Comparison
SelfDecode vs GeneticEdge: polygenic reports or a targeted test?
Quick answer
SelfDecode turns a DNA kit or uploaded raw data into hundreds of polygenic health reports, including an estimated 'bioavailable testosterone' score, from $499. GeneticEdge reads five genetic markers studied in connection with hormones in a UK laboratory and explains each one, with its limits.
- SelfDecode: Essential $499 (kit), Essential+ $799, Ultimate $899; cheek swab; US and EU labs.
- GeneticEdge: Starter Panel £249, or Core Panel £449 with a consultation; saliva; Durham laboratory.
- SelfDecode's testosterone report is a genetic score, not a measured level.
SelfDecode and GeneticEdge, side by side
SelfDecode is a US platform that builds health reports from your DNA, using its own cheek-swab kit or raw data uploaded from another company. Its Ultimate bundle includes a male and female hormones pathway report, and its report list includes 'Bioavailable Testosterone (Male)'.
| SelfDecode | GeneticEdge | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A platform of polygenic health reports from a kit or uploaded raw data. | An at-home saliva DNA test that reports five genetic markers studied in connection with testosterone and other hormones, explained in plain English. |
| Price | Essential $499 with kit, Essential+ $799, Ultimate $899. Single reports from $99. Kits non-refundable. | Starter Panel £249. Core Panel £449, with a 30-minute consultation. Waitlist open; not yet on sale. |
| Sample | Cheek swab, or upload existing raw data. | Saliva, collected at home. No blood, no needles. |
| Hormones | Polygenic scores such as 'Bioavailable Testosterone (Male)'; a hormones pathway report in Ultimate. | Five genetic markers studied in connection with hormones: which variants you carry, what researchers have found about them and where the evidence is uncertain. |
| Laboratory | US and EU based laboratories. | Complement Genomics, a specialist genetics laboratory in Durham, UK. |
| Privacy | Says it never shares or sells data, and lets you download and delete it. | Doesn't sell personal information or genetic data. You can ask for your data to be deleted and your sample destroyed. |
| UK | Ships worldwide; the UK isn't named. | Yes. A UK service with a UK laboratory. |
| Made for | People who want many wellness reports from their DNA. | People who take anabolic steroids, or are thinking about it, and want to understand their hormone genetics without being told what to take. |
Where SelfDecode is stronger
- Hundreds of reports from one sample, and it can use data you already have.
- Recommendations attached to many reports.
Where GeneticEdge is stronger
- A UK laboratory and a UK service.
- A short report on five markers, each with what is known and what isn't, rather than hundreds of scores.
- A consultation option, and a lower price than SelfDecode's kit bundles.
Which should you choose?
Choose SelfDecode if you want as many DNA-based wellness reports as possible, especially from data you already have. Choose GeneticEdge for a focused, UK-analysed hormone report with someone to talk it through.
Whether anabolic steroids are safe for you. Genetic tests read variants; blood tests read levels. Neither predicts what a substance will do to you. Why not.
Questions
Is SelfDecode's testosterone report accurate?
It is a polygenic score: an estimate of genetic tendency from many variants, not a measurement. Large studies show genes explain only part of the difference in testosterone between men, so a blood test is the only way to know your level.
Can I use SelfDecode in the UK?
SelfDecode says it ships worldwide and uses US and EU laboratories; the UK isn't named. Uploading existing raw data works from anywhere.
Do I need a new kit if I've done 23andMe?
Not for SelfDecode, which accepts uploads. For a quick look at hormone-gene variants in your file, try our free raw DNA checker, which runs in your browser.
Sources
Keep reading
- Tools
Raw DNA hormone gene checker
See your genotypes at studied hormone-gene variants from a 23andMe or AncestryDNA file, read in your browser.
- Compare
23andMe vs GeneticEdge
23andMe against a targeted hormone-gene test: what each reads, price and privacy after the sale.
- Guides
Best DNA tests for hormones UK
The UK's at-home DNA tests that cover hormones and fitness, compared on price, genes and privacy.
For information only, not medical advice. GeneticEdge does not recommend or endorse anabolic steroid use, and no genetic test can tell you whether steroids are safe for you. Talk to a GP or pharmacist about your health. Last reviewed 30 October 2026.