Trust & Will is one of the cleanest ways to set up a simple will or revocable living trust online — focused, plain-language, and far cheaper than an attorney. It is not the right tool for complex estates, blended-family conflict, or anyone who needs ongoing legal advice. This review covers what it actually does, what it costs, where it falls short, and how it compares with LegalZoom, FreeWill, and hiring a lawyer.
Quick Verdict
Best for
Adults and couples with a relatively simple estate who want a guided will or living trust online.
Best if you want
A focused, plain-language flow that bundles a will, POA, and healthcare directive — or a real living trust without attorney pricing.
Main drawback
Narrower scope than LegalZoom and not built for complex estates, business owners, or contested family situations.
Bottom line
A credible, well-built option for straightforward estate planning. Strong in its lane — wrong tool outside it.
How We Evaluated Trust & Will
This review weighs Trust & Will on the factors that actually decide whether a family is well-served by an online platform: pricing clarity, the documents included, ease of use, fit for simple versus complex estates, where an attorney is still the better call, and overall value compared with FreeWill, LegalZoom, and traditional legal drafting. We are not affiliated with Trust & Will and do not earn a commission when readers click through to it.
Trust & Will at a Glance
| Best for | Simple wills, revocable living trusts, guardianship docs |
| Starting price | Will plans start in the low $100s; trust plans typically a few hundred dollars more |
| Ease of use | High — guided, plain-language flow with clear definitions |
| Best use case | Adult or couple with a relatively straightforward estate |
| Main downside | Narrower scope than LegalZoom; not built for complex estate planning |
| Best alternative | FreeWill if budget is the deciding factor; LegalZoom for broader legal needs; an attorney for complex estates |
Pricing changes. Always confirm current pricing on Trust & Will’s website before purchasing.
What Trust & Will Actually Does
Trust & Will is an online estate-planning service that produces three core document sets: a will-based plan, a revocable living trust plan, and a nomination of guardian plan for parents of minor children. You answer a guided questionnaire, the platform assembles state-specific documents, and you sign them according to your state’s rules.
It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. It’s a structured intake plus document generation, with help articles and customer support along the way. That’s the right framing — it does what it does well, and it doesn’t pretend to replace an attorney for situations that genuinely need one.
Is Trust & Will Legit?
Yes. Trust & Will is a legitimate, established estate-planning company that produces state-specific wills, living trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. Documents are legally valid in all 50 states when signed, witnessed, and (where required) notarized according to your state’s rules. The company has been operating for years, partners with established financial and senior-living organizations, and is widely cited as one of the better online will makers.
“Legit” doesn’t mean “right for everyone.” The honest framing is this: Trust & Will is a credible tool for straightforward estate planning. It is not a substitute for an attorney when your situation has real legal complexity. The product is good. Your situation determines whether it’s the right product for you.
Common Trust & Will Complaints and Limitations
Most criticism of Trust & Will is about scope, not quality. The product does what it sets out to do — these are the limits worth knowing before you buy:
- Not built for complex estates. No tax-driven planning, no irrevocable trusts, no special-needs trusts, no asset-protection structures.
- Limited compared with tailored attorney advice. The platform produces solid documents from your answers; it can’t spot the questions you didn’t know to ask.
- Weak fit for conflict-heavy families. Disputed inheritances, contested marriages, and stepfamily friction need language designed to survive a challenge — that’s lawyer territory.
- Less customization than custom drafting. Templates handle most situations cleanly but can’t accommodate every unusual clause.
- Ongoing updates require a subscription. The first year of unlimited updates is included; after that, ongoing access renews as a yearly fee.
- You still have to sign correctly. Documents are only valid once they are signed, witnessed, and (where required) notarized — a step many users delay or skip.
These are limitations, not red flags. They’re the reason this review keeps pointing complex situations toward an attorney instead of any online platform.
Trust & Will Pricing and Cost
Pricing is structured by product (will plan, trust plan, or guardian plan), with optional add-ons such as a couple plan, attorney support, or yearly document updates. Indicative pricing at the time of writing:
| Plan | Roughly | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Will Plan | Low $100s | Will, healthcare directive, power of attorney |
| Trust Plan | Several hundred dollars | Revocable living trust, pour-over will, healthcare directive, POA |
| Guardian Plan | Lowest tier | Nomination of guardian for minor children |
Couple plans add a second person at a discounted rate. Plans typically include the first year of unlimited updates; ongoing yearly access is sold as a subscription. Confirm current numbers on the Trust & Will site.
What’s Included With a Will
The Will Plan is designed as a starter estate plan, not just a will. You typically walk away with three documents:
- Last will and testament — distributes assets, names an executor, names a guardian for minor children.
- Healthcare directive — your end-of-life medical wishes (see our advance directive guide).
- Durable power of attorney — names someone to manage finances if you become incapacitated.
That bundle is the practical baseline most adults need. A basic free will alone leaves out the POA and healthcare directive — that’s the main reason a paid plan is usually worth it once you have dependents or any real assets.
What’s Included With a Trust
The Trust Plan is meant for people who need probate avoidance, privacy, or incapacity planning beyond what a will provides. You typically walk away with:
- Revocable living trust — holds your assets and hands them to beneficiaries without probate.
- Pour-over will — a backstop that catches anything you forgot to retitle into the trust.
- Healthcare directive and durable POA.
- Funding instructions — guidance on retitling assets into the trust.
The funding step is where most people fail. Signing the trust is not enough. You have to retitle the deed to your house, your bank accounts, and your non-retirement investment accounts into the trust’s name. If you don’t, the trust is an empty container and your assets still go through probate. New to this? Read how to make a trust before you buy.
