Can You Trust MyHeritage DNA Results? How Much Does it Cost? We Review MyHeritage DNA in Detail
Testing DNA has become faster and easier over the last decade, which is why many companies have begun offering DNA testing kits. For many, learning more about their heritage can fill in some family history blanks, and in the most dramatic cases, people have actually found long lost relatives.
MyHeritage Reviews
If you’ve been thinking of trying genetic heritage testing but weren’t sure about spending a bunch of money on it, MyHeritage DNA test might be one to consider. It’s one of the lower-priced DNA testing services out there and the test process is as easy as a cheek swab.
Some families that want to get answers on their heritage even buy MyHeritage DNA kits for the whole family as holiday gifts so they can all get matched up on the MyHeritage Family Tree Builder.
But just how well do MyHeritage DNA matches work? Is MyHeritage a scam or is it a legitimate DNA test? Is it worth the MyHeritage DNA pricing?
AdvisoryHQ News has taken a look over multiple MyHeritage DNA reviews along with how the company’s tests work and what they promise. We’ve done a thorough and unbiased review of MyHeritage DNA to tell you what you’re getting into before you purchase.
How much does MyHeritage cost? Is MyHeritage Family Tree Builder included in the kit price? What do people score the company in MyHeritage DNA test reviews?
Read on to find out the answers to those questions and many more!
See Also: ᐅ Is AncestryDNA a Scam? Legit? Unbiased AncestryDNA Reviews
AdvisoryHQ MyHeritage Review | About the Company
MyHeritage Ltd. Is the company behind the MyHeritage DNA test. They are based in Or Yehuda, Israel and have three other offices in Israel, one in Kyiv, Ukraine and one in Burbank, California, US.
The company was started in 2003 from the founder’s living room Bnei Atarot, Israel. He had a passion for genealogy and in the very early stages, the company was almost completely self-funded. Their first innovation was the MyHeritage Family Tree Builder that allowed people to build out their family connections online.
In 2016, they introduced the MyHeritage DNA kit that makes it possible to find details on heritage and where a person’s DNA originates from. The service also finds MyHeritage DNA matches from its user database.
In a review of MyHeritage DNA, we found that the company serves over 97 million members and has 9.1 billion historical records in their online database. MyHeritage has continued to expand through acquisitions and forging partnerships with peers in their industry.
How Does MyHeritage DNA Work?
In MyHeritage reviews of the test process, we found they have one of the easiest methods to test your DNA. You don’t have to spit in a tube and no blood draw is needed. Just an easy swab inside your cheek.
We’ll get into the MyHeritage kit cost shortly, but first, we’ll give you a step-by-step overview of the process.
- Purchase MyHeritageDNA test (it takes 4-8 days to receive it)
- Use the enclosed card to activate MyHeritage DNA kit online
- Use the two cheek swab Q-tips to swab inside each cheek
- Enclose the swabbed end of each in the enclosed vials
- Mail back your MyHeritage DNA test in the enclosed envelope
- You’ll receive your MyHeritage DNA results online in 3-4 weeks
How Does MyHeritageTest My DNA?
If you’re wondering about MyHeritage DNA reviews of testing procedures, you may be comforted to know that the lab they use is CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) certified and has CAP (College of American Pathologists) accreditation.
MyHeritage DNA test is non-gender specific, both men and women can take the test. MyHeritage DNA results are based on autosomal DNA testing, which analyses inherited DNA from both your mother and father.
What’s My Heritage Report Going to Tell Me?
The DNA testing in MyHeritage DNA reviews 44 of 46 human chromosomes. It provides you with a breakdown of ethnic percentages from your ancestry spanning approximately six generations.
In addition to receiving a breakdown by percentage of the regions you come from, you also get MyHeritage DNA matches to match you to relatives that you may or may not know about.
What’s MyHeritage DNA Upload?
If you’ve taken another DNA test somewhere else and received the raw data, you can use MyHeritage DNA upload to upload that to their site for free. You’ll have the ability to use the review of MyHeritage DNA tools to learn ancestry and ethnicity from your uploaded results.
Where can you get that raw data to use with the MyHeritage DNA upload? From other DNA testing sites like:
- 23andMe
- AncestryDNA
- HomeDNA
- Living DNA
MyHeritage Kit Reviews
MyHeritage Security Review
What happens to your DNA one you mail it off to MyHeritage? Can just anyone get your MyHeritage DNA Matches?
In our MyHeritage DNA test security review, we found that you have privacy settings available to restrict who can see that you may be a DNA match. The company also has several layers of encryption security designed to protect your MyHeritage DNA results.
