Family Tree DNA: An In-Depth Review

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The most fulfilling feeling ever is when you finally belong to a family or find your family ancestry. So, suppose you are one of the millions of people seeking their familial roots. In that case, there are DNA centers that offer comprehensive testing. 

With that said, one of the pioneers of the direct-to-consumer test kit is the Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). The FTDNA offers autosomal testing and mtDNA and Y-chromosome tests through a simple cheek swab. Then, these tests will show both your maternal and paternal lines. 

Moreover, their official website claims that they can trace your paternal ancestry (y-DNA) and maternal ancestry (mtDNA), as well as find your family ancestry through their Family Finder.

 

How They Do It

If you’re wondering how they do it, here’s some helpful information. To find out your family ancestry, the company will first collect your sample through a simple mouth swab, which you will then send back through mail. After this, they will compare it to their reference population in their DNA database. 

To summarize, here’s how you can trace your ancestry using their services:

  1. Order your DNA testing kit online
  2. Do a thorough mouth swab (follow the instructions given in the kit)
  3. Mail the kit back with the swab
  4. Results will arrive in 4 to 8 weeks

With that said, the FTDNA has monthly visitors of over 2 million and more than 1 million monthly users. This company is owned by Gene by Gene, Ltd., which was established in 2000 by Bennett Greenspan. 

 

 

How Much Does It Cost?

Family Tree DNA’s prices tend to vary, usually depending on what type of service you want to avail. For example, here’s how much their services cost:

  • To explore your paternal ancestry, the costs start at $119.
  • To explore your maternal lineage, the costs start at $159.
  • For Family Ancestry tracing, the cost starts at $79.

In addition, here is an overview of what you can get from FDNA:

  • The Family Finder gives you a breakdown of ethnicities based on your genes.
  • It also compares your DNA to ancient populations, taken from samples found in archaeological dig sites.
  • DNA analysis that gives you specifics about your maternal side (mtDNA test).
  • There are also options for Y-DNA testing to get insights on your paternal side (Y-DNA test).

For all these services, they make sure they use state-of-the-art in-house Genomics Lab, as well as the following:

 

Review for Family Tree DNA: Pros and Cons

So, how does this company fare, in terms of their services? In this case, you can check out their advantages and disadvantages below.

Pros

  • Clients can download their raw results and import them into FTDNA.
  • FTDNA has additional testing products, which can give a bit of convenience. For male customers, there is an additional Y-DND testing kit that only tests the Y-chromosome.
  • Another good thing about FTDNA is that they save your sample for 25 years, so it’s beneficial for those who want an additional upgrade. Because of this, you won’t need to buy another testing kit because they can use your existing DNA.
  • Unlike other DNA centers, they don’t charge subscription fees on their website. As a result, you can access your family tree anytime.
  • You can also check your DNA matches through their chromosome browser.
  • They specialize in DNA testing, so they can provide an accurate percentage of DNA and exact matches.
  •  FDNA instructions are the easiest to follow among the other DNA testing companies.
  • They don’t share the client’s DNA with third parties because they believe that DNA results belong only to the owner. This gives you more privacy as a customer.

Cons

  • Some users have said that it takes them a long time to process the results. In some cases, the results arrive beyond the advertised 4- to 8-week period.
  • There were reported cases of false ancestry reports. This may be because the FDNA can only give the nearest estimate but not the exact ancestral lineage. Moreover, they also have a limited reference population.
  • Most customers have complained about receiving slow responses, wherein they take more than 72 hours to reply to customers.
  • They have a limited reference population, with most of their database coming from European origins or ethnicity.

 

Conclusion 

Overall, despite their impressive claims, FTDNA isn’t really the top choice for most users.  In fact, other companies like AncestryDNA and 23andMe have received better review ratings. 

Nevertheless, despite this, FTDNA can still be an excellent place to start when trying to learn more about your family ancestry.