Most people who search for an online will maker want the same thing: a signed, valid will without paying a lawyer $1,000. The catch is that the price on the box is rarely the whole price, and the cheapest option is not always the one that leaves your family in good shape. Prices run from $0 to a few hundred dollars, and what you get for that money changes a lot.
I wrote this for the store owners who read Ecommerce Paradise, where most of my time goes to helping people build stores. As my guide on what high-ticket dropshipping is explains, the model can produce real profit. Once a store starts producing real profit, you have something worth protecting, and a will is the cheapest piece of that protection. Everything below is as of October 7, 2026, pulled from the companies’ own pages and recent independent reviews. I have not bought a will from any of these companies for this article, so treat it as research and confirm every price on the signup page.
Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you sign up through my LegalZoom, Trust & Will or LegalNature link, at no extra cost to you. It does not change the numbers below, and I will point out where a competitor wins.
This is general information, not personalized legal advice, and I am not a lawyer or a licensed advisor. Will rules differ from state to state, so a document that works in one state may need changes in another, and a local estate attorney should look at anything complicated.
| Will maker | Best for | Starting price I found | Attorney help | Biggest catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | Clear tiers and a $129 entry price | $129 Basic Will, $229 for a couple | 30-minute consults on Pro and Premium, $25 a month renewal after the first 30 days on Pro | Revisions cost extra once the 30-day window ends on Basic |
| Trust & Will | Guided questionnaire and an upgrade path to a trust | $199 Will Plan, with an individual or couple option at checkout | +$299 add-on | $49 a year membership, and sources disagree on starting price |
| LegalNature | People who need several legal documents, not just a will | $119 a year or $39 a month for LegalNature+ | None mentioned | No standalone will price found on its will page |
| Quicken WillMaker & Trust (Nolo) | Do-it-yourself buyers who want software | $109 Starter, $149 Plus, $219 All Access | None | No Louisiana support, one year of free revisions |
| Rocket Lawyer | Ongoing legal help and e-signatures | $149 a year on its pricing page, 7-day trial | Ask an Attorney queries on every tier | Reviewers flag auto-renewal complaints |
| FreeWill | A simple will at no cost | $0 | None | Not a law firm, not for complex estates |
Get a Valid Will on Paper Without a $1,000 Lawyer Bill
LegalZoom lists a Basic Will at $129, a Pro Will at $149 with a healthcare directive and powers of attorney, and a Premium Will at $299 with a year of attorney consultations.
How I Evaluated These Will Makers
I did not write a will at each company, so there are no test scores here. The method was reading each company’s pricing and will pages directly, then checking them against the National Council on Aging’s 2026 review of online will makers, which says its team spent more than 200 hours on the research and tested with first-time will writers and an estate planning attorney.
I looked at five things. First, the price of the will itself, including couple pricing. Second, what else is in the box, such as a healthcare directive and a power of attorney. Third, what you pay after checkout for changes or attorney access. Fourth, whether a human lawyer is available if your situation is messy. Fifth, how clearly the company explains signing, since that is where most home-made wills go wrong.
Where two sources disagree, I say so instead of picking one. Prices change, and a few of the sources I read are dated differently from the company pages, so the company’s checkout page always wins.
What an Online Will Maker Does and Does Not Do
An online will maker is a questionnaire that turns your answers into a will built for your state’s format. It asks who you want to inherit, who should be the executor, and who should care for minor children if both parents die. The software does not witness your signature, file the will with a court, or tell you whether your plan is wise.
That last part matters. If you die without a valid will, a probate court applies your state’s intestacy law, which FindLaw explains as each state using its own rules to decide who your heirs are. A will lets you decide instead of the statute, which is the entire point of paying anything at all.
It also helps to know what the cheap tools leave out. A will does not skip probate, Trust & Will says its Will Plan lacks the probate avoidance a trust provides, and a will does not manage your affairs while you are alive. Beneficiary designations on retirement and insurance accounts are a separate step you should review on their own. For that you need a power of attorney and a healthcare directive, which several of the tools below bundle in and some do not.
Because laws differ by state, none of these companies can promise that a will is valid everywhere. Several say they cover all 50 states, but validity depends on you signing it the way your state requires, and Louisiana is the usual exception: WillMaker does not support it at all, and Trust & Will says Louisiana residents must have a will notarized.