MyHeritage did suffer a data breach in the fall of 2017 where over 92 million users had their email addresses and hashed passwords stolen. However, the review of MyHeritage DNA records showed that no DNA records or family trees were breached since they are stored on a separate server for security.
MyHeritage DNA matches are set to match you with others as a default, however, you can change the setting to turn off DNA matching if you prefer. You also have the ability to delete your DNA results from their site.
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How Much Does MyHeritage Cost?
As we mentioned, compared with some other DNA services, the MyHeritage DNA cost is pretty reasonable. At the time of writing this review, the DNA kit is priced at only $59.00, not including tax or shipping. Upon a MyHeritage review of your DNA test results, you’ll find they include geographic heritage details only, not health-related information, as some other tests do.
To illustrate how MyHeritage pricing stacks up next to two other popular DNA tests, we’ll compare them below.
Comparison of MyHeritage Cost vs AncestryDNA vs 23andMe:
- MyHeritage Cost: $59
- AncestryDNA Cost: $99
- 23andMe Cost: $99 (sale price $69)
- 23andMe Cost w/ Health Data: $199 (sale price $139)
How much does MyHeritage Shipping Cost?
MyHeritage pricing doesn’t include shipping, so you’ll want to factor that in when you’re deciding whether the test is within your budget.
You’ll need to sign up for an account at MyHeritage before you can order and see what the shipping cost is. We took a look over MyHeritage DNA reviews for shipping information and found that it costs about $12 for standard shipping.
One important note is that the return shipping for your samples is not included. Unlike some others, such as AncestryDNA who includes a prepaid envelope, a MyHeritage review found that you’re on your own when it comes to shipping your sample back to them.
They give you a pre-addressed envelope, but it’s not postage paid. So you’ll pay for that shipping on top of the MyHeritage cost for the kit. And it will be up to you what type of service to use and whether to include tracking (recommended, so your sample doesn’t get lost).
Is MyHeritage Family Tree Builder Included in the Kit Price?
If you want to take full advantage of your MyHeritage DNA kit results by using them with their popular online family tree, then you’ll have to buy a subscription.
MyHeritage Family Tree Builder is not included with the kit cost. You can sign up for a free account, but it’s going to be limited. Their free plan also does not include advanced DNA features or MyHeritage DNA matches.
If you do a MyHeritage review of subscription packages, you’ll find they have four different levels:
- Enhanced Family Tree Premium – $149/year (first year $119)
- Enhanced Family Tree PremiumPlus – $229/year (first year $199)
- Access to All Historical Records Data – $159/year (first year $129)
- The Ultimate Package Complete – $289/year (first year $229)
Related: AncestryDNA Vs 23andMe | Which One is Best for You?
MyHeritage DNA Reviews | What Are People Saying in MyHeritage Reviews?
While the price may look good, the results are what matter. If you’re asking, “What’s my heritage?” you want to make sure you’re being given accurate results. No one wants to buy a plane ticket to visit where they think they’re from, only to find out their DNA test was wrong.
So, we did a thorough MyHeritage DNA test review of multiple sites where people discuss their MyHeritage DNA results and how accurate they were. We’ll highlight what people liked and what they didn’t like in both positive and negative MyHeritage DNA reviews.
First, let’s see what overall ratings were scored in a review of MyHeritage DNA on websites that combine multiple user reviews.
MyHeritage DNA Reviews & Ratings:
- Amazon (748 MyHeritage DNA reviews) – 3.7 out of 5 stars
- BestCompany (89 MyHeritage DNA reviews) – 4 out of 5 stars
- Top10DNATesting (121 MyHeritage DNA reviews) – 5 out of 5 stars
- Sitejabber (2,393 MyHeritage DNA reviews) – 3.9 out of 5 stars
The company gets pretty good ratings overall when combining multiple ratings from MyHeritage DNA reviews. Now, let’s hear in detail from some of those MyHeritage DNA reviewers.
We’ll start with the negative MyHeritage reviews, then move onto the positive ones.
MyHeritage DNA Reviews | The Negative
- In one unhappy MyHeritage DNA test review, the reviewer said the test was not accurate if you’re Korean. They have four generations of a Korean family, yet the results showed as Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese, but not Korean.
- A person that purchased kits for their family gave just a 1 star MyHeritage DNA test review. They said registering the kits online was problematic and they did not get any help after emailing the company and would have to pay extra for phone support.
- Another negative MyHeritage reviewer was not happy with the unspecific test results of one test and that the results of another took an extra month to receive. After finding out the extra pricing for the Family Tree Builder they thought it was a MyHeritage scam to get extra money from a subscription.
