Last reviewed September 27, 2026

LegalWills.ca vs. FormalWill

Both are Canadian online Will services. FormalWill's Premium Will Plus bundles a Will, Powers of Attorney, and a year of changes for $79. LegalWills.ca gives you more choices in every Will, works in English or French anywhere in Canada, and keeps helping your family after you sign.

  • 4.7 on Trustpilot, from 6300+ reviews
  • Canadian, online since 2000
  • English and French
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LegalWills.ca or FormalWill? Here's the difference.

FormalWill's Premium Will Plus is a $79 bundle: a Will, Powers of Attorney, and documents for your assets and funeral wishes, with a year of changes.

LegalWills.ca lets you set a separate trust for each child and keep your Will up to date for life, and couples can make their Wills together. It works in English or French anywhere in Canada, and free Keyholders help the people you trust when the time comes.

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LegalWills.ca and FormalWill at a glance

Prices are in Canadian dollars. Ours are before tax; FormalWill's are as shown on its website.

How LegalWills.ca and FormalWill compare, as of September 27, 2026
What you are comparing Wills from $49.95CAD Start my Will FormalWill Premium Will Plus, $79
Price and updates
A Will $49.95CAD $79, in its bundle with Powers of Attorney
Will, Power of Attorney, and Living Will $99.95CAD, with MyFuneral and MyMessages $79, with asset and funeral documents
Wills for a couple $79.95CAD, with a Mirror Will tool $158 for two bundles; no couples plan
Future updates First year included, then optional: from $14.95CAD a year, or $59.95CAD once for life One year
Where it works
Provinces and territories All 13 All 13
Power of Attorney for property in New Brunswick and British Columbia Included Not offered
In French Anywhere in Canada English only
Québec Protection Mandate Included Not offered
Your Will
Guided questions With a live preview as you go A guided form, about 15 to 25 minutes
Backup Executors and beneficiaries Included Included
Trusts for children Set for each child, to any age up to 30 One age you choose for all minor children
Executors Up to 3, acting together More than one, with alternates
Wills for property in the US or the UK Expat Wills that work together Not offered; it suggests a lawyer
After you sign
Keyholder® access to your documents Free for up to 20 people, while your membership is active Not offered
Digital wallet cards Free, for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet Not offered
Funeral wishes and personal messages MyFuneral and MyMessages Funeral wishes; no personal messages
Help and security
Help from a legal professional Optional written review, $69.00CAD per document (outside Ontario) One-hour lawyer consultation, fee not published
Printed and mailed to you Print & Ship, $14.95CAD per document plus shipping Not offered
Two-step sign-in A code sent by text message Not offered
Support Toll-free line answered 24/7 Toll-free phone, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
Money-back guarantee 30 days Not offered
Rating on Trustpilot 4.7 from 6300+ reviews No Trustpilot listing
Online since 2000 About 2010

Where LegalWills.ca comes out ahead

More choices in every Will

A separate trust for each child, to any age up to 30, with payouts in stages if you wish. FormalWill's bundle sets one age for all minor children.

All of Canada, in English or French

Every document in all 13 provinces and territories, in English or French. FormalWill is English only, with no property Power of Attorney in New Brunswick or British Columbia.

Made for couples

Couples prices, and a Mirror Will tool that copies your choices into your partner's Will. FormalWill has no couples plan.

Property in other countries

Expat Wills for Canada, Québec, the US, and the UK that work together. FormalWill suggests a lawyer instead.

Help when the time comes

Keyholders you choose can unlock the documents and files you pick after your death. Adding them is free.

Extra security and support

Two-step sign-in, a toll-free line answered 24/7, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

A free wallet card for everyone you trust

Each Keyholder gets a digital card for Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, or as a PDF. When the time comes, it takes them straight to the documents you chose for them. FormalWill's terms say it may not keep a copy of your Will.

  • A QR code opens the Keyholder sign-in
  • A one-time code sent to their phone confirms it is really them
  • You decide what each Keyholder can see, and when
  • Apple Wallet
  • Google Wallet
  • PDF

What it costs over time

FormalWill's $79 bundle includes a year of changes, and it does not publish what changes cost after that. With LegalWills.ca, your first year of updates is included, and a membership after that is optional and never renews automatically.

A membership keeps your complete documents printable and your Keyholders' access active. The Will you have signed stays valid whether or not you renew.

$49.95CAD First year of updates included

For a Will. Keep updating it for life with a one-time $59.95CAD membership.

