If you have already done a 23andMe or AncestryDNA test, you do not have to start over. An upload of your 23andMe raw data for analysis can run through a completely different and deeper pipeline than the one that produced your original reports. What matters is what happens after the upload, because a literature lookup and a validated polygenic engine are very different destinations for the same file.
How the upload works
23 providers, five formats. SelfDecode accepts raw DNA uploads from 23 providers (23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, Living DNA, FamilyTreeDNA, Illumina, CircleDNA, and more) in five formats (.txt, .csv, .zip, .gz, .vcf).
Imputation expands your file. For uploaded genotype data, imputation expands a 750,000-SNP file to 200M+ variants at about 99.7% accuracy, so 23andMe and AncestryDNA customers get validated PRS without re-sequencing.
One purchase unlocks the platform. A one-time purchase unlocks the report library, the recommendation engine, and the Lab Test Analyzer. The same imputation and PRS pipeline runs on uploaded data, so the published, validated scores apply uniformly.
Upload is not the same as analysis
This is the part to watch. Uploading your file somewhere and getting a “report” can mean very different things. A literature-lookup tool matches your variants to studies and hands you a long, raw table. A wellness-trait service maps a few markers to tips. Neither runs your data through a validated polygenic scoring engine. SelfDecode does, which is the difference between a list of associations and an actual risk estimate you can use.
Comparison chart
| Tool | Accepts raw upload | What you get | Validated PRS? |
| SelfDecode | Yes, 23 providers | 1,500+ reports, recs, lab analysis | Yes |
| tellmeGen | Yes | 130+ reports via imputation | No |
| Genomelink | Yes | 352+ trait reports with reliability scores | Trait-level |
| Promethease | Yes | $12 literature table from SNPedia | No |
How the others stack up
Promethease. A $12 upload-and-analyze tool built on SNPedia: it matches your variants to published studies and returns a searchable table. The output is a complex variant-by-variant table widely described as hard to read, with no recommendations, no validated polygenic scoring, and no platform around it.
Genomelink. Turns uploaded 23andMe or AncestryDNA data into 352+ trait reports, each with a “scientific reliability score.” Its consumer output is trait-level insight rather than the validated disease risk scoring SelfDecode runs on an uploaded file.
tellmeGen. Accepts uploads and uses imputation to generate 130+ reports including health conditions, similar in spirit to SelfDecode’s imputation step, but without the published, validated PRS pipeline on top.
FAQ
Can I upload my 23andMe raw data for a health analysis?
Yes. SelfDecode accepts raw uploads from 23 providers (including 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and MyHeritage) in five formats, then runs your file through imputation and the same validated polygenic scoring used on in-house genomes.
Do I need to re-sequence to use SelfDecode?
No. A one-time purchase unlocks the report library, recommendation engine, and Lab Test Analyzer using your uploaded data. Imputation expands a 750,000-SNP file to 200M+ variants at about 99.7% accuracy.
How is SelfDecode different from Promethease?
Promethease is a $12 literature lookup that returns a raw table from SNPedia, with no recommendations or validated scoring. SelfDecode runs your uploaded file through a published, validated polygenic scoring pipeline and pairs it with 1,500+ reports and a recommendation engine.
Is uploaded data as accurate as sequencing with SelfDecode?
For validated PRS, imputation brings uploaded array data to about 99.7% accuracy across 200M+ variants, so the published scores apply. Whole genome sequencing still reads regions an array cannot, so it remains the most complete option.
See it on data you already have
Upload your raw file and unlock the validated reports today, or compare it against clinical-grade whole genome sequencing to decide which fits you.
Part of the Why Choose SelfDecode comparison. See also: Are DNA risk scores accurate? and How much does SelfDecode cost?.
