Best Online Will Maker

Money’s Main Takeaways

• Online wills can be just as legitimate as attorney-drafted ones, as long as they are executed correctly.
• We preferred companies that offer robust customer support.
• Look into whether the company’s pricing structure makes sense for your situation.
• Make sure the service tailors their wills to each state’s inheritance laws and requirements.

Money’s Top Picks for Online Will Makers

The companies listed below are in alphabetical order.

• LawDepot
• LegalZoom
• Nolo
• Rocket Lawyer
• Trust & Will

The Best Online Will Maker Services Reviews

LawDepot is an easy-to-use online platform that allows you to review and file customized legal documents for your business or personal estate planning needs without a lawyer. The company offers a wide variety of DIY legal forms under several pricing options, including yearly or monthly subscriptions, a pay-per-document option and a seven-day free trial.

The company offers three different licensing options. The One-Year Pro is billed annually at $107.88 - $155.88, and allows you to print out and use as many documents as you need, with an automatic renewal every year. The free trial gives access for one week, after which the license renews at $35 to $49 p/m. Subscriptions can be canceled at any time, with no penalty.

While LawDepot leans more toward clients that prefer do-it-yourself options, it offers a helpful blog and educational literature for each type of document curated by a team of lawyers. The company also has a client support hotline (available weekdays from 8 am to 7 pm ET) and offers assistance over email and live chat.

One feature that sets LawDepot apart from competitors is that it offers $10,000 to any customers that suffer legal damages from mistakes due to company errors on documents.

LegalZoom has independent attorneys in all 50 states that know your state's laws and can ensure your forms are in legal compliance. You can also receive customized documents by answering a brief questionnaire or using the company's attorney-supported service to determine which paperwork is best for your needs.

LegalZoom claims to have no hidden fees and implements flat-fee pricing on both self-guided and attorney-supported services. Pricing for last wills and testaments start at $99, financial powers of attorney at $39, living wills (advanced healthcare directive) at $39 and living trusts at $399. If you want attorney review of your documents and phone consultations, the company will add that on for a fee.

Beyond estate planning services, LegalZoom also offers legal advice to help you start your business - such as naming your business, obtaining licenses and permits, and establishing your business structure as a C Corp, S Corp, nonprofit, or limited liability company (LLC).

If you’re a creative or entrepreneur, LegalZoom can also provide legal advice for musicians and writers. Its legal business form options have a variety of documents that provide intellectual protection through trademark and copyright registration and design patents.

Finally, LegalZoom also offers personalized legal support services, in which its law firm, LZ Legal Services, co-counsels with a local attorney.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one DIY estate planning solution, Nolo offers customized estate plans, including wills, living trusts, health care directives, financial powers of attorney and other essential documents, all through downloadable software available for Windows and Mac.

There are three packages to choose from:

• Starter - $109, includes your will, health directives and final expense planning
• Plus - $149, offers a comprehensive estate planning solution, with powers of attorney, living trusts, letters to survivors and downloadable versions for PC/MAC
• All Access - $149, provides all the features of the Plus plan, as well as a one-year subscription to Everplans, a digital estate planning tool that helps you organize and store your documents and information.

Aside from the software, the Nolo Network is one of the largest consumer-friendly legal libraries on the web. The company also offers a free attorney match service with the 30k+ lawyers in its directory, claiming that once you’ve filled out the form describing your legal issue, you’ll typically be contacted in as little as 1-2 hours.

Trust & Will is an online service that prepares trust, will and guardianship documents at reasonable rates. For each legal document prepared, you’ll receive specific forms built by a legal team consistent with the laws of your state.

The company offers two estate plans for individuals or couples: a trust or a will, priced at $499 and $199 for individuals, correspondingly, and $100 more each for couples. Updates are $19 for wills and $39 for trusts after the second year — the first year is included for both.

Will packages provide customized, state-specific will documents, HIPAA authorizations, supporting documents for living wills and a power of attorney. Trust packages include a revocable living trust, schedule of assets, a pour over will, HIPAA authorization, a living will (an Advanced Health Directive), power of attorney and certification of trust.

