-01
poor product
June 27, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I knew my ancestry, particularly through my fathers paternal lines. My hope was to narrow down my information into something more specific. 23andMe was a waste of 199.00 USD. I was informed [with 90 percent certainty] that I was 24 % British-Irish and 98.4% Northwest European. The service was that general. Astonishingly 23andMe reported 0.3% west African ancestry and 0.2% sub-saharan ancestry. I don’t know if 23andMe is advocting an agenda or if they are uninterested in specific European sampling. In either case they seem unconcerned as to the fact that it was “My” 199.00 and not theirs.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-06-27
Blew me away
June 27, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The results package is mind blowing, bring on 23andme 2!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-06-27
MyHeritage
June 11, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The integrated MyHeritage feature is awesome. 23 and me do a MUCH better job of connecting your genetic heritage with your ancestral records than Ancestry.com
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-06-11
Like the map section
June 11, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Lovin the map section of the DNA relatives section. I’m white Irish but I have relatives in Bolivia, Columbia and one in India!! Insane!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-06-11
100% European!
June 1, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I absolutely love this.
My family have lived in Boston for four generations and it’s really cool that I’m 100% European. This breaks down into 71% British & Irish, 5% French & German, and 21% Scandinavian (rest is unknown)
We have a little information about my great-grandparents but these results are quite illuminating.
Shame the results aren’t a bit more specific about the British/Irish split and the French/German split, but I realize these populations are probably more mixed than most.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-06-01
Much easier to scroll through your matches
June 1, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The FTDNA matching interface is pretty dull (I’ve taken both FTDNA mtDNA Full Sequence and Y-DNA 111 tests)
When you scroll through the 23andMe matching database you can easily see the other person’s ancestry which is super helpful when it comes to starting a conversation with a match for the first time :-)
I think 23andMe are brilliant, a strong recommendation from me!
Janet
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-06-01
Satisfied
May 16, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was expecting that paternal and maternal lineage sections to be better developed, I was hoping to see the path that my ancestors traced over time but the haplogroup maps are more like snapshots of where the people that share you haplogroup currently live.
As for health, I have a typical risk for most conditions and the few I have an increased risk for I’ve never heard of! Decided not to tempt fate and read about them…
All in all I’m satisfied with 23andMe’s product. It might be over-priced.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-05-16
Worth it for many reasons, education especially
April 23, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I ordered the 23andMe spit kit for my two teenagers and it’s made a big difference to their attitude to science. They’d previously been pretty non-plussed about biology and genetics but it’s been a treat to go through our family history together, relate my and my husband’s heritage to our children’s ethnic mix, and observe the difference in heredity that siblings can have.
If you’re a parent and you’re wondering how you can ignite some sort of interest in science in your kids, I think this kit will do the trick. Also, the interface is super easy to navigate, so that made it a whole lot more enjoyable.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-23
Website is dysfunctional, administration is dismissive and repressive
April 15, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
In November 2015, 23andme divided their website into two sections. The management heavily promoted the newer one as being the “New Experience”. Both sections remain largely dysfunctional after five months with no sign of remediation or reunification of the two. New customers are complaining that their kits are still remaining unprocessed after their having paid $199 and waited for three months. They have received nothing, with no end in sight. 23andme recently banned several members from its discussion forum for voicing complaint and criticism of the administration, citing their dismissive and punitive attitude toward their customers and the imposition of a poorly functioning website. Does this sound like a reputable company to you?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-15
Eyes are open to my past
April 14, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I realize the science is in its infancy but the personal ancestral research this company can conduct using your saliva is very powerful considering
Proud to be Polish!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-14
Highly informative
April 14, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I could go into a great deal of detail, suffice to say, I’m delighted with the information I’ve received
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-14
Fun to take and SO MUCH detail
April 14, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I realized too late that I wouldn’t get the paternal info because I don’t have a Y chromosome
23andMe aren’t too blame, the warnings were plastered all over the site!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-14
Really impressed
April 11, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My mum got a big kick out of this analysis, thanks 23!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-11
Good
April 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Better than Ancestry.com’s genetic add-on
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-04
Thorough and thought provoking
April 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was skeptical when I received a spit kit from my son for Christmas, but after reading the material, I think my dna has been analysed responsibly
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-04
Disappointed
April 3, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The reports I received were of no value, e.g, likely to have wet earwax. WTF? A waste of money for me.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-04-03
Ethnic breakdown is mind-boggling!
March 17, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This company really can unlock the secrets in your cells! I was sure I’d be at least 50% Armenian but I’m 65% French/German!! Where did that come from!?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-03-17
One of a kind
March 8, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The report you get is something else! I highly recommend!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-03-08
Genetic society
March 8, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
We’re moving toward a genetic society and I think 23andMe are doing a tremendous job of building the future for us.
Our genes clearly account for so much about us, and are a key to our past, our ethnicity, our true identity.
I’ve bought two 23andMe tests, one when it was mainly the genetic genealogy features and one four months ago after the health features were included again. I’m happy with the peripheral data they provide and their comprehensive support system and I think we should all be submitting our saliva for testing with 23 to build on their research efforts.
