Overview

FreeWill is a web-based service for preparing wills and related estate-planning documents. It is best suited to people who want to assemble and revise core plans without paying, especially those who intend to include charitable gifts. Its breadth is useful, but online planning is not the right stand-in for legal counsel when needs are complex.

Key features

The will questionnaire takes about 20 minutes, and FreeWill documents can be used in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. That combination offers a practical starting point for people who want to put basic plans in place online. Broad state coverage does not, however, make the service suitable for every individual situation.

The tools include wills, revocable living trusts, beneficiary designations, financial powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives and supplemental needs trusts. The free plan specifically includes a Last Will & Testament, a California revocable living trust, an advance healthcare directive and a financial power of attorney. The California restriction on the included trust matters: users elsewhere should not assume that particular plan component applies to them. Free edits are unlimited, and users can re-finalize updated documents, which makes it easier to keep plans current without an editing fee.

Charitable gifts can be built into estate plans, with support for donor-advised funds, stock and securities gifts, qualified charitable distributions and cryptocurrency giving. FreeWill partners with more than 2,400 nonprofits and businesses. For nonprofit staff, its platform adds gift visibility, verified donor contact information, real-time campaign analytics and alerts when new commitments arrive. Branded planned-giving microsites integrate FreeWill products with other tools, making this side of the service relevant to organizations as well as individual planners.

FreeWill says it encrypts stored data with AES-256 GCM and data in transit with modern SSL/TLS settings. It also reports completing an AICPA SOC 2 Type II audit and says its 2025 report is available on request. The company says it does not sell users’ personal data to third parties. Questions can be directed to its Help Center or support team, including help@freewill.com.

Pricing

FreeWill’s estate-planning tools cost 0.00 USD per free, with no credit card required. The plan covers a full estate plan and includes a will, a California revocable living trust, an advance healthcare directive and a financial power of attorney. There is no paid tier to weigh against it in the stated plan; the key qualification is that the included trust is specific to California. Unlimited editing and re-finalization add lasting value for users whose plans change.

FreeWill also includes beneficiary planning among its tools, but document storage is not included. People who need a place within the service to store documents, or whose situation calls for tailored legal guidance, should consider another approach rather than treating the free plan as a complete solution.

Platforms

FreeWill is available on the web. That makes it a browser-based option rather than a listed mobile app, while its documents are intended for use across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Who it's for

FreeWill is a strong fit for individuals seeking free, revisable estate-planning documents and for people who want to include charitable giving in their plans. Its nonprofit tools suit organizations seeking planned-giving visibility, donor information, campaign analytics and commitment alerts. People with complex needs should follow FreeWill’s own recommendation to seek legal counsel rather than rely on an online process alone.

Pros and cons

Pro: A broad set of estate-planning documents is available at no charge, including powers of attorney and beneficiary planning, not just a will.
Pro: Unlimited free edits and re-finalization make it practical to revise plans without incurring editing costs.
Pro: Multiple charitable-giving methods and nonprofit-facing campaign tools make it unusually relevant to planned giving.
Con: The included revocable living trust is for California, limiting that part of the free plan for users in other states.
Con: Document storage is not included, and complex needs may call for legal counsel instead of online planning.

Alternatives

For a free will focused on printing, signing with two witnesses and making free updates, Gathered Here is a direct alternative; it also offers a probate service for 1698.00 USD per contact. Choose Trust & Will if a paid Essentials membership at 49.00 USD per year better fits your needs, or use its free Basic membership for estate-plan creation without an ongoing membership.

Everplans is better suited to organizing stored items and using its guidance and content library: its free plan caps storage at 3 items, while Premium costs 99.99 USD per year for unlimited items. For professional estate-planning work, InterActive Legal offers specialized systems including elder law and special-needs planning, though its listed plans have price not listed. Rocket Lawyer Estate Planning may suit readers seeking a paid legal-service subscription, with its Standard plan at 149.00 USD per year and a free trial.

Statular, EstateView and EncorEstate Plans are other alternatives to compare. Browse the Estate Planning Software and Legal Forms Software directories for more options.

Verdict

Choose FreeWill if you want a no-cost, broad set of estate-planning tools, unlimited document revisions and a way to incorporate charitable giving. The principal reason to look elsewhere is the need for document storage or legal help with a complex situation; its free tools are a useful starting point, not a replacement for counsel tailored to those needs.

	FreeWill	Vanilla
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	Free
Platforms	Web	api, Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Planning scope	full_estate_plan	full_estate_plan
Trust support	Yes	Yes
Power of attorney	Yes	Yes
Beneficiary planning	Yes	Yes
Document storage	No	Yes
Attorney review		Yes
State coverage		50 states

FreeWill vs Vanilla

FreeWill

Vanilla