- There was more than one MyHeritage DNA test review that complained that they never received their results after mailing them in. One that would call MyHeritage a scam couldn’t reach customer service and couldn’t log in to the site either.
MyHeritage DNA Reviews | The Positive
- A reviewer on Amazon was pleased with the large reference group MyHeritage had. They said in their MyHeritage DNA test review they felt the detail was better than that of the 23andMe DNA test.
- A happy customer said customer support was very helpful. They gave 5 out of 5 in their MyHeritage review and said when they called with help to understand their MyHeritage DNA kit results, customer support was very pleasant and patient.
- One reviewer said the kit was good and the turn around was fast. In their MyHeritage DNA test review, they said they learned some new things about their background and were now more curious about what else they may find.
- Easy to read results with a map, percentages, and ancestry explanations made one husband happy he purchased the kit for his wife as a gift. In his MyHeritage review, he said the results were also very easy to print out and share with family.
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MyHeritage DNA Test Review of Accuracy & Detail
We found that a number of people looking for the test to answer, “What’s my heritage?” were wishing there was a little more detail in the results. Others who knew more about their family history felt the MyHeritage DNA test was inaccurate by not confirming an ethnicity they already knew they had.
When it comes to the detail of MyHeritage DNA matches for region and ethnicity, it’s not unusual for these types of tests to give a general region rather than a specific country. For example, a test may tell you that you’re from Eastern Europe, but not give the exact country.
Complaints we found regarding accuracy in MyHeritage DNA reviews fell mainly in the Korean/Asian and Scandinavian ancestry areas.
A review of MyHeritage DNA testing results updates reveals that they’ve recently made improvements to accuracy and matching. One of these improvements was increasing by 10 times the number of reference genomes they use.
They also recalibrated how they do MyHeritage DNA matches to reduce false positives and more accurately match you with others who may be included in your family tree.
Can I Download MyHeritage DNA Kit Data Results?
Yes, you can download the raw DNA data you received and it’s included in the MyHeritage cost of your kit. Having your raw DNA data is very useful. It allows you to upload it on other sites, like Prometheas, that might give you more details about it, like health information.
Here is how to download your raw DNA data on MyHeritage:
- From your login screen, go to DNA > Manage DNA kits
- Click on the three dots on the right side of the window and click Download
- A window with information will pop up, click Continue
- Accept the MyHeritage Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
- You’ll receive an email, click the link inside to download your MyHeritage DNA data
- The link will take you to a page, click the Download button
Note: The link you receive in the email is only valid for 24 hours, so if you don’t download your data within that time, you’ll need to start the process again.
What is the MyHeritage Chromosome Browser?
In our MyHeritage review of their recent platform improvements, we found that a requested feature was added. The MyHeritage Chromosome Browser was added to the MyHeritage DNA matches page.
DNA Test Review – MyHeritage
This feature is included for free in when you purchase the MyHeritage DNA kit. It allows you to see a schematic representation of your chromosomes where DNA segments can be visualized.
The chromosome browser displays the shared segments between you and your MyHeritage DNA matches by highlighting them in purple. You can mouse over any shared segment to see its genomic position, the size of the segment, and the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs or “Snips”).
You can also download the shared segment information for use in other chromosome browsing tools.
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AdvisoryHQ’s MyHeritage DNA Test Review Conclusion
Whether you’re looking for long lost relatives or are wondering if you really are as Irish as your grandfather says you are, checking out your DNA with MyHeritage can help you know more about yourself and your ancestry, and might bring a few surprises.
Many people said in their MyHeritage reviews they were happy about paying less than some of the other DNA services for a test, but others noted the results weren’t as accurate or detailed as they’d hoped.
It is good news that the company has put time and money into improving the accuracy of MyHeritage DNA matches along with offering new tools to map out your family tree and take a look at your own chromosome data.
A big plus is that you can download your MyHeritage DNA results for use in other DNA and chromosome reading tools online. And alternately, that if you received your DNA raw data from another service that you can upload them at MyHeritage for a free readout.
When comparing MyHeritage DNA with other services, we did not find a significant difference in results accuracy. The biggest negative is that they don’t provide a postage-paid envelope to mail results back.
This is an issue for a few reasons:
- Extra cost beyond the MyHeritage pricing displayed
- Samples that get lost in the mail due to insufficient postage
- Some people may not send their samples with a way to track them because they’re trying to save money
Overall, our MyHeritage review comes out positive. This is a legitimate DNA service that continues to evolve and gives you full control over your raw DNA data. You also have the option to sign up for the MyHeritage Family Tree Builder to boost the power of your DNA heritage results.
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Image sources:
- https://www.myheritage.com/dna
- https://vimeo.com/191543166
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