USA 路 Estate planning
The Best Online Will Makers for Unmarried Couples in 2026
If you are not married, your partner inherits nothing automatically. A will is the document that fixes that. Here are the online tools worth using, who each one is for, and the three documents a will alone does not cover.
For most unmarried couples, Trust & Will ($199, couples $299) is the best balance of ease and estate features, and its base plan already includes the POA, living will and HIPAA release a partner needs. Choose Quicken WillMaker ($109) if you want the cheapest complete kit, one purchase covers both partners. Pick Rocket Lawyer if you also need a cohabitation agreement or attorney access, and FreeWill if your estate is simple and your budget is zero. Prices verified July 2026.
How we make money. Some links below are partner links. If you buy or sign up through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our rankings or what we recommend, and we only list things we would point a friend to. See our editorial & sourcing policy.
The short version
- Default law leaves your partner out. With no marriage and no will, state intestacy rules pass everything to blood relatives. Your partner can get nothing, even after decades together.
- A will is necessary but not sufficient. You also want a durable financial power of attorney, a healthcare directive with a HIPAA release, and up-to-date beneficiary designations, because a will does not control who makes decisions while you are alive.
- Trust & Will is our overall pick for couples who want a clean, guided will plus easy partner-as-beneficiary setup.
- Online wills fit simple estates. Blended families, business interests, or estates near the federal or state tax thresholds usually need an attorney, not a template.
- Witnessing and notary rules vary by state. The tool drafts the document; you still have to sign it correctly for it to be valid.
On this page
- 01Why an unmarried partner needs a will
- 02Quick comparison
- 03The best online will makers
- 041. Trust & Will 路 best overall
- 052. LegalZoom 路 best with attorney support
- 063. Quicken WillMaker 路 best one-time software
- 074. Rocket Lawyer 路 best if you need more docs
- 085. FreeWill 路 best free option
- 096. LawDepot 路 best budget templates
- 10Can unmarried couples use the couples plans?
- 11Two wills, mirror wills, or joint?
- 12The five documents every couple needs
- 13The will-contest risk
- 14When to hire an attorney
- 15How we chose
Why an unmarried partner needs a will more than a spouse does
A married person who dies without a will is protected by the law: in every state, intestacy rules send a large share of the estate to the surviving spouse. An unmarried partner has no such backstop. If you die without a will, your state treats your partner as a legal stranger, and your assets pass to your closest blood relatives under intestate succession: parents, siblings, then more distant kin. No state’s intestacy statute names an unmarried partner as an heir, no matter how long you were together or whose name is on the rent.
That is the entire reason this category matters for couples like you. A will is the one document that overrides the default and lets you leave what you want to the person you actually share a life with. If you want the legal background first, read what happens when an unmarried partner dies without a will and our estate-planning checklist for unmarried couples.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Price (July 2026) | Couple pricing | POA + directive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trust & Will | Overall | $199 will 路 $499 trust | $299 couples will | Included in Will Plan | Visit |
| LegalZoom | Attorney support | $129 basic will | $229 two basic wills | Higher tiers | Visit |
| Quicken WillMaker | Value for a couple | $109 first year | No surcharge, covers both | Included | Visit |
| Rocket Lawyer | More documents | $149 / yr (7-day trial) | Docs for both via membership | Included | Visit |
| FreeWill | Free, simple estates | $0 | $0, each makes their own | Partial | Visit |
| LawDepot | Budget templates | ~$35 / mo or ~$108 / yr | Docs for both on subscription | Separate docs | Visit |
Every price checked against the provider鈥檚 own published pricing pages on July 3, 2026 (LawDepot hides pricing behind a trial, so its figures are from recent third-party checks and approximate). Vendors change prices, confirm at checkout. Partner links. Prices change, confirm on each provider鈥檚 site.
The best online will makers for unmarried couples
Every tool below can produce a valid will that names your partner. They differ on price model, how much hand-holding you get, and whether they also generate the power of attorney and healthcare directive that matter just as much for couples without marriage rights.
Editor鈥檚 pick
#1 路 Best overall
Trust & Will
Guided online wills and living trusts
Best for: Couples who want a clean, guided will and an easy way to name a partner as beneficiary and executor.
