Factual comparison · verified 2026-08-28
Ancestrify vs Illustrative DNA
A factual side-by-side of Ancestrify and Illustrative DNA: methods, periods, whole-genome VCF input, do-it-yourself qpAdm, published statistics, catalog coverage, pricing model and hosting — each cell checked against their own site.
What Illustrative DNA is
Illustrative DNA (ILLUSTRATIVEDNA OÜ, an Estonian private limited company by its own footer) sells DeepAncestry, a coordinate-based ancient-ancestry report across six periods, and AdmixLab, a do-it-yourself qpAdm and Fst environment on the AADR panels. It is the most direct alternative to Ancestrify's qpAdm and Global25 products, so this page compares the two on the criteria a buyer can actually check.
Everything in the right-hand column was read on illustrativedna.com on the date below. Where their public pages do not state something — prices, PDF delivery, where data is hosted — the cell says so rather than guessing.
Side by side
| Criterion | Ancestrify | Illustrative DNA |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Three methods, sold separately: formal qpAdm (ADMIXTOOLS 2, with a p-value), Global25 coordinate fitting (distances, nMonte-style admixture, PCA) and an Ancient Matches shared-segment scan | DeepAncestry: coordinate-based distances, an Unsupervised Analysis that enumerates top-ranked three-component mixtures of averaged coordinates, PCA and hierarchical clustering. AdmixLab: qpAdm and Fst on the AADR v62 and v66 panels, built by the customer |
| Periods covered | qpAdm: two eras — Hunter Gatherer and Neolithic Farmer, and Classical Antiquity. Global25: six eras from the Late Bronze Age to the Modern Era | DeepAncestry: Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, each with its own population pool |
| Runs on your raw file | Yes — qpAdm, Ancient Matches and Relative Finder run on the raw export directly | Yes — supported companies listed: MyHeritage, 23andMe, Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, Living DNA, tellmeGen |
| Whole-genome VCF input | Yes — whole-genome sequencing VCF up to 1 GB on qpAdm and Ancient Matches (€10 add-on); converted to the panel's markers at upload, not stored | AdmixLab states that WGS files (VCF, BAM) cannot be used unless first converted into a genotype format |
| Hand-checked qpAdm model with published p-value, SE and Z | Every qpAdm report publishes the model p-value, each source's weight, standard error and z-score, and the full right (outgroup) set | AdmixLab is described as a DIY service with no pre-generated results; the customer builds the models, and full raw outputs are downloadable |
| Run your own qpAdm models | Yes — the Model Lab (€10 one-time unlock on a published report): your own qpAdm runs with your sample as target, up to 100 per rolling day, plus the merged EIGENSTRAT bundle to download | Yes — AdmixLab: a five-step wizard, 100 runs per day on dedicated compute, saved presets, and downloadable raw outputs |
| Hand-built Personalized Calculator | Yes — the Personalized Calculator (€10): an analyst hand-builds a G25 calculator around your own coordinates, published beside the standard result | Not stated on their site |
| Every-country catalog | Every sovereign state — 199 countries and 1,115 regions — for both qpAdm and Global25 | Not stated on their site |
| Matches against individual ancient people | Yes — Ancient Matches scans your genome against every individual in the ancient panel (€29.99) | Not stated on their site |
| Named, versioned reference set | Named and versioned: AADR v66 for qpAdm; 30,386 samples / 1,535 populations for Global25 | AdmixLab names the AADR v62 and v66 panels; DeepAncestry describes a living library kept current with every new study |
| Free in-browser tools without an account | Yes — the Ancestrify Lab's in-browser tools (distance, admixture, PCA, averaging, authenticity, haplotrees, mapper) need no account | A Free Extras section is advertised; the tools behind it are not itemised on the pages read |
| Pricing model | One-time payments: qpAdm from €29.99, Global25 €29.99, Ancient Matches €29.99. No subscription | AdmixLab is sold as a subscription (their FAQ covers what happens when the subscription ends). Prices: not stated on their site |
| Hosting and jurisdiction | EU infrastructure (Germany and Finland), operator registered in Albania, GDPR | Company registered in Estonia (ILLUSTRATIVEDNA OÜ). Server location: not stated on their site |
| PDF report | No PDF — an interactive on-screen report and server-rendered videos | Not stated on their site |
Where each is the better choice
Choose Illustrative DNA if you want a six-period coordinate report in one purchase, or a subscription environment for sweeping many qpAdm models yourself on the AADR panels.
Choose Ancestrify if you want a qpAdm model built and checked by a person, with its p-value, standard errors, z-scores and full right set published; whole-genome VCF input; a Personalized Calculator built around your own coordinates; matches against individual ancient people; and one-time pricing with EU hosting.
Ancestrify's side of the table is stated on qpAdm, Global25, Ancient Matches and the Model Lab; the other comparisons are Vahaduo, GEDmatch, Genoplot.
Questions
Is Illustrative DNA's DeepAncestry the same method as Ancestrify's qpAdm?
No. DeepAncestry, as described on their site, computes distances and enumerates mixtures of averaged coordinates in a shared coordinate system — the same family of method as Ancestrify's Global25 product. Ancestrify's qpAdm product is formal modelling in ADMIXTOOLS 2 against the AADR, with a p-value that can reject a model. Illustrative DNA's qpAdm offering is AdmixLab, where the customer builds the models.
Which one lets me run qpAdm myself?
Both. Illustrative DNA's AdmixLab is a subscription DIY environment with a guided wizard and 100 runs per day. Ancestrify's Model Lab is a one-time unlock on a published qpAdm report — your sample is the target, sources and outgroups come from your own merged panel, up to 100 runs per rolling day — and the same unlock includes the merged EIGENSTRAT bundle for your own toolchain.
Can I upload a whole-genome VCF to either?
Ancestrify accepts a sequencing VCF up to 1 GB on qpAdm and Ancient Matches, converting it to the panel's markers at upload. Illustrative DNA's AdmixLab page states that WGS files cannot be used unless first converted into a genotype format.
Does either produce a PDF?
Ancestrify does not — the report is interactive and on-screen, with server-rendered videos. Illustrative DNA's public pages do not state whether a PDF is delivered.
How were these facts checked?
Every cell in the Illustrative DNA column was read on illustrativedna.com on the verification date shown on this page. Where a fact was not stated there, the cell says so. If something has changed, tell us and it will be re-verified.
See the statistics before you decide.
Every published qpAdm model on Ancestrify carries its p-value, standard errors, z-scores and full outgroup set — the numbers that let you check it, not just read it.