Genetics Digest aims to provide you with helpful information about DNA analysis and Genome Technology advancements. We are affiliated with CRI Genetics.
Dear Reader,
If you're here, then you've felt The Pull...
That whisper from within telling you there's more to your story.
Imagine finding a hidden doorway to the forgotten chapters of your story...
Through this door lies the TRUTH about who you are — where you come from and what legacies run through your veins.
Through this door, your place in human history waits to be revealed.
Remember all the old family legends you heard from parents and grandparents? Imagine bringing them to life with the real history holding the roots of those stories together.
Or do you feel like all those old stories barely scratch the surface of what you want to know? Do you have a restless itch to learn more about those who came before you? How those pioneers, dreamers, and fighters contributed to YOUR identity?
With the power of advanced DNA testing, you can do more than scratch that itch. You can transform it into a powerful sense of belonging. You can shine a light on the missing pieces of your family's past. You can connect with relatives you never knew existed.
When you finally hold your full story in your hands...
The breakdown of your ancestry...
The origins of your history...
And the chapters held by long-lost relatives...
You won't just satisfy your curiosity. You'll build a legacy that lasts for generations.
Ready to complete your puzzle and embrace YOUR narrative? A cutting-edge DNA test awaits — along with your ancestors and the answers you seek.
Best of all, you're not alone in this journey. There are millions of other heritage explorers like you. Some of them may be part of your story, and you may be part of theirs.
Are you ready to join them and decode the messages your ancestors left behind for you?
The DNA market doubled in 2021—
for the 5th year in a row
It's no surprise that DNA tests are in high demand. The things you learn from them are irresistible:
5 Things You Can Learn From DNA Testing
Frustrated by limited access to only recent documents? Many ancestry tests allow you to trace your family history back much farther than traditional genealogy records. A select few even give you deeper detail about your family history.
Feeling a sense of emptiness? You can also use your DNA to figure out where you and your family came from. With more advanced tests, you can even find out WHEN your family arrived in certain locations.
Lacking direction to find yourself? On top of these first two benefits, digging into your family history and ancestry enables you to find out more about who you are personally.
Worried about the genetic legacies left you by your ancestors? While the main draw is ancestry, you can also use DNA testing to uncover important health information. The best DNA tests will enable you to gain insights into a new wellness routine, and even learn about what traits you inherited from your parents.
Often sense you're alone and separated from the world? The communities you can build with some ancestry testing are incredible. You may discover relatives you didn't know you had, or countries you didn't know your family may have originated from, even royal dynasties you're descended from. The possibilities are endless.
How Do You Know Which DNA Test is Right for You?
With so many people clamoring to get their hands on the benefits listed above, more and more DNA testing companies have been rising to meet them.
Each DNA test has different strengths and weaknesses, and according to Kantar Media, the advertising spend by two of the biggest players in the market - Ancestry and 23andMe - now amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars a year to make sure you've heard of them.1
That's why we've compiled 3 of the most popular DNA tests, along with user reviews and criteria.
First, let's get started on the 3 Essential Tips You Must Know Before Buying a DNA Test…
3 Essential Tips You Must Know Before Buying a DNA Test
Tip #1: Buy from a Company That Cares.
Your data is always protected
Some brands have a great marketing team with a massive advertising budget. You might see/hear their ads everywhere. That's because they're spending millions to make sure you've heard of them.
Despite the great marketing, some of those companies aren't backed by leading geneticists. Instead, some of the biggest ancestry companies are owned in part by pharmaceutical giants or data companies.
The best genetics companies are 100% privately owned, meaning they don't answer to corporate investors. Instead, they answer to you, the customer. Look for a company renowned for their customer service and professional pedigree.
Tip #2: Find a Test That Reveals When and Where Your Ancestors Appeared.
View your ancestors' migrations
One of the most common complaints we see from ancestry customers is that their results "fall flat"—you get a basic pie chart breakdown of where your ancestors are from, but a disappointing amount of information about how or why you got those results. And we all know that ancestry is more than just a bunch of boring percentages.
