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Key Takeaways
Creating a will can be an overwhelming and expensive process, which might be why only 46% of all American adults have one, according to a Gallup poll. [1] Gallup.com. How Many Americans Have a Will? June 23, 2021. Found on the Internet at https://news.gallup.com/poll/351500/how-many-americans-have-will.aspx Miranda M. Riva, Esq. headshot Miranda M. Riva But it is possible to create a long-lasting will for an affordable price. If an attorney isn’t in your budget, an online will-making service can be a good alternative.
Online will-making services ask a series of questions to help you generate your will document and use your responses to generate a state-specific form you can download and print. Experienced estate attorneys design or review state-specific forms. As long as you provide accurate information and execute your will in accordance with your state’s laws, your online will should be legally acceptable.
While an online will is a viable option for most people, the following circumstances might be better handled with the help of an attorney:
Our Reviews Team researched and tested the best online will-making services. In this article, we summarize our experience and compare and contrast picks for the best will-making services on the internet.
LegalZoom was one of the first companies in online legal assistance. Since its founding in 2001, it has helped more than 2 million customers with their estate planning needs. Unlike its competitors, LegalZoom offers direct attorney assistance in several legal specialties, making it qualified to assist customers with a wide variety of legal needs. In addition, Legal Zoom has one of the lowest starting costs for creating a will, earning it our distinction of “Editor’s Pick.”
Trust & Will currently only offers a single package for creating an online will.
Will-based estate package ($199):
For more information about this online will service, read our in-depth Trust & Will review.
Trust & Will was founded in 2017 and has quickly become established in the online estate planning industry. The company offers a free year of unlimited updates with your $199 purchase. To make changes to your documents after the year has passed, you can become a member for $19 per year, and you can make unlimited updates for as long as you retain membership. Trust & Will also offers do-it-yourself probate tools executors of a will (those who carry out the will) can purchase if they need state-specific assistance when entering probate Probate is the legal procedure your estate goes through after you pass away. court.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for when completing your estate documents, you can use the chat function at the bottom of the page, send an email, or fill out an inquiry form to get help from an expert. You can use the chat function to connect with someone during business hours or find out more information about a topic. find recommended resources, and connect to an expert if you need help.
Trust & Will has 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on more than 3,400 reviews. Close to 90% of the reviews left by customers are 5 out of 5 stars. Customers called out the simplicity and clarity of the platform overall, as well as great customer service when issues or questions arose. Complaints focused on issues with the website timing out and no room for customizations when answering questions.
At first glance, Trust & Will has one of the most visually organized website designs in the industry. The layout is intuitive and easy to navigate.
One thing our team didn’t like is its lack of a simple will option and overall inability to customize. While it offers high-quality documents, you may not need all four of the documents in the package.
The auto-response that appears when you ask a question leads to a number of related resources we found helpful. We waited five minutes to talk to an expert on chat, and the wait for an email response was a few hours.
Read more in our full Trust & Will review.
Trust & Will earned our “Most User-Friendly” status for two main reasons: the site gave helpful explanations and tips throughout the will-creation process, and it provided thorough and well-researched resources for additional information on estate planning topics. Each time we asked a question using any of the provided channels of contact, our Legal Reviews Team received an accurate answer within two hours. Compared with other companies on this list that took at least one day to respond, the quick turnaround time is impressive. We felt this was the closest experience to hiring a lawyer.
Quicken WillMaker & Trust offers three different customized estate plan packages:
Starter ($99):
Plus ($139):
The plus package has all the starter package features and:
All-access ($209):
The all-access package has all the starter and plus package features and:
If you can’t decide which package you want, our Reviews Team recommends beginning with the starter package. You can upgrade at any time in your dashboard.
Quicken WillMaker & Trust has been helping customers make their wills for the last 30 years. The online questionnaire format doesn’t require you to download anything, which keeps the process simple. But if you want to keep your personal information off the internet, the downloadable software guarantees your documents are only accessible through your personal device. Along with increased privacy, the software offers a high-contrast mode for people with vision loss.
