DNA Tests That Allow Raw Data Upload: The 2026 Map
Which DNA services accept your raw data file, what they do with it, and the two big brands that accept no uploads at all.
The biggest leverage point in consumer DNA testing is one most buyers never use: the raw data file. Every major test lets you download a plain text file of your genotype results, and several other services will read that file for free and produce a new analysis. Here is the full map of who accepts uploads in 2026, and who does not.
Services that accept raw uploads
MyHeritage DNA. Free upload for matching and an ethnicity estimate. The first time you upload, your data lands in MyHeritage’s matching database alongside their own kit customers. A one-off unlock fee or a subscription is required to access some chromosome browser features, but matching itself is free.
FamilyTreeDNA. Free upload for autosomal matching against the Family Finder database. Some advanced tools and ethnicity refinements require an unlock fee. Accepts files from AncestryDNA, 23andMe and MyHeritage.
Living DNA. Free upload for an ancestry report. Accepts files from 23andMe and AncestryDNA. Useful for buyers who want Living DNA’s British and Irish sub-regional breakdown without ordering a new kit.
Sequencing.com. Accepts raw data uploads into an app marketplace. Some apps are free, many are paid. The upload itself is free. This is the right destination if you want to run additional reports against your existing genotype file rather than buy a new test. See our privacy guide for general upload-destination considerations.
SelfDecode. Accepts raw data uploads for paid health and wellness analysis. SelfDecode is subscription-based and sits in the health and wellness category rather than the ancestry category.
GEDmatch is the longstanding free third-party upload destination used by genetic genealogists. Free tier plus a Tier 1 paid subscription for advanced tools.
Services that accept NO uploads
AncestryDNA does not accept uploads. The only way to be in the AncestryDNA matching database is to buy and process an AncestryDNA kit. This is intentional and unlikely to change.
23andMe also does not accept uploads. Same reason and same likelihood of changing.
The practical consequence is that the two largest matching databases in consumer DNA testing are closed to free uploads. You have to buy in.
The standard upload strategy
For most buyers, the optimal play is to buy one kit from a closed-database brand (typically AncestryDNA, which has the largest database), then upload the raw data free to the open-database brands (MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, Living DNA). One kit, four databases.
If your priority is health and wellness analysis rather than matching, the optimal play is the opposite: buy any kit (or use one you already have), then upload to Sequencing.com or SelfDecode.
A privacy caveat worth naming
Every time you upload your raw data to a new service, you create a new copy of your genotype under a new set of terms and a new jurisdiction. Each destination is a separate consent decision. Read the privacy policy at each upload destination before clicking upload, and prefer destinations that let you delete the file and the derived analyses. Our privacy guide covers the deletion mechanics for each major service.
Where to read more
Our free upload sites guide covers what each free destination actually gives you. The cheapest family-testing guide uses uploads as a core cost-reduction strategy. The match quality comparison covers how uploaded matches compare to native-kit matches inside each destination.
Back to the DNA test comparisons pillar.