FreeWill vs LegalWills
FreeWill
freewill.comLegalWills
legalwills.comSide by side
| Figure | FreeWill | LegalWills |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 14 |
| Spec score · Estate Planning Software | 8.4 (#5) | 8.2 (#6) |
| Founded | 2016 | 2000 |
| Headquarters | LinkedIn lists New York City as the primary location and company headquarters. | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Security encryption | FreeWill says data is encrypted in transit and at rest with AES-256 GCM, with root keys stored in an HSM. | The site states that data in transit uses 256-bit SSL encryption and stored information is encrypted with RSA. |
| Support | FreeWill directs users with questions to its Help Center and support team, including [email protected]. | Support is offered through email, live chat, and toll-free telephone assistance, with a 30-day money-back guarantee advertised on country sites. |
| What it does | FreeWill provides online estate-planning documents for individuals and fundraising technology for nonprofits. | LegalWills provides online, attorney- or solicitor-designed estate-planning documents tailored to country or regional law. |
| Will creation | Users complete a guided questionnaire and receive a printable, state-specific will that can be updated. | The MyWill wizard uses plain-language questions and automatically formats a Will customized for the user’s local jurisdiction. |
Plans
FreeWill
- Estate-planning toolsFree
- FreeWill estate planning toolsFree
- Nonprofit Planned Giving and Smart Giving suitesPriced on request
LegalWills
- MyFuneral$19.95, paid once
- MyLivingWill$19.95, paid once
- MyLivingWill™$19.95, paid once
- MyMessages$19.95, paid once
- MyVault$19.95, paid once
- MyLifeLocker$29.95, paid once
- MyPowerOfAttorney$29.95, paid once
- MyPowerOfAttorney™$29.95, paid once
- MyExpatWill (U.S.)$49.95, paid once
- MyWill$49.95, paid once
In their own words
FreeWill
FreeWill provides web-based tools for making wills and other estate-planning documents. Its questionnaire takes about 20 minutes, and its documents can be used in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Users can make unlimited free edits and re-finalize updated versions. Tools include wills, revocable living trusts, beneficiary designations, financial powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, and supplemental needs trusts. Users can include charitable gifts in their plans, and FreeWill partners with more than 2,400 nonprofits and businesses. Its nonprofit platform offers staff gift visibility, verified donor contact information, campaign analytics, and alerts for new commitments. Giving support includes donor-advised funds, stock and securities gifts, qualified charitable distributions, and cryptocurrency. FreeWill's plan costs $0.00 per free and requires no credit card; it includes a last will and testament, a California revocable living trust, an advance healthcare directive, and a financial power of attorney. FreeWill says it encrypts data at rest and in transit and does not sell users' personal data. The company cautions that online estate planning may not suit complex needs and encourages those users to seek legal counsel.
LegalWills
LegalWills is a paid web and API service for preparing Wills, Powers of Attorney and Living Wills. Its MyWill wizard asks plain-language questions, then formats a document for the user’s local jurisdiction. U.S. services cover every state except Louisiana. Documents become legal only after printing, signing and witnessing as required. Beyond core documents, LegalWills offers funeral wishes, final messages, personal-record storage, secure file storage and Keyholder access. Members can appoint up to 20 Keyholders to unlock selected information. Accounts support two-factor authentication; the site says data in transit uses 256-bit SSL encryption and stored information uses RSA encryption. Credit-card details are used for purchases but not stored by the company, and daily database-server backups are reported. Support is offered by email, live chat and toll-free phone, with phone hours listed as 8am to 8pm EST daily. The White Label API lets partners embed these services, set their own prices and process payments. MyWill costs $49.95, paid once, including one year of updates; other listed one-time plans cover health-care and financial powers of attorney.