Living DNA Review

About Living DNA

Living DNA helps you understand what makes you, you. Its thorough ancestry and wellbeing test kits are mailed to your door and then analyzed within 6-8 weeks. Your results are uploaded onto a convenient portal from which you can print them or add on extra services to customize your experience.

Depending on the package you choose, your results can reveal detailed information about where your ancestors are from, who your DNA is connected to, your body’s response to certain foods and vitamins, and/or more.

The company’s reliable kits have earned them nearly 2k followers on Instagram. Plus, Living DNA has been featured in The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Tech Crunch, The Doctors, USA Today, and other notable media platforms.

Can this company help you get to know yourself better? Stay tuned as this Living DNA review takes a look at the brand, its DNA testing kits, customer testimonials, discounts, and more, to help you make that crucial decision.

Overview of Living DNA

It’s a common sentiment among us humans that often, we feel a little lost. Craving a connection with others, understanding what makes us tick, and curbing illnesses are all reasons why DNA testing has become so popular in the last 20 years. Ultimately, they help us understand ourselves and our history a little better.

These reasons are also why founders David and Hannah Nicholson founded Living DNA in 2016. According to the brand’s website, the duo’s desire is to help “the world understand the truth through science.”

Indeed, the husband and wife hope to solve some of the world’s largest issues, like preventable diseases and loneliness, by building a metaphorical bridge between our bodies and such problems. All of this is made possible through DNA testing.

Living DNA makes the traditionally elite service available for all budgets, offering its ancestry kit for $79. Plus, customers receive a free DNA upload that grants them access to several test results for no additional cost.

In addition to accessibility, the brand cares about its customers’ privacy. Unlike other similar services, Living DNA does not sell data to other organizations. Instead, it uses your unique data within its own company for research purposes only.

The brand is based in Frome, England, but it sends its kits all over the world. Now that you know more about the company and its founders, this Living DNA review will quickly outline the pros and cons.

Pros

• Three different kits to choose from, depending on which results you are interested in
• Add-on services possible, which keep initial kit costs low
• More affordable than many other DNA testing services
• Free DNA data upload for customers who have already done a test
• Protects your data & does not sell it to outside organizations
• Users believe Living DNA is a trustworthy and reliable service
• Promotions throughout the year
• Ships worldwide
• Return shipping covered by the brand

Cons

• Ancestry data is limited to 500 years ago within the Wellbeing and Ancestry Kit
• Shipping may be longer than specified
• Shipping can be costly to some locations
• Some customers are unable to get results or report too few results

Is Living DNA free?

If you have already taken a DNA test, you can upload your results onto Living DNA’s app for free. You will get complementary DNA matching and ancestry results.

From there, you can choose to find out more about yourself from a wide array of specific areas. Some options include Wellness & Longevity ($69) and Medications & Drug Response ($59). Each area is priced differently, like an a la carte menu of sorts.

This Living DNA review will cover more information on DNA testing packages and individual testing. Plus, we’ll outline your options in the next few sections.

Is There An AppFor Living DNA?

Yes, Living DNA operates as an app, but not one you’d find in the App Store. Those who already have their DNA test results will need to upload them into the DNA App Market, in which you can choose which areas you’d like to investigate further.

The computer-based application provides your results in easy-to-digest formats. Depending on what options you choose, you might see a map that details your ancestors’ travels, a visualization of your heritage, and/or a family tree.

Does Living DNA Do Y-DNA Testing?

Y-DNA testing is a male-only test that traces a man’s lineage. Living DNA does offer this test alongside mtDNA haplogroup reports to determine what country your ancestors come from.

How Does Living DNA Work?

When you first land on Living DNA’s friendly home page, you’ll be prompted with a few options. Whether you’re interested in taking a DNA test or finding out the specifics of your genetics, it has some choices for either option.

At the right-hand corner of the top of the page, you’ll see ‘Get started for $79’. Click this button to reveal Living DNA’s three packages:

1. Your Ancestry
2. Wellbeing Kit
3. Wellbeing and Ancestry Kit

Below each package, there is a snapshot of exactly what you can expect within each one. We’ll cover these details in the next section of this Living DNA review.

Once you’ve selected your kit and paid for it, the company will send you a test kit with a swab that you will need to take yourself and send back to its lab. All of the instructions for completing the test will be included with it.

Your results should be ready in 6-8 weeks. When you receive your Living DNA results, which you will be able to access via your account, you might find that your journey to discovery has just begun.

A quick browse of the service’s online store may pique your interest in learning more. If so, you can add on these upgrades at any time after your DNA results have come in. Living DNA will only show you the options that are specific to your unique profile.

The areas you can upgrade include:

• Full ancestry upgrade
• Wellbeing upgrade
• Personalized vitamins
• Personalized ancestry book

If you’ve already done a DNA test with another company and have your results, simply do a Living DNA upload of those results onto the company’s app via its website. Once your data is secure, you can choose a la carte upgrades for varied prices.

