23andMe is not a service designed to help people find their biological parents, but one feature can help you find and connect with genetic relatives.

The main difference between 23andme and AncestryDNA is that 23andMe offers health testing, and basic Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroup reporting. By contrast, AncestryDNA is much more focused on DNA testing for genealogical purposes.

Why should I choose 23andMe? There are many benefits of DNA testing, including finding relatives, learning whether you have genetic variants you could pass onto your children, and receiving personalized insights into your health and ancestry. 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service offers 150+ DNA reports that do just that.

If you're looking for thorough health information, go with 23andMe. Ancestry is the better option if you're looking to track down family or chart your lineage.

When parts of DNA match, they identify the people they belong to, which is how many people find their biological parents. Even when a database on an ancestry-related DNA testing company's site doesn't have the match someone is looking for, the information can be used to create a family tree.

Technically, an ancestry test is not recognised as legal proof of paternity. In order to truly prove paternity, you'd need to take a paternity test.

It doesn't get unnecessarily complex or bogged down with jargon – we found the information breakdown clearly presented and easy to digest – and in our opinion, Ancestry is the best destination if you're keen to build your family tree as well as analyse your DNA history.

23andMe states their analytical validity is greater than 99% accurate for health data, notes Klee.

Reasons for Genetic Testing

• To learn whether you have a genetic condition that runs in your family before you have symptoms.
• To learn about the chance a current or future pregnancy will have a genetic condition.
• To diagnose a genetic condition if you or your child has symptoms.

With a membership, you can:

• View records on Ancestry®.
• See family trees created by other members of Ancestry.
• View hints in your tree.
• View Common Ancestors, if you've taken an AncestryDNA® test.
• See surnames and birth locations in your matches' trees, if you've taken an AncestryDNA test.

23andMe states their analytical validity is greater than 99% accurate for health data, notes Klee. “This means that when they are doing the genetic testing, there is a greater than 99% chance that they accurately tell which DNA base pair is present at the genetic marker they are testing,” she explains.

50 percent It's a common source of confusion for people who use tests like AncestryDNA, 23andMe, or National Geographic's Geno kit. After all, children inherit half of their DNA from each parent: 50 percent from mom (through an egg), and 50 percent from dad (through sperm).