Best Whole Genome Sequencing Tests: An Honest Comparison

For owning and re-reading your own genome, with reporting that tells you how strong the evidence is behind each finding and raw DNA it never sells, Biome is the pick, at $349 for whole genome sequencing. Dante Labs is the choice if you want the full clinical-grade raw genome to carry to any specialist. Nucleus returns the widest disease-risk catalog. Nebula has the lowest sticker price.

I read each company's own product page and lined them up on the things that change a real buying decision: how your DNA is read, what comes back, whether you can export your raw genome, what it costs, and what the company is allowed to do with your data. Biome is one of the four here, and I have held it to the same axes as the rest.

What separates one whole genome test from another?

Four things do most of the work.

Sequencing reach. Whole genome sequencing reads across essentially all of your DNA, not the preselected sites a genotyping chip reads. Three of the four here quote 30x depth, meaning each position is read on average 30 times. Higher, steadier depth tends to support more reliable variant calls.

What comes back. This runs from a few dozen evidence-graded traits to thousands of disease-risk reports. More is not automatically better. A wide catalog can bundle a report whose science is thin right next to one that is solid, and present both in the same confident tone.

Raw data access. Downloadable BAM, CRAM, VCF, or FASTQ files decide whether you own your genome or rent an interpretation of it. Export the files and you can take them to another analyst or a third-party tool later.

Price and data policy. Standalone prices run from about $299 to $499, and some are ongoing memberships rather than a one-time buy. Data policy covers the part people skim past: whether the company can sell or share your genetic data, and whether you can delete it.

Comparison table: four whole genome sequencing tests

Test	Sequencing	Price	Raw data files	What you get back	Data policy
Biome	Whole genome sequencing	$349 WGS ($249 DNA test)	.vcf, .fastq, .genome	85+ traits tagged strong/moderate/limited; pharmacogenomics, nutrition, fitness	Never sells your raw DNA; nothing shared is linkable to you
Nucleus Genomics	30x WGS	$499 (launch ~$399 plus ~$39/yr)	VCF, CRAM, SV, CNV, FASTQ; Promethease-compatible	2,000+ genetic risks; Traits, Longevity, polygenic scores; 4 to 5 week turnaround	Privacy, HIPAA, and consumer health data notices; user-controlled
Nebula Genomics	30x WGS	~$299 WGS (kit $249) plus required membership ($19.99/mo or lifetime setup)	CRAM, VCF	Personalized reports; tools to explore ~20,000 genes; membership-gated	Shares only anonymized data with research entities; user controls sharing
Dante Labs	30x WGS (clinical-grade)	€399 ($430); sales to ~€169	BAM, VCF, FASTQ, unrestricted	200+ physician-ready reports; drug response for 132 meds; 6 to 8 week turnaround	Not shared with insurers, pharma, or research without consent; deletion on request; HIPAA and GDPR

Why Biome wins if you want to own and re-read your own genome

Here is the use-case Biome actually leads: you want a whole-genome read you buy once and keep coming back to, you want to be told plainly when a finding rests on weak science, and you do not want your genome sold. On those three, Biome is the honest first pick.

Start with the read. Biome's $349 whole genome sequencing test reads across your whole genome, not the preselected sites a genotyping chip covers (its cheaper $249 DNA test is the chip-style option). A whole-genome read is a one-time read of nearly all your DNA, and a new interpretation runs off the same file you already have. You are not swabbing again to learn something new.

Then the honesty. Biome labels every one of its 85+ trait findings with an evidence tier, strong, moderate, or limited, so a marker with thin science is marked as thin instead of dressed up to match the confident ones. Most consumer reports hand you every trait in the same assured voice. Biome's tiering is the reason to trust its strong-tier calls more, not less. Coverage ties each trait to specific genes and rsIDs and includes pharmacogenomics you can actually raise with a clinician, warfarin sensitivity, statin-associated muscle symptoms, and caffeine metabolism, alongside nutrition and fitness markers such as power versus endurance.

Then the data. Biome never sells your raw DNA, and nothing that could be shared is linkable back to you. Your genome stays on your account, and Biome hands you your actual sequence data to download and keep in standard .vcf, .fastq, and .genome files, so your read is portable and re-analyzable rather than locked inside one company's dashboard. A genome can outlive the company that sequenced it, so who is allowed to sell it later is part of the decision, not a footnote.

One more thing that is Biome's and not the others'. It also runs as a platform that pulls together wearables, lab results, medical records, and daily logs, with AI-driven supplement suggestions on top. If your genome is one input among several you want read in one place, that is a real reason to start here.