To make the process easy, Quicken WillMaker & Trust provides a checklist before starting the questionnaire. A “helpful information” box below the prompt will guide you if you are unsure of how to answer. Quicken WillMaker & Trust also provides an extensive book (available online) with detailed instructions and additional information to help create your will.
Quicken WillMaker & Trust has 4.5 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on more than 230 reviews. Of those reviews, 74% give the service 5 out of 5 stars, specifically mentioning how easy the product is to use and its inclusivity for people of all ages and backgrounds. Only 5% of users gave 1 out of 5 stars, mentioning never hearing back from customer service after making an inquiry and having technical issues with the software.
Quicken WillMaker & Trust was by far the easiest platform for our Reviews Team to purchase and use. The language throughout the questionnaire was clear, and the option for further information provided an extra layer of guidance. We were specifically impressed with the number of high-quality documents you can get for such an affordable cost.
We found it difficult to get in contact with the company, since you don’t have access to direct contact links or a chat feature on the website. But we were able to reach a representative within five minutes using the toll-free phone number. An email response took around one business day. Customer service can only help with service- and product-related issues. They cannot answer legal questions.
For more information about this online will service, read our in-depth LegalZoom Review.
Trust & Will earned our “Most User-Friendly” status for two main reasons: the site gave helpful explanations and tips throughout the will-creation process, and it provided thorough and well-researched resources for additional information on estate planning topics. Each time we asked a question using any of the provided channels of contact, our Legal Reviews Team received an accurate answer within two hours. Compared with other companies on this list that took at least one day to respond, the quick turnaround time is impressive. We felt this was the closest experience to hiring a lawyer.
GoodTrust earned the “best for all-in-one services” from our Reviews Team because this estate planning service offers users everything they need to create a will, trust, and advance directives in one, comprehensive package. In addition to their all-in-one services, GoodTrust includes unlimited wills for all adult family members and unlimited revisions to documents for the first year. Although GoodTrust doesn’t offer attorney support, they state all of their documents were created by experienced attorneys to ensure accuracy.
Rocket Lawyer is the only online will service we reviewed that generates a downloadable will for free, which is why we named it “Most Affordable.” It ties with U.S. LegalWills for the lowest starting price ($39), but it offers more forms with no extra cost and has attorneys available, unlike U.S. LegalWills.
U.S. LegalWills estate planning packages
Last will and testament ($39.95):
Premium last will and testament ($69.95):
The premium package has all the last will and testament package features and:
Complete estate plan ($99.95):
The complete estate plan has all the premium package features and:
Premium estate plan ($129.95):
The premium estate plan has all the complete estate plan features and:
Unlimited updates:
U.S. LegalWills offers three different and affordable estate planning bundle packages. You can also choose a “build your own” option and add the documents you need, instead of paying for documents you don’t need. This makes U.S. LegalWills one of the most customizable will-making services we reviewed.
U.S. LegalWills also has advanced information storage available with My Life Locker, which stores personal information, and Digital Vault, which contains documents you want to upload for future use by your executor. These two storage options are only available with the highest tier package.
U.S. LegalWills has 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on more than 400 reviews. More than 80% of reviewers gave it 5 out of 5 stars. Customers highlighted how easy the process was and how quickly they were able to complete the forms.
Some customers complained the forms weren’t upheld in a court of law. To each of those reviews, a customer service representative defended U.S. LegalWills and gave citations to the law supporting the forms.
Despite the website platform appearing outdated, the questionnaire process was simple. The “try now for free” option at the bottom of the package prices was misleading. This is not the same as the free trial Rocket Lawyer offers. You’ll move through the will-creation process, but at the end, only a preview of the first page of your will is available to you. To see the rest, you’ll need to purchase the product. It took about 10 minutes to connect with a representative by phone, and an email response took around 10 hours.
