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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

MyHeritage vs Ancestry

MyHeritage 4.9★ · Free + IAP 70
Winner MyHeritage
Ancestry 4.8★ · Free to download 65

MyHeritage has a slight edge for its perceived accuracy in DNA results for European heritage and a more aesthetically pleasing interface, despite significant customer service and app stability issues, while Ancestry struggles with app usability and high costs but is praised for its comprehensive historical data.

Full reviews: MyHeritage · Ancestry

MyHeritage and Ancestry both offer DNA testing and family tree building, but users report distinct experiences. MyHeritage is often lauded for its DNA ethnicity estimates, especially for European heritage, and a user-friendly design, though it faces criticism for poor customer service and app crashes. Ancestry, while having a larger database and being effective for in-depth research, is frequently criticized for its high cost, confusing navigation, and app glitches.

Head to head

DNA Testing Accuracy & Features edge: MyHeritageR2R5R8R18
MyHeritage MyHeritage users frequently praise its DNA estimates, especially for European heritage, finding them superior and more accurate than competitors R2R5R8R23. However, some users report inaccurate or basic results, with no updates over time, contrasting with other services R18.
Ancestry Ancestry is generally seen as effective for DNA testing and discovering family connections . Some users, however, find the 'traits' feature inaccurate and wish for a way to correct them . There are also concerns about the lack of updates for specific ethnic journeys, such as African American .
App Usability & Reliability tieR3R5R6R13
MyHeritage MyHeritage receives mixed reviews on app usability. Many users find it easy to use and well-organized R26. However, a significant number report severe issues, including frequent app crashes on opening R13, difficulty logging in R6, and glitches that prevent access to features R3. Some features are also only available on the browser version R5.
Ancestry Ancestry users frequently describe the app as hard to navigate and user-unfriendly . Updates are often criticized for introducing glitches, such as trees needing to be re-downloaded or features disappearing . Some users also report issues with saving family members to trees or hints not displaying correctly .
Customer Service & Support tieR1R3R4R7
MyHeritage MyHeritage receives overwhelming negative feedback regarding its customer service. Users describe it as terrible, useless, and impossible to reach, often encountering automated systems or being sent in loops R1R3R4R7. Issues include unaddressed complaints about DNA kit results, subscription problems, and refund requests.
Ancestry Ancestry users also report difficulties with customer support, particularly when trying to cancel subscriptions or resolve billing issues . Some users mention being unable to access their accounts or get help for app problems .
Price & Value tieR9R12R20R28
MyHeritage MyHeritage is criticized for its paywalls, with users feeling that essential features like viewing records, family trees, or DNA matches require expensive subscriptions even after purchasing a DNA kit R9R12R20R28. There are also complaints about unclear subscription terms, automatic renewals, and unexpected charges R12.
Ancestry Ancestry is widely criticized for being expensive, with many users feeling that too much content is behind paywalls, even after purchasing a DNA kit R67R74. Users report high subscription fees, additional charges for features, and cancellation fees R67R78R87.
Family Tree & Research Features tieR2R14R26R27
MyHeritage MyHeritage is praised for helping users discover their roots and build family trees, with some finding it easy to use and thorough R2R14R26. Users appreciate the continuous innovation and new technologies . However, some find it clunky for accepting hints, adding photos, or linking records R27.
Ancestry Ancestry is highly valued for its ability to help users research family history, expand trees, and confirm groundwork . Users appreciate finding relatives and historical information . However, some find it difficult to link records, manage trees, or access hints R78.
Pick MyHeritage if

you prioritize DNA ethnicity estimates, especially for European heritage, and appreciate a 'prettier' presentation, and are willing to navigate potential app glitches and customer service challenges R5R23.

Pick Ancestry if

you are looking for a comprehensive platform for in-depth genealogical research with a large database, are prepared for a potentially steep learning curve, and can tolerate high subscription costs and occasional app frustrations .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews, particularly concerning pricing, customer service, and app functionality. MyHeritage's free tier friction is evident in complaints about paywalls for basic features after DNA kit purchase, similar to Ancestry. The lifetime ratings are high for both, but recent reviews often highlight frustrations.

