AncestryDNA vs 23andMe: Database Size, Health Reports, and the 2025 Bankruptcy
AncestryDNA leads on matching database size at roughly 25 to 30 million users. 23andMe adds FDA-authorized health reports but sits under post-bankruptcy ownership.
This is the flagship comparison in consumer DNA testing, and the answer hinges on a single question: do you want the largest matching database for genealogy, or the only mainstream test that ships with FDA-authorized health reports?
At a glance
| Feature | AncestryDNA | 23andMe |
|---|---|---|
| Database size | approx 25 to 30 million | approx 14 million |
| Base price | $99 (sales near $39) | $99 ancestry, ~$199+ health bundle |
| Turnaround | 4 to 6 weeks | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Health reports | No (AncestryHealth ended Jan 2021) | Yes, FDA-authorized carrier and predisposition |
| Y-DNA / mtDNA | No | Haplogroup label only |
| Accepts raw uploads | No | No |
| Corporate status | Stable | Chapter 11 in March 2025, assets held by TTAM Research Institute |
The short answer
If you are buying primarily to find relatives and build a family tree, pick AncestryDNA. The database is roughly twice the size of 23andMe’s and grew while 23andMe’s shrank. If you are buying primarily for health reporting and accept the corporate uncertainty, 23andMe is the only mainstream consumer test that ships FDA-authorized reports. Read our privacy pillar before ordering 23andMe.
Database and matching
AncestryDNA has the largest consumer DNA database in the world at roughly 25 to 30 million tested users as of early 2026. Practically speaking, that means more matches at every cousin distance, more ThruLines links into Ancestry’s historical record collection, and a higher probability that your closest unknown relatives have already tested.
23andMe’s database is reported at approximately 14 million users, down from a peak near 15 million following the 2023 data breach and the 2025 bankruptcy. Match volume is still meaningful, but a cousin who tested only at Ancestry will not appear in your 23andMe matches and vice versa, because neither company accepts uploaded raw data from the other.
If matching is your goal and budget allows one test, the database differential settles it.
Price and value
AncestryDNA lists at $99 and frequently discounts to $39 during DNA Day, holidays, and other promotions, plus roughly $9.95 shipping for the first kit. Records subscriptions are sold separately and are not required to view your DNA results.
23andMe historically lists the Ancestry service near $99 and the Ancestry plus Health bundle near $199, though post-bankruptcy pricing has been less predictable. Verify the live price before ordering.
At sale prices, AncestryDNA delivers a much larger matching pool for less money. The 23andMe premium pays for health reports, not for ancestry depth.
Reports and features
AncestryDNA’s strengths are ethnicity estimates with frequent region updates, ThruLines for hypothesized common ancestors, SideView for splitting matches by parent, and direct hooks into Ancestry’s record collections. It does not offer Y-DNA, mtDNA, or any health reporting. AncestryHealth was discontinued in January 2021.
23andMe reports a maternal mtDNA haplogroup for all customers, a paternal Y-DNA haplogroup for biological males, FDA-authorized carrier status reports, and a set of predisposition reports. The clinical scope of those reports is narrower than the marketing copy suggests, and we do not interpret individual results in this guide. Talk to a board-certified genetic counselor via the National Society of Genetic Counselors directory before acting on any health finding.
Privacy and corporate stability
This is the area where the two companies have diverged the most.
23andMe filed Chapter 11 in March 2025. Genetic data and core assets were sold to TTAM Research Institute, a nonprofit founded by co-founder Anne Wojcicki, in mid-2025. The wind-down plan was approved in late 2025. The consumer test still operates, but the corporate steward of millions of genetic records has changed under bankruptcy court supervision, and the 2023 breach affected roughly 6.9 million accounts. Mark 23andMe as a verify-before-buying purchase and read our privacy pillar before ordering.
Ancestry has had no comparable corporate event. It is privately held by Blackstone and continues to operate the largest matching service in the category.
Who should pick AncestryDNA
Pick AncestryDNA if your primary goal is finding relatives, building a tree, or breaking through a US-side brick wall. Pick it if you already have a Ancestry records subscription and want the integration. Pick it if corporate stability matters to you.
Who should pick 23andMe
Pick 23andMe only if FDA-authorized carrier and predisposition reports are the main reason you are buying a test, and only after you have read the privacy pillar and accept the post-bankruptcy uncertainty. If you want both deep ancestry and health reporting, the cheaper combined approach is to buy AncestryDNA for matches and route to a clinical genetic test through your physician for any real health question.
Verdict
AncestryDNA wins for matching, ethnicity, and tree-building, full stop. 23andMe wins only on the narrow lane of bundled health reports, and that lane comes with corporate baggage. For most first-time buyers in 2026, AncestryDNA is the better default. See the dna-test-comparisons pillar, our AncestryDNA review, and 23andMe review for deeper detail, or compare both against MyHeritage in the three-way breakdown.