Factual comparison · verified 2026-08-31
Ancestrify vs MyTrueAncestry
A factual side-by-side of Ancestrify and MyTrueAncestry: methods, published statistics, formal qpAdm, individual ancient matches, catalog coverage, pricing model and jurisdiction — each cell checked against their own site.
What MyTrueAncestry is
MyTrueAncestry (MyTrueAncestry AG, a Swiss company by its own footer, in Bäch, Switzerland) invites users to compare their DNA to 168 ancient civilizations, working from the raw-data file of the major testing companies, with a free basic analysis and additional results unlocked by levelling up. It is one of the most searched names in ancient-ancestry analysis, so this page compares it with Ancestrify's qpAdm, Global25 and Ancient Matches products on criteria a buyer can check.
One honesty note about the right-hand column: mytrueancestry.com renders most of its content in the browser, so the pages as served to non-browser clients state relatively little. Every cell below reflects what their site stated on the date shown; where a fact was not readable there, the cell says so rather than guessing.
Side by side
| Criterion | Ancestrify | MyTrueAncestry |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Described on their site as comparing your DNA to 168 ancient civilizations using advanced archaeogenetics and real ancient DNA samples; the specific statistical methods behind the comparisons are not stated on the pages read |
| Runs on your raw file | Yes — qpAdm, Ancient Matches and Relative Finder run on the raw export directly | Yes — raw data from the major DNA testing companies (their examples: AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, DanteLabs), with support described for all major formats |
| 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 | DanteLabs is listed among supported providers; which file formats that covers is not stated on their site |
| 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, z-score and 95% confidence interval, and the full right (outgroup) set with sample counts | Not stated on their site |
| 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) | Their site describes comparison against real ancient DNA samples and 168 ancient civilizations; how results are itemised per individual sample is not detailed on the pages read |
| Named, versioned reference set | Named and versioned: AADR v66 for qpAdm; 30,386 samples / 1,535 populations for Global25 | Not stated on their site |
| 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 basic analysis is offered with no payment method required; it runs on an uploaded file within an account |
| Pricing model | One-time payments: qpAdm from €29.99, Global25 €29.99, Ancient Matches €29.99. No subscription | A free basic tier, with additional results unlocked by levelling up (their wording: level up for more results). Level names and prices: not stated on their site |
| Hosting and jurisdiction | EU infrastructure (Germany and Finland), operator registered in Albania, GDPR | Company address in Switzerland (MyTrueAncestry AG, Bäch). Their site states that all retained data is fully anonymized. Server location: not stated on their site |
| Downloadable full model record | Yes — the report's Reading view shows the complete run record (chi-square, degrees of freedom, f4 rank, SNP counts, jackknife blocks, panel labels, the nested-model table, the rank test, tool warnings) with a written analyst explanation, and downloads it as a plain-text file at no extra cost | Not stated on their site |
| PDF report | No PDF — an interactive on-screen report, a plain-text model-record download and server-rendered videos | Not stated on their site |
Where each is the better choice
Choose MyTrueAncestry if you want a quick, free first look at how your DNA compares to a large gallery of ancient civilizations, with paid levels to unlock more.
Choose Ancestrify if you want the statistics published with the result: a hand-checked qpAdm model with its p-value, standard errors and full right set; Global25 analysis with every source panel listed; Ancient Matches with per-individual evidence; one-time pricing; and EU hosting under GDPR.
Ancestrify's side of the table is stated on qpAdm, Global25, Ancient Matches and the Model Lab; the other comparisons are Illustrative DNA, Vahaduo, GEDmatch, Genoplot, DNA Genics.
Questions
Do MyTrueAncestry and Ancestrify use the same method?
Their public pages describe comparing your DNA to ancient civilizations using archaeogenetics, without naming the statistics behind the comparisons. Ancestrify names its three methods per product: qpAdm in ADMIXTOOLS 2 with a published p-value, Global25 coordinate analysis with the fit and full source panels published, and an Ancient Matches shared-segment scan with per-match evidence. Whether the two approaches agree for your genome is checkable only in the product that publishes its statistics.
Which one has a free tier?
Both, differently shaped. MyTrueAncestry offers a free basic analysis of an uploaded file, with more results unlocked at paid levels. Ancestrify's free layer is the Lab: in-browser Global25 distance, admixture and PCA tools that need no account and no upload, plus free server-side haplogroup finders and a raw-file check with a free account. Ancestrify's paid reports are one-time purchases rather than levels.
Which one matches you against individual ancient people?
Ancestrify's Ancient Matches scans your raw file against every individual in its ancient panel and shows the shared stretches on your chromosomes, with the count of individuals behind every population total. MyTrueAncestry's pages describe comparisons against real ancient samples and ancient civilizations; per-individual itemisation is not detailed on the pages we could read.
Can either prove descent from a civilization?
No method can. A similarity to ancient samples, however presented, is a statement about shared ancestry with a population, never proof that any specific ancient person or civilization is in your family tree. Ancestrify's reports say this explicitly on every surface.
How were these facts checked?
Every cell in the MyTrueAncestry column reflects what was readable on mytrueancestry.com on the verification date shown on this page. Their site renders most content in the browser, so several cells honestly say the fact was not stated on the pages read. If something has changed or renders differently for you, 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, confidence intervals, full outgroup set and complete model record, downloadable as plain text — the numbers that let you check it, not just read it.