FreeWill Review (2026)
Updated May 8, 2026 · Reviewed by the WalletGrower editorial team · We completed a full will, healthcare directive, and POA on FreeWill without designating any charity bequest, and confirmed all three documents downloaded as legally valid PDFs at $0 total cost.
Bottom line
FreeWill is genuinely free, the will is legally valid, and most adults who don't have a will would benefit from spending the 20 minutes to use it. The catch isn't hidden — there's no living trust, no attorney consultation, and complex estates need a paid service. For the simple-will case (single individual, basic beneficiaries, guardianship for minor kids), FreeWill is the right answer over any paid service.
At a glance
| Feature | FreeWill |
|---|---|
| Will | Free |
| Healthcare directive | Free |
| Durable power of attorney | Free |
| Revocable living trust | Not offered |
| Attorney consultation | Not offered |
| State coverage | All 50 |
| Funding model | Charities pay platform fees when users gift them in wills |
| Average completion time | 15–25 minutes |
How FreeWill is actually free
FreeWill makes money from charity partners, not user fees. The partners — large nonprofits like the ASPCA, the American Heart Association, and many others — pay FreeWill for placement in the gifting flow. When you create a will, you're asked whether you'd like to leave a small bequest to a partner charity. If you do, the charity pays FreeWill a fee. If you don't, the charity pays nothing and you pay nothing — FreeWill operates at a loss on that user, subsidized by the users who do gift.
The model creates an obvious incentive for FreeWill to nudge users toward charitable bequests, but the nudge is light: the gifting page is one screen in the flow, declining is one click, and the rest of the will-creation experience is unchanged whether you gift or not.
What FreeWill does well
Cost.$0 is unbeatable. For users who currently have no will, the friction of $159 (Trust & Will) or $349 (LegalZoom) is real — and the gap between "no will" and "some will" is much larger than the gap between "basic will" and "premium will."
Speed.15–25 minutes is the fastest in the space. Trust & Will averages 20–30 min; LegalZoom 45–60 min. FreeWill is designed for completion in one sitting on mobile.
Document quality is identical.The will, healthcare directive, and POA produced are state-specific and legally valid when executed per FreeWill's instructions. We'd use a FreeWill document in court without hesitation.
What FreeWill doesn't do
- No revocable living trust. If you want a trust to avoid probate, you need Trust & Will or LegalZoom.
- No attorney consultation. If you have any complexity worth talking through, FreeWill is the wrong tool.
- No in-place editing. Updates require re-doing the will, which is functionally fine but slightly higher friction than competitors.
- Limited beneficiary complexity. Conditional bequests ("to my niece, but only if she finishes college") require legal language FreeWill doesn't generate.
Who should use FreeWill
- You don't have a will at all. Whatever the simple-will tool, just use it. FreeWill is the friction-free option.
- Your estate is straightforward. Single person or married couple with normal kids, normal assets, no business interests, no special-needs dependents.
- You're charitably-minded. If you were going to leave a bequest to a charity anyway, FreeWill makes that part of the flow easier than any other service.
- You can't justify $159+ for a service. Cost is a real barrier for many users; $0 removes it.
Who should look elsewhere
- You need a living trust → Trust & Will ($599) or LegalZoom Estate Plan Bundle ($349 with attorney consult).
- Blended family / business owner / multi-state property → LegalZoom or an estate attorney directly.
- You want attorney input → Rocket Lawyer ($39.99/mo, 7-day free trial) or LegalZoom.
- Couple planning together → Cake.
Frequently asked questions
Disclosure: FreeWill is free to users; charities pay the platform when users designate bequests. WalletGrower has no affiliate relationship with FreeWill — we recommend it because it's the right tool for the simple-will use case, period. See our Estate Planning hub for the side-by-side comparison.
Information is for educational purposes and not legal advice.