An unbiased Sequencing.com review: How reliable is this whole-genome testing service?
Explore our in-depth Sequencing.com review to discover the pros and cons of this DNA testing company. We’ll also go over its reports, pricing, and user reviews.
September 29, 2024
DNA testing has come a long way in terms of accuracy and accessibility. Older testing platforms would only test less than 0.1% of your DNA, which led to incomplete genetic insights. Today, companies like Sequencing.com use advanced whole-genome sequencing (WGS) technology to analyze nearly 100% of your DNA and improve the validity of your results.
Sequencing.com offers a broad range of services — it claims to provide deep health and genealogy insights, as well as personalized advice for your health via genetic counselors. The question of essence is: does the platform meet user expectations?
Follow our Sequencing.com review to understand if the company follows up on its promises. We’ll discuss the available reports, testing process, pricing, and the perceived downsides of the service.
Sequencing.com: Products and services
Sequencing.com DNA tests focus on reporting the effect of genetics on your health, wellness, and ancestry. Its services can be arranged in four broad categories:
DNA testing: Sequencing.com offers DNA testing primarily based on specific health screening goals, including rare diseases, family planning, and newborn screening.
Data uploads: You can upload or import your DNA data from other testing services, including 23andMe and Ancestry.com, and get a disease screening. Keep in mind that this analysis is typically vague if the raw data considers only a small portion of your DNA.
Third-party marketplace: What’s unique about Sequencing.com is that it hosts a third-party marketplace where you can purchase new apps and reports and access genetic counselors to expand your health and genealogy insights.
Membership services: You can take Sequencing.com’s membership (starting at $19/month) to get access to additional benefits like Privacy Forever Protection and report credits for the marketplace.
Source: Sequencing.com
How does Sequencing.com work?
Once you sign up for Sequencing.com, you can order your at-home whole-genome sequencing kit, provided it’s available in your location.
After the kit arrives, you’ll need to activate the kit, collect and secure the two cheek swabs as instructed, and mail the package.
As far as technology is concerned, Sequencing.com’s test is clinical-grade as the company uses whole-genome sequencing technology with 30x coverage. 30x implies the company will analyze your DNA letters 30 times to ensure greater accuracy in testing. If it’s health information you’re looking for, a 30x WGS DNA test is more suitable as there are almost no data gaps in the results compared to most other genetic testing methods.
Bonus read: See how Sequencing.com compares to Nebula Genomics, a testing service with a similar offering and technology.
Sequencing.com: Evaluating 6 key criteria
Despite the advanced analysis and service options, Sequencing.com has some downsides that might concern an end user. We’ll give you a well-rounded perspective of this service in the following sections:
Types of reports
Quality of analyses
Turnaround time
Privacy and security
Pricing model
User opinions
1. Types of reports
Sequencing.com has some native reports based on the type of screening you opt for, but most of its health and ancestry reports are available as third-party services. You need to purchase them separately via the marketplace, and the additional cost can throw some users off.
Source: Sequencing.com
The selection of reports is vast, though, and includes both practical insights such as Disease Carrier Status and those aimed at entertainment, such as Am I Related to Trump? You’ll also see some free options on the list, such as Athletic performance and Blood Type Analysis.
Check out the table below for examples of top reports and app services on the marketplace:
Explore services similar to Sequencing.com:
2. Quality of analyses
The biggest advantage of Sequencing.com is its use of whole-genome sequencing and turning the results into easy-to-grasp personalized health advice. Because the platform analyzes almost your entire DNA, the health reports are generally detailed, useful, and consistent with family history. The only drawback here is that Sequencing.com doesn’t consider lifestyle factors in its analyses, which can impact how your genetic disease risks manifest.
Source: Sequencing.com
There are also instances when the platform’s reports appear incomplete and are justified with an explanation about missing data. Here’s what one user experienced:
“It also did say my genome was 100% sequenced but then a report came back saying 9 results weren't able to be reported due to lack of data. Not thrilled about that as it was for Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, and Long QT Syndrome, among others.”
Sequencing.com also falls short when it comes to ancestry analyses. Besides requiring you to pay extra to get haplogroup reports, it doesn’t offer relative matching natively— a key feature offered by most other ancestry services.
Another issue is that the marketplace reports provided by third parties may drastically vary in quality. The reliability of insights is difficult to assess as there are no report samples available for most products. In some cases, you may end up with overlapping or contradictory information in different reports. Here’s what one Sequencing.com user said:
“…a $140 report from App MD was well-referenced and high-quality, while a $189 report from Complete Genome Science appeared amateur with conflicting conclusions.”
