Female tested 23andme brother tested thru Ancestry should female test ancestry too

Question

General question of trying to get the best matches from DNA testing. Since Ancestry base larger is it better for female to test at Ancestry or just use GEDmatch to get info of sister brother in one place?

TY

Answer 1

It could be worth doing the AncestryDNA test too. I have about 10 times as many matches at Ancestry as I have at 23andme. I have had much more success in analysing my matches at Ancestry and identifying who the common ancestors may be.

Answer 2

Also, Ancestry DNA is on sale through Jun 18.

Comments

Another thought is if the sibling data is confirmed by the current 23andMe and AncestryDNA results (meaning no adoptions or NPEs are in play), the matches to either sibling should be approximately the same (give or take a fraction of inheritance deviation). So AncestryDNA is kinda covered with the brother's results.

However, Family Tree DNA is also having a Father's Day sale, and a combined Family Finder autosomal test and basic 37-marker yDNA test is bundled at 20% off. If the brother were to buy that (before the end of the day, when the sale ends) that would get the autosomal results in the database of the other of the Big 3, plus would get a Y-chromosome test for a view of the paternal father-to-son-to-son lineage that's distinct from the autosomal DNA. Too, FTDNA is the only one of the Big 3 that keeps the sample in storage, available for future tests or upgrades without shipping another kit for a new sample. Mine has been on file there since 2004 and I've ordered about 10 different tests against it since then.

Answer 3

Regardless of whether you test at additional companies, do add your data to Gedmatch.

Answer 4

The best matches are those that help you either find a connection or to confirm a connection.  IMO, every test adds some value, but some test on certain people add more value than others.

I have both tested my parents on 23andme, FTDNA, and AncestryDNA for example.  I have covered virtually 99% of anyone who is related to me on gedmatch.

If you only can test on a single DNA service and neither of your parents is available, I would test your brother on FTDNA Family Finder and yDNA combo.

Answer 5

I would test both and as was stated in Ellen Smith's response, post all the results to GEDMATCH.  While some people have tested with multiple companies, each company has a large core of test takers that the other does not. So you are expanding your pool of possible matches with each place you test with. I have tested at both FTDNA and Ancestry with only slightly different results, however where the differences came in was that I have also had both of my brothers take a test.  We each come out with slightly different heritages percentage wise. It all depends on which 50% of each of your parent's DNA you inherited which is totally random.  So you could have relatives that your brother does not (and the other way around too). And the cool part is that those relatives that don't show as a relative to you, but do to him are still your relatives, they just don't share enough DNA with you to register. Hope this helps!

Comments

Only add one of your auDNA test results to GEDmatch.  If you add more than one then each of your relatives has you in their triangulated groups (when it is often not a trangulated group). If you add more then one test to GEDmatch then please change all but one to research mode.

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Thanks Peter, I did not know that. So it's one per person?

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Yes, one test per person on Gedmatch.

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And for the reason Peter noted, that's also why generated, simulated kits that are created by phasing or the Lazarus tool aren't available in searches for one-to-many or triangulation group results, but can be used as a source kit number for match searches or in one-to-one or one-or-both queries.