23 are part of tomorrow’s society. They are bringing knowledge to us so that it doesn’t solely remain in the medical realm.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-03-08
Very cool
February 26, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Lots do to on the website when your results come back. The family finder database is choice, very cool function. I have dozens of cousins that I’m emailing, my intention is to add them to my family tree so I’ll post again if this works out.
23andme got my traits right. Got no notion what to do with my drug sensitivities. Not sure it’s something my doctor would want to know about.
I’d say a 4 star experience because $200 is still a lot considering what you can actually do with the output.
Almost forgot, being able to download your own DNA from 23andme is crazy!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-26
Initial review
February 19, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m a major advocate of 23andMe.
We should all be thinking about who we are, where we came from, and what we’re composed of. I hadn’t given DNA a second thought since high school but stepping into my genome with 23andMe has been SO amazing. I was never much interested in science and I’ve been inspired by my mother’s lineage that has been revealed to me.
I think the chromosome interface is genius and seeing aspects of my body (like my green eyes) appearing in the interface just makes me marvel at the science on offer today.
If you’re considering the information inside you then go for it with 23andMe!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-19
My two cents...
February 14, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Dear readers, the time has finally come for us to take control of our biology and 23andMe is the organiastion that will help you do it
FIVE STARS
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-14
Well Organized System
February 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This product was given to me for my birthday. Analysis of my sample was quick, less than a month. The results are fascinating! As an adoptee, any information is welcome. I have been also sharing the results with my students and certainly that facilitates our discussions of the role of genetics in Psychology.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-04
Wonderful and surprising insights
February 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Received 23&me as a gift from my father and couldn’t wait to send out some spit and see what my DNA had to say. Couldn’t be happier or more surprised by my outcomes. Great product I would highly recommend this to family and friends.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-04
Like some of the infomation
February 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
After receiving the report I was a little disappointed in what was contained in the report. I was expecting more medical information and more ancestral information like for instance where did or who is associated with famous people that I am related to
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-04
Confusing at times
February 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have entered data and received some results but do not know how to continue checking in without being asked do I want to purchase.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-04
Reports
February 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Unable to print reports for closer review. Info not what I was expecting.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-04
No value to me
February 4, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Very general information that really was of almost no interest to me whatsoever.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-02-04
Very satisfied
January 19, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I found out a lot of useful information about my genetic data, as well as my ancestral heritage, which was my primary reason for buying this service. I have recommended it to my sister and she is going to purchase a kit, too.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-19
Very informative
January 19, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I learned a lot about where I and my ancestors came from. It confirmed my previous ideas about the origins of my family. I also like the personal information on my genitic makeup. It’s worth the cost in my opinion.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-19
Fascinating results!
January 19, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this specifically for testing my genetic ancestory and was very surprised by the results!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-19
Limited Use
January 19, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Bought and used this in December, received my results fairly quickly but was extremely disappointed in the lack of information provided as well as the website that is geared towards fluff not substance. This product will not tell you if you carry the genes for traits such as blue eyes only that your information was similar to a large pool of others and even this guess of your traits I found to be inaccurate . Very disappointed .
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-19
Not worth the money
January 19, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was disappointed with the lack of information provided in the report.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-19
Not worth the time or money
January 19, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was surprised by the lack information. I can’t think of one thing that was new or interesting in the report. I don’t think it’s worth the money.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-19
Revealed Nothing I Didn't Know
January 19, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Was underwhelmed by DNA findings. I could have guessed my origins and been just as revealing as my results.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-19
One very satisfied customer
January 7, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My thanks for their fabulous report of my ancestry!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-07
23andme = worth buying
January 5, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Hello to all dna testing choices visitors!
I have found the 23andme report to be highly informative. Learning my ethnic percentages is changed my opinion about myself. Reading that my Neanderthal percentage is so low has been good to know. And the carrier status data is truly a life changer. The traits are good but i already know that i metabolise caffeine quickly and other things of the nature.
I am glad i paid for the test, i would recommend it.
Suggs out
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-05
Astounding journey of my ancestors
January 5, 2016
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m astounded by my ancestors’ migration journey over thousands of years! I’m pleased I bought this test, I didn’t think it would be possible to get this sort of information, and it feels like I’ve been given my heritage. I’m learning a lot about my ancestors’ struggles and I would recommend that those reading this test themselves.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2016-01-05
The answer i was always looking for.
December 30, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Being adopted i always wanted to find out some more information regarding my ancestry. This company was able to give that to me. I am so happy i decided to do it. It was well worth every penny.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-30
Not much you don't already know
December 30, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I already knew I was caucasian. I hoped to find more specifically the mixture of European countries my ancestors came from. The carrier statuses shared are of mutation that lead to diseases I have never heard of. To no I am not a carrier of the Maple Syrup urine disease is not that much of a relief. The data was just of low relevance and consequence.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-30
Too hard to navigate
December 30, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I would like hard copies of the info…I would like to know the responsibility of each chromosome…they should break down ancestry. 99.9% Eastern European? That certainly leaves a lot of info unsaid!..I could pretty much figure that out myself
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-30
Waste of money and time
December 30, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My report was too general, I did not learn anything from it. I am so disappointed
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-30
Limited Information
December 30, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
While some of the information was interesting, it really didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-30
Found out I had a half-brother I wasn't aware of!
