Here is a comparison chart for all of the DNA testing companies: http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_testing_comparison_c...

But I want to highlight one thing. You write: ".... but we also have to clear up an ethnicity question on our maternal side (my mothers, mothers father) ...."

Unless you test a parent or a close maternal or paternal relative (uncle/aunt, 1st cousin) you will have a really hard time figuring out who matches which side of the family with any certainty (barring some specific cases). Since you expressed a desire to know more about a particular side I thought you should be aware of this.

(For example, I have my mother tested, so I automatically know if a match is maternal or paternal based on if they match her. I also have tested a paternal uncle, so he is a bit of a control to see if a match is also paternal -- due to the fact that my parents have shared colonial New England ancestry but no recent connection.)

Elizabeth