What is Promethease?
Promethease is a literature retrieval tool. You upload a raw DNA file and it returns a report that connects your genotypes to the research summarised on SNPedia, a wiki of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). MyHeritage has owned Promethease and SNPedia since 2019, and the service still runs separately as a pay-per-report website. It accepts files from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA and most other consumer tests, and the report covers health conditions, drug responses, traits and a few ancestry markers.
The short version: Promethease is thorough and cheap for what it does, but the report is a long list of research links that you interpret yourself, and your DNA file has to be uploaded to produce it.
How Promethease works
- Download your raw DNA data from your testing provider. Our guide to downloading raw DNA data from Ancestry, 23andMe and MyHeritage covers each one.
- Upload the file on promethease.com and pay for the report.
- Promethease matches your SNPs against SNPedia. Each SNPedia entry cites the studies that link a variant to a trait or condition.
- Open the report in your browser or download it. Entries cover health risks, drug responses, traits such as eye colour or lactose tolerance, and a link to the SNPedia page behind each one.
How much does Promethease cost in 2026?
At the time of writing, promethease.com states that most reports cost $25 and are produced in under ten minutes. Adding a second data file to the same report costs $4 more. There is no subscription and no free tier. Older reviews still quote $12 or $15; those were earlier prices.
Is Promethease free? No. SNPedia itself is free to browse, so you can look up individual rsIDs from your file by hand, but the automated report is paid.
What a Promethease report contains
- Magnitude and repute. Each entry carries a SNPedia magnitude from 0 to 10 for how notable the finding is, and a repute of good, bad or neutral. Sorting by magnitude is the fastest way to find the entries worth reading.
- Scientific references. Every entry links to a SNPedia page that cites the studies behind the association.
- Filters. You can narrow the report by topic, medical condition, medicine, magnitude, how common the variant is, and which testing companies cover it.
How to read Promethease results
Promethease results are research links, not a diagnosis. Start with the study linked from each entry, check the reported effect and the size of the study, and treat the result as a prompt for a conversation rather than a prediction. Three habits help: sort by magnitude, skip entries for variants that most people carry, and open the study before reacting to a red entry. A qualified healthcare professional can put a genetic association into the context of your personal and family history.
Privacy: your file leaves your device
Promethease needs your raw DNA file on its servers to build the report. Promethease says it does not keep uploaded files or reports long-term unless you choose to store them, but you are still handing the most identifying file you own to a third party, now part of MyHeritage. Check the current privacy policy for the exact retention period before uploading, keep an encrypted copy of your file, and consider a tool that reads the file on your own device instead. Genetic data cannot be changed like a password.
Limitations and considerations
- Not a diagnostic tool. The information is based on statistical associations and does not confirm the presence of a disease or condition.
- Uneven evidence. Some SNPedia associations rest on preliminary or small studies, so individual entries deserve a careful read.
- A lot to interpret. The report is dense and technical. Without a background in genetics it is easy to over-read a single entry.
Promethease alternatives in 2026
| Tool | Price | Where your DNA is processed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Human Health | £5 per report, no subscription | In your browser; the file is never uploaded | A readable PDF with one table per condition and a PubMed link on every row |
| Promethease | $25 per report, $4 per extra file | Uploaded to Promethease (MyHeritage) | The widest raw list of SNPedia findings |
| Genetic Genie | Free, donations welcome | Uploaded | Methylation and detox panels, ClinVar lookups |
| GenomeInsight | Free to start, $49 one-time | In your browser | Traits plus a set of health and medication reports |
| SelfDecode | Annual subscription; roughly $99 to $300 for the first year depending on plan | Uploaded | Lifestyle and supplement recommendations tied to your genes |
| Sequencing.com | Varies per app | Uploaded | A marketplace of third-party analysis apps |
Prices were checked in October 2026 on each provider's website and change often.
If you want the breadth of Promethease without uploading anything, Full Human builds its report from the same raw file entirely in your browser and links every row to the study it comes from. The sample report shows what that looks like.
Verdict
Promethease remains the quickest way to get the broadest list of research hits for your SNPs, and it suits people who are comfortable reading study abstracts. It is the wrong choice if you want a report you can hand to a doctor, or if you would rather not place your DNA file on someone else's server. In both cases, a report generated on your own device is the better fit.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions based on genetic data.
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