How We Test Estate Planning

At NCOA, our mission is to improve the lives of older adults. One way we can do that is by recommending resources to help you feel confident in your choices. Testing online estate planning is important because these webpages play a key role in guiding users through high-stakes, emotionally sensitive, and legally complex decisions. There are dozens of websites advertising online estate planning. These sites charge a vast range of fees for their services, with varying credibility.  

To determine which estate planning sites are worth your time and money, we began by surveying the online estate planning landscape and looked for things like a track record of longevity, transparent pricing, satisfaction guarantees, and clear access to legal or customer support when questions came up.

Once we chose which platforms to test, we signed up just like any user would. We appreciated when companies added layers of identity verification to protect sensitive personal and financial data. Then, we had an experienced estate planning lawyer check our work. He gave us extensive feedback on our final documents, noting areas for improvement and areas where each program excelled.

As part of our testing process, we looked at:

• Was the sign-up process easy? Were the instructions clear?
• What documents were necessary to have on hand before starting? Were those documents clearly listed? 
• Was there a number to call or a way to get help in each step of the process?
• How long did it take to create a will? Were there areas that were confusing?
• What other legal documents does the site offer? Does it offer any bundles or allow users to make other documents for free?
• Were there security measures in place to protect data? Does the site offer secure digital storage?

How we rank and review estate planning programs

Creating a high-quality estate planning service is complex. The best platforms set themselves apart with a combination of trust, accessibility, ease of use, and value. When reviewing each provider, here’s what we evaluated:

• Customer service (15% of score): We looked for services that offered multiple contact options, including live chat, phone, and/or email. We also rewarded companies that offered expert help available seven days a week. Timely, human support is especially important when navigating legal questions or uploading sensitive information.
• Brand reputation (15% of score): We considered how long each company had been in business, their transparency around legal disclaimers, and whether we found any red flags (such as unresolved lawsuits or security breaches) during our research.
• User experience (35% of score): We awarded higher marks to platforms with clear, user-friendly workflows that make creating wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives simple, even for those new to estate planning. Bonus points went to services that offered helpful educational content, document previews, and the ability to update plans as life changes.
• Affordability (35% of score): We compared overall pricing, including one-time vs. subscription models, hidden fees, and state filing costs. We also examined whether platforms offered free document storage, discounts for couples, or a money-back guarantee, all of which affect the long-term value of the service.