The Best Online Will Makers for 2026, Ranked
1. LegalZoom: Best Overall for Clear Pricing
The National Council on Aging ranks LegalZoom first overall, and its own will page makes the pricing easy to follow. A Basic Will is $129 and includes the will, pet care provisions, secure online storage, 30 days of unlimited revisions and one printed set shipped to you. The Pro Will is $149 and adds a healthcare directive, medical and financial powers of attorney, a HIPAA authorization and 30-minute attorney consultations for 30 days.
The Premium Will is $299 and stretches revisions to one year, includes unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations for a year and adds an annual one-hour estate planning review. The Pro attorney consultations renew at $25 a month after the first month (NCOA lists $20 a month, so confirm), and the Premium ones renew at $199 a year, so cancel or decide before the renewal date. Couple versions run $229, $249 and $399.
Who it fits: anyone who wants the most documents for the lowest entry price. The weak spot is that Basic does not include the healthcare directive or powers of attorney, so most people end up at Pro. If you want to see the pricing for yourself, start with LegalZoom’s will packages and compare the three tiers before you click buy.
2. Trust & Will: Best for a Guided Process and a Trust Upgrade Path
Trust & Will’s pricing page lists a Will Plan starting at $199, with an individual or couple selector (I could not confirm the couple price from the page text, so check it at checkout). The Will Plan includes a last will and testament, HIPAA authorization, a living will and a power of attorney. The company also lists a $49 a year EstateOS membership, and attorney support as a +$299 add-on.
Sources conflict on the starting price. NCOA’s October 2, 2026 review lists Trust & Will at $150 to start and lists unlimited updates at $19 a year, while the company’s own pages show $199 and $49. NCOA also says the company’s attorney help costs $299 for a year of 30-minute consultation calls, which matches the add-on. I could not tell from the pages whether the membership starts at purchase or in year two. Confirm both at checkout.
The reason to pick it is the process. NCOA calls it the easiest to use, and the company says some people finish in as little as 30 minutes. If you later decide you want a trust, the same account offers a $499 Trust Plan that adds a revocable living trust. Read the plan list on Trust & Will’s site before you decide. My Trust & Will pricing breakdown goes deeper if the membership terms worry you.
3. LegalNature: Best if You Need More Than a Will
LegalNature works differently. Its pricing page lists LegalNature+ at $119 a year (about $9.92 a month when paid annually) or $39 a month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and the subscription gives access to the whole document library. The last will and testament page says LegalNature’s team can guide will formation across all 50 states and describes a short process of answering questions, previewing and downloading the document, then reviewing and signing it. NCOA mentions a seven-day free trial, while the pricing page I read shows none, so confirm before you enter a card.
The page I read did not show a standalone price for the will, and it mentions no attorney review. NCOA’s October 2026 review lists LegalNature at $39 a month and calls it the most efficient option. That makes it a good fit if you also need an operating agreement, an NDA or a lease, because one subscription covers all of them. My LegalNature pricing breakdown covers the other fees.
If all you need is one will and you are done, a $119 subscription is hard to justify against a $129 LegalZoom will. If you run a store and keep needing paperwork, LegalNature’s document library may be the cheaper path across a year.
4. Quicken WillMaker & Trust (Nolo): Best for DIY Software Buyers
WillMaker sells three plans, each with a year of access and free revisions. Starter is $109 and covers wills, healthcare directives and final arrangements. Plus is $149 and All Access is $219, and both add living trusts, durable powers of attorney, transfer on death deeds and extra documents.
Two things stand out on its pricing page. You can create documents for up to five family members on one plan, and you keep lifetime access to the documents you made regardless of membership. The limits are real, though: no Louisiana support, no permanent non-US residents, and extending free revisions costs $39.99 a year. There is no attorney review included.
5. Rocket Lawyer: Best for Ongoing Legal Help
Rocket Lawyer’s pricing page lists three annual tiers: Standard at $149, Plus at $249 and Pro at $349, each with a 7-day free trial. All include unlimited documents and e-signatures, and the tiers differ mainly in how many attorney questions and live consultations you get.
NCOA’s August 2026 review says the platform is free to start, but exporting finished documents requires a paid membership, and it lists a free will template, unlimited updates during membership and availability in all 50 states as pros. It also lists billing and auto-renewal complaints among the cons. NCOA’s review puts the membership at about $12 to $30 a month and attorney access at $20 a month, which does not match the annual tiers on the pricing page I read, so check the live trial terms and renewal date before you enter a card.
