"Should I use a solicitor or an online will service?" is one of the most common questions we hear, and the honest answer is: it depends on what your estate looks like, how much hand-holding you want, and how much you're willing to spend. Both routes can produce a valid, professionally-drafted will. They simply suit different people.
This guide compares the two fairly. We'll explain what each route actually involves in 2026, where each one shines, where each one struggles, and how to tell which suits you.
What you're actually buying in each case
Whether you go online or to a solicitor, the end product is the same legal thing: a document that complies with Wills Act 1837 section 9 — written, signed by you in the presence of two adult witnesses who are not beneficiaries, then signed by each witness in your presence. The law doesn't care whether the words were typed by a partner at a high-street firm or generated from an online questionnaire. What differs is the journey to get there.
A solicitor sells you their time and judgement. You typically pay for a 30-60 minute consultation, the drafting, a review meeting, and witnessing. You're also paying for the regulatory framework — solicitors are regulated by the SRA, carry professional indemnity insurance, and can be complained about to the Legal Ombudsman.
An online guided will builder sells you a software-led process. The system asks plain-English questions, builds the will from your answers, and produces a printable document with witnessing instructions. You can pause, restart, edit, and revisit. The good services are designed by qualified will-writers and continuously reviewed by them.
What each route costs in 2026
Solicitor pricing varies hugely by region and firm:
- Standard single will: £200-£500
- Mirror wills (couples): £350-£800
- Will with a trust or complex drafting: £600-£1,500+
- Hourly rates for further work: £150-£350+ depending on seniority
Online services are typically:
- Standard single will: £40-£90
- Mirror wills (couples): £80-£150
- Annual updates option: £10-£20 per year
- No charge until you download with most guided builders
There's a full breakdown in our 2026 will pricing guide, including the "free" wills offered by banks (which usually come with strings attached).
When a solicitor is the right call
There are situations where it's worth paying for face-to-face professional advice:
- Trust-based drafting — life-interest trusts, discretionary trusts, or disabled-person trusts.
- Business succession — you own a company and need to think about Business Relief and shareholder agreements.
- Foreign assets — property in another jurisdiction with its own succession rules.
- A complex blended family with a real risk of dispute, especially where you want to protect children from a previous relationship.
- A large estate likely to face significant inheritance tax planning decisions.
- Concerns about capacity — if there's any doubt about mental capacity, a solicitor's involvement (and a contemporaneous capacity assessment) is invaluable evidence later.
In each of these cases, the upside of bespoke legal judgement clearly outweighs the cost. For complex estates, we recommend you seek assistance from a Trusted Hands Advisor or your own legal advice.
When an online builder is the right call
For the majority of UK adults, a guided online builder is faster, cheaper, and produces a will that's just as legally valid:
- Straightforward family situations — leaving everything to your spouse, then to your children equally.
- You know who your executors should be and they've agreed to act.
- Single people leaving an estate to siblings, nieces, nephews or charities.
- Couples writing mirror wills — you both want the same thing and don't need bespoke trust drafting.
- Updating a will after a small change — new grandchild, change of executor, change of beneficiary.
- Estate under the £325,000 nil-rate band with limited IHT planning needed.
If that prompts you to act, start your will online with Trusted Hands — it takes 15-30 minutes and you only pay when you download.
What about safety and oversight?
This is where the real comparison happens, and it's not as one-sided as you might think.
Solicitors are regulated by the SRA and carry indemnity insurance. If a solicitor drafts a negligent will and a beneficiary suffers a loss, they can claim against the firm. That's genuine protection. The flip side: most will disputes don't arise from drafting errors at all — they arise from family circumstances, and a solicitor can't predict those.
Reputable online builders are typically backed by qualified will-writers, follow a tightly-controlled question flow that prevents most common drafting errors, and produce identical wording every time. The risk of a clause being misunderstood is lower than with a freeform-typed solicitor will. Many offer human review as an optional add-on for borderline cases.
The genuine risk in the online space is the bottom end of the market — auto-generated PDFs from generic templates with no proper question flow. We've covered that in our hidden risks of cheap will services article.
How long does each take?
A guided online will is typically a 15-30 minute session at a kitchen table. If you have all your information to hand, you can start and finish in one sitting.
A solicitor will is usually:
- Initial consultation (often a couple of weeks' wait).
- Draft sent through (1-3 weeks).
- Review meeting and signing (another visit).
End-to-end, three to six weeks is normal — sometimes longer if the firm is busy.
What about updates later?
This is one of the most under-discussed differences.
With a solicitor, every update — new beneficiary, change of executor, change of address — usually means a new appointment and a new fee. Many people end up living with an out-of-date will because updating it feels like a hassle.
A good online builder lets you log back in and re-issue the will at any time. Trusted Hands offers an annual updates option for around £12 a year, so you can keep the will accurate as life changes. Our when to update your will guide covers the typical triggers.
> Not sure which route fits you? If your estate is straightforward, the Trusted Hands guided builder is free to start. You only pay when you're ready to download. Begin your will →
> Ready to start your will? Trusted Hands turns these decisions into a 15-30 minute guided builder. Start free → — only pay when you download.
Frequently asked questions
Is an online will less legally valid than a solicitor will?
No. The Wills Act 1837 doesn't distinguish between drafting routes. Both produce a valid will provided the signing and witnessing requirements are met. See our is an online will legally binding explainer for the details.
Can I use an online service and have a solicitor review it?
Yes — many people do. You can complete a guided will online, print the draft, and ask a solicitor to review it for an hour's fee. That can be a sensible middle path for borderline cases.
Are solicitor wills better protected from disputes?
Marginally — a solicitor's contemporaneous notes can be evidence of capacity and intent if the will is later challenged. But disputes are usually about family relationships, not drafting, and a will from any reputable provider can be evidence in the same way.
Can I switch from a solicitor will to an online one (or vice versa)?
Yes. Whichever route you took before, your new will revokes the old one provided it includes a clear revocation clause (every reputable provider includes this).
What if my circumstances are partly simple, partly complex?
Use a guided builder for the bulk and bring in a solicitor for the specific complex element — for instance, a business interest. Most online builders flag the points where bespoke advice is worth seeking.
Ready to write your will?
Trusted Hands is a guided, plain-English will builder. You answer simple questions, see your draft as you go, and only pay when you're ready to download.
- Free to start — no card details to begin
- Smart Will Engine — only asks what's relevant to your situation
- Fixed price — no hourly bills, no surprises
- Annual updates option — keep your will editable as life changes