Who Trust & Will Is Best For
- Parents of young children who need to name a guardian and lock in a basic plan quickly.
- Couples or singles with a straightforward estate — a home, retirement accounts, ordinary investments, no business.
- Homeowners who want to avoid probate with a clean revocable living trust.
- People who want a guided experience with plain-language explanations rather than a blank legal template.
- People who tried a free will and stalled because they weren’t sure what to do next.
Who Should Skip It
- Blended families with stepchildren, especially if there’s any history of conflict.
- Business owners — operating agreements, buy-sell provisions, and succession need an attorney.
- Estates likely to owe estate or inheritance tax. See inheritance tax by state.
- Special-needs beneficiaries who require a special-needs trust to preserve government benefits.
- Anyone planning around Medicaid, asset protection, or irrevocable trusts. See revocable vs irrevocable.
- Anyone expecting a contest — a disinherited child, a hostile sibling, or a complicated marriage history.
- Bargain-hunters with a simple situation — FreeWill may be enough.
Trust & Will Pros and Cons
Strengths
- Clean, guided interface that respects your time
- State-specific documents in all 50 states
- Will Plan bundles POA and healthcare directive
- Real living-trust product, not just a will
- Clear funding instructions for trust customers
- Couple plans available at a discount
Weaknesses
- Narrower scope than LegalZoom (no general legal docs)
- Not the right tool for complex estates or tax planning
- Ongoing updates after year one require a subscription
- More expensive than truly free options like FreeWill
- Attorney support is more limited than LegalZoom’s legal plan
Trust & Will vs LegalZoom vs FreeWill
The three services overlap, but each is best at a different thing. The honest read: FreeWill wins on price for a basic will, LegalZoom wins on breadth, and Trust & Will wins on focused estate-planning experience.
| What you care about | Trust & Will | LegalZoom | FreeWill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Focused will or living trust | Broader legal needs | Simple free will |
| Starting price | Low $100s (will plan) | Low $100s and up | $0 |
| Wills | Strong, bundled with POA + directive | Strong, often add-on documents | Best price, basic only |
| Trusts | Real living-trust product | Available, broader scope | — |
| Ease of use | Cleanest, most guided | Solid, denser interface | Fast for basic wills |
| Attorney help | Limited add-on | Optional consults via legal plan | — |
| Main downside | Narrow scope; not for complex estates | Pricier, denser UX | No trust, limited extras |
| Best alternative | FreeWill or attorney | Trust & Will or attorney | Trust & Will (paid upgrade) |
| When to skip it | Complex estate, taxable estate, blended-family conflict | You only need a basic will and want it free | You need a trust, POA, or healthcare directive |
If you only want a free will, FreeWill is the better pick — see the head-to-head in FreeWill vs Trust & Will. If you want broader legal infrastructure or optional attorney consults, LegalZoom wins. For a focused, well-designed will or living trust, Trust & Will is genuinely strong. Full breakdown in LegalZoom vs Trust & Will, or see the best online will makers guide.
Trust & Will vs Hiring a Lawyer
An estate-planning attorney typically costs $300–$1,200 for a basic will package and $1,500–$3,500 for a revocable trust package — more in major metros and for complex situations. Trust & Will is dramatically cheaper. The honest tradeoff is judgment.
A lawyer asks the questions you didn’t know to ask — about your stepchildren, your S-corp, the property in another state, the daughter you haven’t spoken to in eight years, the Medicaid look-back. Online services don’t. They produce solid documents based on what you tell them. If your situation is straightforward, that’s enough. If it isn’t, paying a lawyer once is much cheaper than untangling a bad plan in probate court. For a fuller decision framework, see Trust & Will vs hiring a lawyer, our probate lawyer guide, and how much a will costs.
Our Verdict: Who Should Choose What
Trust & Will is one of the better focused estate-planning platforms online — clean will product, real living-trust product, and a flow that respects the user. But the right choice depends on your situation, not the platform’s marketing. Here is the honest breakdown:
- Choose Trust & Will if you want a focused, well-designed will plan (with POA and healthcare directive) or a real revocable living trust, and your estate is reasonably simple.
- Choose LegalZoom if you want optional attorney consults, a broader legal-document ecosystem, or you also need business or other legal filings in the same place.
- Choose FreeWill if budget is the deciding factor and you only need a basic will — no trust, no major add-ons.
- Skip all three and hire an attorney if you have a blended family, a business, special-needs beneficiaries, a likely taxable estate, multi-state assets, or any expectation of a dispute.
Still deciding between the documents themselves? Read will vs trust, then how to make a will or how to make a trust before you buy. Already have one? Use our estate planning checklist and how to update your will guides.
Where to Start
Pick the path that matches your situation. All three are honest answers depending on what you actually need.
If Trust & Will fits
Start with Trust & Will
Best for a focused will plan or a revocable living trust without the complexity of a broader legal subscription.
Visit Trust & WillIf you want a broader plan
Compare LegalZoom estate plans
Better fit if you want optional attorney access, a complete will + trust + POA bundle, or other legal documents in the same place.
See LegalZoom Estate PlansAffiliate link · We may earn a commission
Complex estate? Skip both and read how to find an estate-planning attorney. Need to decide between a will and a trust first? Start with will vs trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
You May Also Find Helpful:
Best Online Will Makers
How Trust & Will compares to the rest of the field.
Read →Will vs Trust
Which one you actually need — or whether you need both.
Read →How to Make a Trust
Step-by-step, including the funding step most people skip.
Read →How to Make a Will
What goes in a valid will and how to sign it correctly.
Read →Free Will Template
When a free will is genuinely enough.
Read →How Much Does a Will Cost?
Online vs attorney pricing, side by side.
Read →