- Plain-English guided flow, finish in one sitting
- Name anyone as beneficiary or executor, partner included
- Will Plan includes the living will, HIPAA authorization and financial POA
- Couples Will Plan is $299, only $100 more than one plan
Pros
- Best-in-class interface
- Couple-friendly, no marriage assumptions
- The extra documents unmarried couples need are in the base price
Cons
- Pricier than free tools
- Optional membership renews at $49/yr
- Trust plan is a meaningful step up at $499
Buy it if you want the smoothest guided experience and may add a trust or POA later.
Skip it if your estate is very simple and you only need a basic will at zero cost.
Partner link 路 price checked, confirm current rate on the provider鈥檚 site
#2 路 Best with attorney support
LegalZoom
Established online legal services brand
Best for: People who want a recognizable brand and the option to talk to an attorney during the process.
- Will and living trust packages
- Independent attorney advice on Pro and Premium tiers
- Long track record and support
- Couples bundle at $229 for two basic wills
Pros
- Attorney access option
- Handles wills and trusts
- Strong brand trust
Cons
- Attorney-consult tiers auto-renew: $25/mo after Pro鈥檚 30 days, $199/yr after Premium鈥檚 first year
- Interface less modern than Trust & Will
Buy it if you value attorney access and a well-known name.
Skip it if you want the lowest price or the simplest flow.
Partner link 路 price checked, confirm current rate on the provider鈥檚 site
#3 路 Best value for a couple
Quicken WillMaker & Trust
Desktop and online software from Nolo
Best for: DIY couples who want every core document for both partners in a single purchase.
- Will, living trust, POA, healthcare directive included
- One license covers the whole household, no second-person charge
- Backed by Nolo legal editors
- Plus tier $149 adds the desktop app, All Access $219
Pros
- Cheapest complete document kit for two people
- No subscription needed after year one if your documents are done
- Trusted legal publisher
Cons
- Less hand-holding
- Ongoing access renews at $39.99/yr
- Software feels dated to some
Buy it if you both want all the key documents done in one weekend for one price.
Skip it if you want a guided web flow or live support.
Partner link 路 price checked, confirm current rate on the provider鈥檚 site
#4 路 Best if you need more than a will
Rocket Lawyer
Subscription legal documents and attorney access
Best for: Couples who also need a cohabitation agreement, POA, or other documents, not just a will.
- Hundreds of document templates
- Cohabitation agreement and POA included
- Attorney access on the higher tiers (Plus $249/yr, Pro $349/yr)
- 7-day free trial covers your first documents
Pros
- Great if you need several documents this year
- Attorney Q&A available
- Trial lets you draft before paying
Cons
- Subscription: cancel in the trial window or it bills for the year
- Overkill for a single will
Buy it if you need a will plus a cohabitation agreement or other legal docs this year.
Skip it if you only need one will and nothing else.
Partner link 路 price checked, confirm current rate on the provider鈥檚 site
#5 路 Best free option
FreeWill
Free online wills, funded by nonprofit partners
Best for: Couples with simple estates who want a valid will at no cost as a starting point.
- Genuinely free will creation, no credit card asked
- Quick guided questionnaire
- Name a partner as beneficiary
- Funded by 2,400+ nonprofit partners hoping you add an optional charitable bequest
Pros
- Costs nothing
- Fast and simple
- Transparent business model, no data selling
Cons
- Limited to simpler estates
- Fewer advanced estate features
- Financial POA coverage is thinner than the paid kits
Buy it if your situation is straightforward and budget is the priority.
Skip it if you need a trust, complex bequests, or bundled POA and directive.
Partner link 路 price checked, confirm current rate on the provider鈥檚 site
#6 路 Best budget templates
LawDepot
Low-cost legal document templates
Best for: People comfortable filling in templates who want the cheapest paid route to several documents.
- Last will plus many other templates
- Cohabitation agreement available
- Per-document or subscription options
- Straightforward fill-in flow
Pros
- Cheap for multiple documents
- Wide template library
- No long commitment on per-document pricing
Cons
- Less guidance
- The 7-day trial auto-converts to the monthly plan, a common complaint
- Pricing is hidden until you start a trial
Buy it if you want the lowest paid price and are comfortable with templates.
Skip it if you want guidance, polish, or attorney input.
Partner link 路 price checked, confirm current rate on the provider鈥檚 site
Also on the radar: GoodTrust (around $149) and U.S. Legal Wills (from around $50) appear in other 2026 roundups and look legitimate. We have not yet verified their partner-beneficiary flows or current pricing first-hand, so they sit outside the ranked list rather than getting a guessed rating.
