A will is not something most people want to spend their weekend thinking about. Yet choosing between will providers is one of those practical decisions that can spare your family uncertainty, delay and disagreement later. The right provider should make the process clear without making you feel that your wishes are too simple to matter.
For many households in England and Wales, an online will is a sensible, affordable route to putting plans in place. But price alone should not decide it. You need to understand what you are receiving, what you must do yourself to make the will valid, and when a more tailored legal service may be the better choice.
What should will providers help you do?
A good will-writing service does more than produce a document with blanks filled in. It should guide you through the decisions that give a will its purpose: who should inherit, who should administer your estate, who would care for young children, and what should happen if a beneficiary dies before you.
Plain-English questions are a good sign. You should be able to understand the difference between an executor and a beneficiary, choose substitute beneficiaries, and identify whether you own a property jointly or in your sole name. If a provider rushes past these choices or uses language you cannot follow, pause before proceeding.
Your will should also reflect the situation you have now, not assumptions about what your family looks like. Marriage, divorce, children from an earlier relationship, a new property or a long-term unmarried partner can all change what needs to be written down.
A will cannot cover everything automatically
Some assets may pass outside your will. For example, a jointly owned home held as joint tenants usually passes to the surviving owner, while certain pension death benefits are normally decided by the pension scheme trustees. Life insurance written in trust may also sit outside the estate.
That does not mean a will is less useful. It means a provider should help you recognise where your will fits within your wider arrangements. If you are unsure how your home is owned, check the title documents before giving instructions.
Check that the will can be properly signed
Even the clearest will can fail if it is not executed correctly. In England and Wales, a will generally needs to be in writing, signed by the person making it, and witnessed by two people who are both present when the signature is made or acknowledged. The witnesses must then sign the will in the presence of the person making it.
This is particularly important with online will providers. Receiving a completed will by email or post is only part of the process. The original document must be printed and signed correctly. A useful provider will give straightforward execution instructions rather than leaving you to search for them after purchase.
Choose witnesses with care. A beneficiary should not witness your will, and neither should the spouse or civil partner of a beneficiary. The will itself may still stand, but the gift to that witness or their spouse or civil partner can fail. Your witnesses should be adults who understand they are witnessing a signature, and they should not be people who benefit under the will.
Video witnessing was permitted only under temporary rules during the pandemic. Do not assume it is acceptable now. The safest approach is to arrange for both witnesses to be physically present at the same time when you sign.
Compare the service, not just the headline price
A fixed price can make will-writing far less daunting, especially when your needs are straightforward. It also lets you decide without worrying that every question will add to a solicitor’s bill. However, it is worth checking precisely what the price includes.
Ask whether the fee covers a single will or mirror wills for a couple, whether delivery is by email or post, and whether there are extra charges for amendments, printing, storage or support. Mirror wills are commonly suitable for couples with similar wishes, but they are still two separate wills. Either person can change their own will later, provided they have the capacity to do so.
Be cautious of a low starting price that rises sharply once you mention children, property or a substitute executor. Those are ordinary concerns, not unusual extras. Transparent will providers explain the cost before you commit and make clear if your circumstances require more specialist advice.
English Wills, for example, focuses on a clear choice between single and mirror wills at fixed prices, which can suit people whose instructions are relatively straightforward. The key is choosing the level of help that matches your circumstances, rather than paying for complexity you do not need or overlooking complexity that does need attention.
Know when a standard online will may not be enough
Online will-writing can work well for many people, including homeowners, parents and couples who want to leave their estate to each other and then to their children. But some situations deserve individual legal advice before you finalise anything.
That may apply if you have a business, agricultural property, substantial overseas assets, a person who depends on you financially but is not a close relative, or concerns about someone challenging your will. You may also need specialist help if you want to create a discretionary trust, protect assets for a vulnerable beneficiary, deal with inheritance tax planning, or make arrangements after a relationship breakdown.
Blended families need particular thought. Leaving everything to a spouse or partner might feel natural, but it can mean children from a previous relationship receive nothing if the survivor later changes their own will. A life interest trust or another tailored arrangement may help in some cases, but it needs to be drafted properly and understood by everyone involved.
A responsible provider should be willing to say when its standard service is not the right fit. That is not a sales failure. It is a sign that your family’s protection is being taken seriously.
Look for clarity around legal status and support
Will-writing is not generally a reserved legal activity, so not every will writer is regulated in the same way as a solicitor’s firm. That does not automatically make a non-solicitor service unsuitable. It does mean you should be clear about who is preparing the will, what checks they carry out and where you can turn if something goes wrong.
Read the provider’s terms and contact details. Check whether it explains its complaints process, professional memberships or regulatory position without hiding the information in fine print. You should also be able to ask a question before ordering, particularly if you are uncertain about guardians, property ownership or who should act as executor.
The best support is not always a lengthy phone call. Sometimes it is a well-designed process that asks the right question at the right moment and explains why it matters. What matters is that you are not left guessing about a decision with lasting consequences.
Do not treat storage as an afterthought
Your executors need to find the original will when the time comes. A scanned copy may be helpful as a record, but the signed original is usually needed for probate. A will stored in a drawer can be lost during a house move, damaged by water or simply overlooked by family members who do not know it exists.
You can keep the original at home, with a solicitor, or through a will-storage service. Each option has trade-offs. Home storage gives you immediate access but carries a greater risk of loss. Professional storage can provide reassurance, but check the fee, how your executors retrieve the document and whether they will be told where it is held.
Whichever option you choose, tell your executors that a will exists and where the original is stored. You do not have to share every detail of what it says, but leaving its location a mystery defeats much of the planning you have done.
Make the decision while you can act on it
The right time to make a will is rarely after every part of life feels settled. It is after a child is born, when you buy a home, when you move in with a partner, when you marry, or simply when you realise that intestacy rules should not be making decisions for your family.
Choose a provider that gives you confidence in the process, sign the document correctly, store it safely and review it after major life changes. A few focused decisions now can give the people you care about a much clearer path when they need it most.