Best Online Will Makers

LegalShield offers estate planning options and a simple subscription model. Members receive access to a standard will, living will, and durable power of attorney. A provider lawyer prepares these documents, and members enjoy free annual will reviews and updates. We recommend reviewing your documents every year and making any necessary changes, and we appreciate that these reviews are included for free.

The company responds to member emails within 24 hours. Additionally, members can speak with a provider law firm 24/7 in emergency situations, such as if they’re served with a warrant. While LegalShield may provide online will creation services, this extra support stands out from other companies. It isn’t a service we’ve found with many other will makers.

Available Services and Prices

A LegalShield membership includes multiple estate planning services:

• Standard will prepared by a provider lawyer, as well as annual reviews and updates
• Living will prepared by a provider lawyer for you, your spouse, and eligible dependents, as well as annual reviews and updates
• Durable power of attorney document drafted by your provider firm for you, your spouse, and eligible covered dependents, as well as annual reviews and updates

LegalShield memberships include many other services:

• Protection for you, your spouse or partner, and dependent children
• Support for family law issues, IRS audits, traffic tickets, and residential loans
• 24/7 access to an emergency legal help hotline
• Discounts for additional time with provider lawyers
• Discounts of up to 50 percent at Verizon, Costco, and Amazon

We think LegalShield is ideal for anyone who’s looking for an affordable service but who also wants to access extra support when needed. They offer several plan options for individuals and families. Each plan varies in coverage and the legal services offered.

The plans can be paid for monthly or annually:

• Basic: $29.95 a month or $323.46 annually
• Advanced: $39.95 a month or $431.46 annually
• Premium: $59.95 a month or $647.46 annually

We appreciate that LegalShield offers different payment types and plan levels to suit various budgets. LegalShield’s comprehensive services make their plans an excellent choice for individuals, spouses, and families.

Plus, the ability to prepare a standard will, a living will, and a durable power of attorney can ensure that you’re legally prepared and maximize the value of this plan. We also like that legal representation during tax audits is included in the Premium level plan, LegalShield’s most comprehensive plan offering.

LegalShield stands out because of their customer service. Customers have access to the company’s 24/7 emergency legal help hotline for assistance in child custody emergencies, vehicle accidents resulting in injury, and if they’re detained by authorities or served with a warrant.

This extra support is a valuable feature, and even if you never use the hotline, knowing that it’s available offers reassurance. Plus, LegalShield is highly responsive to customer needs. LegalShield promises to respond to emails within 24 hours, and you can also contact the company by phone or by using the live chat function. This can be particularly reassuring if you’re navigating will and estate planning for the first time, and it’s great for customers who would like some extra support.

While LegalShield offers comprehensive will planning services, it doesn’t specialize in trust writing. If you’re exploring the idea of creating a trust, we’d recommend a company like LegalZoom.

Feedback and Reviews

LegalShield has an overall positive rating. Many reviewers describe being connected with lawyers who were professional and who promptly answered their questions. Customers who used LegalShield for estate planning describe the process as being highly automated, and many reviewers state that they believe that working with LegalShield helped them save money compared to the cost of hiring a lawyer.

There are few trends described in the negative reviews, and most negative feedback seems to be describing unique issues. One negative reviewer expressed frustration at getting an updated copy of her will. Another was having trouble canceling her account.

» Dive Deeper: LegalShield Review

Our Experience

We found the LegalShield website to be clear and well-organized. The subscription plans are simple. And, since there are just two plans, you won’t be overwhelmed by choices. LegalShield uses graphics to help you understand what’s included, and the explanations are clear. We felt like we were familiar with the services after just a few minutes on the website.

LegalShield legal plans overview

While LegalShield offers a Guided Will Questionnaire, it’s only available to members through the app. You’ll want to consider whether you’re comfortable using an app when planning your will. Unfortunately, there’s no way to preview the questionnaire before signing up.

LegalShield will planner mobile app. Photo Credit: LegalShield

Overall, LegalShield’s website is very helpful. If you still have questions, the company prominently displays its chat, email, and phone contact information at the bottom of the site.

Duckpins is an online estate-planning document company available to seniors in Washington state. This makes them less accessible than LegalShield, Nolo Quicken WillMaker, and LegalZoom, which offer services throughout the entire country. However, Duckpins plans to expand their services to more states soon.

No matter where you live, simple documents like wills must follow the laws and regulations of your state of residence. Despite being accessible only online, Duckpins provides comprehensive and personalized estate planning document generation for Washington state residents.

