How much does a will cost in 2026?
What an attorney charges, what online services charge, and where the difference actually goes.
The short answer
A simple will drafted by an attorney typically costs $300 to $1,000 in the United States, and a full estate plan with a trust runs $3,000 and up. An online will costs $39 to around $200. The difference is advice and drafting time, not validity: both are equally valid once signed correctly under your state law.
Price is the reason most people give for not having a will, and it is a reasonable one: the traditional route has never had a visible price tag until you are already in the meeting.
What an attorney charges
For a straightforward will, most US estate attorneys charge a flat fee between $300 and $1,000, with metropolitan rates at the higher end. A will with a testamentary trust for children, or one that has to work around a business or a blended family, moves into four figures.
A full estate plan, meaning a revocable living trust with a pour over will and both powers of attorney, is typically $3,000 and up. That figure is the one worth holding on to, because it is the number most people are quietly comparing everything else against.
What online services charge
Online will services run from about $39 for a single document to a few hundred dollars for a bundle. Subscription platforms charge an annual fee instead, which usually includes updates.
On Legacy Buddy a single will is $39 once, or $29 a year for a plan that includes both wills and unlimited free edits. A trust and its pour over will are $149 once, or $49 a year on a plan that also covers both powers of attorney.
The cost nobody quotes: keeping it current
This is where the real difference sits. An attorney drafted will is a purchase, and amending it later means going back and paying again, typically $100 to $400 for a codicil or a fresh execution.
A will you cannot afford to update stops being accurate the first time your life changes: a new child, a house, a move to another state, an executor who dies. Whatever route you take, ask what the second version costs before you buy the first.
What actually makes a will valid
Not the price, and not who typed it. A will is valid if you had capacity, the terms are clear, and it was signed in front of the number of witnesses your state requires, with a self proving affidavit where your state offers one.
That is why the free and the expensive route produce documents of the same legal standing for a simple estate. What money buys is judgement about whether your estate is simple.
When paying an attorney is clearly worth it
A child with a disability who receives means tested benefits. An operating business with partners. Property in several states. A blended family where somebody is likely to contest. A taxable estate. Any of these and the drafting is genuinely bespoke.
For everything else, the honest answer is that the document is standard and what you are paying for is the confidence that it is standard. A flat fee review of a document you have already made costs far less than having one drafted from scratch.
Questions people also ask
Is a cheap will as good as an expensive one?
For a straightforward estate, yes, provided it is executed correctly. Validity comes from capacity, clear terms and correct signing, not from the price or the drafter. What a higher fee buys is professional judgement about whether your situation is actually straightforward.
How much does it cost to update a will?
With an attorney, usually $100 to $400 for a codicil or a re-execution. On a subscription platform it is generally included: Legacy Buddy includes unlimited free edits on every paid plan.
Do I have to pay to have a will notarised?
Most states require witnesses rather than a notary for the will itself. A notary is usually used for the optional self proving affidavit, and notarisation typically costs $5 to $15, or nothing at a bank where you hold an account.
Legacy Buddy provides document creation tools, not legal advice.
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