In the marketplace, you’ll even find some free tests among its ten categories. These complementary options include Health, Ancestry, Nutrition, Fitness, Beauty, Lifestyle, Children, Art, Bioinformatics, and Test Kits.

Living DNA is not a subscription service. Instead, users pay a one-time fee to get a set of results. If they want to add upgrades to their packages, they can do so at any time.

Aren’t sure which kit will get you the results that you want? We’ll help you figure it out. Up next, this Living DNA review will take you through the service’s three kits and what they each offer.

Living DNA Full Ancestry Kit Review

Some people say that they finally understand themselves after finding out about their ancestry. The Living DNA ancestry DNA test can trace your lineage from up to 80k years ago.

You’ll also see results of your more recent ancestry (within the last 500 years), your Living DNA centimorgan chart, and decipher what your DNA means today.

This kit allows you to trace your lineage back to the tribe in Africa where they migrated to new lands. With Living DNA regions now totaling over 150, you’ll see your ancestor’s journey through the world and who they might have met along the way.

Your report will break down your Living DNA list of haplogroups, in which you can see exactly what sides of your family came from where. As new discoveries in DNA tracing are discovered, the brand will send you free updates that relate to your unique history.

Living DNA Wellbeing Kit Review

Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are? Why do you react to certain foods and activities differently than someone else? The Wellbeing Kit helps you to grasp your unique genetic makeup so that you can live better and feel better.

Within this kit, you’ll begin to understand the way that vitamins, food, and exercise affect your body. With this information, you’ll be able to eat and move differently in order to see the results you want.

The brand’s experts will take a look at how your DNA reacts to certain vitamins and how it processes foods. This process will help you see if you’re sensitive to certain things like lactose or gluten, ultimately helping you to radically change the way you feel for the rest of your life.

Exercise affects people differently. Weight lifting may work for Susie, but it doesn’t do a thing for you. With the Wellbeing Kit, you’ll finally know the best exercises to perform in order to lose weight or stay in shape.

With all of this information, you’ll also get professional recommendations as to the right diet and exercise regimen you should undertake. You don’t have to take the advice, but it’s there if you want it.

Living DNA Wellbeing & Ancestry Kit Review

Fully understand where you come from and what makes you tick with the Wellbeing & Ancestry Kit. As a combination of the two services outlined above, this bundle helps you to get a grasp on who you are today.

You’ll receive detailed reports on your recent, sub-regional, and extended ancestry, but this Living DNA review must note you will only get reports on your ancestry from the last 500 years.  So, those seeking a deeper ancestral analysis may want to opt for the Full Ancestry Kit.

This kit will also break down your DNA and where you are in relation to your relatives around the world. Use that information to feed your soul, while using the Wellbeing analysis to feed your body.

Discover the way your body reacts to foods and exercise, making life-changing choices that have the possibility of elevating your energy, mood, and curbing illnesses. Activity is important, but so is rest. With this kit, you’ll be able to see what the best methods of recovery for you are as well.

How Much is Living DNA?

You can upload your pre-existing DNA data and get your global ancestry and DNA matching results completely for free.

If you haven’t yet taken a test, choose from one of the three kits detailed in the previous section of this Living DNA review. The costs for those kits are as follows:

• Ancestry $80 (normally $100)
• Wellbeing kit $100 (normally $130)
• Wellbeing and ancestry kit $150 (normally $180)

Living DNA Reviews: What Do Customers Think?

DNA tests are crucial in determining what makes us tick, but not every service is built the same, and some provide less than ideal information in formats that are hard to understand.

So, this Living DNA review scoped out the web for helpful customer testimonials. Below, you’ll find comments from PC Mag, Genome Link, and Trustpilot, that each reveals the accuracy and thoroughness of the company’s kits, as well as how helpful its team is. Let’s get started.

First, A Living DNA review on PC Mag gives the service 4/5 stars—an “excellent” rating. The writer reports that the company offers a “good value” and provides “reliable ancestry discovery.” Reliable is the word we’re looking for because it’s important to know that the results you pay for are actually accurate to your unique genealogy.

This review continues to explain that your results might take longer than what is advertised: “Living DNA takes a relatively long time to complete your DNA profile,” revealing that it can take up to 10-12 weeks. This article was written less than a year ago, so in spite of the fact that the brand’s website quotes 6-8 weeks, results might actually take double the time.

In an article on Genome Link titled 5 Things You Should Know Before Buying LivingDNA, the author takes readers through basic information on the service and what they can expect when signing up.

There are many DNA testing services out there that will sell your data to pharmaceutical and research organizations. If that sounds scary to you, Living DNA is a good alternative. Genome Link confirms that the brand “promises not to aggregate and sell your genetic data.” This level of security is something we can get behind.

Thoroughness is important in DNA testing, but some services, like this one, reserve that for an extra fee. The article reports that your results from the Wellbeing Kit “currently do not include any information related to genetic diseases or genetic health risks. So, you will not be able to find out about your risk for” serious illnesses like cancer.

