This page is a complexity screen, not a ranking. It is for a family deciding whether a simple online will or living-trust kit is enough, or whether the facts belong with a trusts-and-estates attorney. Read the two “when” lists, then take the free quiz. If you are still choosing the document type, start with will vs. living trust.
Disclaimer
EstatePlanWise is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This page is educational. A will or trust is only as good as your state’s signing rules, your facts, and — for a trust — whether you actually retitle assets into it. Use a qualified estate-planning attorney for anything beyond a simple DIY will or trust.
EstatePlanWise may earn a commission if you use our Trust & Will or LegalZoom links. Those relationships are disclosed here and on our affiliate disclosure. We do not invent star ratings, rankings, commission rates, or attorney fees.
DIY vs. attorney is a complexity screen, not a quality ranking
An online kit is not “worse” than a lawyer, and a lawyer is not automatically “better.” They solve different problems. A standard form can name an executor, a guardian, and who inherits if your facts fit the form. A lawyer drafts around facts the form cannot see: a second marriage, a child on public benefits, a shop or LLC, a house in another state, or a tax that actually applies to you.
Treat this as a screen. If every DIY condition below is true, a state-specific online will or living-trust kit can be a reasonable starting point. If any attorney condition is true, skip checkout and hire counsel. The quiz at the end applies the same screen.
| Question | Simple DIY kit | Trusts-and-estates attorney |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | A straightforward, one-state plan that matches a standard form | Facts a form cannot safely guess |
| Family | No blended-family competing claims; no special-needs beneficiary | Blended family, contest risk, or a beneficiary on public benefits |
| Property and work | Home and accounts in one state; no business to pass on | Property in more than one state, or a business, partnership, or LLC |
| If you use a trust | You will actually fund it — retitle the house and accounts | Funding, titling, or tax questions that need a lawyer’s checklist |
| This is not | A star rating or a “best software” pick | A claim that every family must hire counsel |
When a simple DIY will or trust is enough
A do-it-yourself will — or a living trust plus a will — can be enough when all of the following are true:
- You live and own real property in one state.
- Your family situation is simple — no blended-family competing claims, no one who is likely to contest the plan.
- You do not own a business, partnership, or LLC interest that needs its own succession terms.
- If you use a living trust, you will actually fund it: retitle the home and change account ownership into the trust, then keep doing that when you buy the next asset. A payable-on-death (POD) designation that names a person is a different act, not a substitute for retitling — it overrides the trust’s distribution plan for that account, and because the account stays in your name during life it does nothing if you become incapacitated.
- Your estate is well under the federal $15,000,000 basic exclusion and well under your state estate-tax threshold, if your state has one. We do not invent state figures here.
A will is often the lighter DIY starting point if you are willing to accept probate in that one state. A funded living trust is the better DIY path when probate or privacy is the problem you actually care about — and you will do the retitling. That document choice is on Will vs. Living Trust. Either way, you still need state-correct signing, a healthcare directive, and a durable power of attorney. Take the free quiz before you buy — no email required to see your recommendation; email is required to unlock the checklist and DIY provider links.
When to hire a trusts-and-estates attorney
Skip DIY checkout and hire a qualified trusts-and-estates attorney when any of these apply:
- A blended family, or anyone who might contest the plan.
- A special-needs beneficiary who receives (or may receive) public benefits.
- A business, partnership, or LLC interest.
- Property in more than one state.
- A state estate tax (or inheritance tax) that could actually apply to you.
- A larger or more complex estate — titling, beneficiaries, and family facts get harder as the balance sheet grows, even when federal estate tax is not the issue.
Those facts need custom language, not a longer online questionnaire. Attorney fees are set by the lawyer you hire. We do not publish a fake “average attorney fee,” and we do not rank lawyers. Search the ACTEC Find a Lawyer directory, or contact EstatePlanWise if you have a question about this page. We are an educational publisher, not an attorney-matching service.
An unfunded living trust still probates leftovers
Signing a living-trust booklet does not move the house. If the deed still lists you individually, that house is still a probate asset. The same is true of a bank or brokerage account that was never retitled, and of the car you bought the year after you signed.
A funded-trust plan is a trust plus a will, not a trust instead of a will. The backup document is a pour-over will: leftovers still go through probate, then “pour” into the trust. An empty trust does not avoid that file. If you will not retitle, buy a will instead of a trust kit. If you will fund, read How to Fund Your Living Trust before you pay — then keep funding when you buy the next asset.
Federal numbers (2026)
The federal basic exclusion amount for 2026 is $15,000,000 per person. Source: IRS What’s New — Estate and gift tax (Pub. L. 119-21). Being under that federal number is not the same as being under your state’s number. Some states tax estates far below $15 million. We do not invent those state figures here; check your state’s current threshold, or ask a local attorney if you might be close.
If a simple kit still fits
If the DIY list above describes you, published living-trust kit list prices are on How much a revocable living trust costs. The fuller will-and-trust side-by-side is on Trust & Will vs. LegalZoom. Those pages are list-price comparisons, not star ratings. If you use a Trust & Will or LegalZoom link on this site, EstatePlanWise may earn a commission. See our affiliate disclosure.
Trust & Will (affiliate): Individual Will · Trust plan. LegalZoom (affiliate): Will · Living trust.
If the attorney list describes you, use the ACTEC Find a Lawyer directory rather than a checkout page.
Next step: take the free quiz
Primary: take the free estate planning quiz — a short quiz, about 2 minutes. No email required to see your recommendation; email is required to unlock the checklist and DIY provider links. The quiz applies this same complexity screen.
Secondary: compare published list prices on Trust & Will vs. LegalZoom, or choose the document type on Will vs. Living Trust. If DIY does not fit, use a qualified estate-planning attorney rather than a checkout page.
Ready to choose a path?
Answer a short quiz. No email required to see your recommendation; email is required to unlock the checklist and DIY provider links.
Take the free quiz →