Available Services and Prices

Unlike LegalZoom, Duckpins doesn’t offer differing packages for wills and trusts. If you’re not sure which you need, Duckpins will supply you with a list of questions to help you figure out which document type is best for you. No matter which one you choose, your cost will be the same.

Duckpins makes it easy to decide if you need a will or trust.

Duckpins provides clients with the option of purchasing a Saver Bundle of Documents for $449. During our research, we noted that the Saver Bundle was being offered at a discount for $349. The Saver Bundle includes the following:

• Will or Trust
• General Durable Power of Attorney
• Advance Health Care Directive
• Release Authorization for Medical Records

Feedback and Reviews

Duckpins is a new company that has not yet accrued a body of either positive or negative reviews. They are not accredited with the Better Business Bureau.

Our Experience

Duckpins is a “soup to nuts” service which enables seniors to create, file, and ratify important documents from home. We especially like the online meetings that are provided with a notary and witness. This removes much of the stress and hassle from document generation.

Meeting with a notary and witness to finalize our documents with Duckpins

We also like the prompting questions that are built into the document generation process. These help clarify the types of documents needed, as well as important details you might not think about documenting, such as the posthumous allocation of sentimental heirlooms, arrangements for pet care, and funeral and burial arrangements.

Overall, Duckpins provides a very comprehensive service at a comparable price point, or in some instances, lower than their competitors. Duckpins is slightly less expensive than comparable services from LegalShield, and falls right in the middle of LegalZoom’s package prices.

One thing to note is that Duckpins is not accessible via phone before you become a client. This makes them less accessible than the other will makers on our list.

LegalZoom offers basic and premium will and trust plan packages for individuals and couples, making this service a viable option for multiple budgets and needs. If you have straightforward planning needs and want to save money, we recommend one of the Basic plans, which don’t include attorney support.

If you need more guidance or are working with a more complicated situation, the Premium plans cost just $150 more and include a year of attorney support. We think the extra cost is worth the peace of mind that attorney support offers. You can learn more from our full LegalZoom review.

Available Services and Prices

LegalZoom offers multiple estate plan packages:

• Pro Will Individual: This plan includes one last will and testament, one health care directive, one financial power of attorney, one HIPAA authorization, 30 days of free revisions, and printing and shipping of one set of documents. It costs $149.
• Pro Will Couple: This plan provides two of everything that the Basic Will Individual plan contains. It costs $249.
• Premium Will (for individuals and couples): This plan includes everything the Basic plan contains, plus attorney review of your documents, unlimited 30-minute calls with an attorney for one year, attorney advice for your family, and one year of free revisions. It costs $299 for individuals and $399 for couples.

Want to create estate planning documents for you and your spouse? Plans for couples cost just $100 more than the prices listed above. Not bad!

We’ve found that the estate plan packages include comprehensive services. The Basic plans only include 30 days of document revision, whereas the Premium plans include a year of document revisions.

Since the Premium plans are just $150 more than the Basic plans and include more document revisions and attorney support, we think they’re well worth the extra cost. In contrast, the Basic plans can help you save some money if your planning needs are straightforward and if you can navigate the process yourself.

We do wish LegalZoom offered monthly payment options like LegalShield does for those on a tight budget. Still, the company’s variety of services may be worth the up-front cost.

Feedback and Reviews

LegalZoom has overall positive reviews. Many reviewers described positive interactions with attorneys. Reviewers frequently stated that the attorneys were highly informative and answered their questions.

The negative reviews we found don’t focus specifically on will preparation. Many reviewers were frustrated by the fact that LegalZoom’s plans were automatically renewed. Several reviews described situations where they were billed twice or seemed to have been mistakenly billed for multiple services. This is important to note, so keep an eye on your billing statements. If you don’t want to renew your service, set a reminder on your phone or calendar to cancel service.

Our Experience

With three plans to choose from, we’ve found that LegalZoom is a slightly more complicated option than other companies, like LegalShield. However, LegalZoom’s website does a good job of laying out the components of each plan in a chart. The chart makes it relatively easy to see what’s included and decide which plan is best for you.

We were also impressed by the educational content included on the site. LegalZoom has an excellent FAQ section outlining questions around different types of documents and how to create wills and trusts. This information helps make the website more user-friendly, which is ideal for anyone who is new to the will-making process.

