The short version
| Option | Typical cost | Speed | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charity free wills (Free Wills Month / Will Aid) | Free / donation | Weeks (appointment) | Over-55s or specific months only; legacy expected |
| SwiftWillBest value | £35 once | Instant | None — free updates for life |
| Make a Will Online | £60 + £10/yr updates | Fast, not instant | Update subscription |
| Farewill | £100 + £10/yr updates | 3–5 days | Review-queue wait; subscription |
| Co-op Legal Services | £150 | Days (call + draft) | Phone call required |
| High-street solicitor | £300+ | Days–weeks | Right choice for complex estates |
Every UK will-writing provider compared (2026)
Prices checked July 2026. "10-year cost" assumes one update a year where a subscription applies — the quiet maths most providers hope you won't do.
| Provider | Single / couple | Delivery speed | Update fees | Trustpilot | True 10-year cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SwiftWill | £35 / £55 | Instant download + email | Free for life | New — collecting | £35 |
| Farewill | £100 / £160 (frequent 20–30% codes) | Specialist check, 3–5 days | £10/yr after year 1 | 4.9★, 18–20k+ | £190+ |
| Octopus Legacy | £150 / £250 | Expert-reviewed then sent | £10/yr after year 1 | 4.6–4.7★, ~3,300 | £240+ |
| Beyond | £90 / £135 | In-house check, pay at print | £10/yr incl. storage | Low footprint | £180+ |
| LegalWills.co.uk | £49.95–£69.95 / ~£80–£99.95 | Questionnaire → PDF | £11.95/yr after year 1 | ~4.7★ (Canadian parent) | ~£157+ |
| Make a Will Online | £60 / £90 | Emailed will → solicitor check | £10/yr after 28 days | 4.8★, 1,500+ | £150 |
| Kwil | Free basic / £150 premium; couple £290 | Online portal, ~30 min | Unlimited free amendments | 4.3★, ~700 | £150 (premium) |
| Which? Wills | £99–£169 / £156–£259 | Questionnaire + optional check | Pay-per-revision £39–£59 | 3.2–3.8★, ~400 | Varies |
| Co-op Legal Services | £149–£150 / £245–£249 | Form → follow-up call → draft | Per-change charges | ~4.0★, 1,000+ | £150+ |
| ActiveWills | Promos £19.99–£39 / £29.99–£59 | 10-min questionnaire → PDF | Storage free yr 1, then £10/yr auto-renew | Small | ~£130 |
| wills.org.uk | £39 / £59 | Online | Not stated | Not findable | — |
| Ten Minute Will | £29.90 | Online, basic | — | Not findable | — |
| ProperWills | From £29 | Online | Free lifetime updates | Small | £29+ |
| QuickWill | £89 / £139 | Instant | — | Small (on-site) | — |
| FreeWills.co.uk | Free | Online wizard → PDF in ~15 min | Storage £25–50 | ~4.5★ | £0 (upsells apply) |
| Bequeathed | Free via charities / £125–£165 advised | Form + 30-min solicitor call | — | Small | — |
| WUHLD | £99.99 / £149.99–£179.98 | Instant download | Unlimited free updates | New service | £99.99 |
| CheapWills | £9.99 / £14.99 | Instant | — | New | — |
| ClearLegacy | £69 / £99 | PDF within 24h | — | New | — |
| Irwin Mitchell (online) | £145 / £195 | Online + firm review | — | — | — |
| Hugh James | £75 online / £110 couple | Online → solicitor firm | Free storage for life | — | — |
| Saga Wills (50+) | From £99 / £186.25 | Solicitor-drafted | — | — | — |
| WSL | £145 / £190 | Phone/online | — | — | — |
| Will Drafters Ltd | £86 / £129 | Home visits + online | Free with WillPlus | — | — |
| Charity schemes (Free Wills Month / Will Aid) | Free / suggested donation £120–£200 | Local solicitor, appointment | — | — | £0 (restricted) |
The true 10-year cost: subscription maths
A will is not a one-decade purchase — it is a lifetime document you should update after every big life change. Providers charging around £10 a year for updates turn a headline price into an annuity. Farewill at £100 plus nine years of £10 update fees is £190 or more over a decade; Make a Will Online at £60 plus nine years at £10 is £150. SwiftWill is £35, once, with free updates for life — the 10-year cost is £35.
Free will schemes: genuinely free, with caveats
- Free Wills Month runs in March and October for over-55s, through participating local solicitors; appointments go quickly and a charitable legacy is expected (though not obligatory).
- Will Aid runs in November with a suggested donation of £120 for a single will or £200 for a pair of mirror wills.
- FreeWills.co.uk is free year-round, funded by charity legacies — but read what you agree to: the service cross-sells a professional executor service (Kings Court Trust) whose fees can run into thousands of pounds, and MoneySavingExpert explicitly warns against that upsell.
What drives the price
Three things separate a £35 will from a £300 one. First, who checks it: solicitor-drafted wills include tailored advice and regulated recourse, which is where most of the fee goes. Second, how fast it moves: review queues add days and cost. Third, the business model around the will: update subscriptions, storage fees and executor cross-sells often cost more over a decade than the will itself. For a straightforward estate, a properly drafted online will signed correctly does the same legal job as an expensive one.
An honest note on when £150–£300 is money well spent
If your estate may owe inheritance tax, you need a trust, you own business or foreign assets, you are protecting children from a previous relationship, or you expect a dispute, a solicitor's fee is the cheap part of getting it right. Our suitability check will tell you plainly if that is you — before you pay anything.