How to read your Viome results
Viome is the most polarizing test in this category. Its RNA-sequencing methodology captures gene expression, not just gene presence, which in theory should be more clinically actionable. In practice, the results come packaged in a proprietary scoring system tied to Viome's supplement and food recommendation app, which makes it hard to compare results to any other test or to act on independently. People love it for the dashboard experience and hate it for the data lock-in.
How Viome works
RNA-based metatranscriptomic sequencing on a stool sample. Unlike the DNA sequencing used by Biomesight, GI-MAP, and Thorne, Viome sequences RNA, which means it captures what the microbiome is actively doing at the moment of collection, not just which organisms are present. This is genuinely different data, and is also the source of the most controversy in the field about how to interpret it.
What Viome does well
- RNA-sequencing captures active microbial expression
- Proprietary scoring app is well-designed and gamified
- Personalized food and supplement recommendations included
- Direct ordering, no practitioner required
What Viome misses
- PDF format upload is not yet supported by Test To Table
- Heavy data lock-in via proprietary scoring
- Hard to compare results to GI-MAP, Genova, or Biomesight
- Recommendations bias toward Viome supplements
- Higher cost than DNA-based microbiome tests
What's on the Viome panel
These are the markers Viome reports on. Click any underlined marker to see what the result means and how to address it.
Viome upload is coming soon
We currently support GI-MAP, Genova GI-Effects, and Biomesight uploads directly. Viome support is on the roadmap. Get notified the moment it ships.
See supported testsWhen Viome is the right test
- want a dashboard-style monthly tracking experience
- prefer direct-to-consumer with no practitioner involvement
- willing to commit to the Viome ecosystem
