23andMe VS African Ancestry
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After making the initial decision to explore your ancestry and genetic origins, you are faced with a multitude of nuances, separating one ancestry DNA testing company from the next. African Ancestry and 23andMe are both excellent choices for the task at hand, but one will certainly come out on top once you identify your specific needs and expectations. Their services, although high-quality and professional, differ in small but important aspects, even though they seemingly do the same thing. Our comparison will help you spot those differences between African Ancestry and 23andMe, allowing you to make an optimal and fully personalized choice.
Highlights
African Ancestry was founded in 2003 in order to help individuals with African origins explore their paternal and maternal lineages and follow their ancestry up to 2,000 years in the past.
- Experienced team with solid background in genetics/genealogy
- Company focused on African paternal and maternal heritage
- The largest database of African lineages on the market
- Price: $299.00
- Shipping:Unknown
23andMe is one of the most popular direct-to-customer DNA testing services that provides users with extremely accurate health and ancestry screening options performed in top-of-the-line labs.
- 50+ ancestry estimates down to the 0.1% with 1,500+ regions
- 80+ health reports, FDA-cleared testing kit, raw data download
- CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited processing laboratories
- Price: $99.00
- Shipping:Worldwide (Not Available In All Countries)
Compare Features
Tests
African Ancestry offers the following ancestry DNA testing solutions:
- MatriClan
- PatriClan
The results explore your potential African heritage through your direct maternal or paternal lineage.
Sample Collection Type
Cheek Swab
Genetic Markers Checked
Unknown
Geographic Regions Covered
40
Ancestral Makeup Report
Paternal Lineage
Maternal Lineage
Neanderthal Percentage
Native American DNA Coverage
Jewish DNA Coverage
Cousin matching
Database Size
33,000
Family Tree Integration
Chromosome Browser
Health Report
Average Result Time
6-8 Weeks
Research Participation
Raw Data Upload
Raw Data Download
Technology
Unknown
Privacy and Security
African Ancestry collects quite a bit of data throughout its testing process and it also logs your IP address, browser type, ISP, and other information.
Tests
23andMe offers the following ancestry DNA testing solutions:
- Ancestry Service
- Health + Ancestry Service
With Ancestry Service, you receive an overview of your ethnic percentages, ancestry timeline, haplogroups, and Neanderthal DNA percentage in your final report. If you opt for the second option, your final report will also include health-related results.
Sample Collection Type
Saliva
Genetic Markers Checked
570,000+
Geographic Regions Covered
150 Worldwide Regions
Ancestral Makeup Report
Paternal Lineage
Maternal Lineage
Neanderthal Percentage
Native American DNA Coverage
Jewish DNA Coverage
Cousin matching
Database Size
2,000,000
Family Tree Integration
Chromosome Browser
Health Report
Average Result Time
6-8 Weeks
Research Participation
Raw Data Upload
Raw Data Download
Technology
Illumina OmniExpress
Privacy and Security
23andMe stores your personal info separately from your genetic material for complete anonymity. The company will never share or sell your personal or genetic info without your explicit consent. It will use your data for research purposes, however, as aggregated data cannot be used to positively identify you as an individual. To keep your connection with its website safe, 23andMe uses SSL technology and follows the latest security standards in the industry.
Compare Ratings
Scope Of DNA Test(s)
Test Processing Times
Privacy & Security
Value For Money
Overall Experience
Scope Of DNA Test(s)
Test Processing Times
Privacy & Security
Value For Money
Overall Experience
Compare User Reviews
- Submitted By Claudester Stephens on 07/14/2019Both I and my brother took the test at the same time. I took the MartiClan and my brother took the PatriClan. My mother's maternal genetic ancestry is from Guinea-Bissau. My brother's paternal genetic ancestry said he is from Korea. How can that be. I wish that had explained that more. How does Korean and African ancestry combine.? Were some Koreans brought to Africa?