December 14, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Wow! The last couple of weeks since submitting my DNA to 23 & Me has been interesting, to say the least. I was very surprised to find out that I had a half-brother that I didn’t know about and we’ve been able to make contact and begin a relationship, trying to make up for lost time. Just goes to show, you never know what your going to find when you start looking around your family tree!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-14
Wow
December 14, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I Found out I am French. Didn’t see that coming. Great product.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-14
It's interesting to know what kind of mutt I am...
December 14, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Very interesting to find what ancestry I have. Now I know what makes me…..ME
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-14
Intriguing experience
December 14, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The entire process was timely, uncomplicated and fun! Enjoyed sharing the results with family and friends.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-14
i wished for more
December 14, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It took us two tries with our 3 year old to get enough dna to register. I am sad with the results I guess. It did pull up some relatives but would say 3rd cousin or further relation, that is really a big unknown then. I really dont know what to do with all the reports to be honest.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-14
Would not reommend.
December 14, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
We ordered on a Saturday morning at about 4 am. Within hours we changed our mind and tried to cancel. That’s when problem started. They are intentionally obscure on how to cancel. After several emails and even calling though they were closed we discover a small hidden link to cancel. So we clicked to find out that you only have 60 minutes to cancel due to they already process and shipped order. Seriously shipped at 6am on a Saturday morning?. In any case it is Monday and it still is not shipped. However their customer service is still sending form letters that we will be charged shipping and handling. Buyer Beware!!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-14
Illuminating!
December 3, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I found the 23 and Me results very thorough and very Illuminating!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-03
To Ponder a Great-Hearted Ancestress
December 3, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It is humbling to ponder the magnificent ancestress who was among the very first to venture into what was Northern Europe and beheld the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks to this testing, I know that I come from a long line of innovative and hardy women who found a way or made a way to survive round after round of ice ages. Women — and men — with my bloodline crafted artistry upon cave walls, and were the lifeblood of all that was to become western civilization itself.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-03
Good DNA results but the new website is horrible
December 3, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I like the specificity that comes with the DNA testing – better than the others I have tried – but the new website is clunky and not user friendly at all. I also feel the doubling of the price is completely unwarranted, considering one gets nothing more than one used to get for $99. The old website is MUCH better.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-03
Has Potential But Needs Improvement
December 3, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Overall, I think the price is a bit step and don’t feel like I got good value for dollar. I also think that the 23andme software was not geared to an iPad. I do think 23andme did give me a good broad breakdown of my heritage. But, they didn’t explain their own categoies, like Oceanic, European, East Asain. I felt that was very vague. Then the software asks you what you think your heritage is after they do the “analysis” of your ancestry in broad categories. There is a lot of room for imporvement. But, overall it is almost worthwhile start to doing reseach on your own heritage. I would not use this company as a starting point but as back up reseach. All the communication was done by email and through the iPad. I’m not sure if that in and of itself has limitations.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-12-03
23amd Me
November 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have had this product over a year now and enjoy all the updates and contacts. It is very interesting and pretty easy to follow. I have recommended it to other people and family.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-11-01
Ancestry
November 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I thought that I was mixed with something else. I am Irish, I got the look! Can’t say about the rest, although being for the greater part Northern European. The Celts past through Germany and France. Not sure if I’d shop around for relatives. LOL
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-11-01
Discovery
November 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
For someone who is displaced,ie is living in a place not of your ancesters, it was a light turning on in my brain i have felt different having a sense of my origin, even tho my grandparent were born here
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-11-01
Worth it?
November 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I got this as a present so I don’t know what it cost but what I received was interesting but not enough details or explanations to mean much. Since then, I have endured endless survey questions with no return information. I feel like they are building up an incredible date base of information without giving anything back to me. There was so little explanation with the report that I got back, that I don’t really know what it means other than I’m of Northern European descent and I told them that!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-11-01
Disappointed
November 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It would have been good to know that as a female, I would receive NOTHING regarding my father’s side. How does this HELP?! I’ve got my mother’s side and that’s only half of the story. If I had known, I wouldn’t have ordered. Also viewing the results is VERY difficult. I believe 23andMe is a credible company and I trust their results, but if you only get half the story and can’t understand the results, it is useless.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-11-01
It is difficult to navigate.
October 30, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I bought this a month age, I received my lab results fairly quickly but, when I tried to get in touch with relatives it was difficult. Certain areas called for a kit number which I did not receive. I tried to find my kit number on every page but could not find it.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-10-30
Not well done
October 30, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
You should print it and send it. I can’t get mine to print. It’s to hard to understand
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-10-30
not sure
October 12, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I think I need to get into the program more but I’m not sure it is relevant to what I’m doing.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-10-12
Ancestry
October 12, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I find this product very interesting with all the information they give. So much I had know idea about.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-10-12
Awesome
October 12, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I love all the information. The only thing I’d like is that 23&me could break my ancestry down between English and Scottish. I’d like to know how much of my genetic value is Scottish versus English.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-10-12
Thought provoking!
