MyHeritage is our primary recommended DNA platform for Czech and Slovak roots. We earn a commission on some MyHeritage links, so this review is specific about what the test does well, what we could not verify and when another company is the better choice. The facts come from MyHeritage’s own pages, independent reviews and the sources named in the text. We checked these details in October 2026, and company features, database sizes and prices change often, so confirm them before you buy.
What suits Czech and Slovak research
- European relatives. An independent 2026 review says you will find matches at MyHeritage that are not in any other database, particularly if you are looking for relatives in continental Europe.
- A tree that works with matches. MyHeritage lets you build a tree, and Theory of Family Relativity uses trees and records to suggest how you and a match might be related. Treat each suggestion as a hypothesis.
- Records. The British Czech and Slovak Association says MyHeritage has extensive Czech and Slovak records that may offer possible connections. We did not verify the details of its Czech and Slovak collections, so search its catalog for your places.
- Regional detail. The Ethnicity Estimate reports 79 ethnicities, and Genetic Groups break results into 2,114 geographic regions, listed without percentages.
How MyHeritage labels Central European ancestry
MyHeritage introduced Ethnicity Estimate v2.5 on 2 February 2025, raising the number of ethnicities from 42 to 79. We could not confirm the current labels it uses for Czech and Slovak ancestry. MyHeritage publishes country pages that show the most common ethnicities among its DNA users in each country, but those pages load their data dynamically, and the only snapshot we could read, an old one for Slovakia, listed several ethnicities at once: East European (91.1 percent of users in Slovakia), Balkan (83.9 percent), Baltic (33.1 percent), North and West European (32.1 percent) and Scandinavian (29.4 percent). That snapshot predates the 2025 update, so its labels and figures may have changed, but it makes a useful point: a Slovak result from MyHeritage can include several broad labels, and that does not contradict a Slovak paper trail. See our ethnicity guide.
Matching and tools
- DNA Matches list people who share DNA with you, with an estimated relationship.
- AutoClusters group matches who likely descend from common ancestors.
- A chromosome browser shows the segments you share, and MyHeritage says you can compare up to seven matches at once.
- Theory of Family Relativity proposes connections. See connecting DNA matches to Czech and Slovak records.
Which advanced tools need a subscription has changed over the years, so check the current description.
The big change: no uploads since August 2025
According to a report from August 2025 and MyHeritage’s help pages, it stopped accepting DNA uploads from other companies in August 2025. To appear in its database you must take a MyHeritage test, and advice to test elsewhere and upload to MyHeritage is out of date. You can still transfer MyHeritage results out: FamilyTreeDNA accepts them for free.
Database size
The 2026 review puts MyHeritage’s database at about 9.7 million people, behind AncestryDNA’s more than 27 million. Ancestry’s own page now says over 28 million. A bigger database means more matches in general, but what matters is how many of your relatives are in it. We did not find reliable figures for how many people in Czechia or Slovakia have tested with any company, so we cannot tell you how many matches to expect there.
Honest limits
- It does not sell Y-DNA or full mitochondrial tests. MyHeritage’s test is autosomal, and FamilyTreeDNA is the usual choice for single-line tests.
- Regional detail inside Czechia and Slovakia is not its strength as far as we could confirm. 23andMe’s pages list Czech Republic (14+ regions) and Slovakia (8+ regions) and Early Czech Americans groups, and we did not find similar groups on MyHeritage.
- It is not the biggest database. If your relatives are mostly in North America, Ancestry may produce more matches.
- We could not confirm its current Czech and Slovak ethnicity labels. Check the live pages.
- Subscriptions and prices change. Look at what the kit includes today.
Privacy
MyHeritage states that it has committed never to sell or license users’ data to third parties. That is a company statement, not an independent finding, so read the current privacy policy. In the EU, the GDPR treats genetic data as a special category and gives you rights to access and erasure.
A practical plan
- Check shipping and current features on MyHeritage’s DNA page for your country.
- Order a kit for the oldest relative who will test, then for yourself.
- Upload your tree with the Czech or Slovak village names and spellings.
- Read the ethnicity result and Genetic Groups, and compare them with your paper trail.
- Transfer your results to FamilyTreeDNA and GEDmatch for free.
- Contact your best matches using the steps in how to find Czech and Slovak cousins with DNA.
Illustrative composite (not a real family): A reader’s Slovak great-grandfather emigrated to Pennsylvania. Her MyHeritage result shows an East European share and smaller shares in neighboring labels, and a match in Slovakia shares 58 cM and has a tree naming a village in the same county as her great-grandfather’s parish. She uses the village and the parish registers to test the connection.
Common mistakes
- Following an old upload guide. It is not possible at present.
- Trusting the percentages. Several broad labels can appear together.
- Leaving the tree empty. Theories need trees.
- Treating a theory as proof. Verify every link in records.
- Expecting precise regions. Other companies report more Czech and Slovak regions.
Read the best DNA test for Czech and Slovak ancestry for the full comparison and DNA testing in Czechia and Slovakia for availability, and browse DNA & Tools. Sources include a 2026 DNA test review in Who Do You Think You Are? magazine, a report from August 2025, a British Czech and Slovak Association research page and 23andMe’s ancestry page.
Czech Slovak Roots Project is reader-supported. Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure.
