DIY Will vs Online Will Maker vs Estate Lawyer: Which Route Fits You?
There are three honest ways to make a will: write one yourself, use an online will maker, or hire an estate lawyer. Each is right for someone and wrong for someone else. Here is how to tell which one is you, what each really costs, and the mistakes that quietly void a will.
Written by the Legal Options Hub editorial team (Madison Jade Pty Ltd). Updated 5 July 2026. Pricing checked against provider websites in July 2026.
Let me be upfront about how this page pays for itself. When you click through to LawDepot from one of my links and buy something, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The alternatives I mention, Trust & Will and LegalZoom, are plain links I earn nothing from; I include them because leaving them out would make this comparison dishonest. My aim is to point you to the route that fits your situation, even when that route is "see a lawyer" and I make nothing from it.
The one thing that matters more than which route you pick
Before you spend a dollar, understand this: a will is not made legal by good wording. It is made legal by being signed and witnessed correctly under your state's rules. This is where wills die, far more often than in the words.
The rules vary. Some states recognise a fully handwritten will (a "holographic" will) with no witnesses; many do not. Most states require a typed will to be signed in front of two witnesses who are not beneficiaries. Get the witnessing wrong and it does not matter whether you used a lawyer's template or scribbled it on a napkin, the document can be challenged or thrown out.
So the real question is not just "template, software, or lawyer?" It is "which route gets me a document I will sign correctly that holds up for my family and assets?" The cheapest option that fails costs more than the pricey one that works.
Route 1: The DIY / handwritten will
This is you at the kitchen table with a pen, or a free template you found online, writing who gets what. It is free or nearly free, it is fast, and for a genuinely simple situation it can work. It is also the route most likely to fail.
Why it goes wrong. The failures are rarely about the words "I leave my house to my sister." They are about mechanics: signing without witnesses, or with only one where the state wants two; using a beneficiary as a witness, which in many states voids that person's gift; a handwritten will in a state that does not recognise holographic wills; a forgotten backup beneficiary, so if the first one dies the gift falls into limbo. None of these mistakes announce themselves; they surface only after you are gone, when nobody can fix them.
The cost of getting it wrong. If a court rules your will invalid, you are treated as having died with no will at all, and your state's intestacy statute decides who inherits in a rigid order that routinely excludes unmarried partners and stepchildren. The "free" saving evaporates against a probate fight or an outcome opposite to your intent.
Who DIY is genuinely fine for. A single or married adult, no children from other relationships, modest and straightforward assets, everyone on good terms, and, crucially, someone who will follow the signing and witnessing rules to the letter. If that is you, a careful DIY will beats the far more common alternative, no will at all. If any part of that makes you hesitate, move up a tier.
Route 2: Online will makers
This is the sweet spot for most ordinary estates. An online will maker walks you through an interview, then generates a properly formatted will (usually with a power of attorney and healthcare directive) that reflects your state's structure. You still print, sign, and witness it, but the software removes the guesswork about what clauses to include and how to phrase them.
Three names come up most often. I earn a commission from one, LawDepot, and I flag that plainly. The other two, Trust & Will and LegalZoom, are plain links.
LawDepot (the tracked option here)
LawDepot is a document-subscription service rather than a one-time will store. As of July 2026 it offers a one-week (7-day) free trial with uninterrupted access to all its documents, useful if you want to draft a will, a power of attorney and a couple of other forms in one sitting. The catch is the model: after the trial the subscription auto-renews. Medium-confidence reporting puts the default trial-conversion price at $35/month, with an annual "One Year Pro" plan at $107.88/year (about $8.99/month). Rather than subscribe, you can also buy a single document for a one-time flat rate, roughly $0 to $139 depending on the document.
The honest catch. Cancellation is not instant. LawDepot's own material describes cancellation requests as submitted through a cancel page and reviewed by staff (around one business day) with an email confirmation, so cancel a day or two before your billing date rather than on it. It also states it has no obligation to refund a trial that properly converted to a paid subscription (it may extend a single one-month goodwill refund, but that point is lower-confidence, so do not count on it). If you use LawDepot, set a reminder for day five of the trial. Used deliberately it is a fast way to batch estate documents; left on autopilot it is a recurring charge you forgot about.
