FamilyTreeDNA Reviews 

I've administered a surname project with them since 2003. Can't speak highly enough about them. They've done more for genetic genealogy than all the other testing companies combined.

Family Tree DNA is a very good company for genealogical DNA testing. They are the main source for Y-DNA testing and the BigY 700 test is a key tool for exploring your patrilineal line.

Great customer service and innovative features, especially for the Y-DNA products.

The only site that offers Y-DNA and mtDNA testing, which are not only important for research but also for finding family. It might be a bit more expensive than people are used to but the benefits are worthit. I got a cousin to test because a 2x great grandfather was a mystery. That's when we found out he was not genetically the son of his father. Powerful stuff.

But their "regular" DNA testing, called FamilyFinder, is easy to use and incldues many powerful features.

Family tree DNA is the best place to deal with Ydna or mitochondrial dna issues. Their database is by far the largest. Once you take the time to understand what the tests can and can't do and how to use their system.There's a great deal to be discovered.

I’ve been a customer for years. Most recently I upgraded to the Big Y 700 test and have enjoyed my results tremendously. It wasn’t easy at first to understand my results, but their website along with its features and with time has increased my understanding of the results and I couldn’t be happier.

FTDNA offers the most options for dna testing with autosomal, Y and Mt DNA testing. I am the Admin for several Y surname groups on FTDNA and I appreciate their stellar customer service. Anyone interested in their family history should consider one or more of their dna tests. I highly recommend them.

The BigY 700 is the most advanced YDNA test for tracing male ancestors from Ancient Times to your birth. Fantastic migration maps showing your male ancestors crossing Europe.

They are the goto for YDNA and MtDNA. Agree with others that the bad reviews reflect more of a knowledge deficit than anything else. Many of the bad reviews are just factually incorrect. The tests can be pricey (that's because of what it takes to run them and it's not unreasonable), but there is no subscription after purchasing a test. We aren't always going to get the ethnicity results we want to get out luck out by getting the match to the one person we need to break through a brickwall. It takes work and patience which the other recorders don't seem to understand or have.

The Big Y test helped determine my most recent haplogroup and I have been able to confirm suspected paternal ancestry due to the results. Very helpful site.

Excelent Company. Use since 2014, completes ALL tests from Y37 to Big 700.

They've delivered results within the indicated waiting period in my experience with the two kits I had analyzed. They've been helpful in the requests I've made. Nothing to complain about so far.

I Co-Admin several projects, two worldwide Big Y Surname Projects as well as autosomal projects. FTDNA is wonderful to work with and have helped us match back to history such as the Sidon, Lebanon mass grave c.1200 Crusades. They have so much more to offer than most other companies.

FTDNA is the only genetic genealogy company providing deep Y-DNA and full mitochondrial DNA testing. In addition, their project groups can provide extremely valuable contacts and expertise to connect families through collaboration. No other genetic genealogy testing company offers these research directions.

FTDNA testing has helped me solve mysteries in my family tree. Great product. Great customer support.

An excellent company who provide a fabulous service. Many of the reviewers appear not to understand what FamilyTreeDNA offers. A great company for Y-DNA and MtDNA testing. Their autosomal database is limited. You need to put in some work to understand Y or Mt DNA.

I highly recommend using FTDNA. I've been using FTDNA for genetic genealogy since 2007. It has been an excellent tool for me.

I am not employed or paid by FTDNA. I am one of the many unpaid volunteers that manage DNA Projects at FTDNA. There are many projects. Some are very useful and managed by smart and helpful volunteers. Some projects are abandoned and need someone to adopt them. And some projects aren't very useful, yet. There is some random luck as to whether the projects you need will be helpful or not.

FTDNA is small relative to big companies that have more sophisticated websites. But they provide their web tools for free to testers. The web tools they provide aren't as "pretty" as some other sites. But they are very functional for genetic genealogy. They are by far the best place to research Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA.

Doing genetic genealogy takes some patience and learning. It isn't something that is quick and easy. It is a "team sport" that takes a team of testers that match and help each other figure out what it all means.

Some people that test Y-DNA or mtDNA find few or no matches and get very disappointed. But sometimes the needed matches appear years after you do your test. One of my cousins that I did the Big-Y test on did not have a match for 7 years. But when the match finally appeared, it helped us better understand and confirm the genealogy.

I've used Big-Y to test various cousins on different lineages. It has helped break down brick walls that had hindered our genealogy research for decades.

It seems to me that many of the bad reviews that have been posted are from:
- people that don't have a good understanding of genetic genealogy.

- people that expect too much from a website that doesn't charge a subscription fee.

- people that didn't get instant gratification. Genetic genealogists know there is random luck as to whether or not your DNA will have useful matches right away. Sometimes the matches you need show up years later.

- people that may have submitted contaminated samples.

- people upset that they didn't get the "ethnic origins" results they wanted. Experienced genetic genealogists know these results can be problematic. Sometimes they are wrong. More often than not they are closer to right than wrong but the person tested really doesn't know their full genealogical tree. They often don't know the truth about where their 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, etc. grands lived.

I have been using Family Tree DNA since 2013 for Y-DNA research. The results of my tests, and the tests of other male relatives, have been invaluable in my research. Every time I've contacted them I have received good and timely advice.

I recently upgraded to the Big Y-700 and am enjoying learning about my results.

I just now read all these negative reviews and wonder, are people confusing FTDNA with some other company? Do they not understand the nature of DNA testing, especially Y-DNA?

Preferred DNA Testing Company - I have tested my parents in all 5 of the major testing sites for genealogy and Family Tree DNA is my favorite for so many reasons. You pay for the test and can see all your matches and their trees without further subscriptions. They are the only company who offers the additional mitochondrial and Y-DNA tests. I have tested several of my Y-DNA cousins to get Big-Y results and it has broken down several brick walls. Family Tree DNA has volunteer project coordinators who are extremely helpful in understanding the results. Family Tree DNA posts articles on how to interpret results and utilize the data after it results

I've been a customer for many years, and have used their Y-DNA testing (more recently the Big Y test) to break down family mysteries about my surname.