October 12, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It’s odd to say, but I really enjoyed the process of answering the questions. I thought longer and harder about the questions than I had before, even when I was consulting with a professional. I have referred my whole family.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-10-12
Waste of money
October 11, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This test is good only if interested in your ancestors prior to 200+ years ago. Waste of $99 in my opinion.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-10-11
Absolutely love this
September 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
For me, this has been awesome value for money, I can’t wait to see what other types of DNA test I can take with 23andMe – when will they offer genetic therapies!?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-20
Fun and interesting
September 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was curious about what I was made up of in terms of ancestry. It was a fun thing to do. Sharing the results with others was an eye opener or them too!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-20
truth??
September 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
For me, I am nothing I was raised to believe, and I will probably never find blood relatives.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-20
Flawed Report
September 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I am disappointed about the vagueness of the report and would appreciate a few clarifications: – The report shows an 87.1% European segment in the overall composition; out of this 46.3% is “Balkan”, 10.3% “broadly Southern European“and 10.5% broadly European; they should be more specific, for example, the Balkans area of Europe has a multitude of ethnic groups: Greeks, Macedonians, Bulgar, Turks, Tartars, Serbs, Croats, Romanians, Albanians and I am sure I am missing a few. What does “broadly” mean??? – The report also shows 3.1% “unassigned”; what does this mean??? – In several areas of the report there are statements that state “comparison to 23andme users”; why is this? I believe the comparison should be done versus a global data base; they should explain.
I am having this strong feeling that the work they performed is more to the “talk show” relevance whereas I was expecting a more “expert level” of results., or at least a lot more precise determination of ancestry composition, not mentioning the fact that your designation of these results is“speculative”.
I’ve been in contact with them and would be very grateful if they could prove me wrong. If not I am afraid I should have spent this hundred dollars on a fortune teller.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-20
Have had a really good connection to others kin
September 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have found 2 and 3 cousins I never know before and my family can also look at my page . Thanks 23 for you help
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-20
Interesting information but how to print?
September 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I received this as gift and find it fascinating, but I cannot find a way to print anything, except for going through “print screen” which is not at all satisfactory. Am I missing someting?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-20
Excellent Product
September 20, 2015
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The most thorough product on the market. Would highly recommend.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-20
Disappointing
September 16, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m glad to know so many reviewers had good results, but I certainly did not. My results were not correct, according to years of genealogy work and other the DNA tests that have confirmed my family research.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-16
awsome
September 8, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
pretty amazing the secrets kept within each human being! AND that science can do what it does so efficiently.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-08
23andme Hits it Out of the Park
September 8, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Learned very much about my DNA, including the surprise that I had any DNA at all. 23andme says, “Yes, you do have DNS,” so I have to take their word for it, Actually, I was surprised to learn I didn’t have some of the European Tribal DNA I thought I had. I have more Neanderthal DNA than I thought I would have, so I am now searching for a new house with a legitimate Man Cave. My wife says its fine, as long as I don’t try to drag her around the house by her hair. So thanks 23andme for all the fun DNA facts. I was hoping for winning lottery numbers, but I know you did the best job possible. Thanks.. .
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-08
Thought I was 1/3 German!!
September 8, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Was so sure that I was part German – my father’s last name and mother’s maiden name are both German! Love that I’m 65% Irish!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-08
Easy to understand
September 8, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Fun , educational.. Good tool for a family tree history
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-08
The ability to know about relatives.
September 8, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Got as a gift, and love finding more about relatives.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-08
Interesting, Informative & Detailed.
September 8, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It is a great piece of research and information. I have only one comment – that they should provide a collated information specific to the person dealing with all the aspects in .pdf kind of a format that someone may download & save for leisurely reading at a later date.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-08
great exploration fun
September 8, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
very interesting to read and fascinating to following ,,,have talked to people and they are interested in checking out
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-08
Not User friendly
September 7, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have not found this information very helpful. And I also wonder about its accuracy.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-09-07
Astonished by results
August 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I am glad to announce that I did receive my result package today. I am very impress with the overall presentation of the results and will most likely be ordering another set and or sets to give to family members in the very near future hoping that they too will be so astonished. Thanks to the team behind it.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-20
New Friends and information
August 19, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It has been so exciting to find so many people with the possibility of being a relative. I am finding names that are connected with my family that I never heard of before but fill in a lot of blanks. So many have responded to me that are just as eager to help me as they are for me to share with them. Even though my family has collected a LOT of family history over many years, I am glad I started this search on 23andMe.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-19
Great service and technology
August 19, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Really impressive results . I was able to find couple of relatives that I never thought existed.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-19
Great graphics, but
August 19, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My daughter bought me a subscription to 23 and Me for Father’s Day. She was excited about the experience and wanted me to join in. I have already used Ancestry for DNA and received a basic report and some possible connections. I completed the sample and then received my report. I was disappointed when the report came back that I did not have a direct relative. I have no doubt about being the father of my daughter, she will be fifty in November. I did not have the heart to tell share this error with her. Perhaps you can double check your results.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-19
More fun than I expected!
