Nebula Genomics Review: DNA Testing Kits

If your sole reason for wanting a DNA testing kit is to take the deepest possible dive into your genetics, Nebula Genomics will definitely grab your attention. The company's founder is Professor George Church of Harvard Medical School and MIT. He's considered to be a pioneer in the development of DNA sequencing, and his laboratories are responsible for the development of CRISPR-Cas9, the tool at the forefront of genetic therapy and editing. It doesn't get more science-based than that.

Scan your entire genome, not just 5% or less

The biggest advantage Nebula Genomics' DNA testing offers over its rivals is the thoroughness of the scan that's done: where most available-to-the-public tests scan 5% of your DNA or less, what you get here scans your whole genome. That should make it pretty easy to understand why individuals trying to solve health mysteries would prefer Nebula Genomics over rival DNA testing providers.

Most expensive DNA testing kits on our list

But, that depth comes at a price, so brace yourself:

• Deep Whole Genome Sequencing: list price of $637, discounted to $249 at the time of our evaluation. You get an ancestry report, a list of all predispositions, detection of rare genetic mutations, and a 30x reading and decoding of your DNA (to make sure that it's highly accurate).
• Ultra Deep Whole Genome Sequencing: list price of $2102, discounted to $899 at the time of our review. It includes the same features as Deep but, well, deeper. The main difference is that your DNA is read and decoded 100 times for ultra-high accuracy, allowing your ancestry report to go even further.

You'll need a membership to see your reports

But, that's not where the hit to your wallet will end. Both DNA testing kits here require a Nebula Membership for ongoing access to your reports and updates. If you purchase the Lifetime subscription for $295, it really only covers the first three years; you'll then be charged $19.99/year until you cancel. Otherwise, you can pay $12.49/month... indefinitely. If you cancel your Nebula Membership, you only retain the rights to your downloaded DNA; all reports and tools will be closed off to you.

Reputation with the BBB isn't 100% positive

Nebula Genomics has gotten itself better-established since our previous review. They've received a "B+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, for starters. But, that grade from the BBB is also indicative of the 60+ complaints filed against Nebula Genomics in the last three years, more than half of which came in over the last 12 months. Here's what makes us really nervous: every single one of the BBB complaints we read through over the last 6 months or so said that Nebula Genomics delayed the processing of their DNA testing kit, and then charged the customer $35 to ship out another kit. When you're potentially spending more than $1,000 for a full genome sequencing, you should not only get faster turnaround times, but you should also expect that the company would automatically send you a replacement test if needed. It's hard for us to believe that every single one of these customers failed to collect enough DNA for testing when they sent in their kit the first time around.

Clients are often unhappy with the results (or lack of them)

The feedback is similar on Trustpilot. You'll see the occasional compliment from happy clients who didn't mind how long it took Nebula Genomics to get their results back to them, but the vast majority of clients say things like "update subscription is a scam" or "didn't get my results after waiting for a year". Others complained that there's nothing easy-to-understand about the results when you do get them; as one person put it, "Unless you'll be able to bring this data to a geneticist, what you get is totally useless."

Iffy relationship with YFull

We're also left feeling less than confident in Nebula Genomics' service because of the company's partnership with YFull for ancestry analysis. YFull is a third-party company that started in Russia (though their HQ is possibly in Spain now), and while it's optional to transfer your genetic data over to YFull (for the purpose of accessing their mtDNA and Y-DNA databases), client complaints mentioned having a hard time logging onto the YFull site to view their reports there.

Not even close to our favorite DNA testing kit

We give Nebula Genomics a somewhat begrudging lower rating. We don't like many aspects of this DNA testing service and aren't very confident that they're going to offer you world-class customer support. But, because there aren't many options out there that provide the depth of DNA analysis that Nebula Genomics offers (assuming you ever get your sample analyzed), we have to put this service out there as a possibility if you really do need the kind of results that will take a geneticist to decode (pun intentional).

Learn More  ➜

On the Nebula Genomics website