Free DNA Raw Data Upload Sites: What You Get Without Paying
GEDmatch, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, Living DNA and other free destinations for your raw DNA file, with what is free and what is paywalled.
If you already have a raw DNA file from any major test, several services will read it for free and give you something useful back. Not every feature inside each service is free. Here is what you actually get without paying at each major destination as of early 2026.
GEDmatch
The longest-running free upload destination. Operated by Verogen, which is owned by Qiagen. The free tier includes one-to-many match comparisons, one-to-one segment comparisons against specific kits, and admixture (ethnicity) calculators contributed by the community.
Tier 1 is a paid subscription that adds Triangulation, Lazarus, Phasing and several other advanced tools. Most casual users do not need Tier 1. Active genetic genealogists generally do.
GEDmatch’s law-enforcement matching opt-in is separate and is off by default for new uploads. Read the consent screen before uploading. Our privacy guide covers GEDmatch in depth.
MyHeritage
Free upload at MyHeritage DNA gives you full matching against the MyHeritage database plus an ethnicity estimate. This is the largest single benefit of any free upload because it adds you to a 5 to 8 million person matching database.
Some advanced tools (chromosome browser features, AutoClusters beyond a basic view, Theory of Family Relativity) sit behind a one- time unlock fee that has historically been around $29, or behind a MyHeritage subscription. Matching itself, the names and shared centimorgans of your DNA cousins, is free.
FamilyTreeDNA
Free upload at FamilyTreeDNA gives you autosomal matching in the Family Finder database. You see the names of your matches and shared cM amounts at no cost.
Ethnicity refinement and the full chromosome browser sit behind a small unlock fee. Matching itself is free.
Living DNA
Free upload at Living DNA produces an ancestry report. This is the most attractive upload for buyers with British or Irish ancestry, because Living DNA’s sub-regional breakdown is the finest any consumer service offers and it is available free off an existing AncestryDNA or 23andMe file.
Wellness reports require a paid kit or upgrade. The ancestry report itself is free.
Genomelink, DNA.Land and others
Several smaller services accept free uploads for trait and ancestry mini-reports. Quality varies and we recommend treating any small service with caution: read the privacy policy carefully and use a disposable email if you do not know the company.
DNA.Land, run as a research project out of the New York Genome Center, accepted uploads in earlier years but stopped accepting new uploads in 2018.
A practical free-upload sequence
For a buyer who already has an AncestryDNA or 23andMe raw file, the optimal free sequence is:
- Upload to MyHeritage for matching in a second large database.
- Upload to FamilyTreeDNA for matching in a third database.
- Upload to Living DNA if you have British or Irish ancestry.
- Consider GEDmatch if you are doing serious genetic genealogy.
That covers four matching environments and gives you a fresh ethnicity read for free, off one kit.
Where to read more
Our upload-accepting tests guide covers the full map including paid health-analysis destinations. The cheapest family-testing guide puts uploads at the centre of multi-generation testing strategy. The match quality comparison covers how matches at each destination compare in practice.
Back to the DNA test comparisons pillar.