Frequently asked

Is MyHeritage's DNA testing accurate?
MyHeritage users generally find its DNA ethnicity estimates accurate, especially for European heritage, with many reporting satisfaction with discovering their roots R2R5R23. However, some users have reported inaccurate or basic results that don't align with other DNA services R18.
How much does Ancestry cost?
Ancestry is considered expensive by many users, with subscription fees and additional charges for various features, leading to complaints about high annual costs, some mentioning over $500 a year R67R74R78R87. There are also reports of cancellation fees, such as $25 or $26.60 R67.
Do MyHeritage and Ancestry have good customer support?
Both MyHeritage and Ancestry receive significant criticism for their customer support; MyHeritage users describe it as 'terrible' and 'impossible' to reach, often encountering unhelpful AI assistants R1R7R28R31, while Ancestry users also report difficulties with accessing support for billing or account issues .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] MyHeritage 5/5 · US About my heritage: Im so happy that I discovered finally my jewish roots, always had on my mind from where i came from due my grand grandparents, grandparents past away when I was children, so never knew my heritage history, but now I feel complete and proud of my family. Thanks to this app I know where I belong
  2. [R5] MyHeritage 4/5 · US I’m Loving it!: Perfect but my only issue is some things can’t be fixed on the app only on a browser unless of course I just haven’t figured it out. I love MyH better than the competitor! I truly enjoy all the fascinating finds and I have always thought the DNA ESTIMATES were superior to the other company. ‼️‼️App support does not include a variety of issues for instance the chat button is elusive
  3. [R8] MyHeritage 5/5 · US MyHeritage: The MyHeritage app continually improves and seems to be very accurate and matches my genealogical research.
  4. [R18] MyHeritage 3/5 · US Free version okay: App is okay for why and how I use it. However, their ethnicity results are incorrect. They show me as being about 29% Italian whereas multiple other DNA services show zero Italian but a similar percentage in a completely different - and expected - country/region/continent. I think someone should double-check the ethnicity mapping in the app.
  5. [R3] MyHeritage 3/5 · US Poor customer service: I subscribe to myheritage complete subscription. After using it a couple of days on a free trial, I decided to cancel it. A few days later, after some reflection, I decided to keep the app and I did it before the end of my free trial. When I went back to the app, it would not allow me to access all of the benefits, listed for the complete subscription I have tried multiple
  6. [R6] MyHeritage 3/5 · US Frustrated: I love the app, but seriously considering switching to another company as I can never access the app. I only open the app on a rare occasion when I need to access something and every time I have to log in, which usually takes 2 days which is annoying but now it won’t even let me log in. On my first attempt it is telling me too many attempts and locking me out.
  7. [R13] MyHeritage 1/5 · US App crashes immediately: the app crashes when i try to open it. i get the opening screen then within a second it closes the app
  8. [R1] MyHeritage 1/5 · US Fake: I have sent the kit since two months and till now I haven't gotten the result this is such a fake service and no one answers after get the money
  9. [R4] MyHeritage 1/5 · US Scam: would give them less stars if I could. I did the dna test and got my results back relatively quickly which wasn’t the issue. The problem started when I paid the extra 50 bucks to do the health report. They said they would use the sample from my dna and it would take about a month. That was in February of 2026 it’s now July of 2026 and I still have yet to get anything but the run around from
  10. [R7] MyHeritage 1/5 · US They’re lying about 4.9 stars: It is absolutely outrageous how terrible their customer service is. Before you trouble yourself just do a quick google search on “how to get ahold of my heritage”. I’ve never gotten so frustrated in my life. You are sent in loop after loop after loop of some ai. If you somehow manage to get the ai to have a human email you, good luck because by the time you respond
  11. [R9] MyHeritage 3/5 · US Organize family: Way to organize family members into a tree. You have to pay a ridiculous price to view other people’s records or published records that might help your research. In the meantime you are putting your stuff out there for free. Don’t pay in my opinion.
  12. [R12] MyHeritage 3/5 · US Came for the DNA testing; regret the subscription: As the title says, affordable DNA testing is what brought my wife and I to MyHeritage. I already had started a family tree on FamilySearch.org, which is free. But to keep things simple, I let my trial on MyHeritage roll over to one of their subscription plans. That's were things get confusing. MyHeritage has a number of subscription plans, but t
  13. [R20] MyHeritage 5/5 · US Amazing platform but..: This service should be free with the subscription included with purchase of the kit. Heritage should be accessible for free once testing yourself.
  14. [R28] MyHeritage 1/5 · US Support is Frustrating: I paid for a subscription then discovered I’d have to pay more to get the information I actually want. I spent hours going through the support pages and couldn’t find where I could call or send a message. Now trying to cancel and request a refund but cannot find how to do it.
  15. [R14] MyHeritage 5/5 · US Family: It’s been crazy tracking my family history and finding people that I didn’t even know existed
  16. [R26] MyHeritage 5/5 · US Family history: I’ve been trying for years to get my husband and my family tree completed. My heritage is amazing and easy to use.
  17. [R27] MyHeritage 3/5 · GB Glitchy and not intuitive: The app is really clunky to use. It’s not easy to accept hints, the buttons are hidden, and it’s near impossible to add photos. Generally, I don’t feel like I’d keep using the app beyond the free trial because of this
  18. [R23] MyHeritage 5/5 · US European heritage: If you have European heritage, then this is the website to use for your DNA test. Unlike other DNA websites, not only will you find your DNA matches here in the United States, but in any European country, you may have descended from.
  19. [R67] Ancestry 1/5 · US Cancellation Payment: Yesterday I had a charge on my bank account for almost $40 which is the subscription fee. I decided I wasn’t ready to get into the ancestry of my family, moneys tight, can’t afford it right now, I’ll do it when things are more stable, and then I was charged a $25 cancellation fee. Now, I will never come back to this. Good riddance.
  20. [R74] Ancestry 4/5 · US Disappointed: I have been paying for years, times are harder, I see almost nothing of my trees, why can’t prices go down so people can start working on their ancestry, why can’t you give back to your customers who are having a rough time in this economy
  21. [R78] Ancestry 3/5 · US Easy, expensive, yet unreliable performance: I’ve used Ancestry for years. It keeps getting more and more expensive. It’s frustrating when trying to add hints to a record and have the program not work or give incorrect messages, like I need to contact the owner of the tree for access, then give me my contact information.
  22. [R87] Ancestry 3/5 · US Updates: I don’t care for the last couple of updates. I also, want to express my concerns for the high cost for Ancestry. There are so many other companies with apps that do not have the outrageous price for a $500 year. I think it’s time to drop your prices. Just saying
  23. [R31] MyHeritage 1/5 · US Frustrating: My DNA was unable to be processed. I was offered a new kit complimentary, which was cool. However, the email stated I need to access the virtual assistant to provide my address for shipping said kit. Unfortunately, I was directed to a blank page when clicking on the provided link for the virtual assistant multiple times. Trying to contact support has been impossible-the phone number p

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store