What will writing software actually costs.

There are four incompatible pricing models in UK will writing software, which is why comparing headline numbers tells you almost nothing:

• Per-drafter pricing — charged for the people who actually produce documents (Willo)
• Per-user pricing — charged for every login, drafting or not (WillSuite, Sure Will Writer)
• Document packs — capacity bought in blocks, plus modules (Arken)
• Per-case pricing — a small base plus a fee per matter (YEPP)

A number that looks cheap under one model is expensive under another. So this page works through what each actually costs.

Published prices, September 2026#

All figures excluding VAT and taken from each provider's own public pricing page on 14 September 2026.

The hidden costs nobody puts on the pricing page#

VAT. Almost every price in this market is quoted excluding VAT. If your practice is under the VAT threshold — as most one and two-drafter practices are — you cannot reclaim it, so £150 + VAT is £180 actually leaving your account. Willo is not VAT registered, so £150 is the whole amount.

Trade body membership. Sure Will Writer's £150 + VAT rate requires Society of Will Writers membership at MSWW or above, which is a separate annual fee. The non-member rate is £180 + VAT.

Add-on modules. Arken's list price is for base drafting. Trust Referencer is £40 + VAT, Arken Lifetime £60 + VAT, Intestacy from £30 + VAT, Online Wills £120 + VAT, Professional Wills Scotland £90 + VAT, Arken Acquire £150 + VAT. A practitioner offering a full estate planning service is realistically buying two or three of these.

Document overage. Arken's packs run out. Further packs are £12.50.

Who counts as a user. Check whether you are charged per person with a login or per person actually drafting. Willo charges per drafter.

Everything the software does not do. If the platform has no client CRM, no email, no SMS and no invoicing, you are buying those separately. A CRM at £30, an email marketing tool at £25 and an invoicing tool at £20 is £75 a month that does not appear in any comparison table.

The real annual cost#

All figures below are what actually leaves the account of a practice that is not VAT registered, which is most small practices. If you are VAT registered, strip the VAT back out and compare the headline rates.

One drafter, around 40 documents a month, offering trusts#

Arken's £107 headline covers ten documents. Forty documents means three further packs, and offering trusts means Trust Referencer on top — which is how the cheapest-looking option becomes the most expensive one for a practitioner doing normal volumes.

Three drafters, around 120 documents a month#

At higher headcount and higher volume the picture changes again, which is the whole point of doing the arithmetic rather than comparing headline numbers.

What the money actually buys#

Price alone is a poor comparison in this market because the products are not the same shape. Willo's £150 includes the client CRM, email from your own domain, SMS, video meetings, invoicing and Direct Debit collection. Where a platform does not include those, add what you currently pay for them — a CRM at £30, an email tool at £25 and an invoicing tool at £20 is £75 a month that never appears in a comparison table.

How to compare properly#

1. Count the documents you actually produce in a month, not the ones you hope to.
2. Count the people who need to log in. Then add the ones currently sharing a login.
3. List every document type you offer and check each is included rather than modular.
4. Add the separate CRM, email and invoicing tools you are paying for.
5. Check the commitment — annual, monthly, or none.
6. Multiply by twelve.

Related#

Willo vs Arken · Willo vs WillSuite · All comparisons · Willo pricing