DIY vs online vs attorney: how to make a will, compared

A will is the document that decides who raises your kids and who gets your things — and the majority of adults don't have one, largely because it feels expensive and morbid. It doesn't have to be either. There are three ways to make one: a DIY template, an online will service, or an estate-planning attorney, and they range from free to a few thousand dollars. The right choice depends almost entirely on how complicated your life is. Here's the comparison — general education, not legal advice, since estate law varies by state and an attorney is who confirms your specific plan is valid.

DIY templates: free, and easy to get wrong

You can find free will templates and fill one out yourself, and for a genuinely simple situation it's better than the alternative most people choose, which is nothing. The danger is that a will has to meet your state's specific legal requirements — how it's signed, how many witnesses, whether it's notarized — and a document that misses those formalities can be thrown out entirely, leaving your estate to be divided by state default rules as if you'd never written anything. DIY saves money only if it's actually valid; a free will that fails in court is worse than worthless.

Online will services: the practical middle

Online will platforms guide you through questions and generate a state-appropriate will (and often related documents like a power of attorney and healthcare directive) for a modest fee. For the large share of people with straightforward wishes — leave everything to a spouse and kids, name a guardian, pick an executor — they hit a sweet spot: far cheaper than an attorney, far more reliable than a blank template, and built to satisfy your state's execution requirements if you follow the signing instructions. This is the right answer for most standard situations, and dramatically better than the do-nothing default.

Estate attorney: when complexity demands it

An estate-planning attorney costs the most and is worth it when your situation has real complexity or high stakes: a blended family, significant or complicated assets, a business, property in multiple states, a special-needs dependent, potential estate-tax exposure, or any expectation that someone might contest the will. A lawyer also handles the broader toolkit — trusts, tax planning, and structures a template can't — and tailors everything to your state's law. When the cost of getting it wrong is measured in family conflict or serious money, the attorney's fee is cheap insurance.

The verdicts

• Very simple estate, tight budget: a reputable DIY template — but execute it to your state's exact requirements.
• Standard situation (spouse, kids, clear wishes): an online will service — the practical sweet spot.
• Blended family, business, big or complex assets, or likely disputes: an estate attorney.
• Everyone: keep beneficiary designations current — they override the will.
• Everyone: don't forget a power of attorney and healthcare directive alongside the will.

The bottom line

The best will is the one that exists and is legally valid — and for most people, an online service gets there cheaply and reliably, while genuinely complex estates need an attorney. The worst option, by far, is the one most people choose: no will at all, which hands every decision to your state's default rules. Match the tool to your complexity, execute it correctly, keep your beneficiaries updated, and confirm the plan with a licensed attorney if anything about your situation is complicated.