Home DNA Direct Review

Why Should You Choose Them?

Though HomeDNA Direct is a generally newer name in this industry, they are well respected. HomeDNA offers a range of at-home DNA tests, including ancestry, paternity, health, and more.

They also offer a lot of subcategory tests including legal, immigration, and noninvasive prenatal paternity tests. Though each test is made to cater to different purposes, they are all analyzed within the same accredited lab owned by HomeDNA Direct.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what they offer:

• At home sampling kits that come with all of the necessary equipment, as well as a return envelope
• The option to receive results via their website or email
• Paternity tests have a turnaround time of 3-5 days
• Access to a DNA consultant to answer any questions you may have during the process

Besides being a reputable company, HomeDNA Direct extends its services beyond just DNA testing. They frequently work with charities and support worthy causes.

In the past, they have worked with LauraLynn, which is a children’s hospice. Home DNA Direct generously donated mattresses, supplies including funds to go towards the children’s general wellbeing and to make their birthdays special.

They have also made a large financial donation to the Children’s Breakfast Club which is a charity targeted towards helping malnourished children. 

What DNA Tests do they offer?

At the time of writing, HomeDNA Direct offers a variety of different testing kits, including:

• Ancestry Tests
• Animal Tests
• Clinical Tests
• Dog DNA Tests
• Health & Well-being Tests

Each DNA test is carefully analyzed in an accredited laboratory, and are carried out by qualified professionals.

To help you get a better idea of what HomeDNA Direct offers, below, you’ll find a collection of mini-reviews about their 5 most popular tests:

GPS Origins Ancestry Test

HomeDNA Direct market this kit as being most suited for people simply looking to discover a little bit about their roots.

They describe it as being a ‘chance to get unprecedented insights into your ancestry’ and comes with a postage-paid envelope so that you can return the sample to the lab.

This kit helps you to discover where your ancestors came from, as well as showing you which of today’s populations most resemble your DNA. 

It’s worth mentioning that, out of all of the kits HomeDNA offers, this one has the longest turnaround rate of 6 weeks. 

Price: £129

Home Paternity Testing

This is one of the most popular DNA tests that HomeDNA Direct offers, and is a ‘peace of mind’ test that can be carried out from the comfort of your own home.

What’s impressive about this paternity test is that it uses 21 genetic markers. Some companies only use a 16 genetic marker profile, but as Home DNA Direct uses more, the results will be more accurate.

The great thing about this test is that it has a super-fast turnaround time - results will be made available to you within just 3-5 working days. 

Price: £129

Legal Paternity Testing Kit 

On the other hand, if you’re currently in the process of disputing paternity in a legal court, or presenting a case over issues of inheritance, HomeDNA Direct’s Legal Paternity Testing Kit is a great choice.

Just like the Home Paternity Testing Kit, it has a turnaround time of between 3-5 days, and the kit will be dispatched within 48 hours following confirmation of the order.

It will require a neutral third party that will be responsible for taking DNA samples from all participants involved in the test, which is referred to as the ‘Sampler’.

A doctor or a qualified nurse can be the Sampler, and HomeDna Direct will dispatch the kit directly to the sampler that you have chosen.

In addition to this, HomeDNA Direct knows how stressful this process can be. Therefore, they provide you with the option of HomeDNA Direct organizing the entire test for you and providing the courts with the DNA evidence they need. 

Price: £299

Skincare DNA Test

HomeDNA Direct also offers health and wellbeing tests, and the Skincare DNA Test is one of the bestsellers in this category.

Now, more than ever, women and men are becoming more concerned with how to prevent the visible signs of aging. This Skincare DNA Test offers a simple solution.

Just like the other tests, HomeDNA Direct requires a cheek-swab sample that is able to help you learn about what you are genetically at risk of or prone to developing.

This will help you gain a better understanding of how to reduce the chances of wrinkling, pigmentation, and a dull complexion from occurring.

Upon arrival at the lab, your results will be made available to you within 15-20 days. 

Price: £169

Immigration DNA Test

Another popular test at HomeDNA Direct is the Immigration DNA Test.

This test has been designed by HomeDNA Direct to provide an accredited and highly reliable immigration DNA testing that can help make the US immigration procedure easier. Their tests are accepted by the Immigration and Naturalization Services/Department of Human Services.

This test is ideal for people that have relatives living in another country who are not natives or citizens of that country and may wish to join their relatives there, or vice versa.

In such cases, you’ll likely be required to provide an immigration DNA test (under some instances referred to as an American citizenship test) to prove to the relevant authorities that there is a biological relationship between the alleged relatives.

HomeDNA Direct also offers paternity and maternity testing for immigration DNA testing, although HomeDNA Direct does not disclose on the website the price.

Unlike the other tests available, you’ll have to directly contact customer services in order to gain a personalized quote, depending upon your personal circumstances and the number of participants. 

Price: undisclosed - you’ll need to contact their customer service department for a quote. 

So, how easy is the service?

