Comparing FTDNA vs Ancestry

[cpj1985]

Is it normal for FTDNA to be significantly different from Ancestry.com in the Origins area?

Example: On Ancestry an account I maintain is showing 38% Scandinavian, but on FTDNA is shows 7%. I was surprised at this type of discrepancy. It makes you think nothing is accurate....

Is there an easy explanation for that dramatic of difference?

[Michelstaedter]

The easy explanation is that intra-continental differences are not sufficiently great to be accurately labeled in any meaningful way. Whereas a DNA test will accurately be able to tell the difference with a vey high degree of certainty between say a Northern European and a sub Saharan African, the same cannot be said for groups as closely related as Germans and Danes, for example. It would be nice if a DNA test rendered you a quarter French, three eighths German and three eighths Swedish, as known in your family tree, but unfortunately there is a huge degree of genetic overlap which makes the differences between almost meaningless, from a genetic perspective.