Originally published: 12 October 2018 | Last updated: 20 November 2025
TL;DR: A Will writing service selection requires customers to find providers which display their charges openly while avoiding extra costs and forceful sales of additional services and preventing them from becoming your Executor. Free Will services function as payment systems because they exchange your personal information for their services. The aggressive Will writing companies which cold-call people and the solicitors who charge more than £500 for short telephone conversations should be avoided. The best option is an online Will service like LegalWills.co.uk that provides solicitor-grade documents for £49.95 with unlimited updates, comprehensive features, and no questionable upsells.
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Table of Contents
Why Does Every Adult Need a Will?
What Are the Common Excuses for Not Having a Will?
“It’s Too Expensive”
“It Takes Too Much Time”
“My Spouse Will Get Everything Anyway”
“I Don’t Have Enough Assets”
What Are the Three Types of Will Writing Service?
Is Will Writing Regulated in the UK?
What Warning Signs Should You Watch For?
1. “Free” Will Services
2. Appointing Themselves as Executor
3. Will Storage and Registration Services
4. Aggressive Sales Tactics
5. Funeral Plans and Insurance Bundled with Wills
What Should a Good Will Writing Service Include?
Why Choose LegalWills.co.uk as Your Will Writing Service?
How Does the Will Writing Process Compare?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to write a legally valid Will in the UK?
Should I use a solicitor or an online Will service?
How do I know if a Will writing service is legitimate?
Can I switch from a solicitor to an online Will service?
What happens if I need to update my Will?
Why Does Every Adult Need a Will?
A Will allows you to:
Describe the distribution of your estate
Put somebody in charge of the process (your Executor)
Name a guardian for your children
Make charitable bequests
Set up trusts for beneficiaries
The courts assume authority to decide estate distribution when someone passes away without creating a Will. Your family members will need to undergo an extended court process which will distribute your estate according to rules that will probably not match your wishes. The intestacy rules decide everything, and unmarried partners receive nothing.
What Are the Common Excuses for Not Having a Will?
“It’s Too Expensive”
The costs for lawyers represent a major financial challenge for individuals who need their services. A top London lawyer demands £500 for Will creation through a brief 15-minute telephone discussion. Their “platinum package”. A 30-minute call. The expenses reach much higher levels. But a Will does not have to cost hundreds of pounds. LegalWills.co.uk offers online Will services which produce complete Wills for £49.95 that have legal validity.
“It Takes Too Much Time”
People who follow the usual path to become solicitors must schedule meetings while they need to schedule their work hours and find someone to watch their children and they need to return for additional appointments. The entire process requires you to start over after each minor update and every change to your charitable bequest or backup Executor designation. The online service eliminates all of this. You can write your Will at home in about 20 minutes, and update it instantly whenever circumstances change.
“My Spouse Will Get Everything Anyway”
The assumption creates a dangerous situation. People who die without making a Will and have children will see their spouse receive the first £250,000 plus half of all remaining assets. The children share the other half. For larger estates, this means your spouse may not receive everything. For unmarried partners, the situation is far worse. They inherit nothing under intestacy law.
“I Don’t Have Enough Assets”
You are probably not writing your Will with the expectation of dying this afternoon. Your Will may not take effect for decades, and your financial position will likely be very different by then. The present day average British adult possesses a net worth which exceeds £147,000. A Will serves multiple functions which surpass the process of asset distribution. The document establishes an Executor who will handle estate matters while it also identifies people who will watch over your children and records all your personal instructions. Research shows people should create a Will even when they do not possess any valuable assets.
What Are the Three Types of Will Writing Service?
Three distinct types of Will writing services operate throughout the United Kingdom while each type offers individual advantages and disadvantages.
Service Type
Typical Cost
Pros
Cons
Solicitor
£150. £600+
Legally trained, regulated by SRA
Expensive, time-consuming, updates cost extra
Will writing company
£100. £400
May visit your home
Unregulated, aggressive sales, questionable extras
Online Will service
£30. £90
Affordable, convenient, easy to update
Quality varies. Choose carefully
Is Will Writing Regulated in the UK?
The UK does not establish any rules which control Will writers as a professional group. The Legal Services Board performed research which showed that solicitors failed to create better Wills than other service providers. The mystery shopper exercise revealed errors which appeared in every type of service. The market includes solicitors together with online services and Will writing companies.
This means anyone can set up as a Will writer. While solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Will writing companies have no mandatory regulatory body. The Society of Will Writers and the Institute of Professional Willwriters represent voluntary organizations which some people choose to join but membership remains optional. Read more about Will writing regulation.
What Warning Signs Should You Watch For?
The following warning signs should make you reject any Will writing service which appears suspicious:
1. “Free” Will Services
A service is never truly free. If you are not paying a clearly posted price, you are paying in other ways:
Your personal data being sold to insurance companies, funeral homes, and other third parties
Hidden ongoing subscription costs
Charges for “storage” or “registration” that are unnecessary
A Will which lacks legal training from its author will probably fail to achieve its intended purpose.