August 19, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My husband bought the 23andMe kit as a birthday gift for me, primarily because I was so curious about the Neanderthal component of my DNA. That part of experience has been somewhat underwhelming, because all I really got was a number. I would love more information about the specific parts of my genome that are Neanderthal derived and what that might mean. I probably haven’t got any Denisovan DNA, but it would be great to know that as well.
But the family ancestry aspect of my data has been much more engrossing than I expected. I find myself playing around with the features nearly every night since I’ve gotten my results, which is a couple of weeks now. I hope more features will be added in future and I look forward to the expansion of the 23andMe database.
I also have been very excited about participating in research. I think there’s great potential here for understanding how nucleotides become traits. I hope 23andMe continues its support of genetic research.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-19
All the information i needed to know.
August 19, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
This is amazing. Medical technology is a miracle . I have always felt different from the people I grew up around and now I know why. I only wished I could have it in print .
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-19
poor information
August 10, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I didn’t get much information from this 99 dollar service. The only things that I deem useful was a general conclusion about where my parents come from, and the composition of my ancestry.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-10
great site
August 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
loved the way the results are communicated and I believe it to be 100% accurate.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-09
Pretty unique
August 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It’s amazing to find out what you are ethnically. Parents tell us what they know which now I find out wasn’t exactly accurate. How cool to find the truth.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-09
Mystery Solved!
August 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I finally know who my father is. This has been a life changing event and there are no words that would adequately describe how grateful I am for 23&Me.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-09
Neanderthal Perspective 23andme.com
August 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I had no idea what to expect when I ordered my test kit. The website and emails from 23andme.com overdeliver the data. I discovered that some of my genetics contain Neanderthal and I am in the 75th percentile. The connections that were sent to me via e-mail connected me with numerous DNA relative connection opportunities. Stll much research to do, but I am satisfied with my purchase.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-09
very confusing
August 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Difficult to navigate the system. I was disappointed , I still don’t know my ethnicity
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-09
Best results yet
August 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I first used another provider for DNA testing. It was not on the mark and some results really had me scratching my head. This product was much more accurate with the ancestry I was aware of on my maternal line. Discovering how much Neanderthal I had, 2.8%, far exceeded my expectations. This product confirmed what I had long suspected. 100% European and with ancestry as old as dirt!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-09
23&me DNA
August 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
DNA submitted to 23&me has put me in touch with more relatives than other sites.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-09
Great for genealogy
August 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It has been fascinating to learn about my genome with 23 and me. The ancestry analysis has surprised me, but the most gratifying part has been contacting DNA relatives. I have since gotten many family members to take the test to further triangulate cousins. It’s so much fun!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-09
Not worth it
August 5, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I am a bit disappointed in the result. I felt I should hv received a more detailed report. Not just a region of 6 possible countries I could be from but maybe one or2. I know what I already knew before I took the test so I didn’t find out anything I didn’t know
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-08-05
uneventful
July 19, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I didn’t really learn anything. I knew my family came from Europe, but was hoping to get a more detailed account of exactly where they came from. I spent a decent amount of money and didn’t learn much.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-07-19
Extremely interesting
July 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have had my results through and it is very interesting and I have really enjoyed looking things up finding out where I came from. I think it does open up a lot of questions and I would like to know more information, also if there was someone you could speak to who could explain it all to you that would be great
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-07-09
I recommend this test
July 3, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’ve really enjoyed the experience and no money can pay for what I am discovering
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-07-03
Brilliant.
June 26, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Best £120 I have spent over recent years.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-06-26
Sceptical
June 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Thought I’d learn something I didn’t already know!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-06-20
Great service
June 7, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I felt well informed during the period the test kit was in transit and being processed. I particularly like the website and being able to explore most features prior to buying a kit. I hope the USA authorities allow 23andMe to publish more of the health data.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-06-07
Absolutely Fascinating
June 7, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I originally purchased a kit as a gift for my daughter, we were so intrigued by her results and wanted to know what she had inherited from which parent. Her father is Greek and I have always been told I was English/Irish with a bit of French. We discovered she has more Italian than Greek and almost all my heritage is Northern Europe, similar to what I was told. However, the Health info for both of us is so very similar and gave us some surprising information. Lots of ahh! moments and a couple of funny ones too
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-06-07
Something's wrong.
June 6, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I do not and would not recommend 23andme. Some results were known previously and still came back wrong. I expected better for $99. And was horribly disappointed.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-06-06
Really informative
May 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I purchased this as a present for my sisters birthday, and ordered myself one at same time. My kit was delayed en route, but Customer Services were excellent and expedited my results so I was not disadvantaged. As for my actual results : I’m very happy to know my medical results, and equally pleased to have my ancestry set out clearly. Delighted, of course, with my Neanderthal percentage!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-05-20
Worth every penny!
