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I want to get tested but I couldn't decide which company. People keep recommending 23andMe to me, but what's the difference with ftdna?It's accurate, but so are the other companies. People who test with 23andMe usually have a different goal than people who test with Family Tree DNA. Why do you ask?
I want to get tested but I couldn't decide which company. People keep recommending 23andMe to me, but what's the difference with ftdna?
Thanks for the info, number 2 sounds better for meOK, which of these would be something you'd say?:
(1) I'm stuck on my direct patriline on my family tree, and want to see who I match with along it. I'm also interested in being very specific about my deep ancestry along my patriline (and maybe also my matriline) and want to contribute to Y-DNA projects. I want to easily do additional tests down the line if I'm unsatisfied with my results.
(2) I want a broad, affordable genetic test that will tell me all the basics, including a bit about my patriline, a bit about my matriline, and a good deal about everything in-between. I want to be able to contribute to autosomal DNA projects and find out who I match with in general, what countries and ethnic groups are closest to me, etc.
If (1) go with FTDNA. If (2) go with 23andMe. (1) fit me better but most here were in situation (2) so 23andMe tends to be more popular here.
OK, which of these would be something you'd say?:
(1) I'm stuck on my direct patriline on my family tree, and want to see who I match with along it. I'm also interested in being very specific about my deep ancestry along my patriline (and maybe also my matriline) and want to contribute to Y-DNA projects. I want to easily do additional tests down the line if I'm unsatisfied with my results.
(2) I want a broad, affordable genetic test that will tell me all the basics, including a bit about my patriline, a bit about my matriline, and a good deal about everything in-between. I want to be able to contribute to autosomal DNA projects and find out who I match with in general, what countries and ethnic groups are closest to me, etc.
If (1) go with FTDNA. If (2) go with 23andMe. (1) fit me better but most here were in situation (2) so 23andMe tends to be more popular here.
For the record sparkey, FTDNA's Family Finder also provides the opportunity to contribute to autosomal DNA projects and it is cheaper as there are no subscription costs. Also, FTDNA provides individual STR-marker values and allows for predicted haplogroup results with the cheapest Y-STR marker tests. The only advantage that 23andMe has over FTDNA at the current moment is in the medical predictions.
Keep in mind that for a similar price 23andMe tests 1 million SNP's, while FTDNA's Family Finder only tests half (563,800 SNPs). The Family Finder doesn't test the Y-chromosome at all, so additional tests are still required (and FTDNA's custom SNP tests for deep subclades aren't cheap, to say the least).
I would recommend 23andMe at first. After that, if you feel the need after that to join a Y-DNA Project you can still order an STR test, but I feel that they are quite expensive for the information they provide. Some Y-haplogroups benefit more from knowing STR values than others. This is especially the case of haplogroups that still have a lot of unknown SNP's and have active researchers for the STR. I think that so far it can be said that haplogroup I is the European haplogroup for which STR"s provide the most information in addition to SNP's.
Maciamo, your info regarding FTDNA has been outdated for quite some time now. FTDNA's Family Finder tests 710 000 ancestral SNPs using the v2 Illumina chip. However, the Dodecad project has found no additional advantage in testing more than 150 000 autosomal (ancestral) SNPs. FTDNA's X-chromosome analysis tests more SNPs than 23andMe's RR X-chromosome analysis.
For genealogists, STR-values are important and 23andMe does not provide the same quality of service as currently provided by FTDNA.
The most significant advantage of FTDNA's service is that there is no subscription required and customer service is exceptional.
In addition, FTDNA keeps your DNA for 25yrs in which time your results are compared free of charge, and you receive feedback as new matches are made.
FTDNA allows one to choose exactly what one needs whereas 23andMe provides extras that are not asked for by clients
Lastly, 23andMe does not provide tech support
The health predictions 23andMe is known for have attracted unnecessary bad press/controversy to the field of genetic genealogy.
IMHO it has set the image and growth back quite some. I don't like the confounding aspects and continuous bad press surrounding confidentiality, this is a non-issue regarding FTDNA's autosomal analysis as NO health-informative SNPs have been included (jolly good thing). Ancestry and health are separate fields, 23andMe has managed to muddle the two rather successfully. Essentially, 23andMe ancestral matches with other customers are over-regulated for fears of health-related information being made public without the necessary consent.
But that's a completely different service from SNP tests like the Family Finder or 23andMe. Nothing prevents anybody from taking both tests, as they are completely separate anyway. But when it comes to SNP's 23andMe is superior.
FTDNA claim that comparing STR can work to complete/confirm your family tree, but you still need to get relatives to test. ... Only English (and perhaps German) speaking countries have enough participants to find STR tests useful for genealogy.
I know. I still get regular emails claiming that they found "matches" when in fact none of those people could possibly be related to me in genealogical times (let's say within 500 years).
You are kidding right ? How do you choose your SNP's in the Family Finder ? It's exactly the same as 23andMe. You get a full package of hundreds of thousands of SNP's. It's true that FTDNA also propose to test single custom SNP's for Y-DNA. But ordering single SNP's is extremely expensive and therefore in no one's best interest. There is absolutely no good reason not to want more SNP's for the same price.
