23andMe Alternatives After the Bankruptcy: A DNA Privacy Checklist
After 23andMe’s bankruptcy, 1.9 million customers asked for their data to be deleted. If you want a DNA test now, these are the privacy questions to ask any company, and how the HealthOS DNA Kit answers them.
If you want a 23andMe alternative for privacy reasons, look for four things: a sample labelled with a code rather than your name, a sample that is destroyed after analysis, a lab under strong data-protection law, and a raw file you can download and delete yourself. The HealthOS DNA Kit does all four. The tube carries only a code, the lab in Bonn, Germany, destroys the sample after analysis, and your raw file sits encrypted in your account until you delete it. It ships, with postage both ways included, to Germany, the rest of the EU except France, the US (except New York and Maryland) and Saudi Arabia, where 23andMe and AncestryDNA don't ship.
In the US? The HealthOS DNA Kit for US buyers puts these answers on one page, with the states it ships to.
What happened at 23andMe
23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025. After an auction, the court approved its sale to TTAM Research Institute, a nonprofit led by co-founder Anne Wojcicki, in July 2025. It now trades as 23andMe Research Institute. During the process, 1.9 million customers, about 15%, asked for their genetic data to be deleted. Several state attorneys general, including New York's, urged customers to do so.
None of this means 23andMe's science got worse. It showed that a company's promises about your data last only as long as the company does. When you choose the next test, ask what happens to the sample and the data, not only what the report shows.
The checklist
| Question | HealthOS DNA Kit | What to look for elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Does the lab see my name? | No. The tube carries a code only | Whether the sample is labelled with your identity |
| What happens to my saliva? | The lab destroys it after analysis | Biobanking or storage options, and whether they are opt-in |
| Where is the lab? | LIFE & BRAIN, Bonn, Germany (GDPR) | The lab’s country and the law it works under |
| Can I delete my data? | Yes, the raw file at any time, from your account | Whether deletion covers the lab’s copy, and how long it takes |
| Is my data sold or used for ads? | No. Not to data brokers, advertisers or insurers | Research consent, data sharing and sale clauses |
| Do I need an account to buy? | No. The kit is linked to a person only when activated | Whether an account is created at checkout |
| Can I get my raw file? | Yes, included | Whether raw data is free or a paid extra |
Scroll the table sideways for the rest →
HealthOS answers from our privacy policy and kit terms. Other companies: read their current policy, as these change.
Why the sample matters more than the file
A raw data file is a list of a few hundred thousand genotypes, and you can delete it. A saliva sample can be read again, by newer technology, for decades. That is why a company's biobanking policy matters. 23andMe, for example, discards samples after analysis unless the customer opted into biobanking. With the HealthOS kit there is no biobank to opt into: the lab destroys every sample once it has been analysed.
Where the lab is matters too
LIFE & BRAIN in Bonn analyses HealthOS kits as our processor, under the EU's GDPR. The lab receives the code on your tube, never your name, email or address. In Germany, Stiftung Warentest's 2025 review of DNA ancestry portals was particularly critical of data protection at providers outside the EU.
What you give up
Privacy has trade-offs, and it is fair to state them:
- Relative matching. 23andMe, AncestryDNA and MyHeritage find relatives by comparing millions of customers. HealthOS has no relative database. Family mode compares people who choose to link their results.
- Health reports. The HealthOS kit covers ancestry, traits and lineages only. It is not a health test.
- Price. The big kits often go on sale below our price, although ours includes shipping both ways.
Already tested with 23andMe?
Download your raw data before you delete your account. healthosx.com/dna reads the 23andMe file in your browser for free, so you keep your results without uploading the file. Your DNA story needs no account; the full report opens in the HealthOS app after a 6-digit code sent to your email. See how to download your 23andMe raw data.
New to raw DNA files? Start with the full guide: How to Download & Analyze Your 23andMe Raw Data Free
Common questions
- Which DNA test is safe to buy after the 23andMe bankruptcy?
- Pick a test whose privacy holds up even if the company changes hands: a sample labelled with a code instead of your name, a sample destroyed after analysis, a lab under strong data-protection law, and a raw file you can delete yourself. The HealthOS DNA Kit does all four. It ships, with postage both ways included, to Germany, the rest of the EU except France, the US (except New York and Maryland) and Saudi Arabia, where 23andMe and AncestryDNA do not ship. It covers ancestry, lineages and traits, not health. AncestryDNA and MyHeritage are bigger and offer relative matching; read their current sample-storage and research-consent options before you buy.
- 23andMe alternative that destroys my DNA sample after testing
- The HealthOS DNA Kit has no biobank: the lab, LIFE & BRAIN in Bonn, Germany, destroys every saliva sample after analysis, and the tube carries a code, not your name. There is nothing to opt out of. It ships to Germany, the rest of the EU except France, the US (except New York and Maryland) and Saudi Arabia. 23andMe itself discards samples after analysis unless you opted into its biobank, so check that setting if you tested there.
- What is a good 23andMe alternative for privacy?
- Look for a sample labelled with a code instead of your name, a sample destroyed after analysis, a lab under strong data-protection law, and a raw file you can delete yourself. The HealthOS DNA Kit does all four: the tube carries a code only, the lab LIFE & BRAIN in Bonn, Germany destroys the sample after analysis, and the raw file is stored encrypted in your account until you delete it.
- What happened to 23andMe?
- 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025 and was sold in July 2025 to TTAM Research Institute, a nonprofit led by co-founder Anne Wojcicki; it now trades as 23andMe Research Institute. About 1.9 million customers asked for their genetic data to be deleted during the process.
- Does HealthOS sell DNA data?
- No. HealthOS does not sell data or share it with data brokers, advertisers or insurers, and the HealthOS DNA Kit has no biobank: the lab destroys every sample after analysis.
No raw DNA file yet?
Get a HealthOS DNA Kit: spit in a tube at home, and your ancestry, lineages and traits arrive in your HealthOS account, with the raw file.
See the DNA kitReferences
- 1.OPB/AP: judge approves sale of 23andMe to a nonprofit led by its founder (July 2025)
- 2.TechCrunch: 23andMe says 15% of customers asked to delete their genetic data since bankruptcy
- 3.New York Attorney General urges 23andMe customers to delete their data
- 4.23andMe: biobanking
- 5.Stiftung Warentest: DNA tests for ancestry, 5 portals compared (2025)
For informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional.
Written by
HealthOS Research