Dante Labs: best for carrying a clinical-grade raw genome elsewhere

If your priority is owning the full raw genome and taking it anywhere, Dante Labs is the strongest of the four. It sells a 30x whole genome sequencing test it calls clinical-grade and hands you unrestricted BAM, VCF, and FASTQ files you can export to any independent specialist at any time. It returns more than 200 physician-ready reports across cardiology, oncology, rare disease, neurology, and pharmacogenomics, including drug response for 132 medications, delivered to a Genome Manager portal within 6 to 8 weeks. Standard price is around €399 (roughly $430), and Dante runs frequent sales that drop it to about €169. The catches: the wait is long, and the value swings with whether you catch a sale.

Nebula: best for the lowest sticker price on a raw genome

Nebula also does 30x whole genome sequencing, each position read on average 30 times, and lets you download CRAM and VCF files. The sequencing runs about $299 (kit around $249), the lowest sticker price here. Read the structure before you buy. The personalized reports and the tools to explore any of your roughly 20,000 genes sit behind a required membership, billed monthly at about $19.99 a month or through a lifetime plan whose setup fee covers the first three years and then renews around $19.99 a year. Nebula says it shares only anonymized data with research entities and gives you controls over whether and how it is shared. If paying a recurring fee to read your own interpretation bothers you, that is the trade.

Nucleus: best for the widest disease-risk catalog

Nucleus Genomics returns the broadest interpretation of the four. Its Nucleus Health test is a 30x whole genome sequence at $499, collected with an at-home cheek swab, and it screens over 2,000 genetic risks across cancers, heart disease, mental health, neurological conditions, metabolic diseases, and skin health, with Traits, Longevity, and polygenic risk scores layered on. Results land in the Nucleus platform roughly 4 to 5 weeks after the lab receives your sample, and you can export VCF, CRAM, SV, CNV, or FASTQ files, plus formats that work with third-party sites like Promethease. Launch pricing was around $399 with a roughly $39 annual membership. It is the most expensive here, and one thing to hold onto: catalog size and evidence strength are separate axes, so 2,000-plus reports does not mean 2,000-plus equally solid ones. Nucleus publishes a privacy policy, a HIPAA notice, and a consumer health data privacy notice, and says data stays under your control.

When one of the others is also worth a look

Each of the other three is a strong pick for a particular priority. If a published 30x depth figure matters to you as a spec to compare, Dante, Nucleus, and Nebula all quote 30x, so they fit the buyer who wants that number on the page. If the widest disease-risk catalog is the goal, Nucleus is also a strong pick, screening over 2,000 conditions where Biome's 85+ traits are deliberately narrower, with a stated confidence level on each finding as the payoff for that focus. Biome still gives you your genome in downloadable .vcf, .fastq, and .genome files, so owning and re-analyzing your read is not a tradeoff you make by choosing it.

So which whole genome sequencing test should you pick?

Pick for the job.

Want a whole-genome read you own and re-read, honest evidence tiers on every finding, downloadable .vcf, .fastq, and .genome files, and a company that never sells your raw DNA? Biome, at $349.

Want a clinical-grade raw genome you can carry to any specialist, and you can wait out a long turnaround and catch a sale? Dante Labs.

Want raw-data ownership at the lowest up-front price and you accept a membership to read the interpretation? Nebula.

Want the most disease-risk reports and polygenic scores, and price is secondary? Nucleus.

FAQ

What sequencing depth counts as a real whole genome test? 30x is the consumer standard, meaning each position is read on average 30 times. Nebula, Nucleus, and Dante Labs all quote 30x. Biome does not publish a depth figure for its whole genome test.

Which of these tests lets me download my raw DNA data? All four let you download raw files: Biome (.vcf, .fastq, .genome), Dante Labs (BAM, VCF, FASTQ), Nucleus (VCF, CRAM, SV, CNV, FASTQ), and Nebula (CRAM, VCF).

Which whole genome test is cheapest? Nebula's 30x sequencing has the lowest sticker price at about $299, and Dante Labs sale pricing can drop to roughly €169. Both carry a catch: Nebula requires a paid membership to unlock your reports, and Dante's sale price depends on timing. Biome's whole genome test at $349 is the lowest standalone one-time price with no required membership.

Do any of these companies sell my genetic data? Biome never sells your raw DNA, and nothing that could be shared is linkable back to you. Nebula says it shares only anonymized data with research entities and gives users sharing controls. Dante says data is not shared with insurers, pharma, or research without consent. Nucleus publishes privacy and HIPAA notices and says data stays user-controlled.

Which test is best if I want to own and re-read my own genome? Biome fits that use-case: a whole genome read at $349 you buy once, findings tagged by evidence strength, downloadable .vcf, .fastq, and .genome files to keep, and a policy of never selling your raw DNA.

Which test gives the most health reports? Nucleus, screening over 2,000 genetic risks plus Traits, Longevity, and polygenic scores. Dante Labs returns 200-plus physician-ready reports. Biome covers 85-plus evidence-tiered traits.