LegalZoom vs Rocket Lawyer for a will: one-time package or membership?
Pick LegalZoom if you want a will or trust package you buy once: the Basic Will is $129 and the Basic Trust $399, with nothing renewing, and Premium adds a year of attorney calls. Pick Rocket Lawyer if you need several legal documents this year or want written attorney answers cheaply: the Standard membership is $149/year and includes the will and trust templates. If you want a joint trust for a couple or help moving your house into a trust, LegalZoom is the only one of the two that offers either.
By Nora Whitfield, consumer researcher (not an attorney). Published . Based on the providers' published pricing and terms. How we check.
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Which one, for whom
LegalZoom is the better estate planning product: complete packages, couple pricing, a joint trust and a deed service. Rocket Lawyer is the better legal membership: cheaper attorney access and every other document you might need, with a will thrown in. Choose by whether you are buying an estate plan or a lawyer-on-call service.
Pick by situation
- A will or trust package, bought once: Basic Will and Basic Trust are one-time purchases; the trust package includes funding documents and a deed service is available. See LegalZoom plans
- A will plus cheap written attorney answers: Standard membership includes the will and trust templates, unlimited documents and written attorney questions. See Rocket Lawyer plans
| Item | LegalZoom | Rocket Lawyer |
|---|---|---|
| Refund window | 7 days after your estate plan is completed checked Nov 15, 2026 | Within 30 days of purchase, except where state law allows otherwise checked Nov 15, 2026 |
| Skip it if | Anyone who will not remember to cancel an auto-renewing attorney plan, or who only needs a basic will and no attorney time. | Anyone who only needs a will once and does not want a membership to cancel. |
LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer are the two names most people know in online legal services, and both will make you a will. But they sell it in opposite ways. LegalZoom sells estate planning packages: you pay for a will or trust tier, and the higher tiers bundle an attorney plan. Rocket Lawyer sells a membership: the will is one document among thousands, and you pay for access.
Which is cheaper depends almost entirely on how long you stay a member. This page lays out both models side by side. Every figure comes from each company’s own pages and terms, read on the date in the facts table. We have not bought either.
What does a will cost at each?
| LegalZoom | Rocket Lawyer | |
|---|---|---|
| Will alone, bought once | $129 (Basic Will) | Not offered; template inside a membership |
| Will plus powers of attorney and health care directive | $149 (Pro Will; attorney plan renews at $25/month after 30 days after 30 days) | Same membership |
| Will with a year of attorney access | $299 (Premium Will) | $149/year (Standard, yearly) |
| Living trust | $399 (Basic Trust) | Template inside the membership |
| Couple’s trust | $499 | Not published |
Rocket Lawyer has one way to pay nothing: make the will during the 7 days trial, download it and cancel before the trial ends. One trial per customer; card required; billed the day after the trial ends unless you cancel. If you are organised, that is the cheapest will from a known name. If you are not, our Rocket Lawyer review shows what a forgotten monthly membership costs: $1,259.64 over three years.
What does each cost over three years?
| Scenario | LegalZoom | Rocket Lawyer |
|---|---|---|
| Will only, nothing kept | $129 | Nothing, if cancelled in the trial |
| Will with attorney access for three years | $697 (Premium Will, renewed twice at $199/year attorney plan after year one) | $447 (Standard, yearly, three years) |
| Living trust, nothing kept | $399 | Nothing, if cancelled in the trial |
The pattern is clear: for one document bought once, LegalZoom’s Basic tiers are the predictable choice. For ongoing attorney access, Rocket Lawyer’s membership costs less, though what you get is different (see below).
How does attorney access compare?
| LegalZoom | Rocket Lawyer | |
|---|---|---|
| Written questions | Not the main format | 12 with yearly billing; 1 with monthly billing (Standard) |
| Phone or video calls | 30-minute consultations: 30 days with Pro, a year with Premium | 20-minute phone or video call; not included in Standard |
| Review of your estate plan | Annual one-hour review with Premium | Not packaged for estate plans |
| Advice on your situation | Through the plan’s attorneys | Paid session: $149 for 30 min; $249 for 60 min |
LegalZoom’s attorney access is built around your estate plan: calls while you draft, then an annual review. Rocket Lawyer’s is general: written answers on anything, from your will to a lease. Our page on online wills with attorney review compares every service’s attorney options.
What renews, and how do you stop it?
LegalZoom: only the attorney plans bundled with Pro and Premium. Its contract says the renewal reminder is About a week before billing, "as a courtesy only". Cancel Online in My Account, or by phone.
Rocket Lawyer: the membership. Monthly and yearly plans renew automatically until cancelled. Cancel online under Settings, Membership, Manage membership. After cancelling, Documents you made stay available in your account, but you cannot make new ones.
Refunds
| Rule | |
|---|---|
| LegalZoom estate plans | 7 days after your estate plan is completed |
| LegalZoom attorney plans | Within 30 days, unless you have had a consultation |
| Rocket Lawyer | Within 30 days of purchase, except where state law allows otherwise |
Trusts and couples: a clear difference
If you want a living trust as a couple, this comparison is short. LegalZoom sells a couple’s trust, One joint living trust with two pour-over wills, and a deed transfer service at $249, plus state filing fees. Rocket Lawyer’s trust page shows a single-grantor trust and we found no couple package or deed service. Rocket Lawyer does offer useful funding documents, such as a funding worksheet and a certification of trust.
Which should you choose?
Choose LegalZoom if:
- You want an estate plan bought once, with nothing to cancel (Basic tiers).
- You are a couple who wants a joint trust, or help moving your house into it.
- You want a lawyer on the phone while you draft and a yearly review (Premium).
Choose Rocket Lawyer if:
- You need other legal documents this year too: a lease, a contract, an LLC.
- You want a lawyer’s written answer to a specific question for little money.
- You are disciplined enough to make the will in the trial and cancel on time.
Choose neither if you want the cheapest complete plan for a family: Quicken WillMaker & Trust’s Plus plan at $149 covers your spouse and includes a trust. Or if your wishes are simple, FreeWill is free.
Before you buy
- Decide whether you want a package or a membership.
- If LegalZoom Pro or Premium: note the renewal date the day you buy.
- If Rocket Lawyer’s trial: set a reminder for day six, download everything, then cancel.
- Make the documents you need while you have access, including the health care directive and powers of attorney.
- Sign the will properly; our signing guide has the steps.
Questions people ask next
Is Rocket Lawyer cheaper than LegalZoom for a will?
Only if you make the will during Rocket Lawyer's free trial and cancel, or keep the membership for a short time. Rocket Lawyer does not publish a one-off price for a will. LegalZoom's Basic Will is $129 once. A Rocket Lawyer yearly membership kept for three years costs more than any LegalZoom will tier without its renewals.
Which has better attorney access?
Rocket Lawyer for written questions: 12 with yearly billing; 1 with monthly billing in the Standard membership. LegalZoom for phone calls tied to your estate plan: Premium includes a year of 30-minute consultations and an annual plan review. Rocket Lawyer's live calls need the Plus or Pro membership.
Can a couple use either?
LegalZoom sells couple pricing for wills and trusts, and its couple trust is One joint living trust with two pour-over wills. Rocket Lawyer does not publish a couple package, and its living trust page shows a single-grantor trust.
Which covers Louisiana?
Both say their wills work in all states. Rocket Lawyer publishes a Louisiana will form signed before a notary and two witnesses; LegalZoom says its wills and trusts are accepted in all 50 states.
Sources
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ by state and change; talk to a licensed attorney about your situation.