Afterpath vs Trust & Will: Which Service Do You Need?

Estate planning and estate settlement are two critical financial processes, but they’re fundamentally different, and often require different tools. If you’re comparing Afterpath and Trust & Will, you’re actually looking at two services that solve problems at opposite ends of someone’s life. Understanding this distinction is essential to choosing the right tool for your situation.

The Core Distinction: Planning vs. Settlement

Before diving into the comparison, let’s establish the fundamental difference between these two services:

Trust & Will is an estate planning platform. It helps you create legal documents before you die, establishing how you want your assets distributed and who will handle your affairs.

Afterpath is an estate settlement platform. It helps executors and heirs manage the process after someone dies, guiding them through the administrative tasks of settling an estate.

This isn’t a matter of one being better than the other, they operate in completely different phases of the estate process. Many people will benefit from using both services at different times in their lives.

When to Use Each Service

Use Trust & Will If You:

• Are planning ahead and want to create a will, living trust, or power of attorney
• Want to protect your family by establishing clear instructions for your estate
• Are looking for an affordable, online alternative to hiring an estate attorney
• Want to document your wishes while you’re alive and healthy
• Have moderate assets and don’t need complex tax planning
• Want your documents completed quickly (often within hours)

Use Afterpath If You:

• Just lost someone and need to settle their estate
• Are appointed as an executor or personal representative
• Need help understanding your responsibilities as executor
• Want guidance navigating probate or estate administration
• Need a clear roadmap for handling the deceased’s finances, debts, and assets
• Are overwhelmed by the administrative burden of estate settlement
• Live in North Carolina (currently Afterpath’s primary service area)

Detailed Feature Comparison

Trust & Will: Estate Planning Features

Document Creation: Trust & Will specializes in creating legally valid estate planning documents through an online questionnaire process. You answer questions about your assets, family situation, and wishes, and their platform generates customized documents. This includes:

• Last will and testament
• Living trusts
• Durable power of attorney
• Healthcare power of attorney
• Living wills
• HIPAA authorization forms
• Beneficiary designation guidance

The platform guides you through each section with explanations of why certain information matters. Once completed, you receive documents ready to sign and notarize.

Pricing Structure: Trust & Will offers straightforward tiered pricing:

• $159 for a will only
• $299 for a will and one trust
• $599 for their complete estate plan (will, trust, POA, healthcare documents)

No subscription is required, you pay once for documents you can download and use indefinitely.

User Base: With over 1 million customers, Trust & Will has become a trusted name in online estate planning. This large user base suggests strong market validation and established processes.

Strengths:

• Affordability compared to traditional estate attorneys
• Quick turnaround (documents usually ready same day)
• Comprehensive document bundles
• No ongoing fees
• User-friendly questionnaire interface
• Educational resources about estate planning

Limitations:

• Documents are template-based, not attorney-created
• Limited customization for complex estates
• No legal advice or representation
• Doesn’t handle post-death administration
• No integration with document storage or execution services

Afterpath: Estate Settlement Features

Settlement Guidance: Afterpath focuses on the administrative tasks that come after someone dies. Rather than creating documents, it helps you understand and complete the processes necessary to settle an estate:

• Understanding executor responsibilities
• Creating inventories of the deceased’s assets
• Organizing financial documents
• Managing tax obligations
• Tracking communications with beneficiaries
• Understanding probate procedures
• Organizing deadlines and tasks

Pricing Structure: Comprehensive guidance uses a different pricing model based on the complexity of the estate and level of support needed. Unlike Trust & Will, it involves ongoing support through the settlement process.

Geographic Focus: Comprehensive guidance currently emphasizes service in North Carolina, though it’s expanding its reach. If you’re in another state, you may have limited access to state-specific guidance.

Strengths:

• Addresses a critical gap: most people don’t know what to do after someone dies
• Provides step-by-step guidance for executor responsibilities
• Helps organize overwhelming paperwork
• Offers support during a difficult time
• Focuses on practical next steps
• Creates accountability and structure

Limitations:

• Newer service with smaller user base
• Geographic limitations (primarily NC-focused currently)
• Cannot provide legal advice or replace an attorney
• Requires already-deceased person (won’t help with planning)
• Cannot execute or notarize documents
• May not cover highly complex estates requiring specialized legal help

Pricing Comparison

Feature	Trust & Will	Afterpath
Will Only	$159	N/A
Estate Planning Bundle	$299-$599	N/A
Basic Settlement	N/A	varies
Full Settlement Support	N/A	varies
Ongoing Support	No	Yes
Per-Use Model	One-time payment	Varies by needs

Trust & Will is a one-time purchase with no recurring fees. Afterpath is priced for ongoing support through the settlement process.

Cost Consideration: If you use both services over your lifetime, total cost would be $358-$1,098 depending on which tiers you choose. This is still dramatically less than hiring an estate attorney for both planning ($1,500-$5,000+) and settlement ($2,000-$10,000+).

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Document Creation

• Trust & Will: Excellent. Creates multiple legally valid documents.
• Afterpath: Not applicable. Focuses on what to do with existing documents.

Affordability

• Trust & Will: Excellent. $159-$599 range.
• Comprehensive Guidance: Good. Varies based on complexity.