Reading through LegalZoom's FAQs. Photo credit: LegalZoom

Nolo Quicken WillMaker is an online will-making service with more comprehensive options than the other services we’ve reviewed. It offers three plans. The Starter Plan limits you to will, health care directive, and final arrangement documents. However, upgrading to the Plus plan includes a fantastic selection of documents:

• Wills
• Health care directives
• Final arrangements
• Durable power of attorney
• Letters to survivors
• Living trust
• Transfer on death deed
• Limited power of attorney
• Promissory note
• Temporary guardianship authorization

These same documents are also included in the All Access plan, which features secure digital storage.

These document options go far beyond what we’ve seen from other services. In addition to planning your will, you can select other documents to help with estate and trust planning. Being able to complete them all in one place is not only convenient, but can save you money over the cost of subscribing to multiple services or hiring a lawyer. While other services feature options for attorney support, Nolo Quicken WillMaker doesn’t have that option. We were disappointed to see this, as the extra support is a feature we love.

Available Services and Prices

Nolo Quicken WillMaker offers three plans:

• The Starter Plan: Includes wills, health care directives, and final arrangements. It costs $109 per year.
• The Plus Plan: Includes wills, health care directives, final arrangements, durable power of attorney, letters to survivors, living trust, transfer on death deed, and more. It costs $149 per year.
• The All Access Plan: Includes everything in the Plus Plan, as well as a digital storage vault to help keep your documents organized and accessible. It costs $219 per year.

Of these plans, the Plus Plan offers the greatest value. It includes access to all of the document types, including options like limited power of attorney and temporary guardianship authorization. At $149 per year, it’s only slightly more expensive than the Starter Plan, but it gives you much more access.

Unless you’re working with a very nuanced situation, the Plus Plan will likely give you all of the documents you need. Upgrading to the All Access Plan gives you secure digital storage, but doesn’t offer any other value. Chances are, the Plus Plan will work best for most while giving you the most bang for your buck.

Nolo Quicken WillMaker promotes a “deep discounted membership extension” available after one year, but doesn’t specify what that discount is. That membership extension is optional, and the company advertises a no-hassle refund policy.

» Related Reading: Senior discounts and savings

Feedback and Reviews

Nolo Quicken WillMaker has excellent reviews on Trustpilot. Many positive reviewers describe the software as being thorough and easy to use, and several reviewers state that they promptly received customer service when needed.

The negative reviews are minimal, and often comment on the limited customization options. For example, one notes that there’s no option to include a future heir, such as a future grandchild, in a will without updating the document. If you have more complex needs or just want the option to customize your documents, we’d recommend considering other companies like LegalShield.

Our Experience

The Nolo Quicken WillMaker website is well-organized and makes it easy to find important information. It uses graphics and brief descriptions to help you explore and understand the different documents available. Reviewing the information about the documents makes it easy to determine which ones you need, and it highlights the value that each service offers.

Nolo Quicken Willmaker's documents are clearly outlined and explained. Photo credit: Nolo Quicken Willmaker

The website also features a handy tool that helps you identify which plan is best for you, based on life services. It uses factors like whether or not you’re married or whether you have young children to guide you to the best plan for your needs.

If your circumstances are more involved, it prompts you to choose a higher plan. We used the tool to view recommended plans and loved how simple it made the decision-making process. The tool lists each plan side by side, highlighting everything that’s offered for each so you can easily compare them.

Using WillMaker's tool to find the right plan. Photo credit: Nolo Quicken WillMaker

Fabric by Gerber Life is an online will maker that’s available for free. You don’t have to worry about choosing a plan or paying for add-ons. If you only need a will and no other documents, you can create it with this platform without paying a dime. Free is our favorite price!

The simplicity of this free will maker can be a benefit in itself. If you’ve been putting off making your will because of how overwhelming the process is, this will maker features a minimalist design that’s less likely to overwhelm you. According to Gerber Life, you can complete the will in about five minutes.

However, since this will template only includes space to list one beneficiary, it’s not an ideal option for those with multiple beneficiaries. A service like LegalZoom or Nolo Quicken WillMaker might be a better, more adaptable fit.

» You Might Like: 13 Things That Are Free for Seniors

Available Services and Prices

Fabric by Gerber Life offers a free online will maker. There’s no subscription required, and there are no add-ons or hidden fees. Once you create your will, you’ll receive instructions on how to make it legally binding by printing the document and having two witnesses at its signing.

The service is free, but it also has limitations. There are no options for documents like health care directives and final arrangements. Since there’s no lawyer support available, if you have questions, you’ll need to consult with an attorney on your own. We do wish this service had more features and documents to meet all of your estate planning needs in one place.

