Online wills in New Zealand: what they cost and how they compare

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

An online will is a will drafted through a website's guided questions instead of at a lawyer's desk. It is only legally effective once it is signed and witnessed as the Wills Act 2007 requires: in writing, signed by you, and signed in front of at least two witnesses who are together when you sign or acknowledge your signature (s11). Public Trust lists online wills at $69, $99 and $159 by tier, in a price note marked "as of 2 October 2025" (Public Trust: Online wills). QuoteHub also offers a free will, which that page describes as included with cover.

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How does an online will work?

Public Trust describes the process this way: you create the will online and "only pay once your will and/or Enduring Power of Attorney documents are ready"; a basic will can take "as little as 30 minutes" and rarely more than 60 to 90 minutes; the will "has to be dated, signed and witnessed in person by two independent people who are not named in the will or related to anyone in the will". Its will packages include a free update every year. A legal expert's review of your will is a paid optional extra, which must be completed before you download and sign, and its price is not shown on the pricing page (Public Trust: Making a will pricing; Public Trust: Online wills, read 20 October 2026).

We looked for other online will providers to compare. When we checked on 20 October 2026, the pages of Footprint's site that would show its prices displayed "Down for Maintenance". We do not list prices for services we could not read, so check any other provider's current terms yourself.

How do the main routes compare?

Route	Published cost	What you get	Lawyer review
Public Trust online will	Basic $69, Standard $99, Comprehensive $159; mirror will for a partner from $66 extra (price note as of 2 October 2025)	Guided questions, will wording, a free yearly update	Optional paid extra, price not shown
Public Trust signing appointment	$68 per will	Signing and witnessing in person with a Public Trust expert	Not part of the fee
QuoteHub free will	Included with cover; see the free will page for terms	A basic will; see that page for what it covers	None
DIY template or kit	Kits "for $20 or less", according to Public Trust	A form you fill in yourself	None
Law firm (PK Law, excluding GST)	$750 single / $1,250 couple (simple); $1,500 / $2,750 (more complex); $2,500 / from $4,450 (most complex)	A will drafted for your facts	Included

Sources: Public Trust pages above; PK Law: Pricing, undated, read 20 October 2026. Public Trust's couple prices were not on the pages we read on 20 October 2026, so check its current price list. Our making a will guide compares them in more detail and the Public Trust wills guide covers that provider alone.

What makes an online will valid?

The Wills Act 2007 has no separate category for online wills. The same rules apply to every will (Wills Act 2007, read 20 October 2026):

You must be 18 or over, with narrow exceptions (s9 and s10).
The will must be in writing and signed by you, or by someone else at your direction in your presence (s11).
At least two witnesses must be together in your presence when you sign or acknowledge your signature, and each must sign in your presence (s11).
An executor may witness, and a witness need not know the document is a will (s12).
A gift to a witness, or to their spouse or partner, is void unless an exception applies, such as at least two other unconnected witnesses (s13). There is no general "independent witness" rule in the Act, but the careful course, and the one Public Trust tells you to follow, is to use two adults aged 18 or over who are not beneficiaries and are not related to a beneficiary.

The Act lets the High Court validate an informal document that expresses testamentary intentions (s14), but that is an expensive rescue, not a plan. We did not find a source confirming that an electronic signature satisfies s11, so print the will and sign it by hand in front of both witnesses, as Public Trust's process requires.

Why keep the signed original?

The High Court needs it. The Ministry of Justice's probate guide says the court requires the original will because copies can be changed, and it asks executors to check there are no staple marks or signs that pages were removed. Executors must send the original will to the court even when they file electronically. A will that exists only as a file on your computer, or as a scan, is not what the court asks for. Keep the signed original somewhere safe and tell your executor, or a lawyer or trust company, where it is. If your family later cannot find it, see how to find a will.

Where do online tools stop being enough?

Public Trust itself says its three online tiers depend on "how complex your requirements are" (Public Trust: DIY will kits), and PK Law prices a will higher where there are active companies, businesses, trusts, blended-family issues or overseas assets. Which route fits depends on your situation:

Your situation	Online will	Lawyer worth the cost
Single, simple assets, one executor	Often fine	Not usually
Couple with matching wishes	Mirror will option	Optional
Children under 18 who should not inherit outright	Check for a trust option	Likely: see testamentary trusts
Blended family, uneven shares	Comprehensive tier at most	Likely
Business, family trust or overseas assets	Risky	Yes; see family trusts
Disinherit or exclude a close relative	Risky	Yes; see contesting a will

None of this tells you what to do, because it depends on your family. A relationship change can undo a will too: marriage or a civil union revokes a will unless it was made in contemplation of that marriage (s18), and after a dissolution or separation order, gifts and appointments to the former partner are void unless the will shows otherwise (s19).

Steps to complete an online will properly

List your assets, debts, the people you want to benefit and who will carry out the will; Community Law notes that executors are paid only if the will provides for it. Read what an executor does.
Use the tool, answer the questions and read the finished will, not only the summary.
Decide whether to pay for review if there is anything unusual.
Print the will and arrange two adult witnesses who get nothing from it. Sign and date it with both witnesses watching, then both sign in front of you.
Store the original and tell your executor where it is.
Review it after marriage, separation, a birth, a death or a big change in assets.

Where life insurance fits

A will does not always control where a life insurance payout goes: that depends on who owns the policy and the insurer's terms. See who gets your life insurance payout.

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