The best DNA tests feature an Ancestry Timeline that tells you not only where your ancestors are from, but also when they got there, enabling you to form a clearer, fuller picture of your family history. These top-quality tests give you the best of both worlds of broad genetic results and deeper ancestry detail.
Tip #3: Follow the Science and the Genetic Experts.
Led by accredited
Ph.D. genetic scientists
On a similar note to our #1 tip, you don't want to go for the loudest, flashiest DNA brand—instead, look for true experts in the field of genetics. After all, you want highly qualified scientists and researchers handling your DNA. Fortunately, the best DNA companies' science teams are headed by genetic experts, who have literally decades of experience in the genetics field.
Experts have dedicated their lives to helping you find out the meaning behind your DNA and family history, and they won't rest until their customers' curiosity is satisfied.
If you want your burning questions about your DNA and family history answered, make sure you find a company with professional scientists.
8 Key Factors You Should Consider When Choosing a DNA Test
Does the company enjoy positive relationships with its customers and the worldwide scientific community?
In addition to an in-depth ancestry product, does the company also offer mtDNA, Y-DNA, and Famous People reports?
Do the company's labs hold both CLIA and CAP accreditations - industry gold standards?
Are the company's lead researchers professional geneticists whose work is published in scientific journals?
Does the company provide Facebook and Google reviews with a weekly update of its 5-star status?
Are the costs for its ancestry and health reports priced competitively with attractive discounts available to all customers?
Does the company enjoy positive relationships with its customers and the worldwide scientific community?
Does the company guarantee delivery of your DNA test results within a reasonable time-frame or there is no cost to you?
Now that you know what to look out for, we want to reveal which DNA test is the highest-rated according to customers like you on top review platforms like Facebook and Google.
Without further ado, here are the top 3 DNA Tests according to real customers.
Our Top 3 DNA Tests According to Research and Online Customer Feedback
CRI Genetics offers a comprehensive blueprint to unlocking your ancestry, health, and identity – all in one package.
Led by renowned genetic scientist Dr. Alexei Fedorov, Ph.D., CRI Genetics doesn't just use science – they create science.
A few things that stand out about CRI genetics are their commitment to customer privacy, their vast bundles of industry-exclusive reports, and their unique "Efficiency Guarantee" that is one of the only money-back guarantees in the world of DNA testing.
See Full Report HereCompany Reputation:
As mentioned above, the science team at CRI Genetics is led by Alexei Fedorov, who was mentored by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Walter Gilbert.
Long past the days of working under Mr. Gilbert at Harvard University, Mr. Fedorov has gone on to spearhead many genetic studies of his own. As of this writing, he has 93 publications to his name that have been cited by other experts over 2,000 times.
CRI Genetics is a unique case in the DNA testing market as they are 100% privately owned with no outside investors. If you're concerned about data privacy, this is worth taking note of, as this means there are no data brokers or pharmaceutical companies seeing your DNA. This isn't always the case with DNA testing companies.
At CRI Genetics, your genetic data gets separated from all personally identifiable information, then undergoes military-grade encryption, and gets stored in an offline server behind a locked door. Their privacy policy explicitly states they will never share that data with any 3rd parties without your clear permission and they hold their employees to strict security protocols.
What's more: After 6 months, CRI Genetics destroys your DNA sample. You can ask them to do it sooner, but it's nice to know they'll do it anyway, ensuring no one else gets their hands on it.
See Full Report HereServices Offered:
CRI Genetics currently offers 7 unique ancestry reports. Highlights include haplogroup reports and an ancestry timeline that goes back up to 50 generations in your family history.
For comprehensive self-knowledge, CRI Genetics dominates the market with 200+ total health reports available, from Special Abilities to Brain Health to Immunity.
While their specific bundles vary with promotions, their standard base packages usually include 120+ of those health reports. You'll get DNA-based insights into your Nutrition, Allergies, Metabolism, and Energy.
When it comes to bang for your buck, this makes CRI Genetics a clear leader in DNA testing. You'd be hard-pressed to find another DNA test that gives you so much self-knowledge.