Start a will and estate documents at LawDepot
Trust & Will (plain-link alternative)
Trust & Will is a one-time-purchase estate service that many people find cleaner because there is no subscription to cancel. As of July 2026 its will plan is $199 individual or $299 couple, and its trust plan is $499 individual or $599 couple. After the first year there is an optional $49/year membership (AI-powered answers, document storage, one free shipment a year) rather than a silent renewal of the core purchase. If you want a licensed estate-planning attorney to review your plan, that is a one-time $299 add-on. It costs more than a raw template, but the fixed price and the plain will-versus-trust choice make it easy to reason about. See trustandwill.com/compare.
LegalZoom (plain-link alternative)
LegalZoom's estate packages are tiered. As of July 2026 the individual will packages are Basic $129, Pro $149, and Premium $299; couple packages run $229, $249 and $399. The step-ups buy attorney access: the Pro adds 30-minute consults for 30 days (then renews at $25/month), and the Premium adds a year of revisions, an annual one-hour attorney review, and consults for a year (then renews at $199/year). That lets LegalZoom sit between pure software and a lawyer, its main appeal, but watch the renewal language on the higher tiers so an attorney subscription does not roll over unnoticed. See LegalZoom's will overview.
Who online will makers are genuinely fine for. Most people with a normal estate: a home, some savings, retirement accounts, straightforward beneficiaries, and no unusual family friction. The interview catches the omissions DIY misses (backup beneficiaries, guardianship for minor children, executor naming), and bundles the power of attorney and healthcare directive people forget. What software cannot do is exercise judgment about your specific family. If your situation has any trigger in the next section, treat the online tool as a false economy.
Route 3: The estate lawyer
An estate lawyer is not just a pricier way to buy the same document. You are paying for judgment: someone who spots the tax exposure, the blended-family landmine, or the beneficiary problem no interview form asks about, and who drafts the plan to survive a challenge. As of July 2026 a simple lawyer-drawn will commonly costs about $300 to $1,000, more for complex estates and trusts, against roughly $0 to $250 for the other routes. For many people that gap buys nothing they need. For some it is the best money they will ever spend.
See a lawyer, not a template, if any of these apply.
- Blended family or intentional disinheritance. If you have children from a previous relationship, a stepfamily, or you want to leave someone out, generic software cannot structure this to hold up. This is the single most common reason online wills get contested.
- A large or potentially taxable estate. Estate-tax planning, and structuring gifts to minimise it, is squarely lawyer territory.
- Business interests. Succession of a company, partnership shares, or professional practice needs bespoke drafting.
- Property in more than one state or country. Cross-jurisdiction assets can trigger multiple probates and conflicting rules.
- A beneficiary with a disability. Leaving money directly to someone on means-tested benefits can cost them those benefits; a special-needs trust exists to avoid this, and it is not a template job.
- You expect a fight. If you can already name the relative likely to contest the will, a lawyer builds the plan and the record to withstand it.
- You are unsure whether you need a trust. Whether a living trust is worth the cost depends on your state's probate process and your assets, a judgment call worth a paid consultation.
A middle path. You do not have to choose all-lawyer or all-software. Some people draft with an online tool to organise their thinking, then pay for a single attorney review before signing. Trust & Will's $299 attorney add-on and LegalZoom's Pro/Premium consult tiers are versions of this: professional eyes on a mostly simple plan without a full custom-drafting bill.
