Trust & Will vs GoodTrust: is the cheaper living trust missing anything you need?

Trust & Will and GoodTrust both sell the same core thing: a revocable living trust with a pour-over will, a health care directive and a financial power of attorney, made online by answering questions. The price gap is large. A trust costs $499 at Trust & Will and $149 in GoodTrust’s Estate+ plan, and for a couple the gap is wider still.

The useful question is what the extra money buys, and whether you need it. This page answers that from each company’s own pages and help centre, read on the date in the facts table. We have not bought either plan.

What does each cost?

	Trust & Will	GoodTrust
Living trust, one person	$499	$149
Living trust, couple	$599	$149 (each adult makes their own plan)
Other adults in the family	Each buys a plan	No extra cost
Updates after the first year	Optional $49/year membership	$39/year
Attorney option	+$299	None

Over three years, for one person who keeps the update option running:

	Trust & Will	GoodTrust
Buy once, never update	$499	$149
Keep updating for three years	$646	$227
Couple, keep updating for three years	$746	$227 if one update fee covers both (GoodTrust does not say)

The Trust & Will figures assume the Essentials membership is added from the start, at $49/year a year; it is optional, and Trust & Will’s help centre says you can choose “No, thanks” at checkout. The GoodTrust figures assume the plan covers year one and the update fee is paid in years two and three.

What do you get from Trust & Will that GoodTrust does not offer?

A longer refund window. Trust & Will’s help centre promises 30 days from purchase (its terms of service describe refunds more narrowly, which our Trust & Will review explains). GoodTrust offers 14 days from purchase, free-trial days included, and the trial counts toward it.

Downloads that do not depend on a subscription. Trust & Will’s free tier keeps your digital download; only editing needs the membership. GoodTrust says editing and downloading need an active subscription, and that after a refund Account drops to the Free plan; the will can no longer be downloaded. This is the difference most people miss.

Help finishing the trust. Trust & Will publishes partner prices for the jobs that come after the documents: a mobile notary at $170 to $210 and deed transfers at $140 per deed, plus recording fees. GoodTrust explains what funding is but publishes no deed or notary service.

A path to a lawyer. Trust & Will sells attorney support as an add-on, in its Pro membership at $299/year, and an attorney-drafted plan From $1,499. GoodTrust says it is not a law firm and offers no attorney service.

What do you get from GoodTrust that Trust & Will does not offer?

Family plans at no extra cost. Each adult family member can make their own plan at no extra cost. For a couple plus adult children, or adult children planning alongside their parents, this is a large saving. GoodTrust’s own pages disagree on the limit (unlimited on the pricing page, up to four complimentary accounts in the help centre), so ask if your family is large.

A digital vault for account details, passwords and instructions, which Trust & Will does not offer as a feature.

Separate funeral and pet directives in the plan.

A much lower price for documents that are, on paper, comparable.

How do they handle couples?

The structures differ:

• Trust & Will builds a couple’s trust according to state law: separate trusts in separate property states, a joint trust in community property states.
• GoodTrust says A joint trust is possible; each spouse needs a separate pour-over will.

Both approaches are common. Joint trusts are simpler to manage; separate trusts keep each spouse’s assets distinct, which some couples prefer, especially in a second marriage. If you are in a blended family, our blended families page explains why that matters more than the price.

Which states do they cover?

Trust & Will: All 50 states; no trusts in Louisiana. GoodTrust says Says valid in all 50 states; documents valid only in the U.S., and does not mention any state exclusion. If you live in Louisiana and want a trust, neither Trust & Will nor WillMaker will do; GoodTrust does not say it excludes Louisiana, but Louisiana’s civil law system is different enough that a local attorney is the safer route.

Which should you choose?

Choose GoodTrust if:

• Price matters most and you are comfortable without a lawyer.
• You will finish, download and sign everything in the first year.
• Several adults in your family need plans.
• You are comfortable retitling your house into the trust yourself, or with a local title company.

Choose Trust & Will if:

• You want to be able to download your documents years from now without paying again.
• You want help with deeds and notarising, at prices you can see in advance.
• You might want a lawyer’s input, now or later.
• You want a refund window long enough to read everything carefully.

Choose neither if all you need is a will, a health care directive and a power of attorney: FreeWill makes those for free. And if you want the cheapest trust with no ongoing link to an account at all, Quicken WillMaker & Trust’s download version is $149 once and keeps working indefinitely.

Before you buy either

1. Decide whether you need a trust at all. Our will or living trust page sets out when a will is enough.
2. List what goes into the trust: your house, accounts, and anything else you want out of probate.
3. Decide who will do the funding. If it is you, either service works. If you want it done for you, Trust & Will’s deed partner is the shortcut.
4. Note the refund deadline the day you buy.
5. Download and save everything as soon as it is finished, whichever you choose.