Two at-home tick tests launched within weeks of each other. Here's what actually differs — price, speed, and what the result tells you.
If you found a tick this week, you've probably run into both of these. They arrived almost simultaneously, they do fundamentally the same thing, and the marketing sounds nearly identical.
So here's a straight comparison. We make one of these, and we'll tell you where we're genuinely different and where we're not.
The two numbers that differ
| TiCK TEST | LymeAlert | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, single kit | $34.99 | $50 |
| Time to result | About 10 minutes | About 30 minutes |
| First possible read | Positive as early as 5 minutes | — |
| What it tests | The removed tick | The removed tick |
| What it detects | Borrelia burgdorferi | Borrelia burgdorferi |
| Diagnoses a person or pet? | No | No |
| Multi-packs | 2-pack $65.99 · 4-pack $119.99 | 3-kit and 6-kit bundles |
LymeAlert pricing and timing per lymealert.com as of August 12, 2026.
Where we're the same
Both test the tick, not you. Both look for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Both are single-use. Neither one diagnoses Lyme disease in a person or an animal, and neither one can tell you whether the bacteria were transmitted to you — that depends on how long the tick was attached, and it's a conversation for a healthcare provider.
We're not going to pretend otherwise. If you're deciding between these two, you're choosing between two tests that answer the same question.
Where we're different
Price. $34.99 versus $50 for a single kit. About 30% less.
Speed. This is the one that matters more than it sounds like it should. A positive result on TiCK TEST can appear as early as 5 minutes and a negative is confirmed at 10. LymeAlert's published time is about 30 minutes.
Twenty minutes doesn't sound like much sitting still. It's different when you're deciding whether to call a pediatrician before the office closes, or standing in a campsite four hours from home, or watching a swollen tick you just pulled off a two-year-old.
Research validation. TiCK TEST demonstrated greater than 99% accuracy in initial testing, and additional validation studies are currently underway with Dr. Monica Embers of Tulane University and Dr. Tom Mather of the University of Rhode Island — two of the most established tick-borne disease researchers in the country.
What we've been doing beforehand. TiCK TEST comes from the team behind TiCK MiTT, which has been in this for years: 3,500+ retail doors, Shark Tank Season 16, one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2025. Our co-founder and CEO, Olivia Abrams, sits on the board of Project Lyme. We started with prevention and removal and built testing on top of it, because a test is the third-best outcome — behind not getting bitten, and behind catching the tick before it embeds.
What neither test can do
Worth stating plainly, because it applies to both:
- ❌ Confirm you were infected. A positive tick means the tick carried bacteria, not that transmission occurred.
- ❌ Rule out other pathogens. A negative Lyme result says nothing about anaplasmosis, babesiosis, or Powassan virus.
- ❌ Replace a doctor. If the bite may have been high-risk — a black-legged tick, in a Lyme-endemic area, attached roughly 36 hours or more — call a provider, whichever test you use.
Our honest recommendation
If you want the fastest answer at the lowest price, that's us, and the numbers above are why.
If you want the broadest pathogen panel and you can wait several days, neither of us is your best option — send the tick to a mail-in laboratory like TickReport or the PA Tick Research Lab.
And if you're reading this because a tick is already attached: remove it first, save it, note the date, and call your doctor. The test can wait ten minutes. That part shouldn't.
Pre-order TiCK TEST — $34.99, results in 10 minutes
More reading: At-Home vs. Mail-In Tick Testing vs. Lyme Blood Tests · Can You Test a Tick for Lyme Disease? · Tick & Lyme Disease Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TiCK TEST cheaper than LymeAlert?
Yes. TiCK TEST is $34.99 for a single test. LymeAlert's published single-kit price is $50, roughly 30% higher.
Which at-home tick test is faster?
TiCK TEST returns a result in about 10 minutes, with a positive result appearing as early as 5 minutes. LymeAlert's published time to result is about 30 minutes.
Do TiCK TEST and LymeAlert detect the same thing?
Both analyze a removed tick for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Neither test diagnoses Lyme disease in a person or an animal, and neither can confirm whether transmission occurred.
Is one more accurate than the other?
TiCK TEST demonstrated greater than 99% accuracy in initial testing, with additional validation studies underway with researchers at Tulane University and the University of Rhode Island. Accuracy in detecting a pathogen in a tick is a separate question from whether that pathogen was transmitted — no at-home tick test can determine that.
Should I still see a doctor if I use an at-home tick test?
Yes. Any at-home tick test result is one input for a clinical conversation, not a replacement for one. Contact a healthcare provider if the tick was attached for a long period, if you can't identify the species, or if any symptoms develop.
