Living DNA vs. 23andMe: Which service offers the best ancestry and health insights?

Learning about your ancestry has become easier, thanks to DNA testing providers like Living DNA and 23andMe. These companies can uncover insights about your roots, map out where your ancestors came from, and even connect you with living relatives through DNA matching. Beyond ancestry, both offer health reports that can tell you how your genes shape various aspects of your well-being.

Despite their similarities, Living DNA and 23andMe differ in key ways, including their approach to genetic testing, their user database, and how they provide ancestry insights.

In this Living DNA vs. 23andMe review, we’ll provide the information you need to decide which test best suits your needs. We’ll also compare how accurate their ancestry reports are, the cost of their test kits, and their accessibility.

Living DNA: How it traces your ancestry

Source: Living NDA

Living DNA, a private UK-based company, can analyze your DNA to pinpoint your origins in more than 150 regions worldwide, offering a detailed map of your genetic history. Their unique chromosome painting technique allows you to explore up to 500 years of your family’s ancestry.

Living DNA offers three products:

1. Ancestry: This test focuses solely on uncovering your ancestral origins and helping you learn the regions your ancestors lived in.

2. Wellbeing: If you’re curious about how your genes affect your health, this test can provide insights into your food metabolism, vitamin response, and even how to optimize your exercise routine for maximum benefit.

3. Ancestry and Wellbeing: This combined test tells you where you’re from, how your genes shape your health, and what you can do about it.

Living DNA claims to offer five times more detail on African ancestry and eight times more on the British Isles than other tests. For those interested in maternal or paternal lineage, they even provide haplogroup results for both mtDNA and Y-DNA (for biological males), allowing you to trace your roots even further.

23andMe: Exploring your genetic roots and traits

Source: 23andMe

23andMe is one of the largest direct-to-consumer DNA testing companies. Since its foundation in 2006, they’ve sold over 12 million test kits, building a large database of users and making ancestry testing accessible to the masses.

Their services focus on:

• Ancestry: This test provides a deep dive into your heritage, revealing your ancestry composition, haplogroups, and where your DNA comes from, including over 4,000 regions.

• Traits: 23andMe’s traits reports can answer how your DNA is linked to eye color, musical pitch, fear of public speaking, and even motion sickness.

• Health disposition: With 23andMe’s health reports, you can learn about your genetic predispositions, from carrier screening (to see if you carry genetic conditions) to risks for certain health conditions, including cancer.

Overall, 23andMe provides 80+ personalized reports, with 30 focusing on traits.

Bonus: Check out our guides comparing 23andMe with other DNA testing companies:

• 23andMe alternatives

• FamilyTreeDNA vs 23andMe

• Ancestry vs. 23andMe review

• MyHeritage vs. 23andMe

23andMe vs. Living DNA reviews: What sets these genetic tests apart?

While Living DNA and 23andMe share many common features, like providing ancestry information and health reports, they differ in their strong suits and focal points. The table below gives a general overview of their services:

The primary differences between these two services can be classified into six categories:

1. The sample used for analysis

2. Ancestry breakdown

3. Health and trait reports

4. Family matching 

5. Pricing

6. Accessibility 

1. The sample used for analysis

Source: Thirdman

Both Living DNA and 23andMe provide at-home testing kits that are convenient and painless as they don’t involve needles or blood. However, the samples they use differ.

23andMe uses saliva samples for DNA analysis, which is relatively easy for most people to provide. Still, sample collection can be difficult if you have a dry mouth or are on medications that suppress saliva production.

[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/23andme/comments/1h0oaar/how_do_you_spit/)(325)

Living DNA uses a cheek swab to collect cells, which seems more user-friendly. Still, you’ll need to swab properly for 30 to 45 seconds to collect enough cells and ensure accurate results. 

2. Ancestry breakdown

Living DNA and 23andMe offer ancestry tests that use genotyping technology to reveal fascinating details about your genetic heritage, but the regions explored and analyses provided are slightly different.

Living DNA’s test uses its unique “Sirius” chip, which focuses on tracing subregional roots. For example, if you’re from the UK, Living DNA’s ancestry results will compare your sample with 21 specific subregions, giving you a detailed look at your British Isles heritage.

They also go deep into Africa, with insights from 72 different regions. While this approach works great for people from the UK and African origins, some users with Asian or non-European backgrounds claim that Living DNA’s results are not always precise.

[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/ss65po/comment/lwlin5x/)(315)

23andMe offers information from over 4,000 regions worldwide. They’ve developed a massive database from selling 12 million kits since 2006, which helps them give more precise results for people with diverse backgrounds. If you’re looking for a more global perspective or have mixed heritage, 23andMe would likely be a better bet.

[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/23andme/comments/1bc83lo/comment/kug4baz/)(250)

3. Health and traits reports

If you’re primarily interested in understanding how genetics affect your vitamin and exercise response, then Living DNA’s Wellbeing test is an excellent fit. This health report shows how your genes affect your quality of life, including your body’s response to food and recovery after exercise.

