FamilyTreeDNAReviews of familytreedna.com

I highly recommend using FTDNA. I've been using FTDNA for genetic genealogy since 2007. It has been an excellent tool for me. I am not employed or paid by FTDNA. I am one of the many unpaid volunteers that manage DNA Projects at FTDNA. There are many projects. Some are very useful and managed by smart and helpful volunteers. Some projects are abandoned and need someone to adopt them. And some projects aren't very useful, yet. There is some random luck as to whether the projects you need will be helpful or not. FTDNA is small relative to big companies that have more sophisticated websites. But they provide their web tools for free to testers. The web tools they provide aren't as "pretty" as some other sites. But they are very functional for genetic genealogy. They are by far the best place to research Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA. Doing genetic genealogy takes some patience and learning. It isn't something that is quick and easy. It is a "team sport" that takes a team of testers that match and help each other figure out what it all means. Some people that test Y-DNA or mtDNA find few or no matches and get very disappointed. But sometimes the needed matches appear years after you do your test. One of my cousins that I did the Big-Y test on did not have a match for 7 years. But when the match finally appeared, it helped us better understand and confirm the genealogy. I've used Big-Y to test various cousins on different lineages. It has helped break down brick walls that had hindered our genealogy research for decades. It seems to me that many of the bad reviews that have been posted are from: - people that don't have a good understanding of genetic genealogy. - people that expect too much from a website that doesn't charge a subscription fee. - people that didn't get instant gratification. Genetic genealogists know there is random luck as to whether or not your DNA will have useful matches right away. Sometimes the matches you need show up years later. - people that may have submitted contaminated samples. - people upset that they didn't get the "ethnic origins" results they wanted. Experienced genetic genealogists know these results can be problematic. Sometimes they are wrong. More often than not they are closer to right than wrong but the person tested really doesn't know their full genealogical tree. They often don't know the truth about where their 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, etc. grands lived.

I have been using Family Tree DNA since 2013 for Y-DNA research. The results of my tests, and the tests of other male relatives, have been invaluable in my research. Every time I've contacted them I have received good and timely advice. I recently upgraded to the Big Y-700 and am enjoying learning about my results. I just now read all these negative reviews and wonder, are people confusing FTDNA with some other company? Do they not understand the nature of DNA testing, especially Y-DNA?

Preferred DNA Testing Company - I have tested my parents in all 5 of the major testing sites for genealogy and Family Tree DNA is my favorite for so many reasons. You pay for the test and can see all your matches and their trees without further subscriptions. They are the only company who offers the additional mitochondrial and Y-DNA tests. I have tested several of my Y-DNA cousins to get Big-Y results and it has broken down several brick walls. Family Tree DNA has volunteer project coordinators who are extremely helpful in understanding the results. Family Tree DNA posts articles on how to interpret results and utilize the data after it results

I've been a customer for many years, and have used their Y-DNA testing (more recently the Big Y test) to break down family mysteries about my surname.

I have had all my family members test with Family Tree DNA and use their applications almost daily (there are no monthly or annual fees once you have tested). The results have opened doors into my genealogical research. Their Y-DNA testing is world class. There is a wide range of surname, Y-DNA and Mitochondrial DNA groups you can join, with outstanding administrators who will help with your research and assist in connecting your results with others you are matched to. The company puts data security as a top priority, and I have never had concerns in that area.

Y-DNA and mtDNA testing I've been a customer since 2019. I have been very happy with the company. Their website has improved greatly, especially the Y-DNA part. The mtDNA is up next. The real value is in the Projects. You have experts in all aspects of Y-DNA working on your Y-DNA family tree.

Folks, I feel like a lot of the horrible reviews here were posted by the same person who for some reason has a vendetta against FamilyTreeDNA. I use Family Tree DNA to research all of us in the U.S, England, Australia and elsewhere with the Hersey surname. Yes, you do need to reach out to others to join your surname project and do the BigYDNA test which is pricey. But if you want to find your patrilineal origins there is no better test than the BigY. I have learned the path of my paternal ancestor over the past thousands of years. And as my distant Hersey cousins do their tests I’ll learn more and more. Google Hersey Family Project and you will learn more. None of this would be possible without FTDNA. Side bonuses are learning my ancestral makeup, meaning the countries/areas my entire family was from. Cheers, Steve Hersey Alexandria, Virginia,USA

I found my connections to my mother’s line that I could never have found without mitochondrial DNA. I love these tools.