Ancestry Updates February 2024: AncestryDNA’s New Paywall

Ancestry Updates February 2024: AncestryDNA’s New, DNA Tools & Features, Paywall

Ancestry has been slowly rolling over everyone, for quite a while now, who does not have a paid subscription to Ancestry or AncestryDNA to new, basic AncestryDNA features, now included with their DNA kits. Since it was little by little at the beginning, not all had noticed. They have now, officially, moved the majority of FREE DNA tools and features behind a paywall, making many quite unhappy. Just what can you get with the purchase of an AncestryDNA kit, now? What has moved over to their new, AncestryDNA Plus paywall, for those that had purchased their kits in the past? See the breakdown of just what’s behind this new paywall, below.

Now ONLY Included with AncestryDNA Test Kit

• Ethnicity estimate
• DNA Communities
• View DNA Matches
• View up to 3 Shared DNA Matches
• Message/Contact Matches
• Create Match Notes
• Edit Your Match Relationships
• Organize Your Matches
• DNA Compare
• See up to 3 Shared Matches
• SEE (only) if Matches Have a Family Tree
• 3 Traits (unless you purchase AncestryDNA + Traits Kit)
• Compare up to 3 Traits with Someone

Now Included ONLY with AncestryDNA Plus Membership

• Shared Matches Tool
• Match Surnames in Matches’ Trees
• Match Birthplaces in Matches’ Trees
• Preview of DNA Match’s Trees, up to 7 Generations
• View Common Ancestors
• ThruLines
• Access to Public Trees and Trees Invited To
• All Traits
• View Matches by Parent
• View Ethnicities by Parent
• View Communities by Parent
• View Traits by Parent
• Ethnicity Chromosome Painter (by Parent) 

Now Included ONLY with Ancestry Family History Membership

• All the Above
• See Match’s Full Trees

And according to Ancestry, any that are associated with family trees or traits are subject to change and may require an Ancestry membership in the future.

Food for thought (concerning both sides)

• The new tools they provide for genetic genealogy cost them quite a bit to engineer, which makes sense that they would need to monetize these features, not to mention that they ARE a business
• I do feel that whatever DNA features they offered at a particular time that a kit was purchased (and was part of what reeled people in), should be honored, but they have added so many features little by little over the years, how could they possible determine each and every person’s offering at the time they purchased their kits, out of millions?
• The fee is not too drastic, at *currently $29.99/6 months, still way cheaper than their other subscriptions
• Ancestry gains your DNA as part of their, known to be the LARGEST there is, DNA database, from your DNA sample, so if you provide your DNA to Ancestry and plan that as a one-time purchase, they still gain significantly on your dime
• Most people do purchase DNA kits for fun just to check out their ethnicity, etc., and always have, so the new paywall doesn’t affect the majority
• Should those that are more serious about “doing” their DNA and purchase AncestryDNA kits get ALL the hardcore tools and features for free?

More Ancestry and Genealogy Resources

Learn about more Ancestry updates, tips, tools, and features and other family history and genealogy resources under the Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page