WillSafe UK
vs the alternatives.
Six honest side-by-side comparisons against every major UK will-writing provider. We tell you when each one's actually the right call, not just when ours is. Current pricing, factual assessments, no marketing spin.
vs Farewill
Farewill is the UK's biggest online will writer. Here's an honest, side-by-side look at when each option makes sense.
vs Co-op
The Co-op's high-street brand backs a solicitor-written will service. Here's when it's worth the price.
vs Post Office
The Post Office Will Kit is the cheap pre-printed option. Here's why we charge a little more, and why it's worth it.
vs Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown's will service is bundled into their wealth management offering. Here's when it's relevant.
vs Honest Wills
Honest Wills is a direct competitor, online wills with solicitor checks. Here's how we differ.
vs Saga
Saga's will service targets the 50+ demographic. Here's how it compares to a modern DIY kit.
Pricing fact-checked monthly. Reply to richard@willsafe.org.uk with any corrections.
How we run these comparisons
Every comparison looks at the same five things, so you can read them side by side:
- Price, the full cost of getting a signed will, including any subscription, storage or update fees the headline price leaves out.
- What you actually receive, a template, a bespoke drafted document, or an online questionnaire, and whether you get an editable copy.
- Speed, from paying to holding a document you can sign with witnesses.
- Advice, whether a qualified person reviews your answers or drafts the will, or whether it is self-service like ours.
- Ongoing commitments, renewal charges, storage tie-ins and upsells you should know about before buying.
Prices are checked against each provider's public price list monthly and every comparison states when it was last reviewed. If a competitor changes its pricing and we have not caught it, email us and we will correct it.
Where WillSafe sits in the market
WillSafe UK sells self-help will kits for England and Wales: a professionally typeset template in PDF and Word, with plain-English guidance for every clause and full signing instructions under section 9 of the Wills Act 1837. You pay once, from £39.99, download instantly, and there are no subscriptions, renewal fees or storage tie-ins. We do not review your answers and we do not give legal advice, that is what keeps the price a fraction of a drafted will.
The market broadly splits three ways. Template kits (WillSafe, the Post Office kit, WHSmith-style forms) are the cheapest and fastest, and rely on you following the instructions carefully. Online will services (Farewill and similar) walk you through a questionnaire and often include a review, for a higher price and sometimes an annual update subscription, our Farewill alternative guide covers that comparison in depth. Solicitors cost the most but give regulated, insured advice, which is the right answer for complex estates. And if you want to see what happens when home-made wills go wrong, read real DIY wills that failed.
When we are honestly not the right choice
A template kit assumes a straightforward estate in England or Wales. If you own property abroad, have a blended family with competing claims, need trust provisions beyond the standard clauses, run a business or farm with relief planning to think about, or expect the will to be challenged, pay for a solicitor. Several of the comparisons below say exactly that, because it is true. Our guide on when you need a solicitor for a will and the cost breakdown in will kit vs solicitor cover the decision in detail. If you are choosing between kit formats first, start with the best DIY will kits compared.