May 19, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
As someone else said, probably the best £125 I’ve spent all year. From the moment I registered my kit, to tracking my sample along the way and then receiving my results, I’ve enjoyed every step of the intriguing journey! I’ve found 23andme to be completely professional and the website extremely informative. I can only think that the critics were perhaps expecting too much? We were never promised diagnostics for every disease known to man and the website explains this. I researched other DNA testing sites, and they weren’t offering half as much for the money. Keep up the good work!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-05-19
interesting results
May 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Have learned some interesting things about me and already found a relative the other side of the world!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-05-09
Really informative
May 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Quite simply the best £125 I’ve spent this year. Fascinating
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-05-09
Great info
May 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
wanted to know more about my ancesters, and this test gave me all I needed to know. it has also given me more relatives, with their ancester’s names and places. With this info I am now working with some of them to find our connection.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-05-09
Great insight into genetic heritage
May 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Great product, took about 6 weeks from posting to get the first round of results and a further week to activate the genetic relatives functions.
Information relating to ancestry is detailed, easy to understand and visualised with pretty graphics.
Genetic risk factor / trait data is nicely comprehensive, with plenty of accessory information and links to the literature describing how the links were discovered.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-05-01
It might even save your life !
May 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I discovered that I am a carrier of one copy of a snp variation that could cause problems coming round after anaesthetic. It was worth the cost just for that piece of information. Now I can warn doctors if ever I need surgery.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-05-01
Health and Ancestry.
April 29, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Wow well i was really impressed with this and im glad i purchased it. Its great to finally know about myself. Try it for yourself you wont be disappointed. Cheers 23andme.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-29
The information will surprise you!
April 26, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
So pleased that I decided to go ahead with this. The results were surprising and the ancestry feature has allowed me to get in touch with distant relatives I had no idea about. Highly fascinating. The health DNA was so interesting, what person wouldn’t want to know more about themselves and their family history!! Thank you 23 and me!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-26
DNA Facebook?!
April 25, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Am worried that I have signed up for a DNA Facebook. I would like to have been informed that I had no way of tracing my paternal line being that I am female. A little disappointed in that I have no more information regarding my genetic roots than I had before
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-25
Amazing
April 20, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I enjoy technologies that are unique to our times and this is one of them. Joining 23andme has opened up a new world – being from the UK I had no idea how many of my relatives had made it to the USA and Canada. It’s great to greet them and try and work out what the connection is. The data can be downloaded and used on other sites, it’s fascinating to see which SNPs are associated with health conditions and drug responses.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-20
Five Stars
April 18, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I liked the super-supportive process as well as the fascinating results. It was so interesting to get some detailed background on my family’s heritage, which fleshed out the paper-based research that one of my cousins had done.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-18
VERY cool.
April 14, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Couldn’t be happier with the money I spent with 23andMe. I’d read some positive reviews about them online so took the plunge – and the information they supply is just incredible. Everyone should know what their DNA says about them, and I’m doing my bit because I just ordered an extra three kits for members of my family.
It’s about ancestry but much much more on top. I learned a whole bunch of stuff like this:
1) I am a quarter Latvian – this was an early ‘proof of tech’ because my gran was born there.
2) I have over 1,000 cousins
3) I can access a map showing locations of relatives, which facilitates contact if both parties have opted in
4) I have luckily escaped breast cancer genes
5) One of my genetic mutations lowers cholesterol and therefore risk of heart disease
6) I have the mthfr mutation and after doing some research have tailored my diet accordingly
7) A double mutation means that I have particular difficulty getting enough vitamin b12, so I can now increase intake and monitor levels with my GP
8) Since taking the test I have noticed reports about DNA/genetics more and more, and now realize that I can just log in to 23andMe to check if I carry something I just heard about… amazing.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-14
Review
April 13, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Has been fun, and interesting to find out I have bits I did not know I had and not what I thought I did.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-13
Both Ancestry & Medical, the results are great.
April 13, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
If you want ancestry or medical history answers, then look no further.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-13
Great experience
April 13, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It is everything and more that I expected. I haven’t had time to explore it in depth but what I have seen so far is engaging and exciting.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-13
Interesting to know where ancestors came from
April 13, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It is so interesting to know where your ancestors lived. It turns out that my paternal ancestry is one hundred per cent European, majority from northern Europe, and most of that from Ireland and Britain. The maternal side traces back to an area around the Caspian Sea, which has triggered some frenetic online searching to learn more about that area. I’m now starting to track down some unknown ancestors in the UK.
This, despite the fact that I am apparently 2.4 per cent neanderthal!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-13
Fantastic!
April 13, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Now that I know I am 3.2% Neandrathal and .7% West African everyone finds me more interesting! Seriously, I have been contacted by cousins if all ethnicities and am enjoying solving DNA puzzles!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-13
Easier to do than interpret
April 13, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The kit arrived in good time and was easy to use. I was notified when the results were ready but it has taken me quite a while to try and understand how to interpret them and to know who, from the long list of ‘relatives’ it might be worth trying to contact. I keep hoping that someone who understands it better than me might contact me first!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-13
Fantastic results
April 12, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
As I am adopted I was desperate for some answers and tried DNA testing before to no avail so decided one more go. Was amazingly surprised at the results and outcomes still on a voyage of discovery here. Thank you well done
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-12
A Christmas gift from my son in San Francisco.
