'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
23andMe DNA kits are over 50% off on Amazon Prime Day (Update: Expired)
23andMe is the genetic testing service most people think of when they think of a DNA kit. The company provides at-home kits that help you understand your health. The main goal is DNA accessibility -- so that you can understand and benefit from what your genes are telling you.
With that in mind, 23andMe testing kits don't come cheap. The sticker price for a kit that provides 150+ personalized genetic reports is $199. It includes ancestry reports, a DNA relative finder/automatic family tree builder, trait reports, health predisposition reports, carrier status reports, wellness reports, and a family health history tree. On Amazon Prime Day, you can get that same kit for $99.
The health predispositions part of the test is crucial. It provides insight into your chances of developing certain health conditions, like type 2 diabetes, late-onset Alzheimer's disease, and celiac disease. You can also figure things out like your genetic weight, muscle composition, and alcohol flush reaction.
It all starts when you receive a DNA collection kit in the mail. Spit in the provided tube, register your kit with the barcode, and mail the saliva sample back to the lab with the prepaid package. You get your results back in 5-6 weeks.
You can upgrade the basic service with a 23andMe+ Premium membership. The membership bundle usually costs $229, but on Prime Day, you get it for $109 -- a savings of $120. The benefits of the membership include exclusive access to DNA insights around heart health, pharmacogenetics or how your prescriptions interact with your genetics, and 30 more personalized genetic reports than the regular kit.
23andMe takes data privacy seriously, encrypting, protecting, and storing your data at your discretion. For a complete picture of their approach to privacy, check out their privacy statement.