How much does a will cost, online or with a lawyer?

A one-time plan. You pay once for a will and, usually, a power of attorney and a health care directive. EZ Will and Trust's $149 Will Package bundles all three plus a year of storage, renewing at $19.99 a year³. Trust & Will's $199 Will Plan bundles a will, a HIPAA authorization, an advance healthcare directive and a power of attorney⁴. LegalZoom's $129 Basic Will is the will alone; its $149 Pro adds the directives and powers of attorney with 30 days of attorney consultations that then renew at $25 a month².

A first-year plan with renewal. WillMaker lists Starter at $109, Plus at $149 and All Access at $219, with free revisions for a year and an optional $39.99 renewal after that. Its page says Nolo historically produced the software, and that WillMaker does not cover a full Louisiana plan¹.

A subscription. LawDepot's trial is free for one week and then 'renews at $49 per month' unless cancelled; its 1-Year Pro is $155.88, and an estate-planning-only plan is $35 a month or $107.88 a year. LegalContracts renews at $33 a month after its trial, or $95.88 a year⁵⁶. Both also sell single documents ($7.50 to $119 and $7.50 to $79), but neither pricing page lists the will's own single-document price, so check it at checkout⁵⁶.

The arithmetic on a subscription. If you finish and cancel inside LawDepot's free week, you pay nothing; one forgotten month costs $49, which is more than the gap between most one-time plans above. A year of LawDepot Pro ($155.88) costs about the same as a one-time bundle and covers every document in the library for that year.

State bars survey their members on rates, and the most detailed one we could read is Michigan's. Its 2023 Economics of Law Report, which asked for 2022 billing rates, lists 'Probate estate planning, wills, and trusts' at $250 an hour at the 25th percentile, $300 at the median, $317 on average, $350 at the 75th percentile and $500 at the 95th⁸.

Flat fees exist but are not priced in these surveys. 63.5% of Michigan private practitioners said they sometimes or always work on a flat or fixed basis, and The Florida Bar's 2022 survey found 14% of respondents use a fixed or flat fee as their primary billing method, against 39% hourly⁸⁹. Neither survey, nor Oregon's 2022 survey, gives a flat fee for a will⁸⁹¹⁰. We do not print one we cannot source.

So ask. The Texas Young Lawyers Association's handbook puts it plainly: 'A good rule of thumb is to discuss costs in your initial meeting with your attorney', and adds that 'Executing a will is not as complicated or as expensive as you might think'¹². The Florida Bar notes that local lawyer referral services can arrange an appointment 'for a nominal fee'¹¹.

The Florida Bar's consumer pamphlet makes the case for a lawyer in strong terms: 'there is no such thing as a simple will', and 'Even smaller estates can have complexities foreseeable only by the experienced attorney.' It names what the lawyer adds: judgment about your situation, coordination with 'an investment adviser, actuary, insurance specialist and tax accountant', and a supervised signing, 'Be sure that you execute your will in the presence of your attorney, who knows exactly how and in what order the will should be signed'¹¹. That is the bar's own view, and it is worth weighing with that in mind.

It also lists the events that send people back to a lawyer: 'tax law amendments, birth of children, deaths, marriage, divorce or even a substantial change in the nature or amount of your assets'¹¹. The Texas handbook adds what a well-drafted will can do there: name an executor and a guardian, set up trusts, and provide for independent administration to keep probate costs down¹².

Online services sit between the two. LegalZoom's Pro and Premium plans include attorney consultations for 30 days or a year; Trust & Will sells attorney support for an additional fee; Rocket Lawyer's Standard membership includes 12 Ask an Attorney questions and sells a 30-minute advice session for $149²⁴⁷. If one question is all you need answered, that can cost less than an hour of a lawyer's time at the surveyed rates.