FreeWill vs Vanilla
FreeWill
freewill.comVanilla
justvanilla.comSide by side
| Figure | FreeWill | Vanilla |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 3 |
| Spec score · Estate Planning Software | 8.4 (#5) | 6.8 (#24) |
| Founded | 2016 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | LinkedIn lists New York City as the primary location and company headquarters. | Bellevue, Washington, United States |
| Security | FreeWill encrypts data at rest with AES-256 GCM and encrypts data in transit using modern SSL/TLS settings. | Vanilla undergoes an annual SOC 2 Type II audit and reports clean audits since its SOC 2 audits began in 2022. |
| Support | FreeWill directs users with questions to its Help Center and support team, including [email protected]. | Subscription support includes onboarding, training, ongoing technical support, and access to in-house specialists for complex cases and document abstraction services. |
Plans
FreeWill
- Estate-planning toolsFree
- FreeWill estate planning toolsFree
- Nonprofit Planned Giving and Smart Giving suitesPriced on request
Vanilla
- AdvancedPriced on request
- EnterprisePriced on request
- ExpertPriced on request
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.