What makes U.S. LegalWills stand out is the cost of unlimited updates, which is why we named it “Best for Lifetime Unlimited Updates.” Most notably, the lifetime deal costs a flat fee of $129.95. For other online will services, the cost to make unlimited updates ranges from $19 to more than $300 per year. Cost varies depending on how long you want to be able to make updates.
Estate planning is a customizable experience, so flexibility is important. Most platforms offer some variation of the features below, whether in a bundle or as add-on services.
The most important document in the estate planning process is a last will and testament, often referred to as a “will.” This document specifies who will be responsible for distributing your estate and can give detailed instructions about which beneficiaries are entitled to certain items or sums of money. Many wills also include guardianship details if the will writer has minor children or pets.
When you create an online will, you’ll answer a series of personal and financial questions that will help create your final document. Each one of the services we’ve selected has state-specific forms created by estate planning experts. After finishing the questionnaire, you can download the completed documents, print them out, and execute them according to the instructions provided by your online will service.
Creating a simple will is important at any stage in your life, but you should consider additional documents as well. The most common estate documents, in addition to a will, are a power of attorney and a living will (also called a health care directive). Most online services offer these legal documents as an add-on feature, but some offer a package deal for all three. Depending on your circumstances, you may want to invest in a service that offers a bundle. Read our guide to learn how to make a will without a lawyer.
Celeste Robertson, Esq., a member of the Texas Bar Foundation and practicing attorney since 1994, advised “you should review your will and other estate planning documents every three to five years” and always “revisit these documents whenever significant life changes occur.” Robertson gave the following examples of significant life changes:
That means it’s important to note whether you can make changes to your documents in the platform you choose. Many services offer free, unlimited changes for at least the first 30 days after purchase. Others offer free changes for up to a year or without limits. With services that offer a membership, you’ll generally be able to make unlimited updates to your estate documents so long as you pay the monthly or annual subscription.
| Free, unlimited update period* | Cost after free update period ends | |
|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | 30 days | No updates without re-purchase |
| Trust & Will | One year | $19 per year |
| Quicken Willmaker & Trust | One year | $99–$299 per year (based on initial package purchased) |
| Rocket Lawyer | Seven days | $39.99 per month |
| U.S. LegalWills | One year | $11.95–$129.95 |
While you should always have an original paper copy of all your important documents, it’s a great idea to have virtually accessible backup copies. Most of our top choices have a virtual storage space for your will and any other documents you completed using the service. Some even allow you to upload additional important documents, such as:
When choosing a virtual storage base, security is a top concern. Each of the services on this list that offers document storage has one or two layers of encryption (converting information into a code to prevent unauthorized access) to protect sensitive information from anyone who doesn’t have authorization to access your account. Quicken WillMaker & Trust and Trust & Will both took an extra step by undergoing Type 2 Service Organization Control 2 (SOC 2 Type 2) auditing ⓘSOC 2 Type 2 is an exam used to evaluate and report on the effectiveness of a service organization’s controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy., which provides an independent, third-party assessment of a service organization’s security during a period of time.
| Storage capabilities | Accessibility | |
|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | Any important documents | Account existence |
| Trust & Will (document storage) | Any important documents | Account existence |
| Quicken WillMaker (Everplans) | Any important documents | Annual membership |
| Rocket Lawyer | Only those generated by Rocket Lawyer | Account existence |
| U.S. LegalWills (Digital Vault) | Any important documents | Account existence |
Some online services offer a second will for a discounted price. This is ideal if your spouse or close family member is also interested in creating a will. Even if spouses or partners own property and assets together, it’s common for them to create reciprocal wills. These are two separate wills, each making the other the beneficiary of the entire estate. For services that offer a family plan, you can often get the second will at a discounted price, and you can easily add it on at checkout.
Helpful hint: If this feature is essential for you, Quicken WillMaker & Trust allows you to make an unlimited number of wills with a single purchase of one of its products. In other words, you can get estate documents for the whole family for the cost of one package.
