Table 1 Compare Best Online Will Makers
| Attorney available | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Satisfaction guarantee | Yes (60 days) | Yes (30-day full refund) | Yes (30-day full refund) | Yes (14-day full refund) |
| Available nationwide | Yes | Yes | No (not Louisiana) | 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) |
Online will-making services ask a series of questions to help you create your will document and use your responses to make a state-specific form you can download and print. Experienced estate attorneys design or review state-specific forms. If 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:
- Complex financial situation (for example, large amounts of debt)
- Complicated family structure (for example, questions of disinheritance)
- Undecided wishes (for example, how to divide your estate)
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.
What to look for in the best online will makers
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.
Last will and testament
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 to 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.
Additional estate planning documents
Creating a simple will is important at any stage of life, and 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.
Unlimited updates
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:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Birth of a child [or grandchild]
- A substantial change in assets
That means it’s important to know 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.
Document storage
While you should always have an original paper copy of all your important documents, it’s a great idea to have backup copies that are accessible online. 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:
- Identification cards
- Car titles
- Real estate deeds
- Account numbers
- Life insurance policy
- Tax documents
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, which provides an independent, third-party assessment of a service organization’s security during a period of time.
Family plan
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.
Attorney assistance
While most people creating a will online can do so without additional assistance, you might be interested in getting 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 think you might need 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.
Satisfaction guarantee
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.
How we reviewed online will-making services
The Reviews Team created 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:
- Value for money (35% of total score): We rated the value of every online will maker’s basic package. We also considered whether the service offered free or unlimited will revisions and a money-back satisfaction guarantee.
- Ease of use (25% of total score): We looked at whether we could navigate the website successfully and where the roadblocks, if any, came up. Did we have trouble adding features or signing into our account? We compared our experiences before and after account setup.
- Customer support (20% of total score): We reviewed each company’s customer service offerings through email, phone, and chat, and gave a score based on timeliness and accuracy of responses.
- Features (15% of total score): We looked at the essential estate planning features and add-on services the company offers and whether the packages are customizable.
- Customer satisfaction (5% of total score): We looked at customer ratings across trusted third-party review sites, like Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot, and rated our own satisfaction with the process.
Sources
- 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