{"id":1888,"date":"2025-02-05T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalwills.ca\/blog\/?p=1888"},"modified":"2026-06-09T13:06:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:06:02","slug":"free-will-kit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalwills.ca\/blog\/free-will-kit\/","title":{"rendered":"The Free Will Kit: why they are not such a great idea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Originally published: September 9, 2016 | Last updated: February 5, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TL;DR:<\/strong> “Free” Will kits come in three varieties, and none deliver what they promise. Some are bait-and-switch services that charge hidden fees, others produce dangerously incomplete documents, and still others generate revenue by selling your personal data. A quality online Will from LegalWills.ca costs $49.95 with no hidden fees, produces comprehensive province-specific documents, and includes customer support.\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The internet presents multiple websites which give people access to free Will templates and free Will kit resources. For something as important as your Last Will and Testament, \u201cfree\u201d should raise immediate red flags. The creation of legal documents needs continuous development work and legal assessment and regional adjustments and protected systems and client assistance which all require payment for their provision. Our analysis reveals three distinct types of \u201cfree\u201d Will services, each with its own problems.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The internet is full of services offering “free” Will kits and templates. For something as important as your Last Will and Testament, “free” should raise immediate red flags. A quality legal document requires ongoing development, legal review, province-specific customization, secure infrastructure, and customer support, none of which are free to provide. Our analysis reveals three distinct types of “free” Will services, each with its own problems.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The \u201cFree\u201d Will Kit That Is Not Actually Free<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These services advertise a free Will but charge for essential features. You might create a basic Will for free, but downloading, printing, or accessing the completed document requires a payment. Some charge for “premium” clauses that are actually standard legal provisions (like trust clauses for minors or alternate beneficiary designations). Others require a monthly subscription that quickly exceeds the cost of a proper one-time service. Customer reviews of these services consistently reflect frustration with hidden charges and bait-and-switch pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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These services provide a free Will but they require customers to pay for vital functional elements of their service. You could create a basic Will document without cost but the process of downloading and printing and retrieving the finished document needs you to pay. The service providers ask customers to pay for their “premium” clauses which actually consist of basic legal elements including trust clauses for minors and alternate beneficiary designation options. The services require customers to pay monthly fees which become more expensive than buying a proper service once. The customers of these services show ongoing anger because they find out about costs which appeared suddenly and deceptive price presentation methods.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some services genuinely offer free Wills, but the documents are dangerously incomplete. They typically provide a bare-bones template with minimal clauses, no province-specific customization, no trust provisions for minors, no alternate beneficiary designations, and no executor powers. These documents may technically be “Wills,” but they omit critical legal provisions that protect your family. A comprehensive Will from LegalWills.ca includes all standard clauses that estate lawyers include: executor powers, trust provisions, residual estate distribution, alternate beneficiaries, and province-specific requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The \u201cFree\u201d Will Kit That Produces Terrible Documents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are not paying for the product, you are the product. Some free Will services generate revenue by collecting and selling your personal information, your name, address, family details, financial situation, and health status. This is some of the most sensitive personal data imaginable, being gathered under the guise of estate planning and shared with third parties for marketing or other purposes. Always read the privacy policy of any Will service, and be especially cautious of services that require extensive personal information before you can see the final product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free Will services offer documents which lack vital components that make them dangerous to use. The service provides customers with a basic document which contains few legal clauses and lacks any regional modifications for provinces and fails to include trust protection for children and backup beneficiary options and funeral director appointment powers. The documents exist as official Wills yet they lack vital legal elements which defend your family members. LegalWills.ca offers a complete Will which contains all the fundamental provisions that estate lawyers typically include: executor authority, trust establishment rules, distribution of remaining estate assets, backup beneficiary options, and specific requirements for different provinces.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The $49.95 fee at LegalWills.ca covers the actual cost of providing a quality service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n