April 12, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It was a bit of fun initially and I had hoped my other family members would partake also. Having done this in the USA no health information was forthcoming and in retrospect I feel this might be a good thing as without further support any disclosures could be traumatic especially as some things are not treatable and could cause great distress.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-12
Worth every penny
April 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The wait was excruciating, but it was well within the stated guidelines. No surprises in my ancestry results, but that’s no bad thing. My health results were a godsend — I did not inherit my mother’s nasty kidney disorder! It would appear the V4 chip skips some SNPs that the V3 chip checks, but I can live with that. Would definitely recommend (in fact, I’m buying one for my brother).
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-04-09
Extremely happy
March 24, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I purchased 23andMe last year.
The online graphs are wonderful – it’s been such a pleasure to share our family heritage and ethnic diversity with my grandson, by looking at the DNA analysis provided.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-03-24
Magnificent data
March 17, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m deeply proud of my ancestral roots and its wonderful to have 23andMe confirm my heritage. The materials are wonderfully evocative and I now have quite an enthusiasm for tracing my ancestry further.
Thanks 23andMe for encouraging me to take the first step
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-03-17
Life Changing
March 17, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
When tracking down my father who I never met, I saw 23andme and thought I would give it a shot as I had nothing else to lose. I had no expectations and I knew this site couldn’t relocate my father but what happened was just amazing. After I got my results through, I automatically saw relatives from 2-3 cousin. One of them contacted me and we have both narrowed it down to where he lives and we are related through his side. We are still researching but for the first time in my life I am going to find my dad. Totally life changing!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-03-17
Good information
March 17, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Would have liked to know more about each result. Not just typical reaction.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-03-17
A lot of goble de gook !
March 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have failed big time to understand your website and terminology, can it be rephrased to make life simple for idiots like me ? All I need is to track my ancestors back a few hundred years for the sake of my sons and grandsons.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-03-09
Every home should have one!
March 5, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I am delighted with the information that is available – now my husband is having a test and my daughter and friends are keen too. It’s provided a whole new aspect to my hobby of genealogy and new contact from family. Thank you 23andMe!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-03-05
Overall information
March 5, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I was intrigued, and hugely excited at the prospect of discovering my distant ancestry. However, apart from learning that I had 2.5% Neanderthal ancestry I wasn’t able to gather much more information – it was too vague and general, mostly set out in specialist lists, and could have applied (it appeared to me) to anyone.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-03-05
Very impressed - with one reservation.
March 5, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
The DNA collection kit was very easy to follow and I was surprised to get my results relatively quickly as I live in the UK. The website has lots of information on it. Setting up your profile is a little confusing as there are a lot of questions to answer and consider. My reservation is this……..I have found a first cousin match (paternal). He has not replied to my message. It is very frustrating as I am trying to piece my paternal ancestry together. There needs to be a system of delivering messages to close family members so that the sender can be informed the recipient has definitely received the message. Perhaps there should be an intermediary service as there is in post adoption contact. I would be happy to pay for such a service.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-03-05
Review
February 17, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I am happy to find some info about myself however, it is very difficult to understand for ordinary person medical phrases and other, far too, intellectual explanations. Also, most of info is just a guess, that’s a big big disappointment.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-02-17
Disappointed with returns policy
February 14, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Did not like the customer service from 23andMe. I ordered four products for each member of my family – father, mother and two kids. However we only used two of the kits because the children are biological and not adopted, and we asked for a refund. Unfortunately we were outside the 30-day returns window and could not get anything back. For a company with so much hype to be petty with customers like that was very annoying.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-02-14
23andme review
February 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m never taken a dna test before but I sense evaluating our genetic code is going to be commonplace within a few years – I think the 23andme results and family database are very powerful (and are totally accurate for my ancestors and ethnic blend) – I hope 23andme add to their reporting as i’m keen to know more
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-02-01
Absolutely awesome
February 1, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Money well spent!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-02-01
A very cool gift...
January 16, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Hello!
Test is lots of fun, a gratefully received present! If 23andMe are reading, I wanted to share a few points:
- Difficult to compare my paternal haplogroup with the celebrities listed, and links to who they were would have been useful! (maybe these are mainly US celebrities?) I have to say it’s quite sweet that other customers are trying to find others in their haplogroup
- I wouldn’t look at the phylogenetic tree section again, that’s clearly for experts only
- Neanderthal results were fun too but this is obviously ridiculous because it’s meaningless information
My final thought – I could see I had lots of 3rd to 6th cousins, but I thought I’d be a bit mad to actually try to contact them!
RP Sissons
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-01-16
It's going to invite questions from your mother!