As soon as you’ve received your DNA kit and sent off your package, Home DNA Direct will begin to analyze your results. They even provide you with the option of having your results emailed to you, which makes the process even easier. 

If you’re wondering how easy the DNA kits are to use, you’ll also be pleasantly surprised at how quick and painless it is.

The most common method of DNA sample collection used by Home DNA Direct is done by taking a sample of DNA via a cheek swab. This is one of the simplest ways of collecting the DNA and can be done from the comfort of your own home. 

Plus, for total convenience and ease-of-use, each at-home DNA collection kit comes with:

• One pre-addressed envelope (so that you can post it to the lab)
• 2 sets of cheek swabs
• An instructions pamphlet
• Multiple swab envelopes
• A consent form 

However, before taking the test, you’ll first have to decide which DNA kit is best for you! Home DNA Direct makes this really easy to do. All you’ll need to do is visit their website and select the correct kit for your personal circumstances.

Before placing the order online, Home DNA Direct will ask you a variety of questions, including:

• How would you like to receive your results?
• Will you use our DNA sample collection service?
• How many participants will be tested?

After inputting this information, Home DNA Direct will be given a better understanding of your personal situation and will be able to cater the service to you.

Once you have completed this section, you will then be prompted to fill in your shipping information and directed to a checkout area where you can review your order and go ahead with the payment.

Your kit should arrive within a week or two, and it’ll be ready for use as soon as it arrives. Regardless of kit, you’ll need to:

• Remove the packaging and then carefully take out the swabs inside the envelopes.  Discard of the protective /wrapping bag they have been stored within. 
• Take one of the 4 mouth swabs and rub it gently inside your cheek, making sure that the swab does not come into contact with anything else.
• Then, repeat again using the remaining swabs. Make sure to swab all test participants and to use up all the swabs in order to raise the validity of the test result.
• Once all the swabs have been used, allow them to dry for an hour. 
• After the swabs have each been given time to dry, place swabs in their colored envelopes, ready to be sent back.
• Place the color-coded envelopes and the consent form (that you will need to fill out) into the pre-addressed envelope.
• Fill in the required information on the front of the envelope, and then post it. 

In addition to these instructions, Home DNA Direct also outlines additional instructions to help raise the validity of the result, and these tips are recommended for all of their tests: 

• Avoid eating, drinking, and smoking for 1 or 2 hours before sampling
• Make sure to follow the instructions pamphlet in the correct order
• In order to lower the chance of contamination, do not touch the cotton ended part of the swab other than to your cheek so that the sample only contains your DNA/saliva
• Use all of the swabs provided in the kit to increase the accuracy of your result

Do they offer good customer service?

HomeDNA Direct pride themselves on the quality of their customer service and offer an extensive resource center made purposefully to answer any questions that you might have. 

At the center of their resource page is a helpful FAQ section. It will answer all of the most common questions asked about DNA testing, the services they offer, and the accuracy of the results.

The FAQ page will help to resolve the majority of questions you might have, however, their resource page also features links to useful websites, a glossary of terms, and a payment options area, which gives you the option of choosing from several different ways of paying. 

If you do have a question that the FAQ doesn’t answer, or you simply want to talk to someone, you can contact support by email or phone.

We took an in-depth scan of their website and couldn’t find any operating hours, which is one of the only downsides we could find.

In addition to phoning, you can also leave your information and request a call back by a customer support representative.

HomeDNA Direct states on its website that its customer care team has been trained to deal with sensitive issues involved in DNA testing.

They understand that taking a DNA test can cause stress and tension, so they do their best to make sure you are put at ease throughout the process. 

According to HomeDNA Direct, each member of their team has a ‘sound knowledge of the different types of tests that they offer so that they will be able to advise you on the right test for you [...] and will explain all the necessary steps for you to do the test, offer you technical support and be willing to answer all your questions.’

This certainly seems to be the case, too! Customer reviews are more often than not extremely positive, with lots of customers pointing out the level of customer service care given to them.  

Will my personal data be kept confidential?

Is HomeDNA Direct safe?

HomeDNA Direct states that it ‘may be required to disclose the Client’s personal data to third parties, whether directly or indirectly related to it, for the provision of the service. 

This transfer may include, but is not limited to, other companies within the group, third party agents, Affiliates, and testing laboratories.’

In other words, HomeDNA Direct will, in some circumstances, share your personal data with other third parties in order to carry out and complete the service.

For example, if HomeDNA Direct is carrying out an Immigration DNA Test. they may be required to send your personal data to a doctor or nurse as per the requirements of the test. 

It is important to note here that HomeDNA Direct won’t share any of your information with any third parties for marketing purposes. In their terms and conditions, the state, ‘The Company does not disclose personal data for any marketing promotions.

Data is only transferred to authorized personnel or agents whom we would have ascertained that they cater to a certain level of data protection.’ 

In general, some people raise questions about DNA testing as a whole. It is worth being aware that there is ongoing controversy about whether genetic data, which is extremely personal, can ever truly be ‘anonymized’.

However, if you reach out to HomeDNA Direct after the service is complete, they will destroy your raw DNA.