Best Online Will Makers of 2026: Compare Prices, Documents, and Attorney Access

Nobody likes planning for the day they're gone, but a will is how you make sure the people you love are looked after. Without a valid will, your state's intestacy law decides who inherits, according to Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute (LII). Spouses and children usually come first, but the order varies by state.

Plenty of people still haven't written one. Caring.com's 2025 Wills and Estate Planning Study, a YouGov online panel of 2,500+ U.S. adults ages 18 to 55+, found 24% have a will. That's down from 33% in 2022.

If you're ready to make a will online, an online will maker guides you through each document. Below, BestMoney compares seven online will makers on pricing model, documents included, attorney access, and update costs.

BestMoney checked each provider's official pricing page in September 2026 to compare what you pay and what you get. Prices can change, so confirm them before you buy.

Trust & Will: Best for Guided Will or Trust Setup

Trust & Will is a San Diego company founded in 2017 that does one thing: estate planning. Its Will Plan costs $199 for one person or $299 for a couple. It includes a last will, a living will, a power of attorney, and a HIPAA authorization, which lets chosen people talk to your doctors.

The Trust Plan costs $499, or $599 for a couple. It adds a revocable living trust and a pour-over will, which catches anything you forgot to move into the trust. It also comes with an asset schedule, a trust certification, and guidance on funding the trust. That funding help matters, because a trust only works if you actually retitle your assets into it.

Watch the add-ons. Trust & Will's membership pages list a free Basic tier and a $49-a-year Essentials tier with storage uploads and one document shipment. Independent reviews disagree on whether you need the paid tier to keep editing after year one, so check at checkout. Attorney Support costs $299 for one year of 30-minute phone calls, and it isn't offered in every state.

Key Features:

• Will Plan: $199 individual / $299 couple

• Trust Plan: $499 individual / $599 couple

• Optional memberships: free Basic tier; Essentials at $49 a year

• Attorney Support: $299 for one year of scheduled calls

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LegalZoom: Best for Optional Attorney Access

LegalZoom has sold online legal documents since 2001 and covers far more than estate planning. Basic costs $129 and covers the will itself, pet care provisions, online storage, 30 days of revisions, and one printed set. Pro costs $149 and adds a healthcare directive, HIPAA authorization, and financial power of attorney. Couples pay $229, $249, or $399.

Premium costs $299 and is the main reason to pick LegalZoom. It adds unlimited 30-minute calls with an attorney for one year, plus a year of free revisions. That makes it the cheapest way on this list to get a lawyer's eyes on a DIY will. Trust plans cost $399 (Basic) or $549 (Premium).

The catch is the renewal. After the first year, Premium's attorney plan renews at $199 a year, so turn off auto-renew if you don't want it. Basic buyers only get 30 days to make free changes. LegalZoom also runs promo pages with different bundle prices, so the price you see may not match this chart.

Key Features:

• Basic Will: $129 ($229 couple)

• Pro Will: $149 ($249 couple)

• Premium Will: $299 ($399 couple), includes a year of attorney calls

• Trust plans: $399 / $549

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Quicken WillMaker & Trust: Best for a One-Time Price With a Broad Document Set

WillMaker comes from Nolo, a legal self-help publisher that has made DIY legal tools for decades. You pay once for one of three tiers. Starter costs $109 and covers a will, healthcare directive, and final arrangements, and it runs online only.

Plus costs $149 and is the best value here for most people who want more than a will. It adds a durable power of attorney, a living trust, a transfer-on-death deed, letters to survivors, and a desktop download. All Access costs $219 and adds secure storage and a way to share documents with advisors.

Each purchase includes one year of updates. After that, staying current costs $39.99 a year, but you keep your documents if you stop paying. There's no attorney access on any tier. WillMaker also doesn't serve Louisiana residents, because Louisiana's will laws differ so much from other states'.

Key Features:

• Starter: $109 (will, healthcare directive, final arrangements)

• Plus: $149 (adds POA, living trust, transfer-on-death deed)

• All Access: $219 (adds storage and sharing)

• Renewal: $39.99 a year after year one

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FreeWill: Best for a Simple Will at No Cost

FreeWill is a public benefit corporation started in 2017 by Stanford graduates Patrick Schmitt and Jenny Xia Spradling. More than 2,400 nonprofit and business partners pay for the service, so you pay nothing and don't enter a credit card. The tool will invite you to leave a gift to charity, but that step is optional.