6. FreeWill: Best if Your Budget Is Zero
FreeWill is free. Its homepage says “100% free, no credit card required,” that it is supported by nonprofit partners, and that it offers a will, an advance healthcare directive, a durable financial power of attorney and beneficiary designations. A revocable living trust is offered in California only.
It is a good fit for a simple situation. The company itself says online estate planning is not suitable for everyone and that it is not a law firm, so complicated estates, blended families or business ownership should go to a lawyer.
7. A Local Estate Attorney: Best When Things Are Complicated
Not software, but it belongs on the list. Ramsey Solutions puts attorney-drafted wills at $300 to $3,000 or more, depending on location and complexity, with a flat-fee simple will averaging about $300. Those are sourced benchmarks, not quotes, so call two firms and ask.
An attorney makes sense for blended families, a business partner who is not your spouse, property in more than one state, a family member with special needs, or an estate large enough that taxes matter.
Worried a Basic Will Is Not Enough? Start With a Plan That Can Grow
Trust & Will’s Will Plan is $199 and includes a will, healthcare documents and a power of attorney, with a $499 Trust Plan and an attorney add-on if your situation turns out to be bigger than you thought.
What a Will Really Costs: My Own Arithmetic
The figures below are my arithmetic from the published prices above, not quotes, and they assume you do nothing exotic. Treat them as a way to compare, then confirm at checkout.
For one person who wants a will, a healthcare directive and a power of attorney, LegalZoom’s Pro Will is $149. WillMaker’s Starter is $109 but covers only a will, healthcare directive and final arrangements, so the power of attorney requires Plus at $149. Trust & Will’s Will Plan is $199. FreeWill is $0.
For a couple, LegalZoom’s Pro Will is $249 for both, and Trust & Will has a couple option whose price I could not confirm. WillMaker says one plan can create documents for up to five family members, so a couple could in principle share a $109 or $149 plan, but confirm the licensing before you rely on that.
Over three years the gap changes. A Trust & Will Will Plan at $199 plus a $49 membership for two more years comes to $297 if that membership applies from year two, which I could not confirm. LegalNature+ at $119 a year for three years is $357 if you keep subscribing. WillMaker at $109 with extended revisions at $39.99 for two more years is about $189. LegalZoom’s Basic at $129 has no ongoing fee, though its Basic page only promises 30 days of free revisions, so ask what a change costs after that. NCOA says competitors charge $20 to $49 a year for unlimited updates.
Against an attorney at $300 to $3,000, even the most expensive software path is cheaper. What you give up is judgment on messy facts, which is the right thing to spend money on only if your situation is messy.
Signing Your Will: Witnesses, Notaries and State Rules
This is where good documents fail. The usual rule, according to Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, is that a will is written, signed by the person making it and witnessed by two people. Cornell adds that in the majority of states it should also be notarized.
Trust & Will says something different: legally a will does not have to be notarized (Louisiana is the exception), but a self-proving will, which makes it easier to administer after death, does require notarization. Those two statements are not necessarily in conflict, but they are not identical, so look up your own state’s rule or ask a local attorney. LegalNature’s will page says some states may require the will to be signed and witnessed by at least two individuals in the testator’s presence.
The practical advice is boring and effective. Print the final version, sign it in front of the witnesses your state requires, use a notary if your state or the self-proving option calls for one, and keep the original somewhere your executor can find it. A beautiful PDF that nobody witnessed is worth very little.
Electronic signing is a moving target. The Uniform Law Commission has published an Electronic Wills Act for states to adopt, so whether a purely digital will counts depends on your state. The vendors above generally describe a print and sign process, and LegalZoom ships a printed set.
Will or Trust: When a Will Maker Is Not Enough
A will tells a probate court what you want. It still goes through probate, which is the court process of validating the will and distributing assets. A revocable living trust is the usual way people try to avoid that, and the same companies sell one: Trust & Will’s Trust Plan is $499, and LegalZoom’s trust page lists a Basic Trust from $399 and a Premium Trust from $549.
Federal estate tax is not the reason most people need a trust. The IRS lists the basic exclusion amount for people dying in 2026 at $15,000,000, so the federal tax applies only to very large estates, though some states have their own estate or inheritance taxes. The IRS estate and gift tax page has the current figure.
The decision is usually about simplicity. If your assets are a bank account, a car and a rented apartment, a will and a power of attorney do the job. If you own real estate, a business, or property in several states, talk to a lawyer about whether a trust earns its cost. My longer list of estate planning tools for online business owners goes into the trust side.