Tip 💡
If you value the reliability and accessibility of DNA reports, you should try the Nucleus all-in-one DNA health test. The platform offers clinical-grade 30x whole-genome testing to analyze ∼100% of your DNA, giving you complete insights about your health risks, genetic IQ and traits, and various disease-specific reports — all at a single affordable price point.
Nucleus also considers your ancestry and lifestyle factors like age and BMI to provide deeper and more actionable genetic health reports. Get your kit today!
Source: Nucleus
3. Turnaround time
Depending on the service type you choose, your Sequencing.com results may arrive within two to 12 weeks of the lab receiving your sample. Here are your options:
Note that some users report receiving their results late despite paying for faster turnaround. We’ve also found online reviews where customers had to wait for 10+ months to receive their results.
4. Privacy and security
Sequencing.com complies with HIPAA and the US-EU-Swiss Privacy Shield. The company outsources testing to third-party labs, which are located in the U.S. and possess CAP-CLIA certifications.
That said, users may have some privacy concerns when purchasing products from Sequencing.com’s marketplace, as that could potentially lead to numerous third parties accessing and processing your genome data.
5. Pricing model
The basic Sequencing.com Genome Discovery WGS kit with standard turnaround costs $389 and includes full access to raw and analyzed data. The company’s health-specific bundles range from $399 to $1,999.
All kits come with free basic access to the Sequencing.com platform, but you’ll need to upgrade to a paid yearly plan if you want additional service benefits:
The variable pricing model is one of the biggest drawbacks of Sequencing.com. The effective cost can easily add up to hundreds and thousands of dollars if you decide to access additional reports. It’s also difficult to keep track of all the prices. You may end up miscalculating and spending more than intended if you’re not careful.
6. User opinions
Customer reviews of Sequencing.com are mostly positive, but many recent reviews suggest that the company’s customer service is lacking. A user even reported that they were charged for a membership despite not subscribing. Other occasional downsides include:
Delayed delivery of results
Aggressive advertising
Difficulty removing payment methods
Lack of data compatibility with other services
The platform’s clunky interface also leaves something to be desired. Many features are not user-friendly, and some customers have reported facing technical issues during login.
Here’s a rundown to sum up various Sequencing.com reviews and our research:
Should you invest in Sequencing.com?
Sequencing.com uses more advanced tech than other testing services and offers a vast selection of reports, but its downsides overshadow the positives. Its ancestry service is weaker than those offered by prominent platforms like Ancestry and 23andMe.
While its health insights are more trustworthy, the unintuitive interface and multi-step pricing elements make many users question whether the platform is worth the cost — especially when there are other affordable whole-genome services on the market.
If you want a one-stop platform to access clinical-grade genetic health insights, Nucleus may be the better choice. Like Sequencing.com, Nucleus analyzes your entire DNA composition once you get the whole-genome kit — but all its health reports are made available to users by default, without additional costs.
Source: Nucleus
Nucleus: Complete self-discovery at your fingertips
Nucleus is an all-in-one DNA platform that specializes in health, personal traits, and IQ analyses. Its whole-genome DNA test, Nucleus Premium, combines cancer, heart, and neurology screening and offers results with 99.9% accuracy. The platform also uses non-genetic factors like your current cholesterol and blood pressure levels to give you more personalized and comprehensive insights.
Nucleus reports can reveal extensive and easy-to-interpret information about how your genetics shape your health. Receive 20+ reports such as:
Your risk scores for developing numerous physical and mental health conditions
Rare and high-effect genetic variants/differences that can lead to chronic diseases
Trait dispositions
Intelligence scores
Carrier status for inheritable diseases (coming soon!)
Nucleus reports are physician-approved, so you can share them with your doctor. Nucleus can also connect you with board-certified genetic counselors in its network who can provide tailored advice to help you access your healthiest version and improve longevity.
Nucleus is HIPAA-compliant and processes your data in CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited labs in the U.S. You can download your whole-genome files anytime by visiting the website.
Begin your Nucleus journey
You can order your Nucleus whole-genome kit in three easy steps:
Fill out your personal information
Order your kit
Nucleus is HSA/FSA eligible and can help you save on taxes. Once the kit arrives, swab your cheeks and mail back the samples in the provided shipping envelope. You should have your results in your account in 6–8 weeks.
Source: Nucleus
Nucleus also offers an annual membership for $39 that gives you access to updated reports based on your lifestyle changes and new genetic research.
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Featured image source: Alena Shekhovtcova