Considering the service’s low cost, the fact these results are not included is not surprising. If you would like to find out about your genetic disease risk, you can add that service in the marketplace.

On Trustpilot, customers give the company a mediocre 3.4/5-star average from 301 ratings. In the comments, we learn that many customers report a helpful Living DNA support team and an easy-to-understand format for results. Take this glowing example:

“The swab method used by Living DNA is simple and non-invasive. The online assistance so far has been fast and effective, so that at every stage I have been updated on the progress of the operation.”

But, negative Living DNA reviews reveal that some customers have waited 10+ weeks just to find out that the company cannot provide any results. Or, they get fewer results than was expected, which was the experience for this customer:

“I order a dna kit about 2 weeks ago and guess what?… This shows me LESS information from [the free version]. I paid alot of money for them to tell me I need to pay more money to see further into my ancestory.”

In terms of a Living DNA compare to other companies, it appears to provide fewer results than competing brands. To see a more thorough analysis, you have to pay more. While this fact frustrates some customers, others who just want to see the basics think that it is worth the money.

Living DNA reviews point out some notable perks, namely that the company does not sell your data and produces that it gives reliable results. While it seems there may be some limitations, we think the good outweighs the bad here.

Is Living DNA Worth It?

From what we’ve found, we think Living DNA is worth it. This service is secure, affordable, trustworthy, and offers a range of services. We particularly like that its upgrades and add-ons are optional, so only those that wish to get that specific have to pay more.

So, is Living DNA any good? According to reviews, the results are reliable and they get even more thorough if you’re willing to spend a little extra. With low-cost options, we appreciate that the company doesn’t sell personal data—something that stops many potential customers from buying and something some don’t know happens when they sign up for DNA testing services.

All in all, this Living DNA review thinks that the company is solid and doesn’t have any major red flags. But, just keep in mind shipping may take a little longer than specified.

Living DNA Promotions & Discounts 

With already low costs, discounts are an added plus, and one that Living DNA offers its customers. Currently, you can find the following deals on its website:

• 20% off Father’s Day Sale
• Upload your DNA and get free ancestry results

Sign Up For Living DNA

To sign up for this service, head to LivingDNA.com and follow these steps:

1. Select ‘Get started for $79’ in the top right-hand corner of the web page
2. Choose your plan
3. Pick ‘Secure Checkout’ or ‘PayPal Checkout’
4. Enter your name, shipping details, and payment info
5. Review & confirm

FAQ

Who owns Living DNA?

The married couple David and Hannah Nicholson founded Living DNA and still own it today.

Where is Living DNA located?

The brand is based in Frome, England.

What does Living DNA test for?

The brand tests your ancestry and wellbeing. You’ll be able to see your family heritage and what part of the world your family is from in your Living DNA ancestry results. Within the Wellbeing Kit, you’ll see things like your vitamin and endurance responses.

How long do Living DNA results take?

Your Living DNA results take about 6-8 weeks to come in. Some customers have reported longer.

Can I upload to Living DNA? 

Yes! That’s one of the most convenient features of the service. You can upload your existing DNA results onto the Marketplace app, then pick and choose which tests you’d like to run. You’ll have access to several free tests as well.

How do I cancel my Living DNA subscription?

Living DNA does not operate as a subscription, but there may come a time where you would like to delete your account. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your Living DNA portal
2. Click on ‘Account’ on the left-hand side of the dashboard
3. Scroll down until you see ‘Permanently delete my account’, click it
4. Follow the steps and select ‘Proceed with deletion’
5. On the next page, you will need to request deletion
6. Enter your password and submit

What is Living DNA’s Shipping Policy?

Living DNA ships worldwide. Its estimated standard shipping times are:

• US & UK 5-10  business days
• EU 10-15 business days
• Everywhere else 14-20 business days

Expedited shipping times:

• US & UK 2-3 business days
• Everywhere else 5-10 business days

Shipping is not included with your order and rates vary based on your location. Such costs will all be listed at checkout. To give you an idea of what you can expect in the US, standard shipping is $10 and expedited is $40. Return shipping is free.

What is Living DNA’s Return Policy?

If you have received your Living DNA test kit but change your mind, you can send it back within 14 days for a full refund. You must not have opened or activated the kit, so it still needs to be in the condition you received it. Your refund will include any shipping fees paid.

If you did activate your kit, Living DNA will charge a 15% admin fee that will be deducted from your refund amount.

How to Contact Living DNA

If you have any questions after reading this Living DNA review, you can reach out to the brand via:

• Contact form: available on the brand’s website
• Phone: 0203 424 3482 (UK)

Email: [email protected]

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Looking for more DNA service providers? Try Nebula Genomics, a DNA service that uses whole genome Sequencing to give you a comprehensive analysis of your genetic makeup

Trying to get in shape? Look into DNAfit, your one stop shop for a personalized wellness plan based on your genetics.