In case you’d prefer a more comprehensive health report, 23andMe is the better option. Their health reports cover a wider array of areas, including:

• Traits like your susceptibility to motion sickness, food preferences, or even how you experience taste

• Carrier screening that checks your risk of passing genetic conditions, such as Leigh Syndrome, to your children

• Predisposition to diseases and your genetic risk for conditions like breast cancer and prostate cancer

Bonus: While 23andMe offers a much more extensive health report, it’s important to note that it’s still based on genotyping, which only considers about 0.1% of your DNA. While helpful, it’s far from the most complete picture of your genetic health.

For a more comprehensive health report, you might want to explore clinical-grade testing options like Nucleus.

The Nucleus Health DNA test uses whole genome sequencing technology for a more scientifically robust experience, analyzing nearly 100% of your genetic code. This allows you to assess your risk for 2,000+ genetic diseases and traits, including cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Order your Nucleus Health kit to get a complete overview of your health.

4. Family matching

One of the exciting aspects of ancestry testing is the ability to connect with extended family members who have already taken the test. Both companies offer family matching, but 23andMe excels in this area due to its vast user database.

Since 23andMe has sold millions of kits, the chances of connecting with relatives are higher. The larger the database, the better your chances of discovering long-lost cousins, distant relatives, or even unknown branches of your family tree.

[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/ss65po/comment/hwwyqkt/)(390)

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5. Pricing

Living DNA and 23andMe offer multiple products to match your interests, and the cost varies depending on your chosen test. Here’s a quick look at their baseline pricing as of August 2025:

While 23andMe’s Ancestry Test is priced at $99, which is more affordable than Living DNA’s equivalent ($119), their health and ancestry reports are priced similarly at $199.

23andMe offers a much more comprehensive report, including health predispositions, carrier screening, and detailed traits analysis, which Living DNA lacks. While both reports might seem similarly priced, 23andMe benefits from broader health data.

6. Accessibility 

Both Living DNA and 23andMe ship internationally, but delivery times vary.

• Living DNA ships within the United Kingdom, United States, and Europe in five to seven business days and 10 to 20 working days for other regions.

• 23andMe is based in the United States and delivers within one to six days for U.S. customers. Depending on customs and local mail services, shipping can take up to four weeks for international orders.

Another thing to note is that 23andMe’s health reports may not be available in all countries due to medical regulations. If you’re ordering from outside the U.S., check whether your country allows access to these reports before making a purchase.

Final thoughts: Living DNA and 23andMe

Living DNA and 23andMe offer valuable insights, but which one is right for you depends on the level of information you’d like to receive.

Living DNA does a fantastic job of breaking down ancestry, especially for people with European heritage. Still, its database is relatively small, so if finding DNA relatives is crucial for you, it might not be the best option. 23andMe has a larger DNA database, making it a better option for connecting with relatives.

In 2025, 23andMe faced financial troubles and was eventually bailed out by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. These developments raised concerns for users, particularly regarding data privacy and the security of personal information.

It’s important to note that both companies use genotyping techniques to analyze your sample, and this method only considers a small fraction of your genome (less than 0.1%).

If you’re looking for a more in-depth analysis of how your genetics impact your health, consider clinical-grade tests like Nucleus Health that use whole genome sequencing to examine nearly 100% of your DNA, as well as consider how your lifestyle factors can impact your health.

Nucleus: Decode how your genes and lifestyle impact your health

Nucleus is a HIPAA-compliant genetic testing platform that uses whole genome sequencing to provide one of the most comprehensive health analyses available today. It examines nearly 100% of your genome, identifying common and rare genetic variants that may impact your risks for 900+ conditions, including:

• Cancers

• Diabetes

• ADHD

• Heart disease

• Parkinson’s disease

• Alzheimer’s disease

The service doesn’t stop at analyzing your genes and rare variants. It also considers the impact of lifestyle factors like BMI, age, and cholesterol levels on your health, giving you a more holistic view of your well-being.

[X](https://x.com/mndrix_/status/1781757918905307494)(490)

Once your sample is processed, you’ll receive personalized health reports that are easy to understand and illustrative. You can use Nucleus AI to get tailored recommendations on lifestyle changes that can help reduce these risks.

If you want to follow up with expert medical guidance, Nucleus also partners with SteadyMD to connect you with board-certified genetic counselors for next steps.

Getting started with Nucleus Health

Nucleus Health offers one of the most affordable and privacy-focused whole genome tests, which costs only [PRICE.KIT_SOLO.ONE]. This covers your test kit, two-way shipping, and all reports. To get started, you can:

1. Sign up for Nucleus Health 

2. Provide the required details 

3. Order your test kit

Once your sample reaches the lab, your results will be ready in 6–8 weeks. The results have a 99.9% accuracy rate and can be updated with new scientific discoveries.

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Featured image source: Mikhail Nilov