Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | ClearLegacy | Octopus Legacy |
|---|---|---|
| Single will price | £69 | £150 |
| Mirror Wills price | £99 | £250 (couple) |
| Automated review | Included | Check current terms |
| Turnaround | 24 hours | Reviewed within 10 working days |
| Funded by | Fixed fee — no upsell | Will fees plus probate & estate services |
| Data sharing | No third-party sharing | Read their privacy terms |
| Legal validity | Wills Act 1837 | Wills Act 1837 |
Competitor pricing last confirmed on octopuslegacy.com on 5 September 2026 (octopuslegacy.com/online-will and the free-and-low-cost-will-writing advice page). Octopus Legacy terms may change — verify on their website before starting.
ClearLegacy — £69 single / £99 mirror
A structured automated review checks every Will against the Wills Act 1837 before release. Usually delivered within 24 hours.
Start Your Will — £69
Who is Octopus Legacy?
Octopus Legacy is an online will-writing service that is part of a broader estate-planning business offering probate and estate administration. Its will pricing is now paid as standard — £150 for a simple single will, £250 for a couple, and from £450 where a trust is involved — at the same price online, over video, or in person. Free wills still appear, but through time-limited charity campaigns and Free Wills Month windows rather than as an always-on offer. The will remains a route into the paid probate services — a model sometimes called "freemium" in tech, or "loss-leader" in retail.
This is a legitimate business model. The important thing is to understand what you're getting and what you're agreeing to in the terms and conditions — particularly around data sharing and future contact about their paid services.
What is ClearLegacy?
ClearLegacy is a fixed-fee online Will service for England and Wales. A single Will costs £69; mirror Wills for couples cost £99. Your first draft is emailed straight after payment; every Will undergoes automated checks before final issue, any flagged Will is held for the founder’s personal review, and the signing-ready Will usually follows within 24 hours. There are no subscriptions, no upsells, and no ongoing data use beyond the Will itself.
The real trade-off: price, speed and who owns the relationship
Price alone doesn't settle it. What matters in will-writing is whether the Will does what you intend when it matters most, and how quickly you actually hold a signed document. The questions to ask:
- Is the Will checked before release? ClearLegacy includes an automated review of every Will, checking executor appointments, residuary clauses, substitution provisions and witnessing instructions. Check Octopus Legacy's current terms for what review is included at each price point.
- What are the data terms? A will service attached to a probate business has a commercial reason to contact you (or your family) about paid services later. ClearLegacy's fee means you are the customer, not the product.
- How fast is delivery? ClearLegacy usually delivers within 24 hours. Octopus Legacy states its online will is checked by their in-house expert and returned within 7–10 working days.
- What happens when you die? Consider whether the probate provider that wrote your Will becomes the natural point of contact for your family. That isn't necessarily a problem, but your family should know their options.
When Octopus Legacy is a reasonable choice
This is a comparison, not a sales pitch. Octopus Legacy makes sense in some situations:
- You want your will and probate handled by the same provider
- A charity free-will campaign you qualify for is currently running
- You've read the data-sharing terms and are comfortable with them
- You want a video or in-person appointment rather than a purely online process
- You need a will with a trust, which ClearLegacy does not offer
When ClearLegacy is the better choice
- You want an automated compliance review of your Will before you sign it
- You want the Will usually delivered within 24 hours
- You'd rather pay a small fixed fee than agree to data sharing with a probate business
- You have a slightly complex estate — blended families, property trusts, guardianship clauses — and want a specialist to check it
- You want no future commercial contact about probate or estate services
Legal validity — is one more valid?
No. A will's validity in England and Wales is determined by the Wills Act 1837: the testator must be 18+, of sound mind, the Will must be in writing, signed in the presence of two independent witnesses who also sign. Whether you paid £0, £69 or £500 is irrelevant to validity — what matters is capacity, acting voluntarily, and correct signing and witnessing. ClearLegacy Wills are for England and Wales only.
The difference is in the review. A will that technically complies with the Act but has a poorly drafted residuary clause, a beneficiary named as witness, or an ambiguous executor appointment is legally valid but practically flawed — and those flaws surface at the worst possible time.
Pros and cons
Octopus Legacy — pros
- Video and in-person options at the same price
- Will-and-trust packages available for complex estates
- Part of a wider estate-planning business with its own SRA-regulated probate arm
- Legally valid Will under Wills Act 1837
Octopus Legacy — cons
- £150 single / £250 couple — more than double ClearLegacy
- Online route covers simple wills only — trusts need video or in-person
- Potential commercial contact about paid services
- Online will checked by their in-house expert and returned within 7–10 working days, not 24 hours
ClearLegacy — pros
- Structured automated review included
- typical 24-hour turnaround from questionnaire
- Fixed fee — no upsells or subscriptions
- No third-party data sharing
- Clear signing and witnessing instructions
ClearLegacy — cons
- Paid — £69 single / £99 mirror (no free tier)
- Not suitable for very complex estates
- No phone consultation included
The bottom line
Octopus Legacy makes sense if you want a video or face-to-face appointment, or need a will with a trust — options ClearLegacy does not offer. If a charity free-will campaign is running and you qualify, that is worth taking. For a straightforward England & Wales estate, ClearLegacy costs £69 against Octopus Legacy's £150, includes the same structured compliance check, and usually delivers in 24 hours rather than 10 working days.
The worst outcome isn't choosing the wrong provider — it's having no Will at all. Either option is better than intestacy.
Sources: octopuslegacy.com/online-will and octopuslegacy.com/advice/free-and-low-cost-will-writing (pricing last confirmed 5 September 2026); ClearLegacy pricing; Wills Act 1837 (legislation.gov.uk); Law Society guidance on will-writing.
What happens when you choose ClearLegacy
- Answer the questionnaireAbout 15 minutes online. Plain English questions about your estate, executors and beneficiaries.
- Pay securely — £69 / £99One fixed fee via Stripe. No surcharges, no upsells, no subscription.
- Automated reviewYour draft is automatically checked against the Wills Act 1837 requirements — usually within hours.
- Sign & storeYou receive a signable PDF by email usually within 24 hours, with a one-page witnessing checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Not as a standard offer. As of 5 September 2026 Octopus Legacy prices a simple will at £150 single and £250 for a couple, with will-and-trust packages from £450. Free wills are available only through time-limited charity campaigns and Free Wills Month windows, which are typically restricted by age and run through participating solicitors. Check their site for what is live before you start.
Both produce Wills that comply with the Wills Act 1837. Legal validity depends on correct drafting, signing and witnessing — not on what you paid. The difference is in price and process: ClearLegacy charges £69 and includes a structured automated check of every Will before release.
ClearLegacy. As of 5 September 2026 a single Will is £69 with ClearLegacy against £150 with Octopus Legacy, and mirror Wills for a couple are £99 against £250. ClearLegacy also usually delivers within 24 hours; Octopus Legacy says its online Will is returned within 7 business days (one section says 10 working days) on its online will.
Octopus Legacy states its online will is reviewed by its team within 10 working days. Check their current terms for what that review covers. ClearLegacy includes an automated review of every Will as standard, checking executor appointments, residuary clauses and witnessing requirements, and usually delivers within 24 hours.
Yes. A new will automatically revokes all previous Wills once correctly signed and witnessed. You don't need to notify Octopus Legacy — just sign the new Will and the old one is superseded.
ClearLegacy emails a first draft straight after payment and the checked, signing-ready Will usually within 24 hours. Octopus Legacy states its online will is reviewed by its team within 10 working days. Check their site for current timelines.
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