You get a will, an advance healthcare directive, and a durable financial power of attorney. FreeWill also tells you whether your state needs witnesses or a notary for your signing. California residents can make a revocable living trust too, which no other free option here offers.

The tradeoff is support. There's no attorney help at any price, and a trust is off the table outside California. If your estate is simple and everything goes to the obvious people, FreeWill covers the basics. If not, a paid plan with attorney access is the safer move.

Key Features:

• Price: free

• Documents: will, advance healthcare directive, durable financial POA

• Living trust: California only

• Funded by 2,400+ nonprofit and business partners

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GoodTrust: Best for an All-in-One Plan With a Digital Vault

GoodTrust launched in 2020, founded by former Google executive Rikard Steiber. Its single Estate+ plan costs $149 for the first year. It covers a revocable living trust, last will, durable financial power of attorney, advance healthcare directive, funeral directive, and pet directive.

Its standout is the Digital Vault, where you can organize online accounts, devices, and documents for the people who'll handle your affairs. GoodTrust also lets up to four family members make their own plans at no extra fee, which makes it a strong pick for a household.

After year one, you pay $39 a year to keep making updates. That's close to WillMaker's renewal, but GoodTrust includes a trust from day one for $149. Some banks and employers offer GoodTrust at a discount, so check your benefits before paying full price.

Key Features:

• Estate+: $149 for year one

• Renewal: $39 a year for updates

• Documents: will, trust, POA, healthcare, funeral, and pet directives

• Digital Vault included

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LegalShield: Best for a Will Prepared by a Lawyer

LegalShield started in 1972 as Pre-Paid Legal Services and works differently from every other pick. You pay a monthly fee, and a provider law firm in your state prepares your will. The Basic plan costs $39.95 a month, or $35.95 a month billed yearly. It includes a will, living will, and power of attorney.

Advanced costs $49.95 a month and adds annual updates to your will. Premium costs $59.95 a month and adds trust preparation for $250 per person. Premium members can also get help with simplified probate after 180 days, where state law allows it.

Do the math before you join. One year of Basic billed yearly costs $431.46, more than any one-time plan on this list. LegalShield makes sense if you'll also use its other legal help, like document review or traffic tickets. If you only want a will, a flat-fee provider costs far less.

Key Features:

• Basic: $39.95/mo (will, living will, POA)

• Advanced: $49.95/mo (adds annual will updates)

• Premium: $59.95/mo (adds trust prep at $250 per person)

• Lower monthly rates if billed yearly

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Rocket Lawyer: Best for Legal Needs Beyond a Will

Rocket Lawyer, founded in 2008, sells a general legal membership rather than an estate plan. Standard costs $149 a year ($12.41 a month), Plus $249, and Pro $349, billed yearly after a 7-day free trial. Monthly billing costs more.

Estate documents are included on every tier, so a will, power of attorney, and healthcare directive come with membership. Standard includes 12 written questions to an attorney each year. Plus and Pro add live consultations.

You can start a will for free, but you need a paid membership to finish and use your documents. The trial also turns into a paid plan unless you cancel in time. Rocket Lawyer is worth it if you'll use it for leases, contracts, or business forms too.

Key Features:

• Standard: $149/yr ($12.41/mo)

• Plus: $249/yr ($20.75/mo)

• Pro: $349/yr ($29.08/mo)

• 7-day free trial

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An online will costs $0 to $299 for a will plan. An individual trust plan runs $149 to $549, or nothing in California through FreeWill. Then add the ongoing cost: update fees of $39 to $49 a year, or a membership billed monthly or yearly.

Couples usually pay about $100 more than one person. Trust & Will and LegalZoom both price their couples will plans $100 above the individual plan.

One-Time Fee vs. Membership

A one-time fee suits you if you rarely expect to change your will. WillMaker and LegalZoom charge upfront, though LegalZoom Premium's attorney plan renews yearly. Trust & Will offers an optional $49 yearly membership, GoodTrust charges $39 a year after year one, and LegalShield and Rocket Lawyer bill as memberships.

Say you want to keep your will up to date for five years. WillMaker Plus costs $149 plus four renewals at $39.99, or about $309. GoodTrust costs about $305 the same way. LegalShield Advanced, its cheapest tier with annual will updates, costs about $2,700 over five years even with yearly billing. That higher price buys a lawyer and other legal help, so it's only a good deal if you'd use them.