Speed

• Trust & Will: Excellent. Documents ready within hours to days.
• Afterpath: Good. Provides immediate guidance, but settlement process takes weeks/months.

Complexity Handling

• Trust & Will: Moderate. Good for simple to moderate estates; limited for complex situations.
• Afterpath: Moderate. Designed for typical estates; complex situations may need additional legal help.

User Support

• Trust & Will: Self-guided with educational materials and customer support for document questions.
• Afterpath: Guided process with support through settlement.

Customization

• Trust & Will: Moderate. Template-based with some customization options.
• Afterpath: Good. Customized guidance based on your specific estate situation.

Legal Representation

• Trust & Will: None. Documents only.
• Afterpath: None. Guidance only, not legal representation.

Can You Use Both Services?

Absolutely, and in fact, this is the ideal approach for comprehensive estate management:

Scenario 1: The Proactive Planner Maria uses Trust & Will at age 45 to create her will and living trust. She pays $599 for complete peace of mind. Ten years later, when her father dies, she becomes his executor and uses Afterpath ($299) to navigate the settlement process. Total investment: $898 over a decade.

Scenario 2: The Family Executor James’s mother dies unexpectedly. He uses comprehensive guidance to understand his responsibilities and organize her finances. At the same time, James realizes he doesn’t have an estate plan himself, so he uses Trust & Will ($399) to create documents. He’s now prepared for his own future.

Scenario 3: The Blended Use Patricia creates her estate plan with Trust & Will at age 50. Twenty years later, her spouse passes away. She uses comprehensive guidance to settle his estate. Later, when her adult child becomes her executor, the estate documents she created with Trust & Will make the settlement process (using comprehensive guidance) much smoother for everyone.

These services complement each other perfectly because they address different life stages.

Decision Framework: Which Service Do You Need?

Use this framework to determine which service is right for your situation:

Choose Trust & Will If:

• [ ] You don’t currently have a will or trust
• [ ] You want to update outdated estate documents
• [ ] Someone in your household needs an estate plan
• [ ] You want to avoid probate through a living trust
• [ ] You want comprehensive estate planning under $600
• [ ] You need documents quickly
• [ ] You want to make your executor’s job easier by having clear instructions

Choose Comprehensive Guidance If:

• [ ] Someone has recently died
• [ ] You’re the executor or power of attorney
• [ ] You don’t know where to start with estate settlement
• [ ] You need to organize the deceased’s finances
• [ ] You want someone to guide you through probate or trust administration
• [ ] You’re overwhelmed by administrative deadlines
• [ ] You live in North Carolina or an expanding service area

Consider Both If:

• [ ] You want to be proactive about planning AND eventually need help settling an estate
• [ ] You’re appointed executor and realize you also need your own estate plan
• [ ] You want comprehensive protection: planning now and support later

How Each Service Compares to Alternatives

vs. DIY Approach

Both services beat the DIY approach because they provide professional structure and legal guidance without attorney costs.

vs. Traditional Estate Attorneys

Estate attorneys might charge $2,000-$5,000 for planning and another $3,000-$10,000 for settlement. Trust & Will and Afterpath combined cost $200-$1,100. However, attorneys are necessary for complex estates (high net worth, blended families, business interests, substantial tax concerns).

vs. DIY Settlement

Afterpath beats trying to settle an estate alone because executors often don’t know legal requirements, miss deadlines, or overlook assets.

What You Should Know About Limitations

Trust & Will Limitations:

• Cannot provide legal advice or attorney representation
• Documents are template-based, which works for ~90% of people but not for complex situations
• Cannot help with document execution, notarization, or storage (though they provide guidance)
• Doesn’t include tax planning or investment guidance
• May need to be supplemented with attorney help if your situation is complicated

Afterpath Limitations:

• Cannot provide legal advice or serve as your attorney
• Geographic limitations (primarily North Carolina currently)
• Assumes the person has already died (no planning function)
• Cannot settle complex estates that need specialized legal help
• Doesn’t replace the need for a probate attorney in formal probate situations
• Requires you to take action; it’s a guide, not a handler

Why This Distinction Matters

Understanding when you need each service prevents wasted money and frustration:

Wasted Money Scenario 1: Using Afterpath when you haven’t died yet. It’s designed for post-death settlement, so it won’t help you plan.

Wasted Money Scenario 2: Using only Trust & Will and then your executor doesn’t know how to find or execute your documents. You needed both planning AND settlement support.

Optimal Approach: Use Trust & Will during your healthy, planning years. Use Afterpath when you’re appointed executor or administrator of someone’s estate.

The Bottom Line

Afterpath and Trust & Will aren’t competitors, they’re partners in comprehensive estate management. They serve different purposes at different times:

• Trust & Will: For people who want to plan ahead and protect their family
• Afterpath: For people appointed to settle someone’s estate

The best financial decision is likely to use both services at appropriate times in your life. The combined cost of $200-$1,100 is a small price for comprehensive protection and support, compared to the $5,000-$15,000+ you’d pay an estate attorney.

If you’re reading this because you need to plan your estate, start with Trust & Will. If you’re reading this because someone has died and you’re overwhelmed as their executor, Afterpath is designed for your situation. And if you’re in both situations, you might benefit from both services.

Your family will thank you, either for planning ahead or for handling the settlement process with professional guidance.