Once you complete your will or trust documents, they’re reviewed by company experts, and a copy of each document is then delivered to you. The documents will remain stored online for additional access or updating. For an additional yearly fee of $12, customers can get unlimited updates and yearly reviews by Trust & Will’s legal team.

Bear in mind that Trust & Will discloses that it solely provides legal forms and information but is not a law firm and cannot substitute a lawyer’s advice regarding complex estate planning.

Rocket Lawyer offers online legal services for business, personal and estate planning, as well as attorney consultations. It also has a mobile app where you can sign contracts electronically and store your documents securely for a paperless experience.

Rocket Lawyer offers two pricing tiers: Rocket Legal ($39.99 per month, billed monthly) and Rocket Legal+™ ($19.99 per month, billed annually). While both have similar base offerings, the latter adds in partner offers and half off pro services. These include calls with a “Legal Pro,” a “Tax Pro” preparing and filing your taxes, business registration excluding state fees, trademarks excluding USPTO fees, and a registered agent service to serve as your point of contact for tax and legal notices.

The software is easy-to-use and uses a self-guided questionnaire to direct you to the documents you need, depending on your case. It must be noted that should you register for their subscription service, subscriptions are automatically renewed, and payments are automatically deducted.

Best Online Will Makers Guide

Creating a will, trust or advance directive is an essential step in ensuring that your wishes are carried out after you’re gone and your loved ones are taken care of. Online will maker services offer a streamlined, cost-effective way to create a legally binding will from the comfort of your home.

When Do You Need a Will?

Making a will isn’t exclusive to the elderly. While around 32% of people surveyed by Caring.com said they have a will, 40% of respondents without estate planning don’t think they have enough assets to need one. Remarkably, more than one in every three across all age groups said they believe adults should have a will before the age of 35.

“If you own any property, money, or other assets, you want to know that it will go to who you choose,” said Frame. “If you have children, you must choose someone who you trust to manage their money until a certain age, and you must name guardians to care for your children so that the families are not fighting for custody of them.”

A will lets you name a medical power of attorney, which gives the authority to make medical decisions about your health should you become incapacitated. A financial power of attorney, on the other hand, allows someone to manage your financial affairs if you can’t speak for yourself due to illness.

“Even if you do not own anything, you should have a financial and medical power of attorney if you are incapacitated and cannot manage your affairs and make medical decisions. Sometimes powers of attorney are more important than a will,” added Frame.

When Don't You Need a Will?

In some cases, it may make sense to forgo a will if you don’t have any assets or a complex estate situation. Another legal document, such as a living trust, can be used to manage your assets during your lifetime and beyond.

Those who (1) do not have kids or loved ones who depend on them, and (2) want their assets to pass exactly how the state rules dictate may not need a will. State rules are unique, but the usual order of priority is that assets first go to a spouse, then to parents, then to siblings.

“In addition, many people need more than just a will. This classification is more nuanced and depends on the state’s laws and the difficulty of the state’s probate process,” says Glassock. “However, this group often includes people with minor children, people who own real estate, and those with more than approximately $75,000 to $150,000 in non-retirement and non-life insurance assets.”

Take someone living in California who owns their home (even if there is a mortgage in place). If that person passes away with just a will, her estate would have to go through the probate process. If there is no family infighting or other complications, taking that estate through probate in California would take at least 1-2 years and cost tens of thousands of dollars. That person would be better served by getting a revocable living trust in addition to a will.

Are DIY wills worth it?

The cost of making an online will can spare you a few hundred dollars, with some companies offering free templates to complete a will on your own. However, there are offline alternatives for a DIY approach. If you browse the aisles of Office Max, Staples, and Office Depot, you might find ready-made “legal” forms and DIY kits for estate planning starting at $5.

Keep in mind, however, that cheap doesn't always mean better quality. “Online and DIY forms are not customized and generally don't consider special situations, such as dealing with children with substance abuse issues, who are irresponsible with money, or who have special needs and rely on government benefits for services, food, shelter, and medical care,” said Frame. “These issues must be dealt with by using carefully crafted language in a will or a trust so that the children will be adequately protected.”