Service providers who do not charge customers and do not sell their data fail to fund their development and legal and support teams. The situation requires immediate departure from this location. Learn why free Will kits are the worst option.
2. Appointing Themselves as Executor
All types of services show this as their most frequent yet most destructive upsell practice. The service requires Will writers and solicitors together with selected online platforms which provide their services. They will suggest that they should be named as your Executor, arguing that the process is too complex for a family member.
The reality: Executor fees from a professional firm typically run 2: 5% of the estate value. On a £500,000 estate, that is £10,000 to £25,000. Money taken directly from your beneficiaries. Your choice of Executor should be a trusted family member or friend, not the company that wrote your Will.
3. Will Storage and Registration Services
Will storage and registration services require customers to pay fees which providers use to cover their service costs. In the UK, there is no legal requirement to register a Will. You should keep the original in a safe, accessible location (a fireproof safe at home, with your solicitor, or at a bank). Paying annual storage fees is unnecessary.
4. Aggressive Sales Tactics
Will writing companies use cold-calling together with shopping centre kiosks and high-pressure sales tactics to reach their potential customers. A company which aggressively chases you serves as a warning sign. The service enables users to make their choices whenever they want.
5. Funeral Plans and Insurance Bundled with Wills
Some Will writing companies use the Will as a lead-generation tool to sell funeral plans, life insurance, or other financial products. The actual product which companies offer when they give away free Will services for cheap or at no cost becomes difficult to determine.
What Should a Good Will Writing Service Include?
A quality Will writing service should provide all of the following without additional charges:
The service needs to let customers pick their Executors while offering backup Executor selection options.
The service needs to let customers create guardianship plans for their children who are under 18 years old while providing backup guardian options.
The service needs to support customers in creating detailed instructions for their estate distribution including specific gifts and backup beneficiaries for their leftover assets.
The service needs to support lifetime interest trusts which operate as trusts for blended families.
The service needs to let customers create charitable giving plans which support their preferred organizations.
The service needs to let users create pet care plans which include caretaker selection and fund allocation.
The service needs to support users in creating instructions which control their online accounts and digital property management.
The service needs to let users create documented funeral preferences which include both burial and cremation choices.
Users need to obtain authorization before they can start modifying their Will after completing the initial version.
Why Choose LegalWills.co.uk as Your Will Writing Service?
LegalWills.co.uk serves as a mid-level choice which stands between costly legal help from solicitors and dangerous do-it-yourself will creation kits. The service provides:
Feature
Details
Price
£49.95 single Will, £79.95 Mirror Wills
Updates
Unlimited with active account
Time to complete
Approximately 20 minutes
Executor appointment
You choose. The service never appoints itself
Trusts
Lifetime interest trusts, pet trusts included
Expat Wills
Available for British expats living overseas
Mirror Will tool
Dedicated MyMirrorWill feature
Upsells
None. No storage fees, no registration fees, no Executor appointment
The service was developed by estate planning professionals and has been continuously enhanced over more than a decade. The system manages all types of Wills including basic ones and complicated cases which involve Mirror Wills and expat Wills and lifetime interest trusts and full estate planning services.
How Does the Will Writing Process Compare?
Step
Solicitor
LegalWills.co.uk
Booking
Phone to arrange appointment
Start immediately online
Consultation
15: 30 min in office or phone
Self-guided, ~20 minutes
Draft review
Follow-up appointment needed
Instant preview, edit anytime
Updates
New appointment + fee each time
Log in and change, no extra cost
Total cost
£150. £600+ per Will
£49.95 per Will
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to write a legally valid Will in the UK?
LegalWills.co.uk offers an online Will service at £49.95 which creates complete Wills that hold legal validity. The service offers legal documents which match solicitor quality but cost less than what solicitors charge.
Should I use a solicitor or an online Will service?
For most people, an online service provides everything needed. A solicitor should handle your estate when it contains complex elements such as business operations in different countries and family disputes about assets. An online service will handle all standard Wills which contain trusts and multiple beneficiaries.
How do I know if a Will writing service is legitimate?
Service providers who want hidden fees to appear on their bills should not make customers buy extra products. Avoid any service that is “free” or that cold-calls you.
Can I switch from a solicitor to an online Will service?
Yes. Creating a new Will automatically cancels all previous Wills which you have made. You can start fresh with an online service at any time. Your new Will simply needs to be properly signed and witnessed to be valid.
What happens if I need to update my Will?
Users of LegalWills.co.uk can access their accounts to make modifications at any point during their active subscription period. The updated Will is ready to print, sign, and witness immediately. With a solicitor, each update requires a new appointment and additional fees. Learn more about how to update your Will.
He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets and has contributed to articles in most leading publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books.
Throughout his career, Tim has written extensively on the subject of Will writing and estate planning.
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