January 16, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
It’s amazing that you can know someone’s ancestry through their genes. My great grandmother on my mother’s side was Jewish, so when 23andMe showed I was 1.8% Ashkenazi Jewish, this is exactly what I expected! When I looked more closely at this result, there was a figure showing the sample size used for this calculation (1200). Clicking back to the result showing I was 72% British and Irish, the calculation was also around 1200. I have to say it’s a bit weird that there are as many Jews used in these calculations as British and Irish!
Spoke to my mother about this for about 45 minutes. She was intrigued and ordered one too.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-01-16
feedback
January 16, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
not sure about this report. wouldn’t all americans have european ancestry? Is there such a thing as american ancestry!?
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-01-16
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION BY PHONE
January 15, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I have called twice to get more information and twice when I asked specifically if the test would identify my ancestry….they terminated the call.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-01-15
Very Interesting!
January 9, 2015
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Very interesting – Fascinating even! But from a genealogical research viewpoint, not much more than a conversation piece, due to the non-provision of DYS numbers. Seems to me that we ‘punters’ are helping to add to their research data without them returning the favour to those of us engaged in genealogical research! This ought to be made clear in the promotional literature. In short; “Very Interesting but also quite Disappointing!!!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2015-01-09
23andme
December 18, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
super cool, loads of information, im 5.3% neandethal which explains why im so ******* good at football. now im interested i want to know more, bring on 23andme 2! lol
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-12-18
$99 to find out I'm from Europe
December 8, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
thanks for nothing
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-12-08
The Results
November 25, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I am totally impressed so far! What I reasonably expected was my personal ancestral route traced for me. What I have recieved is a wealth of research and knowledge. They've done a great job for me and they've earned my support.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-11-25
DNA Review
November 21, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
A wicked product! Lovely people and detailed results which are easy to read
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-11-21
Review
November 16, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
An excellent test, I’d recommend it.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-11-16
Genetic Genealogy Review
November 6, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Review for 23 and Me:
This was a really special experience for my mother and I. We traced our ancestry to a limited extent using Family Tree DNA but their service was just too complex for us.
23 and Me reported my heritage in a much more digestible style, and mum and I have had a lot of fun using the interface, exploring the reports, and emailing our living relatives.
I hope 23 and Me have some upgrades around the corner as I’d like to see what they’ll report on next.
Thank you
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-11-06
Illuminating, and fun!
October 15, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
My daughter bought me a 23andMe spit kit and I spent a very enjoyable few hours going through the results.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-10-15
Outstanding value
September 29, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
I’m a complete genetic beginner – I was looking for a gift for my Dad and I came across 23andMe, thought I’d try it myself first and loved it. The charts are really smart and I’ve definitely learned some surprising things about my family. I also found out I have a few 2nd cousins in the US but I’ll leave it to my Dad to contact them. Am trying to get my gf to do one so we can play with the inheritance calculator!
$99 is a good deal for this.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-09-29
Love it Love it Love it
August 7, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Took ages but very cool
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-08-07
23andMe recommendation
August 6, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
No complaints, got everything I wanted from the reports.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-08-06
23andMe DNA test
July 21, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
Delivery to the UK is expensive but this test is definitely worth it. There are loads of features, you even see a list of famous people that share their ancestry with your Mum and Dad’s side of the family. The diagrams showing the various countries that your DNA comes from is also very smart.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-07-21
Worth it!
June 24, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
After doing some web research I bought the 23andMe DNA test for my partner and myself. Lots of fun to take, you just spit.
We absolutely loved the results. The graphs and charts are really cool, especially the Ancestry Composition chart which gives you a breakdown of where your DNA is from. My partner’s results were as you’d expect for a Caucasian male, but I couldn’t believe that 13.2% of my DNA is East Asian!
One thing I would say is that it doesn’t help you understand why your DNA comes from different regions around the world. It would have been neat to see how far back I picked up my Asian DNA, and which family members I inherited it from.
There was a section that told us the famous celebrities that were in our ancestral groups. Fun to know but wasn’t very meaningful.
Was fascinating to see the percentage of our DNA that we’ve inherited from Neanderthals, especially as my partner has twice as much as me!
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-06-24
23andMe Ancestry Test
May 18, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis & Family Finder
First up, the results showed I was 100% European as expected, and that I had British and Irish roots which our family lore confirms. The maternal and paternal maps were amazing. They basically show where all your mother and father’s genetic groups lived before people started migrating around the place, so you can see where your ancestors eventually migrated to after leaving Africa.
Loved the neanderthal DNA infographic which showed I’ve inherited more than average! I’ve convinced my parents to take the 23andMe DNA test too as I’m keen to see which side of the family I got my neanderthal DNA from, and I think they’d get a kick out of it.
The database showed I had literally hundreds of cousins around the world and was interesting to see where they all ended up. Felt they were a bit too distant to be worth contacting though.
From looking around, I’d say this test is super value for money.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-05-18
DNA test
May 3, 2014
Combined Paternal & Maternal Analysis
Really bright and interesting, I'm definitely glad I got this. Not sure I'd get it for my kids, maybe on their 18th birthday.
23andMe review by a DNA Testing Choice user2014-05-03