While most people creating a will online can do so without additional assistance, you might be interested in seeking general legal advice or having a lawyer look over your will, especially if you have a complex estate plan. Some services offer specialized legal assistance throughout the creation process—usually at a higher cost. If you anticipate needing an estate planning attorney to look over your documents at any point during the process, you should consider choosing a service that offers this as an add-on feature.
| Attorney access | |
|---|---|
| LegalZoom | Yes, 12 months of unlimited 30-minute consultations on new legal matters if you upgrade to the Premium Will package |
| Trust & Will | Yes, can be added on for $300 per year but currently only available in 17 states |
| Quicken WillMaker & Trust | No, but can connect you with a local attorney |
| Rocket Lawyer | Yes, unlimited 30-minute consultations on new legal matters |
| U.S. LegalWills | No |
Helpful hint: If this feature is essential for you, you might consider the premium package from LegalZoom. You’ll have on-demand, unlimited 30-minute calls with an attorney to ask whatever estate questions you have for 1 year after purchase. Other services cost more than $200 per year for this level of access or limit your questions to “new legal matters” only.
Many services are backed by a 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee. Some guarantees may come with limitations or will only apply refunds to certain services.
The Reviews Team curated a scoring system for online will-making services that considers the value for money, ease of use, customer support, features, and customer satisfaction. Here’s how it breaks down:
After hundreds of hours researching, our Reviews Team found the above online will maker companies to be the top five in the market. We found Legal Zoom is our best overall because of its combination of excellent legal support, step-by-step process, and affordable prices.
We liked Trust & Will for its excellent customer support and user-friendly creation process, and if you’re looking for high-quality documents and affordable ongoing support, Quicken WillMaker & Trust would be your best option. If you want to have an attorney review your will and answer questions along the way, LegalZoom is our top pick for legal assistance. With its free will option, Rocket Lawyer is best for those on a budget. If making unlimited lifetime updates is high on your priority list, U.S. LegalWills is a great option.
For more resources about planning for the future:
| Price | $99 | $199.00 | $99–$209 | $149 | $19.99 per month* | $49.95–$129.95 |
| Attorney available | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Wills for multiple family members | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Satisfaction guarantee | Yes (60 days)** | Yes (30-day full refund) | Yes (30-day full refund) | Yes (14-day full refund) | No | Yes (30-day full refund) |
| Living will form | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Last will and testament form | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Durable power of attorney form | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free unlimited updates | Yes (30 days) | Yes (one year free then subscribe for $19 per year) | Yes (one year free then subscribe for variable fee) | Yes (one year the subscribe for $39 per year) | Yes (seven days then subscribe for 39.99 per month) | Yes (one year free then included with variable membership) |
| Available in all 50 states (+DC) | Yes | Yes | No (not Louisiana) | Yes | Yes | No (not Louisiana) |
*Create a will for free during the seven-day trial period.
**If your order has been completed, you have 7 days from completion to request a refund.
Yes, it’s completely legitimate to use an online service to create your will. As long as you execute the document in accordance with your state’s laws, your online will is legally binding.
Among those reviewed services, Trust & Will was our number one “Editor’s Pick.” Next, we chose LegalZoom, Quicken WillMaker & Trust, followed by Rocket Lawyer, and U.S. LegalWills.
The main pros of online wills are they’re more affordable than hiring an estate attorney, they can be created from home, and they’re easier than writing a will from scratch.
The main cons of online wills are that an attorney review is not available with all services, they might not be the best option for those with a complicated estate, and unlimited updates not available with all services (requiring re-purchase to make updates).
The price to create a simple online will range from $0–$89. Some packages offering several documents, in addition to a will, can cost up to $299.
While an online will is designed to be legally binding if you provide accurate information and follow your state’s laws, its validity could be contested if someone has reason to believe it wasn’t written properly.
In some circumstances, such as complex financial situations, complicated family structures, or undecided wishes, it’s best to consult an attorney.
Have questions about this review? Email us at reviewsteam@ncoa.org.
