In past estate planning coverage, we reported that the majority of Americans over age 18 don’t have a will. When we dove deeper and surveyed American adults on why they haven't created one yet, 28% of respondents said they “keep putting it off.”¹ 

If procrastination has prevented you from estate planning, one solution is creating a will online. Online will creation software can connect you to an attorney and simplify the estate planning process. Depending on how complicated your estate is, online will creation might even be more affordable than seeking out an attorney and notary in person. 

Nolo's WillMaker holds the title for Best Value in our roundup of the best online will makers. This Nolo review compares popular U.S. estate planning services and breaks down what features Nolo's WillMaker offers to help you start making a will without a lawyer. 

Nolo's WillMaker

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• Good value for straightforward estate planning
• Easy, guided experience 

• A good option for simple estates

Why we like Nolo's WillMaker

Nolo’s Quicken WillMaker offers a wide variety of estate planning options: power of attorney, health care directives, and even literature to help caregivers and those who survive you.

Nolo’s interface is simple to use, guided, and provides legally valid state-specific documents for every U.S. state except Louisiana (more on that later). Compared to billable hours with an attorney that may include the time spent supervising you while a notary approves your documents, Nolo’s services may be more affordable. One of our testers reported that Nolo generated their documents swiftly, saying their “PDF was ready immediately.”

Nolo's WillMaker pros and cons

Compare Nolo vs. competitors

Nolo's WillMaker estate planning documents

Nolo's WillMaker lets you create either a will or a trust. Determining which estate planning package is best for you depends on your estate’s size, your budget, and how complex your assets will be to distribute. 

If you don’t know how complex asset distribution will be, or you pick a package you later realize isn’t fitting your estate planning needs, Nolo's WillMaker gives you the option to change plans within 60 days. Note that you’ll get Everplans vault storage (digital storage Nolo's WillMaker supplies as an add-on) only if you opt for the All Access membership, which is a one-year plan that gives you access to more than 85 business and estate planning legal forms.

Nolo’s WillMaker last will and testament services

Your will helps distribute your assets and carry out your wishes after your death. You might think some assets are self-explanatory. For example, you might assume your house goes to your spouse after you die. But if you don’t have a legal document detailing your wishes, anything you leave to anyone could be tied up in probate court for months, even years. 

To be fair, even if you have a will, your estate sometimes still goes to probate. But having a legalized to-do list (your will or trust) that the lawyers, judges, and executor abide by can get assets like money, homes, children, and pets to safe places faster. Speed is important if you’ve set aside money for your own funeral expenses. Having a will or trust makes it less likely your loved ones will go into debt to fulfill your wishes.

“Having a will ensures that you have a say in what happens,” says Patrick Hicks of Legal Karma, an estate planning software company. “That includes what happens to your assets, but also includes who cares for your loved ones and even what your funeral preferences might be. These are important and personal decisions that should not be left to default laws.”  

Nolo's WillMaker offers customizable templates, step-by-step guidance, and access to the site's Legal Manual. All WillMaker documents include instructions on what your state requires as a final step, but Nolo will not provide that final step; you will need to see a notary and gather at least two witnesses outside the software. This may have an additional cost outside the Nolo WillMaker platform. You may have to pay the notary or clerk. Note that witnesses cannot be anyone named in your will or trust.

Nolo's WillMaker living trusts

A trust is an estate plan for people with a lot of—or more complex—assets that protects them from going to probate court. Trusts aren’t only for the super-wealthy; if you own your home, you have enough assets to merit a trust. In a trust, your assets transfer to a trustee, who will manage your trust and ensure that the assets set forth in your documents go to the beneficiaries you, the grantor, designate while alive. Trusts are their own entities with their own federal tax IDs. Any assets in your trust do not go to probate after you die.

There are two types of trusts: revocable and irrevocable. The latter is usually for wealthy people with lots of assets, as irrevocable trusts are expensive to maintain. You can edit your revocable trust at any time, making it better suited to the average person trying to avoid probate.

Nolo's WillMaker offers the option for you to make a pour-over will, which is when you name your existing trust as a beneficiary in your will. Be careful with this option, as a pour-over will is still a will (not a trust), and wills are subject to probate court after your death.

How Nolo's WillMaker works

Nolo’s WillMaker comes as a partnership with Quicken, so you’ll be taken from Nolo’s site to Quicken’s. That is normal, if a little jarring. One tester said the experience “felt more like a software than an online platform,” but said the whole process took them only 21 minutes.

After you select and pay for your plan tier, you can begin. Nolo's WillMaker gives you a checklist of the will-making process, and you walk through section by section. It will load the will template based on your state of residence, unless you live in Louisiana. Nolo’s FAQ says that because Louisiana's estate planning laws are so different from those of other states, the Nolo Quicken WillMaker is not suitable for use there.

If you get confused as you fill out the questionnaire, you can consult Nolo’s included WillMaker Legal Manual. But our testers concede that might not be enough, and you might want to get an attorney to look over your work. “Overall I felt like this software would get the job done for a simple estate planning,” said one tester, “but I felt a little confused in sections whether I was filling out the right information.”