However, the ability to create a will completely for free can be a great value — if it’s right for you. If you have your affairs well-organized and are confident you can complete a will on your own, this service is a valuable choice in our book.

Feedback and Reviews

Fabric by Gerber Life has an excellent rating on Trustpilot. Many reviewers praise the service for its simplicity. Several explain that creating a will was faster and easier than they’d anticipated. There are a few negative reviews, and they often highlight the fact that there’s only space to add one beneficiary on the will, so this may not be a good solution for those with multiple beneficiaries.

Our Experience

Much like WillMaker, the Fabric by Gerber Life website is simple and user-friendly. It clearly outlines the benefits of creating a will, as well as what you can expect when using the service. First, we used the Fabric online tool to determine if we needed to create a will.

Fabric by Gerber Life offers a tool to help you make sure a will is right for you. Source: Fabric by Gerber Life

Once we were ready to get started, we could proceed to the will builder without creating an account. (If you choose, you can create an account to save your responses and complete the will later.) We found that the actual will-builder tool was simple and straightforward, and there were helpful tips to guide us through the process.

Getting started with Fabric by Gerber Life. Source: Fabric by Gerber Life

While this will maker is free, we found that it’s not for everyone. If you have a complicated estate, need attorney support, or want multiple beneficiaries, you may want to choose a more detailed service that offers support, like LegalZoom.

Rocket Lawyer offers a simple way to complete many legal documents, such as a will, a living will, and medical power of attorney. The service offers a seven-day free trial, so you can get a sense of the platform and explore different documents. To download a document, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid subscription.

Rocket Lawyer made our list for its affordable subscription options. The Rocket Legal subscription is $39.99 per month, while the Rocket Legal+ plan is just $19.99 per month, billed annually.

While Rocket Lawyer is an affordable option, it doesn’t have the built-in attorney support that you’ll find with other platforms like LegalZoom. You can hire an attorney, but you’ll pay extra for that option with either plan. As a result, Rocket Lawyer is a good choice for someone with relatively straightforward estate planning needs who likely won’t need attorney help.

Available Services and Prices

Rocket Lawyer offers two packages:

• Rocket Legal: Costs $39.99 per month when billed monthly and features a seven-day free trial. It includes access to Rocket Lawyer documents, and you’ll pay $149.99 per 15 minutes to hire a lawyer.
• Rocket Legal+: Costs $19.99 per month, billed annually at $239.88. There’s also a seven-day free trial available. Rocket Legal+ includes the same services and documents that Rocket Legal offers. However, hiring a lawyer costs just $74.99 for 15 minutes with this plan. Other services, like tax strategy sessions, are also discounted compared to the Rocket Legal plan.

The Rocket Legal Plus plan offers the greatest value, including significant savings if you need to hire a lawyer through the service. However, Rocket Legal Plus is billed annually, so you’ll need to be sure that you want to commit to the service long-term.

The seven-day free trial can help you get a sense of whether the platform is right for you and whether you want to commit to an annual plan. We’re big fans of the free trial, as this isn’t common for will makers.

Feedback and Reviews

Rocket Lawyer has excellent reviews on Trustpilot. Many reviews describe the documents as being easy to complete, and the process of using Rocket Lawyer as being low-stress. Several reviewers noted that explanations help guide you through writing a will, and that there are no pop-ups to deal with.

Some negative reviews called Rocket Lawyer a scam, explaining that during the seven-day free trial, you can’t download documents without providing your credit card information. Some reviewers felt it was excessively difficult to cancel their subscription.

» Learn More: Credit Cards For Seniors

Our Experience

The Rocket Lawyer website is a bit more complex than others. It took us a few minutes to figure out why the two plans were priced differently, though there is a helpful chart that outlines some of the key pricing differences.

Comparing Rocket Lawyer's different plans. Photo credit: Rocket Lawyer

While a Rocket Lawyer membership gives you access to many documents, they aren’t very well-organized, so it can be difficult to see the value of a membership. We had to hunt around on the website to find different will documents, but once we opened a document page, related document suggestions were displayed on the side. Those suggestions made it easier to find additional documents that could be helpful.

Exploring Rocket Lawyer's suggested documents. Photo credit: Rocket Lawyer

We started a free trial and used Rocket Lawyer to create a will. The process was simple and efficient, though we didn’t realize that you couldn’t download the documents on the free trial. We should’ve read the fine print! As long as you know this, the free trial is worth it to determine if Rocket Lawyer is the right fit for you.