Last updated July 11, 2025
Most Americans don’t have even simple wills. That’s no surprise: Not only do you have to ponder your mortality and legacy (and what happens to all your stuff), you often also must shell out several hundred dollars for an estate-planning pro to draw up your will, advance healthcare directive, and other documents.
Even if you think your estate isn’t worth the fuss, don’t delay this work. It’s a necessary task everyone should complete to have their wishes documented and their loved ones covered and cared for. And if your finances are straightforward, you may be able to use one of the free or low-cost planning solutions below.
Keep in mind that if you have children, you'll need to state your wishes for their guardianship—and secure permission from whomever you designate. Ditto for pets. And if you own a business or real estate (especially if you own rental properties) or worry that there might be a dispute over who gets your belongings after you die, read Checkbook’s full estate-planning advice—and consider professional help.
But no matter how you complete this work, it’s better to have some form of plan in place than no plan at all.
FreeWill
This aptly named site offers a free tool that asks for various pieces of info before generating a last will and testament or revocable living trust, living will (advance healthcare directive), durable financial power of attorney, and beneficiary plan.
Since FreeWill partners with nonprofits interested in receiving bequests, the site has a heavy focus on charitable giving—it’s the site’s fourth tab as you work your way through filling out a last will and testament.
Overall, using the site is straightforward, meaning you can easily draw up your documents in a single afternoon. It also has some nifty features. For example, when you click the button indicating you’re married, a dialogue box pops up giving you the option to create a “mirror will” for your partner, should you have similar wishes. That’s smart: As Checkbook notes in our estate-planning advice, it’s better for married couples to prepare separate wills.
The downside to the site is that, unlike the two other services we explored, FreeWill doesn’t offer a way to check with an attorney if you’re unsure about something.
Rocket Lawyer
This website provides access to templates and advice to help users create various legal documents including ones for business contracts, LLC formations, non-disclosure agreements, lease agreements, and sales contracts—plus wills and living wills, power of attorney, power of attorney for a child, and trusts. It also offers access to its network of lawyers who answer legal questions via email or phone.
Rocket Lawyer uses a subscription model. For $39.99 per month, you can access its document-creation tools and ask its lawyers questions online. For $239.88 for the year, you can also consult legal experts over the phone and have them review your documents, plus save up to 50 percent on other pro services like tax prep and business registration.
You don’t have to subscribe to prepare documents and ask questions, but the service’s costs for non-members rack up fast: $39.99 per document; $39.99 for each question; $149.99 for a 30-minute consultation.
Rocket Lawyer offers a seven-day free trial, during which you can create unlimited documents and ask an attorney one question. If you decide not to continue with a paid membership after the trial, or if you cancel your membership down the road, your documents will remain available online.
Under “Family and Personal” and “Estate planning,” there are more than a dozen templates ranging from a simple will to a will for a remarried couple with adult children to a social media will (don’t forget about your digital assets, especially if you’re a public figure and/or you have a considerable, revenue-generating following online).
Rocket Lawyer also has multiple legal guides, including one titled “Estate Planning 2.0: What Can You Do Online?” with a helpful checklist of recommended documents. Rocket Lawyer also makes it clear that if you have a large or complicated estate or if you think someone may challenge your will, you’re best off hiring a lawyer to help.
Once you decide which documents you need, it’s easy to build them by answering a series of questions online. We also liked having an inexpensive way to ask attorneys quick questions since the templates use much more legal jargon than FreeWill. After submitting a question about assigning co-executors through the “Ask a Lawyer” chat box, I received an answer less than four hours later from a lawyer practicing in my state.
LegalZoom
Like its Rocket Lawyer rival, LegalZoom offers a variety of legal documents, including templates for estate-planning tasks.
LegalZoom offers templates à la carte or in bundles. If you need multiple documents—and you probably will—a bundle is a better bargain. It charges $99 for its “Basic Will” ($199 for a couple), or $249 for its “Premium Will” ($349 for a couple). There are also options for living trusts—$399 for basic ($499 for a couple) or $549 for premium ($649 for a couple). If you choose the more expensive bundles, they come with one year of LegalZoom’s “Attorney Assist” program that lets you ask lawyers in its network questions related to estate planning work, including having them review documents you create.
LegalZoom offers a 60-day refund period, during which it will reimburse any fees you’ve paid if you’re not satisfied.
Compared to FreeWill and Rocket Lawyer, LegalZoom has easier access to real, live legal experts at an inexpensive price.