We read every whole genome sequencing company so you don't have to spit into eleven tubes.
The post-Nebula field is no longer one neat list. Eleven labs now ship whole genome sequencingWGSWhole Genome Sequencing — reading (nearly) all 3 billion base pairs of your DNA, as opposed to genotyping arrays which sample ~600,000 known positions. across four distinct categories — mainstream health (30× with broad reports), clinical prescription-mediated (counselor-led, preventive), genealogy-first (sometimes low-passLP-WGSLow-pass whole genome sequencing — WGS at ~1× average depth. Covers the whole genome but with much lower per-position confidence; used today for cost-efficient genealogy applications, not for clinical variant calling.), and interpretation-only add-ons. We score them on five dimensions, explain what changes between categories, and walk you through the lab workflow with animated diagrams.
A whole genome costs as little as $199 in 2026. A decade ago it was $10,000. Which raises a cheaper question: what are you actually buying?
We buy every kit with reader-supported funds, send sham orders, time every turnaround, and independently verify coverage depthcoverageHow many times, on average, each base is read. 30× is the consumer standard; 100× is used for hard-to-call variants and some cancer assays; 1× (low-pass) is suitable for genealogy but not for clinical variant calls. on a reference sample. Full methodology →
- Long-read sequencing dips below $1,000
- Nucleus ships a real clinician workflow
- Dante Labs turnaround, re-timed
Eleven sequencers, four categories, one leaderboard.
From spit tube to variant call, in 60 seconds.
What does “30× coverage” actually look like?
Each square is one position in a 2,400-base stretch of chromosome 7 — the same region the CFTR gene lives in. Drag the slider to change how many times the sequencer reads each position. Dimmed squares are positions the caller doesn't trust yet.
Pick up to three. We'll run the numbers.
| Dimension | Sequencing.com | Nucleus Genomics | Veritas Genetics |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScoreScore | 83 /100 | 82 /100 | 80 /100 |
| TierTier | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
| FromFrom | $399 | $499 | $599 |
| TechTech | Short-read (30× clinical-grade), US | Short-read on Illumina NovaSeq X Plus (official Illumina partnership, US-sequenced) | Short-read (Illumina), CLIA-certified laboratory |
| TurnaroundTime | Standard 8–10 weeks · Expedited 5–7 weeks · Ultra Rapid 2–3 weeks (paid tiers) | 4–6 weeks | 12–16 weeks |
| Raw dataRaw | Yes (FASTQ/BAM/VCF) | Yes (FASTQ/BAM/VCF) | Yes (FASTQ/BAM/VCF) |
| AccuracyAcc | 85 | 88 | 95 |
| CoverageCov | 86 | 90 | 92 |
| ReportsRep | 92 | 92 | 86 |
| PrivacyPriv | 70 | 70 | 82 |
| ValueVal | 90 | 78 | 58 |
| VerdictVerdict | Best value if you like to tinker, with the widest shipping-speed menu. Sequencing.com's April 2026 pricing now explicitly offers three turnaround tiers — Standard (8–10 wk), Expedited (5–7 wk), and Ultra Rapid (2–3 wk) — which makes it the only category player with a paid fast-lane. The marketplace model remains its real strength and real risk: an app store for your genome is unmatched in breadth and unforgivable if you install the wrong third-party tool without reading its privacy policy. | Best polished UX in the category, but increasingly reproductive-screening led. Nucleus sequences on Illumina's newest instrument, ships the cleanest consumer app we've seen, and keeps reports fresh via a $39/yr membership. What has shifted since last issue is the marketing: future-child health, embryo analysis, and IVF add-ons are now front-and-center. That reproductive framing is the company's single biggest differentiator and also its single biggest ethical liability, and a reader who buys Nucleus should buy it with eyes open on both counts. | Best clinician-style preventive WGS, with the highest access friction. Veritas is the only consumer WGS in 2026 that treats whole-genome reading as a preventive-medicine intervention rather than a consumer product — pre- and post-test counselor sessions are both included and both substantive, and the report is formatted for a physician to act on. The prescription gate is a real barrier that hands the casual market to competitors; the counselor-mediated structure is why the people who use it get more value than any other category. |
Reviews & research, fresh off the bench.
What the field is arguing about this week.
- Nebula Genomics User Can Proceed With Genetic Privacy Lawsuit
- The pangenome reference is here. Should consumer labs switch?
- Polygenic risk scores for cardiovascular disease clear 70% sensitivity.