Last verified: March 2026 (England & Wales)If you are comparing Will writers, comparing quotes, or wondering whether a lower price is really better value, the key question is not simply “Who is cheapest?” The better questions are “Who is actually doing the work, what is included, and how likely is this to do the job properly when my family eventually needs it?” A Will is unusual. You pay for it now, but the true test may come years later. By then, mistakes can be expensive, stressful, and difficult to put right. That is why choosing a Will writer on headline price alone can be a false economy.
Quick-read summary• Compare like for like, not just the starting price. • Ask who will actually draft your Will. • Check whether the provider belongs to a recognised professional body and has a clear complaints process and insurance. • Make sure the full price is clear before you commit, including any optional extras. • Be cautious if you are pushed too quickly toward storage, subscriptions, executor appointments, or trust wording before your circumstances have been properly understood. • A good provider should make the important answers easy to find, not leave you guessing. If you are already comparing quotes, the next step is not necessarily another quote. It is a better comparison.• Start with a short call • Ask the same core questions of each provider • Compare scope, accountability, and future cost, not just the starting fee
A Will is not judged on the day you buy it. It is judged later, when your family has to rely on it.
What you are really buyingA Will writing service should be more than a document with names and percentages dropped into a template. In practice, you are usually paying for fact-finding, judgment, drafting, checking, explanation, signing support, and a level of accountability. The more complicated your family, property, or wishes, the more that wider service matters. A cheaper service can be perfectly reasonable if your circumstances are genuinely simple and the limits of the service are explained clearly. A more expensive service can still be poor value if the advice is vague, the drafting is rushed, or the fee only looks attractive until extras start appearing. The useful question is not “Can somebody write me a Will for less?” Of course they can.The better question is “What am I getting for the money, and does it actually match my needs?”
What to ask before you say yesAsk these questions plainly. A good provider should be comfortable answering them.
• Who will actually draft my Will? • Is the person I first speak to the person doing the work, or is it likely to be passed elsewhere? • Is this a genuinely personal service, or mainly a template with light editing? • What is included in the quoted fee, and what would cost extra? • Do you belong to a recognised professional body with a code of conduct? • What is your complaints process? • Do you carry professional indemnity insurance? • Will you explain the draft to me in plain English before I sign it? • Are any extra services genuinely optional? • If storage is offered, what does it include, what does it cost, and how do I get my documents back? • If you want to act as executor, what might that cost my estate later? • Do you publish your terms and conditions clearly?
A provider worth trusting should not treat those as awkward questions. Solicitor, Will writer, or online service?This is where many buyers get sidetracked.A solicitor is not automatically the right fit simply because they are a solicitor. Equally, a Will writer is not automatically the right fit simply because they are cheaper. An online service is not automatically wrong simply because it is online. What matters is whether the person handling your Will is experienced in Wills and estate planning, understands the wider implications, asks the right questions, and explains the options clearly. Some solicitor firms do this work very well. Some specialist Will writers do this work very well. Some online routes may suit very simple circumstances if you understand their limits and are content to accept the risks.Also remember this. In some businesses, the person you first speak to is not necessarily the person who drafts the Will. That is not automatically a problem, but it is a sensible question to ask. You are entitled to know who is doing the technical work.
Job title alone does not answer the quality question. The real test is experience, scope, accountability, and whether the service fits your circumstances.
Why cheap can become expensiveSaving a few hundred pounds can be sensible if the service is genuinely comparable. It can also be a false economy if key points are missed, explanations are thin, or your family situation was never properly explored in the first place. A Will that looks simple on the surface can become more sensitive where any of these apply:• a second marriage or blended family • children from different relationships • an unmarried partner • a house that is the main asset • a beneficiary who is vulnerable, in debt, or bad with money • a wish to delay inheritance beyond age 18 • the need to exclude someone or explain a difficult family decision • concern about sideways disinheritance after the first death
None of that automatically means you need a complex Will. It does mean the person advising you should be doing more than asking who gets what. Optional extras: sensible, unnecessary, or simply too early?Optional extras are not automatically bad. Some are useful. The issue is whether they are clearly explained, genuinely optional, and sensibly priced. Professional executor appointmentsSometimes a professional executor is appropriate. Often it is not necessary at the outset. If a provider wants to be appointed as executor, ask what that could cost your estate later and whether your family would have a realistic alternative. StorageProfessional storage can be sensible. An ongoing charge is not automatically a problem if the arrangement is clear and the service is worthwhile. The real questions are what is included, how documents are retrieved, what happens if you later want them back, and whether any ongoing cost has been explained clearly from the outset. Update plans or subscriptionsSome clients like the reassurance of regular reviews. Others pay for plans they rarely use. Check how the arrangement works before committing.
