Diahan Southard

I distinctly remember standing in a classroom in front of a couple hundred people and talking about how irrelevant our DNA ethnicity results were. I described them as a “coffee table piece,” just something you might display for guests to browse while they were waiting for dinner to be served. And they were a coffee table piece circa 2009 when for many of us a report of 100% European was definitely the least actionable part of our DNA testing experience.

Created by Canva Magic Media It was just after Christmas, and my mom was visiting me in Florida. She was on the couch reading a book while I squeezed in a little work. Years earlier, she’d taken a DNA test, mostly because I asked her to. We knew she was adopted. And over time we’d explored a few different avenues to learn more about her biological family. But nothing urgent. Nothing consistent. Just slow progress and long pauses. Then I saw it.

When you take a DNA test for genealogy, it’s more than just getting those test results. Your testing company needs to be able to deliver three essential elements: the people, the trees, and the tools—tools that are going to make your family history journey easier. So which DNA test is best for genealogy? It depends. It depends on what you’re hoping to get out of your DNA test. But there’s a framework that will help you make the right choices for your specific family history research goals.