AncestryDNA vs MyHeritage for Norwegian Ancestry

For Norwegian ancestry, two DNA tests stand out—MyHeritage and AncestryDNA—and many researchers wonder which to choose. The good news is that they have complementary strengths, and the best approach often uses both. This guide compares them head-to-head for Norwegian research: database size and where their matches are, the tools they offer, how each handles Norwegian ethnicity, and a testing strategy that gets the most from each.

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Database size and reach

The single biggest difference is the database. AncestryDNA has by far the largest pool of tested people, which makes it the strongest tool for finding genetic relatives—the more people tested, the more of your cousins appear. MyHeritage’s database is smaller overall but proportionally stronger in Europe. For Norwegian research this matters in a specific way: AncestryDNA is best for finding the large Norwegian-American diaspora cousins, especially in the Midwest, while MyHeritage is better for reaching relatives still in Norway and Europe. The two databases point in different geographic directions, which is exactly why using both widens your reach.

Where your matches will be

Think about which cousins you most want to find. If your goal is to connect with other descendants of your emigrant family—the American branches who share your nineteenth-century Norwegian ancestors—AncestryDNA’s huge, heavily American database is where they are most likely to be. If your goal is to reach the relatives who never left Norway, or other European kin, MyHeritage’s European strength gives you a better chance. Most Norwegian-American researchers want both kinds of cousin, which again argues for testing broadly rather than betting on one database alone.

Tools: trees and the chromosome browser

The two differ in tools. AncestryDNA integrates with the largest collection of user family trees and offers strong hinting to suggest how a match connects—powerful for identifying relationships, though it notably lacks a chromosome browser. MyHeritage does offer a chromosome browser, letting you see exactly where and how much DNA you share with a match—useful for the more analytical work of confirming how a match fits. So AncestryDNA leans toward ease and tree-matching, MyHeritage toward analytical tools; which matters more depends on how deeply you want to work with the raw genetic data.

Handling Norwegian ethnicity

Both tests provide an ethnicity estimate, and for Norway both face the same limitation: the Scandinavian blur. Norwegian ancestry overlaps so heavily with that of neighbouring populations that neither test can cleanly isolate a “Norwegian” figure, and both typically report a broad Scandinavian region. Their estimates may differ from each other—each uses its own reference data and method—which is a useful reminder that these figures are approximate. For Norwegian research, do not choose between the tests on the basis of the ethnicity estimate; choose on the matches and tools, and read the ethnicity as background.

Cost and the upload strategy

Cost shapes the smart strategy. Buying two tests is an expense, but you rarely need to: MyHeritage accepts uploads of raw DNA data from other tests, including AncestryDNA (DNA matching on an uploaded file is free; some advanced tools may need a payment). This makes the usual approach clear—test once with the company that fits where your relatives are (AncestryDNA for the biggest database, MyHeritage if they are more likely to be in Norway), then download your raw data and upload it to MyHeritage to appear in its European-strong database too. You gain the matches in both databases, capturing both the diaspora cousins and the still-in-Norway relatives, without buying a second kit.

A testing strategy for Norwegian roots

Putting it together, a sound plan for Norwegian ancestry is: start with MyHeritage for European and in-Norway matches plus the chromosome browser, or AncestryDNA for its unmatched database and diaspora reach, whichever fits where your relatives are; upload your raw data to MyHeritage if you tested elsewhere (DNA matching is free; Ancestry accepts no uploads); and consider FamilyTreeDNA if you have a specific paternal-line question requiring Y-DNA. This gives you the widest possible net for cousins on both sides of the Atlantic, without buying a second kit. Uploading to more than one site is a standard, sensible practice, and it is especially valuable for Norwegian research given how the diaspora and the homeland populations sit in different databases.

The bottom line

For Norwegian ancestry, MyHeritage and AncestryDNA are not really rivals to choose between but partners to combine. MyHeritage’s European strength, chromosome browser and uploads make it the best starting test for reaching relatives in Norway; AncestryDNA’s vast database and tree integration make it the best single starting test for finding diaspora cousins. Test with the one that fits where your relatives are, upload to MyHeritage, and you have covered the ground. Then—whichever test surfaced them—take your matches to Norway’s free records to turn genetic connections into a documented family history, the subject of connecting DNA to Norwegian records.