Trust wordingTrusts can be very useful in the right case. They can also be introduced too quickly. If trust wording is suggested, you should come away understanding the purpose in plain English and why it is being recommended for your circumstances.
Optional extras should still feel optional.
How Fern Wills & LPAs approaches thisI believe clients should be able to check the important points without digging. That is why Fern Wills & LPAs publishes clear information about Services & Fees, Complaints Policy, Insurance Cover Summary (PI & PL), Compliance, and Document Storage, so you can assess the service on more than a headline figure. If you are speaking to several providers, that is fine. Just compare like for like. The question is not who sounds nicest on the phone. It is who gives you the clearest, most proportionate, and most accountable service for your circumstances. If you already have a quote from elsewhere and want a second pair of eyes on it, that is often the quickest way to see whether the apparent saving is real or only superficial.• Fixed written fees • England & Wales • Home, phone, or video appointments • Complaints Policy and Insurance Cover Summary (PI & PL) publishedCases
“The low quote that changed halfway through”A caller thought he had found a bargain. The starting quote looked attractive, but once the conversation progressed, there were extra charges for home attendance, mirror wording, storage, and anything beyond the most basic draft. The issue was not that extras existed. It was that the real price only became clear once he was already engaged.
“The title that sounded reassuring”A client felt more comfortable because the business name sounded formal and established. Once she asked direct questions, it turned out she was still not sure who would actually draft the Will, what level of review was included, or who would deal with issues if something went wrong. A reassuring label had given confidence, but not real clarity.
“The simple Will that was not simple at all”A widower wanted to leave everything to his second wife and then to his children. On paper, that sounded straightforward. In reality, it raised questions about the house, future remarriage, and whether his children from the first marriage were properly protected. The value came not from filling in names, but from spotting the wider picture.
“The executor clause that nobody focused on”A couple agreed to a Will package and only later realised the provider expected to act as executor on both estates. That had been presented as routine. It might have been suitable, but they had not really understood the likely future cost or whether their children would have flexibility later. “The higher quote that made more sense”Another client compared several providers and chose neither the cheapest nor the most expensive. The winning quote was the clearest. It explained who would do the work, what checks were included, how the draft would be explained, what optional extras were genuinely optional, and what support existed afterwards. What she bought was not just a document. It was clarity.
Do I need a solicitor to write my Will?Not necessarily. The better question is whether the person handling your Will is experienced in Wills and estate planning, asks the right questions, explains things clearly, and offers a service that matches your circumstances.
Is the cheapest quote always a warning sign?No. Some situations really are straightforward. The concern is when the low price only applies to a narrow service, and the true scope or full cost stays unclear until later.
Should I avoid all optional extras?No. Some extras are sensible. The point is that they should be properly explained, genuinely optional, and proportionate to your needs.
What if I already have a quote from somewhere else?That is often the ideal point to compare properly before you commit. Ask who drafts the Will, what is included, what is optional, what accountability exists, and what the total price is likely to be. A sensible comparison at that stage can help you decide before signing up, rather than paying first and trying to validate the decision afterwards. What is the biggest mistake buyers make?Treating Wills as a commodity. Price matters, but so do judgment, explanation, drafting quality, and the wider consequences if something important has been missed.
This article is general information only, not individual advice. If you’d like help applying this to your circumstances, we can guide you through the options. Next stepsIf you are comparing providers now, compare like for like and ask better questions before deciding. If you already have an older Will and want to check whether it still fits your current circumstances, see Will MOT (Review and Update). If you want a broader explanation of the value of proper drafting, see Why a professionally written Will matters.
If your home is your main asset, we will also confirm how it is owned, because that can affect what a Will can achieve.