Ready to rewrite your story with dedicated privacy, and genetic insights that last a lifetime? Choose CRI Genetics—the clear leader in DNA health reporting and total value.
See Full Report HereAncestry.com has been in business for a long time, which has allowed them to acquire a large base of customers. While they don’t offer as many reports in Ancestry or Health categories, this large base automatically makes them a clear leader in the market.
View Full ReportCompany Reputation:
Ancestry Publishing was founded in 1983 and eventually grew into a genealogy service, allowing customers to sort through historical records to fill out family histories. This genealogical record-searching service is where most of Ancestry.com’s massive customer base came from.
AncestryDNA was launched as a service in 2012, adding very basic ancestry reports to their services. They have since expanded those reports in detail but still lag behind other DNA testing leaders. Their specialty remains in searching records and building family trees.
Ancestry was recently acquired by Blackstone, a large investment firm, after years of ownership by AOL, Compaq, and even GIC, formerly known as the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. There was controversy in 2020 and 2021 related to Ancestry.com sharing genetic information with their parent company, Blackstone Inc., but they have since updated their practices. Their privacy policy now states they do not share your data without your explicit consent.
View Full ReportServices Offered:
Ancestry DNA's greatest strengths lie in the size of their customer base and in their genealogy service that allows you to use historical records to create a Family Tree.
If you purchase a DNA test through Ancestry.com, you can expect a good percentage breakdown of your ancestry along with 70+ health and trait reports. However, they do not have much else to offer when it comes to genetic insights.
They do not have an ancestry timeline or any mtDNA or Y-DNA haplogroup reports. Their offering of health and trait reports are more extensive than many other DNA tests, but still not as robust as our #1 choice.
If genealogy and family tree tools are your primary interest, Ancestry.com is a solid choice. But for deeper ancestry insights, superior privacy, and unmatched health reports, CRI Genetics remains the clear leader.
View Full ReportMyHeritage stands out for its holistic approach to DNA testing, offering a variety of DNA analyses including autosomal, mtDNA, and Y-DNA.
They have a small number of health reports, but some users have reported that MyHeritage’s limited health reports are not easily accessible from their account dashboard.
Like Ancesry.com, MyHeritage has a large database of customers to pull from for ancestry reports and DNA matches, but many reviews also cite customer service issues.
View Full ReportCompany Reputation:
Founded in 2003 by Gilad Japhet, MyHeritage started as a platform to build family trees (similar to Ancestry.com) and quickly evolved into a comprehensive genealogy and DNA testing service. It now serves millions of users worldwide, offering tools for discovering familial connections and exploring ethnic backgrounds.
MyHeritage values user privacy and data security, though it has faced scrutiny over its handling of user data. The company insists that it uses robust encryption methods to protect personal information and that it doesn't share data without user consent but has experienced security breaches in the past.
View Full ReportServices Offered:
MyHeritage claims to feature more regions than competitors, but many user reviews question the accuracy. Like Ancestry.com, MyHeritage’s ancestry services include genealogical tools, such as the ability to search old census documents for family. MyHeritage offers optional health reports focused on genetic predispositions. These reports are not included in the base package and may require additional navigation to access.
While MyHeritage receives mostly positive feedback from users, some suggest their reports may not be as accurate as other DNA tests. Some users also find the website difficult to navigate and describe the family finder features as “overwhelming.” One MyHeritage user had a paid subscription, but claimed they were asked to “upgrade” repeatedly and even received phone calls.
View Full ReportCitations and Resources:
1. https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/03/09/test-markets-can-dna-testing-companies-be-trusted-with-our-most-personal-data 2. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexei-Fedorov-4 3. https://medcitynews.com/2020/08/blackstones-4-7b-acquisition-of-ancestry-raises-privacy-questions/Genetics Digest aims to educate consumers about the benefits of DNA testing. We believe it is the future of family research, nutrition, health, wellness and deeper self-knowledge. We are affiliated with CRI Genetics.