Costs That Aren't in the Sticker Price

Read the fine print before you check out. Auto-renewals are the most common surprise: LegalZoom's Premium attorney plan and Rocket Lawyer's free trial both turn into paid plans unless you cancel. Printing and shipping your documents can also cost extra, and some states require a notary for certain documents, which may carry a small fee.

Documents You Actually Need (and Whether You Need a Trust)

Most online will maker plans bundle more than a will. A living will records medical wishes, and a power of attorney names someone to handle finances if you can't.

A revocable living trust works like a container that holds assets for your beneficiaries. Trust & Will pitches its Trust Plan as a way to avoid probate, at $499 versus $199 for its Will Plan. GoodTrust and WillMaker Plus include a trust for $149.

Your State's Signing Rules

Every state recognizes a will signed and witnessed under its own rules, but those rules differ. Almost all states require two witnesses, according to Nolo's legal encyclopedia. Colorado and North Dakota allow notarization instead.

In most other states, a notary is needed only for the optional self-proving affidavit, which spares witnesses from testifying in probate. Cornell LII notes it isn't available in DC, Maryland, Ohio, or Vermont. Louisiana is the big exception, because its standard will form needs a notary and two witnesses.

E-wills are valid only in states with e-will laws, such as Utah and Colorado. A Utah Legislature summary warns some probate courts reject remotely signed wills. WillMaker doesn't serve Louisiana.

Couples and Family Coverage

If you're planning for a household, check who the price covers. Trust & Will and LegalZoom sell couples plans that cost about $100 more than one person. GoodTrust lets up to four family members make their own plans at no extra fee. LegalShield's personal plans also cover your spouse.

Beneficiary Designations Outside Your Will

Your will doesn't control every account. A payable-on-death (POD) designation sends a bank account straight to the named beneficiary, skipping probate, per Cornell LII. If that person dies first, the account passes under your will.

The FDIC insures POD deposits up to $250,000 per owner per beneficiary at each bank, capped at $1.25 million per owner per bank. Beneficiaries must be named in the bank's records. Check that every beneficiary form, including life insurance, matches your will.

Not for most simple estates. A will is valid when you sign and witness it the way your state requires, no matter who drafted it. An online will maker handles the drafting for a fraction of what a lawyer charges.

Complex estates and families are where legal advice earns its cost. The American Bar Association says canned forms can't account for state-law nuances or ensure "assets passing outside of your will or trust are properly handled."

Signs a DIY Will Isn't Enough

Talk to an estate attorney before you buy if any of these fit:

• You have a blended family or children from a past relationship.

• You want to leave money to someone with special needs who gets government benefits.

• Your estate is large enough that taxes are a concern.

• You own a business or property in more than one state.

• You expect a family member to challenge the will.

LegalZoom itself says large estates, special-needs beneficiaries, or blended families may be better served by an attorney. WillMaker warns against leaving assets directly to a person with special needs, because it can affect their benefits.

Getting Legal Help Through Your Will Maker

You may not need to leave your online will maker for that help. LegalZoom Premium includes a year of attorney consultations, and Trust & Will offers a year of attorney support for $299. LegalShield has a provider lawyer prepare your will, and Rocket Lawyer's Standard membership includes 12 written attorney questions a year.

Do online wills stand up in court?

Yes, if you sign and witness it as your state requires, since courts care how a will was signed, not where it was drafted. Store the signed original where your executor can find it, because a draft saved on your laptop isn't the signed will.

Do I need to notarize my online will?

Usually not, since witnesses validate a will in most states, and Colorado and North Dakota let a notary stand in for them. Louisiana is the exception, where the standard will form needs a notary. Elsewhere, a notary step usually covers the optional self-proving affidavit, which can save your witnesses a trip to probate court.

Is a free online will good enough?

For a simple estate, often yes, and FreeWill's no-cost package covers a will, advance healthcare directive, and durable financial POA. A paid plan earns its price when you want a trust outside California, attorney access, or ongoing updates.

Can I update my online will later?

Yes, but the cost depends on the provider. FreeWill updates are free, WillMaker and GoodTrust charge about $40 a year after year one, and LegalZoom Basic includes only 30 days of free revisions. After any change, sign and witness the new version again.

Which online will maker is the most trusted?

Trust is easier to judge by fit than reputation, because the right online will maker depends on your price model and attorney needs. Compare those two factors in the chart above, then read each provider's signing instructions for your state.