DNA kits don’t come cheap, with the two top sellers each costing $99 or £79 and up. But sometimes there are big discounts from top providers such as Ancestry, 23andme and MyHeritage. If you want to learn about the specific services themselves such as Ancestry and 23andMe for instance and the types of tests each kit includes, we’ve broken that down for you as well (just scroll past the deals below). Also, we look at the wider family tree and family history services on offer, and the best deals we can find for them with the leading providers.
Best DNA and Ancestry Kit Christmas and end-of-year deals on now
Below you’ll find our round-up of the best deals available in the US and UK right now, and beyond that, we offer more information about each of the different services. The two leading DNA testing kits are AncestryDNA and 23andMe, but you can find cheaper DNA kits from MyHeritage and Living DNA. The major providers have their Christmas deals live now—most finish at year’s end. See the latest DNA kit deals below, starting with the best US DNA kit deals and then highlighting the best UK DNA kit deals. Most DNA kits promise to unveil a person’s ethnic origins via a swab of the cheek or a spit in a tube. They show you what makes you unique and help you learn where you really come from. You can also tie these into historical records services to grow your family tree. Was: $99 Now: $59 ($40 off) Was: $99 Now: $79 ($20 off) Was: $100 Now: $60 (Half price, $50 off) Was: $199 Now: $129 ($70 off) Was: $199 Now: $149 ($50 off) Was: $89 Now: $36 ($53 off) Was: $199 Now: $159 ($30 off) Was: $99 Now: $69 ($30 off) Was: £79 Now: £59 (£20 off) Was: £149 Now: £99 (£50 off) Was: £94 Now: £69 (£25 off) Was: £79 Now: £69 (£10 off) Was: £79 Now: £35 (£44 off) Was: £99 Now: £69 (£30 off) £30 off the retail price of Living DNA’s Full Ancestry DNA Kit Once you have sent off your saliva sample, you’ll wait a few weeks and then receive a visual report and even the chance to connect with distant relatives you never knew existed.
AncestryDNA deals and offers
AncestryDNA can estimate your origins to more than 350 regions around the world, which the company claims offers twice the geographic detail of other DNA tests (rival 23andme states it can trace your DNA back to 155 different regions worldwide). It’s from the people behind the market-leading Ancestry genealogy service, stuffed full of digitised historical records and the best way we have found to start your family tree. AncestryDNA tests just your autosomes (chromosomes you share with relatives on both sides of your family), and so is less detailed about more distant, ancient ancestors – but fine for most family historians. It also has the benefit of over 10 million DNA results to make finding relatives more likely and improving the accuracy of its estimates. AncestryDNA kits are normally priced at £79/ US$99. Ancestry offers up to £20 off (up to $100 off in the US) its family-tree services when you choose the 6-month plans (which combine nicely with its DNA tests). You can also sign up for a 14-day free trial (UK) or Ancestry free trial (US).
23andme deals and offers
23andme has 10 million test results. Slightly confusingly, its main kit is called the Ancestry Service. Significantly, it does test three types of DNA – autosomes, yDNA, and mtDNA – where AncestryDNA tests just autosomes to determine more recent ethnic ancestry. Such tests lose some accuracy as the relationship grows ever more distant. This more in-depth DNA testing makes 23andme more accurate further back in time, and can even look at your Neanderthal heritage. 23andme recently added new populations in underrepresented regions in Asia and Africa – bringing its total number of tested regions to over 2,000. The 23andme kit (called Ancestry + Traits), like Ancestry, is also typically priced at £79/ US$99.
MyHeritage DNA deals
Like Ancestry, MyHeritage DNA tests only your autosomes and lags behind the market leaders with a relatively light 1.5 million tests on record. It’s typically priced at £79. MyHeritage is also offering 50% off its 6-month or annual gift membership. This offers unlimited family tree size and photo storage, access to a global collection of 12.6 billion historical records, and unlimited colourization and enhancement of historical photos.
Living DNA deals
As with 23andme Living DNA (£99/US$99) looks at your autosomes, yDNA from your father, and mtDNA from your mother. By testing more than just autosomes, Living DNA can point out centuries-old migration patterns, much like 23andme. Its visual representations of your origins are super detailed. For instance, it can illustrate 21 specific sub-regions of the UK your DNA may come from. AncestryDNA has 13 regions. Kits start at £49/US$49, and you get free shipping if you order three or more kits. US Shoppers can find discounts over at Living DNA US. Living DNA also powers its DNA tests for Find My Past (£79/US$89), a family-tree-making service much like Ancestry.
FamilyTreeDNA deals
FamilyTreeDNA gives you a percentage breakdown of your origins so you can view where each DNA segment comes from, and helps you connect with your autosomal DNA relatives within the past five generations. Its Chromosome Painter uses colours representing the populations in your myOrigins results to paint segments of your genome. AncientOrigins is a tool that unlocks your deepest origins going back to ancient times by comparing your DNA to DNA from archaeological dig sites throughout Europe. Kits start at $79 for the Family Finder DNA kit and ship worldwide. There are also separate Paternal ($119) and Maternal Ancestry ($159) kits and a Family Ancestry + myDNA Wellness kit ($119) that offers over 30 Health & Wellness Insights based on your DNA.
Best family tree services and deals
The market-leading Ancestry is the world’s most popular genealogical service with millions of digitized historical records to help you grow your family tree. You can also sign up for a gift membership for its UK Premium and Worldwide records accounts (from £69.99/US$99 for 6 months). Find My Past is another popular service with many records and a family-tree creator. It has Starter, Plus and Pro accounts, starting at £79.99 for 12 months, which saves you 34% from the 1-month Starter option. You can also get a 14-day free trial. The Genealogist is another family-tree service that has a wide range of possible accounts, starting with the Starter Personal Premium (3 months at £14.95, 6 months at £28.95, and a year at £54.95). It also has Gold Personal Premium (from £38.95) and Diamond Personal Premium for £139.45 (12 months). You can compare the prices of the accounts on the Genealogist site. Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.
