The Best Two-Test DNA Combinations for the Money

Almost no single DNA test answers every question someone might want a DNA test for. AncestryDNA has the biggest matching pool but no health reports and doesn’t accept uploads. 23andMe has FDA-authorized health reports but a smaller database. FamilyTreeDNA owns the Y-DNA category. The interesting move, and the one a lot of experienced buyers make, is to combine one strategic purchase with the free upload features that several competitors offer. Below are the combinations we think give the best return for the money in 2026.

A heads-up that recurs throughout: 23andMe’s corporate status is unstable following its March 2025 Chapter 11 filing and the mid-2025 sale of assets to TTAM Research Institute. Pricing and the affiliate program are moving targets. The privacy implications are real and we cover them in the genetic data privacy guide.

How the upload mechanic works

This is the part many first-time buyers miss. Once you’ve tested with one company, you can download the raw data file (the file containing the variants the lab read from your sample) from that company’s website. Several competitors then accept that file as a free upload and run their own matching and ethnicity tools against it.

Companies that currently accept free raw data uploads:

• MyHeritage, from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and others
• FamilyTreeDNA, from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage
• Living DNA, from 23andMe and AncestryDNA

The two big consumer brands that do not accept uploads are AncestryDNA and 23andMe. So the practical rule is: test first with one of those two, then upload free to the others. You get matches in multiple databases on a single kit purchase. The free DNA raw data upload sites article catalogs the full landscape, including free third-party tools like GEDmatch.

A caveat on uploads: ethnicity estimates from uploaded data can be slightly less detailed than from a native kit because the uploaded file may not include every position the receiving company tests for. Matching generally works well; ethnicity is the place where it’s sometimes worth paying for the native kit.

Combo 1: AncestryDNA + MyHeritage upload

The breadth-on-a-single-spend combination, and our default recommendation for someone whose primary interest is finding genetic relatives.

What it costs: one AncestryDNA kit. $99 at base, often $39 on sale. The MyHeritage upload is free. Optional MyHeritage subscription for advanced tools (chromosome browser at full power, AutoClusters) runs around $189 per year, payable monthly.

What you get: matches against AncestryDNA’s roughly 25 to 30 million- user database plus matches against MyHeritage’s roughly 5 to 8 million- user pool. Two ethnicity estimates from two different reference panels, which can highlight where the science is confident and where it varies between vendors. AncestryDNA’s ThruLines tool for working out shared ancestors, plus MyHeritage’s chromosome browser for digging into specific segments.

When to add a third: drop the raw file into FamilyTreeDNA for free too. It costs nothing extra and gives you a third pool of matches, including the surname project community.

Combo 2: AncestryDNA + 23andMe

The ancestry-plus-health combination. The expensive one, because neither test accepts uploads, so you pay for both.

What it costs: AncestryDNA $99 (often $39 on sale) plus 23andMe historically about $199 for the ancestry + health bundle (verify on the live site given the post-bankruptcy product changes). Realistic total $150 to $300 depending on timing.

What you get: AncestryDNA’s massive matching pool and US records integration, plus 23andMe’s FDA-authorized carrier and predisposition reports. Two ethnicity estimates from two different reference panels. Matches against 23andMe’s roughly 14 million-user database for relatives who happen to have tested there rather than at Ancestry.

The caveat layer here is significant. 23andMe’s post-bankruptcy corporate uncertainty is real; the privacy story is materially different in 2026 than it was in 2020. Read our genetic data privacy guide before adding 23andMe to any combination, and decide whether the FDA-authorized health reports are worth the trade-off for you.

For any specific health result that emerges from 23andMe, route to the NSGC directory. We do not interpret individual results.

Combo 3: AncestryDNA + FamilyTreeDNA Big Y-700

The deep-lineage combination for surname or one-name research and serious paternal-line genealogy.

What it costs: AncestryDNA at $99 base (or $39 on sale) plus the FamilyTreeDNA Big Y-700, which runs around $449 at base and is often on sale. Realistic total $250 to $500 depending on Big Y-700 promotions. You can also add Family Finder, FamilyTreeDNA’s autosomal kit, for about $79, but if you’ve already tested at AncestryDNA you can upload that raw data to FTDNA for free instead.

What you get: the largest matching pool from AncestryDNA, plus the deepest paternal-line Y-DNA testing the consumer market offers. Big Y-700 puts you on a high-resolution branch of the human paternal tree and is essentially the cost of admission to active surname projects. mtDNA testing is a separate FamilyTreeDNA product if your interest is the maternal line; we cover the trade-offs in FamilyTreeDNA vs 23andMe Y-DNA.

This combination is overkill for someone who just wants to know if they have Irish ancestors. It’s the right move only when you’ve already identified a specific lineage question and decided to invest in answering it.

Combo 4: AncestryDNA + Living DNA upload (UK and Ireland angle)

The British-Isles-detail combination, when matching plus sub-regional ethnicity is the goal.

What it costs: AncestryDNA $99 (or $39 on sale). The Living DNA upload is free, though if you want their native ethnicity report at full detail you may prefer to buy the Living DNA kit at around $99 instead.

What you get: AncestryDNA’s matching plus Living DNA’s distinctive sub-regional British and Irish ethnicity breakdown. Useful when your known or suspected ancestry sits heavily in the UK or Ireland. MyHeritage vs Living DNA goes deeper on the Living DNA strengths.

Why AncestryDNA is the recurring first move

We keep recommending AncestryDNA as the first kit in these combos for two reasons. First, the matching database is the largest in consumer DNA testing by a wide margin. Second, AncestryDNA doesn’t accept uploads, so if you ever want to be in that matching pool you have to buy the kit; whereas the upload-accepting services can be added later for free. Buying AncestryDNA first preserves all your other options.

The exception is buyers whose primary interest is 23andMe’s FDA- authorized health reports. Same logic in reverse: 23andMe doesn’t accept uploads either, so if you want those reports you have to buy that kit.

Verdict

For most buyers, the highest-value combination is AncestryDNA plus a free MyHeritage upload, optionally extended with a free FamilyTreeDNA upload. Total spend stays close to the price of one kit and you get matches across three databases. Add 23andMe only if health reports are specifically what you want, and after reading our privacy guide on the post-bankruptcy situation. Add Big Y-700 only when you have a real paternal-line research question.

Related reading: DNA test comparisons, DNA tests that allow raw data upload, cheapest way to test a whole family, guide to DNA testing.