Attorney access is not included in your fee, but Nolo's WillMaker will offer to connect you to an attorney at the end of your paperwork process so you’re not starting from zero.

What you need to create an estate plan through Nolo's WillMaker

Nolo's WillMaker may not prompt you for documents. Our testers said the service didn't ask for any to start. But it did provide a section-by-section checklist of the process. Filling out the WillMaker questionnaire will go smoother if you have the following on hand:

• Full name(s) and contact information of the executor(s) of your estate
• Full names and contact information for everyone you plan to name in your will, especially if you’re naming one as guardian to your children
• Your primary bank account information (checking and savings)
• Retirement and other investment account information
• Life insurance policy numbers
• Proof of ownership of assets (car title or deed to your home/land)
• The locations of the other assets you’re bequeathing (artwork, books, heirlooms, etc.)

Separately from filling out your will, make sure your executor has (or can obtain) the contact information for all your banks and utilities. For more tips, check out our estate planning checklist.

Compare Nolo's WillMaker estate planning services

Nolo’s WillMaker financial power of attorney

Financial power of attorney is when you give someone control over your finances so they can make financial decisions for you while you’re incapacitated. You are the principal, and the person you appoint is your attorney-in-fact. The WillMaker’s Plus and All Access plans offer power of attorney options, but the Starter plan does not.

Nolo’s WillMaker medical power of attorney and advance directive

Your medical power of attorney is someone you appoint to make your health care decisions when you cannot. An advance directive (AHCD) is a set of legal instructions ensuring your desired medical care if you cannot advocate for yourself. Some states require both, while others allow one form without the other.

 AHCDs cover your wishes, like whether to terminate a coma or if you want a feeding tube. AHCDs are often medical preferences that are listed in an established order. If something falls outside your AHCD list, that’s when medical professionals consult your medical power of attorney.

Nolo's WillMaker lets you handle health care directives under all its plan tiers.

Can you update your WillMaker will?

You should update your estate plan any time you gain or lose assets (e.g., moving from, buying, or losing a home), and any time someone named in your will precedes you in death. You also need to update your will any time you change, gain, survive, or lose a spouse. Moving to a different state should also trigger an update to your will.

On Nolo's WillMaker, you can update your will for free during the first year after purchase of a package. Nolo states that you will have access to your will even after that period, but you’ll need to pay an additional $40 to make changes after the first year is up.

Nolo's WillMaker customer service

Nolo's WillMaker scored a 10 out of 10 for its customer service. Its customer care center is available Monday through Friday at normal working hours. You can reach Nolo via phone at 800-728-3555 or email at customersupport@nolo.com.

Nolo's WillMaker satisfaction guarantee

Nolo does not have a satisfaction guarantee.

Nolo's WillMaker reviews

Nolo's WillMaker reviews are generally positive, though some reviewers reported customer service issues, and there are not enough reviews to earn ratings on every review platform. 

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredits Nolo with an A+. There are only three customer reviews on the BBB for Nolo, and none of them are for the will-making service.

Trustpilot ranked Quicken 4.6 out of 5 stars, based on 479 reviews. Since Trustpilot gives newer reviews more weight than older ones, this means many of Nolo Quicken’s most recent reviews are positive.

“I have used WillMaker in the past when moving to a new state or for life changes. I tried another service/product most recently but came back to WillMaker for my latest move. The current version is so much easier to use than any previous versions, [and] works on my Mac.”

ED R., VERIFIED CUSTOMER REVIEW (TRUSTPILOT.COM)

“I needed to update my 10-year-old will to reflect life changes and to adhere to laws in the state to which I had moved. I researched numerous will-making products, but I chose Quicken WillMaker's software because it contained all of the documents I needed. I found it to be very easy to use, and I'm confident my wishes will now be fully executed at the end of my life.”

PEGGY, VERIFIED CUSTOMER REVIEW (TRUSTPILOT.COM)

“Had a terrible experience with Nolo WillMaker support.”

NIELS, VIA EMAIL TO NCOA

“Without having any legal knowledge (re: the development of a will for estate purposes), this product was straightforward. It offered and explained all the relevant docs to prepare, and generally, it developed an outcome that I needed (which was a will document that I felt represented all that I needed for my estate planning and piece of mind).”

MIKE T., VERIFIED CUSTOMER REVIEW (TRUSTPILOT.COM)

Frequently asked questions

Is Nolo's WillMaker legit?

Yes, Nolo is a legitimate company with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. It partners with Quicken to offer estate planning services, so if you click on Nolo's site you might be redirected to Quicken's. This change of landing pages was jarring for one of our testers, but Nolo is a legitimate company.

What is Nolo Quicken WillMaker?

Nolo has a will-making partnership with Quicken called Nolo Quicken WillMaker.

What services does Nolo have?

Through its partnership with Quicken, Nolo lets you create a will, a trust, health care directives, powers of attorney, a temporary guardianship authorization, and additional death care literature.

Can you write a will online?

Yes, you can write a will online using certified online will makers.

Questions? Email us at reviewsteam@ncoa.org