What a Will Does Not Do for Your Store
If you run an ecommerce business, your estate is not only a house and a savings account. It may include an LLC, a Shopify store, an ad account, supplier logins and payment processor accounts. A will can say who inherits your ownership interest, but it cannot hand anyone the passwords, and an LLC’s operating agreement may limit what happens to your share when you die.
Two habits cost almost nothing. First, keep a written list of the accounts and systems that run the business, stored somewhere secure and known to a person you trust. Second, check how your company was set up, since business formation for dropshippers shapes what a will needs to say about your ownership.
The supplier side matters too. If you built your business on relationships with manufacturers, the supplier guide explains why dealer terms and contacts are valuable, and that is exactly the knowledge a spouse or executor cannot guess. Write down who the key contacts are and what each one handles.
I would be careful with one thing. I do not know your state, your entity type or your family situation, so I cannot tell you whether a will alone protects the business. A lawyer can answer that in an hour, and for a store with real revenue that hour is worth paying for.
Who Should Pick Which
If you want the lowest sticker price and a clean set of documents for one person, start with LegalZoom’s Pro Will or WillMaker’s Plus plan. If you care more about the experience than the last $50, Trust & Will’s guided flow is the one reviewers call easiest, and it gives you a trust upgrade later.
If you also need business paperwork, LegalNature’s subscription is built for that. If you want a lawyer a click away across many topics, not only wills, Rocket Lawyer is the most lawyer-centered of the group. If you have a simple estate and no budget, FreeWill is a reasonable place to begin.
If you have a blended family, a partner who is not your spouse, a child with special needs, or assets in several states, skip the software and call an attorney. If you are still choosing what to sell, my high-ticket niches list is a better use of an afternoon than agonizing over a $20 price gap.
My Verdict on the Best Online Will Makers for 2026
For most people with a simple estate, LegalZoom is the pick from this research. It has the clearest tiers, the Pro Will bundles the powers of attorney and healthcare directive at $149, and NCOA ranks it first overall. Trust & Will is the better choice if you want hand-holding and a possible upgrade to a trust.
Look at Trust & Will second, as long as you confirm the membership fee before you pay. LegalNature wins for people who keep needing legal documents, WillMaker wins for DIY buyers who want to own software, and FreeWill wins on cost.
Whichever you pick, read the signing instructions twice and follow them exactly. A $129 will signed correctly beats a $2,000 will that was never witnessed.
Ready to Cover Your Will and Your Business Paperwork in One Place?
LegalNature+ is listed at $119 a year or $39 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and its will page walks you through answering questions, then previewing and signing the document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an online will legally valid?
It can be, if it is signed and witnessed the way your state requires. The software does not make the will valid, the signing does, and I cover the details in my guide on whether an online will is legally valid.
What is the cheapest way to make a will online?
FreeWill is $0 and WillMaker’s Starter plan is $109. LegalZoom’s Basic Will is $129 and its Pro Will is $149 with the healthcare directive and powers of attorney included.
Do I need a notary for my will?
It depends on your state. Cornell’s Legal Information Institute says most states call for notarization, while Trust & Will says it is not legally required but is needed for a self-proving will, so check your state’s rules.
Can I use an online will maker if I own a business?
For a simple structure, many people do. If you have partners, several entities or real revenue at stake, a lawyer should review how your ownership interest passes, and Trust & Will offers an attorney add-on for $299.
Will an online will work if I move to another state?
Cornell notes a will must comply with the law where it was signed or where you lived at signing or death, so a will signed correctly in one state often holds up in another. Review it after a move, and ask a local attorney if you are unsure.
Build a Store Worth Leaving to Your Family
My team builds the high-ticket store and lines up suppliers, so you spend your time on the business that produces the profit. Prefer to learn it yourself? Ask about 1-on-1 coaching or start with the free mini course.
If you want to talk through the business side, 1-on-1 coaching is where we look at your store, though I will not give legal advice. For free learning, my mini course is the place to start.
Related Articles
If you found this useful, these guides go deeper on related topics:
- Is an Online Will Legally Valid? What Actually Makes It Hold Up
- 9 Best Estate Planning Tools for Online Business Owners in 2026
- 9 Best Trust & Will Alternatives in 2026: Which Estate Planning Platform Fits Your Situation
- LLC vs Trust: Asset Protection for Online Business Owners
- Best Legal Services for Ecommerce Entrepreneurs on a Budget (2026 Guide)
Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.
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