Can unmarried couples use the cheaper "couples" plans?
This is the question every big review site skips, and it decides whether you pay once or twice. The answer from the vendors’ own published pricing, checked July 2026: the couples tiers are sold as couples plans, not spouse plans. Trust & Will’s Couples Will is $299, exactly $100 more than one $199 plan, so buying two individual plans would cost you $99 more for nothing. LegalZoom’s Basic couples bundle is $229 against $129 solo. And Quicken WillMaker quietly wins the whole category here: it does not charge for a second person at all, so one $109 purchase covers complete documents for both of you.
Nothing on any of these pricing pages restricts the couples tier to married partners. We have not run every signup flow end to end, so if a flow ever assumes spouses, the fallback is painless and legally identical: buy two individual wills.
Two wills, mirror wills, or a joint will?
Make two separate wills. A joint will, one document covering both of you, is inflexible after the first death and most modern tools will not even produce one. What couples actually want is a pair of mirror wills: two individual documents with reciprocal terms, each naming the other partner as primary beneficiary and executor, each signed and witnessed on its own. Every tool on this page works this way, and the couples tiers above are simply two linked mirror wills at a discount.
A will is one of five documents every unmarried couple needs
A will only takes effect when you die, and it only controls assets that pass through your estate. For unmarried partners, four other documents matter just as much, because without marriage you have no automatic authority over each other while you are alive.
The unmarried-couple estate kit
- Will: directs who inherits your estate. Names your partner, who would otherwise get nothing.
- Durable financial power of attorney: lets your partner manage money and bills if you are incapacitated.
- Healthcare directive / medical proxy: lets your partner make medical decisions. Without it, hospitals defer to blood relatives.
- HIPAA authorization: the hospital privacy release. Without it, staff can legally refuse to tell your partner anything about your condition.
- Beneficiary designations: retirement accounts and life insurance pass by designation, not by will. Keep your partner named and current.
Buy the bundle, not just the will
The contest risk nobody warns unmarried couples about
When an unmarried person leaves an estate to a partner, the people disinherited by that will, usually parents and siblings, are exactly the people with legal standing to challenge it. Undue-influence claims against a surviving partner are a classic probate fight. You cannot make a will contest-proof, but you can harden it: follow your state’s witnessing rules to the letter, add a self-proving affidavit (a notarized witness statement most of these tools support, which makes the will far easier to admit to probate), keep the document current after big life changes, and consider a no-contest clause where your state enforces them. Better still, move what you can outside the will entirely: beneficiary designations, transfer-on-death deeds and joint titling pass automatically at death and are much harder to attack than a will.
When to skip the software and hire an attorney
- Your estate is near the federal or your state estate-tax threshold.
- You have a blended family, minor children, or potential will contests.
- You own a business, rental property, or assets in multiple states.
- You want a trust with specific control over how and when a partner inherits.
How we chose (and what we did not do)
The bottom line
Common questions
Can an unmarried partner inherit without a will?
Can unmarried couples buy the cheaper couples plans?
We have been together for years. Does common-law marriage protect us?
Is an online will legally valid?
Should we each make our own will or a joint one?
Do we also need a power of attorney?
What about our retirement accounts and life insurance?
Is a free will good enough?
Can these tools make a cohabitation agreement too?
How often should we update our wills?
Sources & further reading
- 1.Cornell Law School LII: intestate succession (what happens with no will)
- 2.Nolo: estate planning for unmarried partners
- 3.Nolo guide to intestate succession
- 4.CFPB: managing someone else鈥檚 money (powers of attorney)
- 5.IRS estate tax overview
- 6.Trust & Will pricing (verified July 3, 2026)
- 7.LegalZoom last-will pricing (verified July 3, 2026)
- 8.Quicken WillMaker pricing (verified July 3, 2026)
- 9.Rocket Lawyer pricing (verified July 3, 2026)
- 10.FreeWill (verified free, July 3, 2026)
Keep reading
Unmarried partner died without a will: can I inherit?
What intestacy law does to an unmarried partner, state by state.
Read guideEstate planning checklist for unmarried couples
The full document kit and the order to do it in.
Read guideWill vs trust for unmarried couples
When a simple will is enough and when a trust earns its cost.
Read guideNaming your partner as a beneficiary
The designations that override your will, and how to get them right.
Read guide