  • A Will, with updates for life$109.90CAD
  • Will, Power of Attorney, and Living Will$99.95CAD
  • The same, with updates for life$199.90CAD
  • The same, for a couple$149.95CAD
FormalWill
$79 One year of changes included

For its Premium Will Plus bundle: a Will, Powers of Attorney, and asset and funeral documents.

  • A Will, with updates for lifeNot offered
  • Will, Power of Attorney, and Living Will$79
  • The same, with updates for lifeNot offered
  • The same, for a couple$158

Our Premium package also includes MyFuneral and MyMessages. FormalWill's bundle includes asset and funeral wishes documents, and its property Power of Attorney is not available in New Brunswick or British Columbia.

What FormalWill does well

A fair comparison should say so. If your needs are simple, FormalWill may be the right choice for you.

  • Backup Executors and beneficiaries, guardians, and a trust for minor children in its bundle.
  • A low-priced $79 bundle: a Will, Powers of Attorney, and a year of changes.
  • A toll-free phone line and email on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
  • Clear advice on when to see a lawyer, and an optional one-hour lawyer consultation.
  • Help for Executors, starting with a free consultation.
  • About 16 years in business, and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Which one is right for you?

Choose LegalWills.ca if you

  • want to pay less for a Will with backups and trusts for children
  • want to keep your Will up to date for life, not just for a year
  • are a couple and want both your Wills for less
  • want your documents stored safely online, where the people you trust can reach them when the time comes
  • want a 30-day money-back guarantee
  • live in Québec, want your documents in French, or own property in the US or the UK
Start my Will
FormalWill

FormalWill may suit you if you

  • want a Will and Powers of Attorney for $79 with a year of changes, and live outside New Brunswick and British Columbia
  • would like the option of a one-hour consultation with a lawyer
  • want your Executor to be able to get help with probate from the same company
  • are comfortable printing and storing your documents yourself

When a lawyer or notary is the better choice

If you own a business, have a family member who will need long-term support, are separated, own significant property outside Canada, or have a large or complex estate, a lawyer (or a notary in Québec) can give you advice on your situation that an online Will on its own cannot. Our free questionnaire points you to a professional when that is the better route, and FormalWill gives similar advice.

A laughing family of four sitting together on their living room floor

Try LegalWills.ca free

Start your Will now and watch it take shape as you answer each question. You pay only when you are ready to download or print it, and our 30-day money-back guarantee applies.

Common questions

Still deciding? These are the questions people ask us most about FormalWill.

A woman writing notes at a table while a child uses a laptop beside her

A LegalWills.ca Will is $49.95CAD and includes backup plans, a separate trust for each child, up to three Executors, and a year of updates. At FormalWill, a Will with backups and a trust for children comes in its $79 Premium Will Plus bundle, which also includes Powers of Attorney and a year of changes.

FormalWill's Premium Will Plus is $79, and our Premium package is $99.95CAD. Both include a Will and Powers of Attorney. Ours also gives you more choices in your Will, every document in every province and territory in English or French, MyMessages, free Keyholders and wallet cards, a phone line answered 24/7, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Your purchase includes a year of unlimited updates. After that, a membership is optional: you can extend by a year, ten years, or for life whenever you like, and nothing renews automatically. A membership keeps your complete documents printable and your Keyholders' access active; without one, you can still make changes, but only the first page of each document prints. The Will you have signed stays valid whether or not you renew. FormalWill's bundle also includes a year of changes, and it does not publish what changes cost after that.

FormalWill says it serves every province and territory, but it works in English only and publishes no guidance specific to Québec. LegalWills.ca prepares a Will made in the presence of witnesses, a Protection Mandate, and a Power of Attorney for Québec, in French or English. We do not prepare notarial Wills. Our guide to Wills in Québec explains your options.

Keyholders are people you trust, such as your Executor, who can unlock the documents and files you choose after your death. Adding Keyholders is free. Each Keyholder can have a free digital wallet card, as a PDF or in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, with a QR code that takes them straight to the Keyholder sign-in; a one-time code sent to their phone confirms it is really them.

Yes. A Will from either service is valid when it is signed and witnessed as the law of your province or territory requires, and both give you signing instructions. LegalWills.ca takes part in the Law Society of Ontario's Access to Innovation program and the Law Society of British Columbia's Innovation Sandbox.
Sources for FormalWill's details, checked September 27, 2026

Information about other services comes from each company's own website and was checked on the date shown on each comparison. Services and prices change, so please check the details that matter most to you.

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