Autosomal DNA transfers - summary of which companies accept which tests

Transfer the raw data from your DNA test to another vendor free of charge or at a low cost, and benefit from extra DNA matches and tools, as genealogist Roberta Estes explains.

Roberta, who runs the popular genealogy blog DNAeXplained - Genetic Genealogy, has devised the table opposite, as a way of easily demonstrating which DNA companies accept autosomal DNA transfers from other DNA test providers.

She says: I’ve created a quick and easy reference that shows which testing vendors’ files can be uploaded to which other vendors.

Why transfer Autosomal DNA data?

Just so that everyone is on the same page, if you test your autosomal DNA at one vendor, Vendor A, some other vendors allow you to download your raw data file from Vendor A and transfer your results to their company, Vendor B. The transfer to Vendor B is either free or lower cost than testing from scratch. One site, GedMatch, is not a testing vendor, but is a contribution/subscription comparison site.

Vendor B then processes your DNA file that you imported from Vendor A, and your results are then included in the database of Vendor B, which means that you can obtain your matches to other people in Vendor B’s data base who tested there originally and others who have also transferred. 

More DNA tools and DNA matches

You can also avail yourself of any other tools that Vendor B provides to their customers.  Tools vary widely between companies.  For example, Family Tree DNA, GedMatch and 23andMe provide chromosome browsers, while Ancestry does not.  All 3 major vendors (Family Tree DNA, Ancestry and 23andMe) have developed unique offerings (of varying quality) to help their customers understand the messages that their unique DNA carries.

Autosomal DNA transfer table

The vendors in the left column are the vendors performing the autosomal DNA tests. The vendor row (plus GedMatch) across the top indicates who accepts upload transfers from whom, and which file versions.

Extract taken from the DNAeXplained - Genetic Genealogy blog. Read the full post, and sign up for Roberta's regular e-newsletter by clicking the 'follow' button on the right of the home page.