- Submitted By Michael Henderson on 05/11/2019I think African Ancestry is still a work in progress. First of all I wanted to use this co. Because I’m a person of African decent. I found the process initially to be pretty routine. But because of the cost of the test I had very high expectation. I received the kit within a week or so of ordering the test. I returned the test kit around a day or so after receiving the kit. To my surprise it took around two months or more for me to get the results. I received my kit. In the mail on 2/13/19 and sent it in again in about two to three day turn around. I didn’t receive my results in the mail until 5/11/19. To say the least I was extremely disappointed in the turn around time! When I got the result I did learn I received Maternal lineage and I was looking for paternal lineage info.? i didn’t seem to have a choice on this.! Overall I didn’t see the value in this investment of almost $300. In my opinion although I gain some knowledge it was not what I expected!!! Thank You! MLH
- Submitted By Natasha on 03/08/2019Negative Five stars for African Ancestry. (I have also used two other Ancestry/dna testing companies.) I began the process with the company in September 2018. I was told they needed to do a recollection in December 2018. It is March 2019 and I still have NOTHING from this company... NOTHING. Upon making a call for the status of my results, I was met with rude, condescending laughter and sarcasm. African Ancestry needs to do better. The company wants the business, but opts to treat it’s African descended clientele like garbage. This is not the way to advance and claim distinction as an African focused business.
- Submitted By Tequilla Brown on 11/07/2018This has be an overwhelming experience for me and my family. My husband had his DNA tested before me. We found out that we share the same results for our Matriclan which is 100% Native American. I look forward to finding out more information on my Native side of the family. I really wish that there was more information as to which tribe I belong to. Big thanks to African Ancestry for making this site available.
- Submitted By Annette Glendenning on 10/12/2019I first found this through the one and only Dr. Ben Lynch who specializes and is the pioneer in the study of our Methylation system. I got a wealth of information regarding my MTRR mutation and explains why my B12 was always so incredibly low. Also, I found a mutation in which 60% of Vitamin A can not be absorbed which answers the question of "why my eyes are deteriorating" and my skin doesn't heal very well. Lastly, I received an email letting me know that they added a new gene test called the APOE mutation which detects and rates Alzheimer's disease and its alleles. My mother passed from Alzheimer's and it's still alarming to me that I have APOE 4 and APOE3 alleles. YIKES! Time to be super Proactive in my diet and lifestyle. 23andme also couples with Ben Lynch with Stratagene, an amazingly easy to read break down of all your problematic SNPs. Thank you so very much for everything, I got everything I needed to know and more.
- Submitted By Sir Francis Baron Von Ross. on 03/19/2019After my stepfather passed away as he was the only father who I knew growing up I did the 23andme DNA to see if I had family or cousins on my real fathers side. I was shocked to learn I had so many people related to me. Everyone was so excited at first but then that faded very fast. Then I found 1st cousins and was great but then they did not bother to talk with me and realized I was not welcomed on my real fathers side. I am all by myself now since no one cares about me. It's a shame that people just don't care if they hurt a person. All I can say is you may be hurt by others but doing the 23andme DNA sure was great.
- Submitted By Walt Jenner on 01/16/2019I did the 23andme test and I found it simple to perform and easy to read the results. After submitting my saliva, it took about 4 weeks to process. I did this around the Christmas holiday, so they were perhaps running a little slower than they would during the summer. I didn't expect to see any "family secrets" revealed, so that wasn't a reason for me to take the test. However, my results DID reveal a family secret: my Aunt is my half-aunt. Whoops! So even if you don't expect to see family secrets, remember that you might reveal one. I wish the 23andme web site would pool "matching relatives" into groups so I can more easily determine which side of the family all the relative matches are from. Sure, it'd be easy if I had my entire family take the test, but many are deceased. And with a surprise half-aunt in the picture, I don't want to ask anyone.
- Submitted By Anna Bennett on 09/02/2018My daughter bought me this test and I was amazed (to say the least) to learn of my origins! It looks like I'm mostly from Europe. Fascinating!
Winner
23andMe is an impressive DNA testing provider featuring a staggering user count, paired with cutting-edge tools for chromosome browsing, biogeographical ancestry analysis, and health-related results. Read all about this exceptional service in our detailed 23andMe review.