What kind of tech support ?
Why is that ? That's far more scientific than genetic genealogy. I truly think that FTDNA is scamming people when they say that they can find matrilineal relatives by testing mtDNA. I have hundreds of matches on my full mtDNA sequence and none are related within at least 15 generations, whereas FTDNA claims that they could be related within a few generations.
Confidentially is more of an issue with FTDNA if one joins projects or post their data on Y-search or mitosearch, as surnames are normally used (a minority hides it, justly for confidentiality reason as anybody can see it). Besides it's not because FTDNA's Family Finder doesn't report health risks that it does not contain the information. By sending your data from FTDNA's Family Finder to autosomal projects you are sending just as much information about your health risks as with the 23andMe data.
Dorianfinder said:No medical info is to be found within FTDNA's y-DNA information provided to customers.
Dorianfinder said:On the other hand, 23andMe's Relative Finder data files are full of medical-info and include SNPs with very sensitive information. This is a problem as many 23andMe customers have emailed their data files for analyses without legally safeguarding themselves from possible data mining by pharmaceutical and other related companies (for research purposes).
Dorianfinder, so basically all you say is that FTDNA is better for genetic genealogy, which is obvious since 23andMe is not designed for genetic genealogy. What's the point in criticising 23andMe for not having a tech support to upload gedcom file or providing TMRCA since it's not their business. It's like saying that you don't like a car because it's not a boat and you really just wanted a boat.
As for the possibility to test new Y-chromosomal SNP's at FTDNA, that may not be tested by 23andMe, it may be interesting in some cases, but I still think that it is too expensive compared to the additional information it provides. For example there has been over 40 new SNP's downstream of R1b-L11 identified this year, but very few provide real information about ancestry except the fact that you belong to this or that new subclade. It may be useful in a few years once we know more about these subclades, but by then they will probably be on the 23andMe chip too.
I wrote FTDNA's Family Finder. There is no way they can test 710,000 SNPs without any one of them having medically relevant information. And even if they don't know any medical associations doesn't mean that there isn't any (new studies are published all the time).
By the way, your ultra-defensive and evasive attitude to criticism directed at FTDNA make me think that you work for FTDNA. Do you ?
Regarding the medical SNP's, I absolutely don't understand why you or anybody else would not want to know about their health when given the opportunity. It sounds like an extreme case of the ostrich policy.
Anyway what could pharmaceutical companies do with raw data without knowing the person's health history ? And why would it be a bad thing for pharmaceutical companies to improve their medicines based on genetic data ? It sounds like misguided paranoia. I would rather encourage people to submit (even anonymously) their raw data and medical history to pharmaceutical companies and medical researchers. This is how science progresses.
This thread is entitled 'Is 23andMe the most accurate DNA testing company?' hence I refer to accuracy, ancestry and autosomal testing. FTDNA's accuracy regarding yDNA and mtdna testing is better whereas its individual SNP testing, Walk-Through-The-y and overall support to its customers makes for better accuracy in interpreting and reaching further downstream in both y and mtdna terms.
If you would like to test for medical reasons then I would recommend 23andMe, however the accuracy or correlation between prediction and actual long-term manifestation of predicted conditions are not proven and are considered highly speculative. So if somebody find out they have a 1.2x greater chance of suffering a heart attack, what is the use of this information?
What would you rather want to know about yourself? That you belong to a specific subclade found in a specific group of individuals or that you have a mildly higher chance of developing a specific form of cancer. Shouldn't you live a healthy life-style regardless and wouldn't most people find health predictions difficult to interpret, process and express to their significant others?
You actually referred to y-search and other tools as well.
What could happen you ask? Should we not ask what is in the best interest of the customer instead? No company or researcher should be privy to this information without following standard ethical protocol!
You assume that anonymity relates soley to an individual's last name, is this still the case or will this remain the case into the foreseeable future?
Am I paranoid for considering the potential harmful effects of this kind of testing? What would you feel like if you found out that you carried the SNP for early-onset dementia or Alzheimers? Would you want to know whether your children carry it and how would your life be effected/affected? If your medical information was used by a company without your knowledge, would you like it?
You have found it difficult getting people tested right?, even when providing the funds yourself, because most people inherently know that there is a risk involved, the risk is personal and often has to do with mental health aspects of finding out about oneself. Like it or not, this is the norm rather than the exception. So if I'm paranoid then so are most people.
So, for what I have read, considering my Paternal haplogroup, ¿Is it possible to obtain more information of it using FTDNA? And ¿what about my MtDNA as well?. Just want to know if it could worth to do so in the future in my case.
Personal curiosity, let's see if somebody versed can help
¿Do you mean that my 23andme raw data would be valid to use there without any cost? Or I didn't understand this part LOL.FTDNA allows you to transfer your autosomal data to FTDNA free of charge.
¿Do you mean that my 23andme raw data would be valid to use there without any cost? Or I didn't understand this part LOL.
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