MyHeritage is a DNA testing service that specializes in tracing family trees and connecting distant relatives. While its base price is low compared to the competition, users must pay an annual fee to use its more advanced features. Gilad Japhet, the company’s current CEO, established it in 2003. It has subsequently expanded into a multinational corporation with over 600 workers with locations in Israel, the United States of America, and Europe, serving an estimated 100 million customers in 196 countries.
MyHeritage combines state-of-the-art DNA testing with the best family tree services available to provide you with the most powerful tools in genetic and genealogical research possible.
Pros
- Get access to more than 15.7 billion historical records
- Available in 42 languages
- DNA database with 96 million users
Cons
- Only autosomal DNA testing
When paired with the company’s genealogical tools, the kits can present consumers with startling, informative, and even amusing findings.
Ancestry kit:
Ideal For
- Discovering your racial background and ancestral homelands
- Discovering Lost Relatives
- Generating a family tree
- Performing a paternity test
This elegantly presented DNA collection kit provides you with:
- The Book of Instructions
- Code activation (for registering on the website)
- Two sterile cotton swabs.
- Swab solution in 2 separate vials
- In a transparent plastic bag, the vials can be stored.
- Envelope
Pricing
DNA Testing Kit
An accessible interface has contributed to the success of home DNA kits. To begin, you place an order online, and then, after a few days, a package containing the examination itself is delivered to your doorstep.
Sign up for the exam online and we’ll send you an email as soon as your score is available. Wait at least 30 minutes after eating before beginning.
- Make use of the cheek swabs by rubbing one inside each cheek for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Place the swabs inside the plastic vials and seal them.
- Insert the vials into the plastic bag, seal it, and then drop it into the mailing envelope.
You should get an email from the lab within a few weeks with your test results attached. Sign in with your MyHeritage credentials and enter the serial numbers located on the kit’s back and the vials’ undersides. Once the results are in, you may sit back and enjoy them. It’s recommended that you free up at least an hour of your time right now.
What You’ll Find Out
The top family tree services and state-of-the-art DNA testing are both available through MyHeritage, making it the ideal platform for conducting genetic and historical research. Results from the DNA test can be obtained in as little as 3-4 weeks, making it faster than any other service now available. Additionally, the results provide a breakdown of your ethnicity by percentage across 2,114 areas, providing the most comprehensive ethnicity report available from any DNA testing service. To top it all off, the information is presented in a stunning and original style. MyHeritage’s “Ethnicity Estimate” is accompanied by an exciting “reveal” experience, with engaging animations and music tailored to your ethnic and geographical origin, which keeps you guessing until the very end.
Even if you get a lot of interesting information from your own DNA analysis, you might not get the full picture if you don’t also look at public records and old news articles. Through a combination of laboratory analysis and archival research, MyHeritage compiles a wealth of information—including names, addresses, photographs, and certificates—that may help you fill in the gaps in your family tree.
MyHeritage DNA also has a powerful tool called “DNA matching.” With over 5 million users, MyHeritage has amassed one of the largest DNA databases in the world, which it uses to compare your DNA to its whole database in search of matches. Having a third or fourth-cousin-or-closer match can indicate a deeper family tie. Thereafter, you can learn more about the match and figure out your connection by reading the provided information.
In the “Review match” part of MyHeritage DNA, you’ll see information like the approximate relationships you share (1st cousin once removed, for example) and the percentage of DNA you share with this person. You can then study the other user’s family tree for free on MyHeritage to gain some insight before deciding whether or not to contact them directly through the site.
MyHeritage DNA users don’t even need to get their DNA tested in order to use the service. If you already have DNA data from another large brand, you can submit it to MyHeritage and the service will look for matches within its database. There will be the following sections in your report:
- Elevated precision
- Ten times as many matches
- Improved estimates of causal relationships
- Using DNA-match confidence levels to direct your study
Paternity Testing
Although MyHeritage DNA wasn’t made for it, users can create a direct genetic relationship, proving evidence of paternity, by ordering 2 kits (one for the claimed father and one for the child) or by uploading test results from another firm.
The cost of two MyHeritage DNA kits is likely to be less than the cost of a traditional paternity test.
Report Features
- Population distribution per region and estimated ethnic composition (i.e., specific areas of Ireland or the UK, regions in Germany)
- Relationship-based DNA profiling
- DNA information can be downloaded and used on other sites like gedmatch.com.
Family Tree Builder
MyHeritage is the go-to site for family tree research online because of the sheer volume of data it has (billions of records). Having access to these documents strengthens the company’s family tree builder, which is already considered to be comprehensive. You have a strong possibility of locating a relative on the site, since millions of people have already taken advantage of the tree-building resource.
A family tree builder is a robust software for creating trees that can translate into over 40 different languages and uses “smart matching” technology to compare your tree to others online. You may also find maps and historical documents related to your family with this free application. Easy to understand and employ, the method also provides a lot of entertainment and education. You can even create your own personal, password-protected website to examine the outcomes.
The Family Tree Builder offers a free version, a Premium version for $89, a PremiumPlus version for $139, and a Complete version for $199. But the Premium plan’s features pale in comparison to those of the other two. There is a 30-day refund policy available on the site. In addition, a 30-day trial of the Complete membership is included at no extra cost with the purchase of a DNA kit.
Customer Support
MyHeritage’s reputation for providing excellent service in a timely manner is well-deserved. A wealth of information is available in the site’s knowledge base, and it’s all presented in an approachable format with screenshots and explanations. There are regionally specific toll-free numbers for customer assistance, and the corporation keeps a lively presence on social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube, where you can learn about brand-new features and watch product demonstrations.
Summary
With the help of a MyHeritage DNA kit, you may learn fascinating information about your ancestry and see it artistically presented over a global map.
In addition to assisting with DNA matching to locate long-lost relatives, the company provides access to the largest family tree database in the world and billions of historical documents for the amateur genealogist in all of us. This is all part of a product that has been thoughtfully developed to be user-friendly, affordable, and instructive.
MyHeritage DNA has dominated the home DNA testing market by integrating cutting-edge scientific methods with archival research.
MyHeritage DNA Review 2024