As some attorneys from the American Bar Association have expressed, online and DIY will-making services may also give clients a false sense of security and create the risk of legal problems and disputes down the road. It’s always recommended that you have an attorney look over your legal documents to ensure their validity and authenticity.

I want to prepare a will. Where do I start?

Glassock advises that asking your friends and relatives about their experience navigating this process can be a good starting point.

“Ask friends or family if they know a good estate planner in your area. Most estate planning attorneys offer a free or low-cost consultation where they can walk you through the laws of your state and what would happen to your estate without proper planning. They can also give you their expert opinion on what type of estate planning you need and give you a sense of what it will cost and what the process will look like,” suggests Glassock.

What information will I need to provide?

When preparing your last will, you’ll be required to share some information about your debts, personal assets, and designated people or charities you choose as beneficiaries. Since a will ensures that your assets are distributed upon your death, you’ll need to bring paperwork to identify your assets and beneficiaries easily.

Common assets that people leave to beneficiaries include:

• Deeds to property or real estate
• Ownership of a business
• Vehicle titles
• Checking or savings account statements
• Stocks and bonds
• Jewelry and art

In addition to providing a detailed description of assets, you must provide a list of your current debts.

Finally, you must choose your heirs. You will need to provide information regarding your inheritors, such as their full names, complete address and phone numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth, and birth certificates. If your children are minors or have someone in your family with special needs, you can also appoint a guardian.

How We Chose The Best Online Will Maker

Cost

The cost of preparing a will or trust is determined by your estate's complexity, the type of services you seek and lawyer's fees. Most lawyers charge hourly rates that range from $100 to thousands of dollars, depending on their experience, expertise and how they price their services.

Online will-making services, on the other hand, have different pricing structures. Some charge fixed fees for particular services, while others require a membership or subscription fee to allow changes and updates to a will, trust or estate plan.

Updating your last will and testament is important, especially if you've had major life changes, such as having a child, getting married or divorced or purchasing a property or business. And while online services make these updates easier, opting for a subscription legal service can add up over time and end up being as expensive as consulting an attorney.

“You should not be paying a yearly fee unless you are in a maintenance program where your plan is being reviewed at least yearly by an attorney who specializes in estate planning,” says senior attorney Tara Frame, a specialist in Estate Planning, Elder Law and Probate Law at Frame & Frame.

Validity

Online will makers offer standard estate planning documents at a low cost. However, preparing these documents can be complex (depending on your personal circumstances), and their legitimacy is determined by the laws that govern your state.

Also, most online estate planning companies explicitly state that they are not lawyers and are not providing legal advice, warns Jenna Glassock Esq., founding attorney of Glassock Law APC.

“Arguably, the biggest problem with the online offerings is that you may never know if the documents work the way you intended,” says Glassock. “At that point, a poorly drafted estate plan is more likely to lead to family in-fighting and costly litigation than an estate with no plan in place at all.”

Still, online wills can be just as legitimate as attorney-drafted ones, as long as they are executed correctly.

For an online will to be considered legal, it needs to meet these minimum requirements:

• The testator, meaning the person writing their will or having it written for them, must be of sound mind when the will is written.
• The will must have the testator's signature and date of issue, and it must be notarized.
• Depending on your state, the will must be signed by one or more witnesses.

Customer Experience

While an online will-making service cannot replace an attorney's detailed advice, we suggest that interested parties look for companies that offer customer support online, over the phone or through an app.

It's also a good sign when a company has an online learning center or literature to help customers understand estate planning basics. Of course, you’ll need to check state laws yourself to make sure you’re entering a legally binding contract.

Company Reputation

Make a point to assess a company's reputation by looking into online reviews, recent news coverage, and any legal actions taken against the company. You may also want to consider avoiding companies with class-action lawsuits related to deceptive practices against consumers in recent years.

Summary of Money’s Top Picks for Online Will Makers

The companies listed below are in alphabetical order.

• LawDepot
• LegalZoom
• Nolo
• Rocket Lawyer
• Trust & Will