Side-by-side: what each route costs and covers
Figures below are as of July 2026, checked against provider pages. Some LawDepot pricing is medium-confidence, so treat those as reported defaults, not quotes.
| Route | Typical cost (as of July 2026) | What you get | Best for | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY / handwritten | Free to about $150 (templates) | A document you write yourself; no guidance | Simple, single-state estate; disciplined signer | Bad signing or witnessing voids the will |
| LawDepot (tracked) | 1-week free trial, then auto-renews (reported $35/mo); or single doc $0–$139; annual $107.88/yr | Guided will plus other estate documents in one subscription window | Drafting several documents at once | Trial auto-converts; cancellation reviewed by staff, not instant |
| Trust & Will (plain link) | Will $199 / $299; trust $499 / $599; optional +$299 attorney | One-time will or trust plan; optional $49/yr membership | Wanting a fixed price, no subscription to cancel | Costs more than a template; trust tier pricier |
| LegalZoom (plain link) | Individual wills $129 / $149 / $299; couple $229 / $249 / $399 | Tiered will packages; higher tiers bundle attorney consults | Some attorney access without a full retainer | Higher tiers renew ($25/mo or $199/yr) if left running |
| Estate lawyer | Simple will about $300–$1,000; more for complex estates | Custom drafting and legal judgment for your situation | Blended families, big/taxable estates, trusts, disputes | Cost; overkill for a simple estate |
How to choose in five minutes
Run your situation through this quick sort:
- Do any Route 3 triggers apply (blended family, disinheritance, business, big/taxable estate, multi-state property, disabled beneficiary, expected contest)? If yes, stop here and budget for a lawyer. Nothing below saves money if the will is contested or a trust drafted wrong.
- No triggers, but you want it done properly and hate admin? An online will maker is your route. If you dislike subscriptions, a one-time service like Trust & Will is the low-friction pick; to batch several documents at once, LawDepot's trial does that if you set a cancellation reminder.
- No triggers, dead-simple estate, tight budget, and confident you will follow the signing rules exactly? A careful DIY will is defensible and beats having no will. If you are even slightly unsure about witnessing rules, spend the modest amount on software that structures it for you.
The most expensive mistake here is not choosing the wrong tier. It is choosing none at all and dying intestate, letting a statute you never read decide who inherits and who raises your children.
This page is legal information, not legal advice. Rules on wills, witnessing, and inheritance vary by state and change over time. For advice about your situation, speak to a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction.
Frequently asked questions
Is a handwritten DIY will legal?
Sometimes, but it is the riskiest route. Whether a fully handwritten (holographic) will counts, and how many witnesses a typed will needs, depends entirely on your state. A will that is valid in one state can be thrown out in another. The most common way a DIY will fails is not the wording but the signing: wrong number of witnesses, a witness who also inherits, or no witnesses at all. If a will is ruled invalid, the state's intestacy rules decide who inherits, which may be the opposite of what you wanted.
Are online will makers legally valid?
The document an online will maker produces can be perfectly valid, but only if you sign and witness it correctly under your state's rules. The software generates the paperwork; it does not make the will legal on its own. Every mainstream service tells you to print, sign, and have the will witnessed. Skipping that step leaves you with an unsigned draft, not a will.
How much does each route cost?
As of July 2026: a DIY template is roughly free to about $150. Online will makers are one-time or low-cost, for example Trust & Will's will plan is $199 individual or $299 couple, and LegalZoom's individual will packages run $129 to $299. LawDepot works on a subscription with a one-week free trial that then renews (medium-confidence reports put the monthly rate at $35). A simple will drafted by an estate lawyer commonly costs about $300 to $1,000, and more for complex estates.
When do I actually need an estate lawyer?
See a lawyer, not a template, if you have a blended family or want to leave someone out, a large or taxable estate, business interests, property in more than one state or country, or a beneficiary with a disability who receives benefits, or if you expect the will to be contested. In those situations a template can create the exact fight you were trying to prevent, and the cost of getting it wrong dwarfs the lawyer's fee.
What happens if I die without any will at all?
You die intestate, and your state's intestacy statute decides who gets what in a fixed order that ignores your wishes. Unmarried partners and stepchildren typically get nothing, and a court appoints the administrator and may decide a minor child's guardian without your input. Any will, even a modest online one, gives you more control than none.
How do I avoid auto-renewing subscriptions on will sites?
Watch what renews before you enter a card. As of July 2026, LawDepot's one-week free trial converts to a paid subscription if you do not cancel, and its own help material describes cancellation as reviewed by staff rather than instant, so cancel a day or two before the billing date. Trust & Will and LegalZoom's will packages are mostly one-time purchases with optional annual memberships.