Compare
Solicitor, will-writer or national firm. Compared honestly.
Safe Harbour Legal against online will-writers and national law firms, row by row. Every claim has a source below the table, and this page says plainly when the cheaper route is good enough.
Reviewed by Aaron Johnson, Consultant Solicitor and TEP
The comparison
Nine things that matter, and where each route stands.
The will-writer and national-firm columns describe those markets in general terms. Where a fact differs from provider to provider the table says so, with words like often, typically and varies. No competitor is named.
The Safe Harbour column is checked against this site, the SRA register and the regulations linked under Sources.
| What was compared | Safe Harbour Legal | Online will-writers | National law firms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulated by the SRA | Safe Harbour LegalYesSafe Harbour Legal is a trading name of Legal Studio Solicitors, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA 598793. | Online will-writersNot by statuteWriting a will is not a reserved legal activity under the Legal Services Act 2007, so no licence or regulator is needed to offer it. Some will-writers join a voluntary trade body. | National law firmsTypically yesA national law firm is regulated by the SRA or another approved regulator. Some national will-writing brands are not law firms, so check the register. |
| Professional indemnity insurance | Safe Harbour LegalYesCompulsory for every SRA-regulated practice, at a minimum level of cover the SRA sets. | Online will-writersNot required by lawNo statute requires it. Some trade bodies require cover of their members, and the level varies. | National law firmsTypically yesCompulsory on the same terms for any SRA-regulated firm. |
| Legal Ombudsman route | Safe Harbour LegalYesIf a complaint is not resolved by the practice, you can take it to the Legal Ombudsman. It is independent of the firm and free to use. | Online will-writersNo statutory ombudsmanThe Legal Ombudsman covers authorised legal providers, not unregulated will-writers. A trade body may run its own scheme for members. Otherwise the route is the courts. | National law firmsTypically yesAny firm regulated by an approved regulator is within the Legal Ombudsman scheme. |
| Who drafts the document | Safe Harbour LegalA named solicitorAaron Johnson, Consultant Solicitor and TEP, takes your instructions and drafts the document himself. | Online will-writersOften a templateOften a form you complete online, sometimes checked by staff. The law sets no minimum qualification for a will-writer. | National law firmsOften a staff memberOften a solicitor, a legal executive or a paralegal working under a supervising solicitor. Who drafts it can vary, and you may not meet them. |
| Prices on the website, with VAT | Safe Harbour LegalYesEvery fee is on the pricing page with VAT stated, and third-party costs listed. A standard will for one person is £350 + VAT (£420 inc. VAT); mirror wills for a couple are £550 + VAT (£660 inc. VAT). | Online will-writersOften, for the basic willThe headline price is usually published. Extras such as a trust, document storage or an executor appointment are not always priced up front. | National law firmsVariesThe SRA Transparency Rules require published prices for probate, but not for wills or powers of attorney, so those are often quoted on enquiry. |
| Fixed fee, not hourly or a percentage | Safe Harbour LegalYesEvery job is a fixed fee agreed in writing before work starts. Probate is never charged as a percentage of the estate. | Online will-writersFor the will itselfThe will is usually a fixed price. Where the will-writer’s company is appointed executor, probate may later be charged as a percentage of the estate. | National law firmsVariesWills are often fixed. Probate is often charged by the hour, and some firms add a percentage of the estate value on top. |
| Can administer probate | Safe Harbour LegalYesApplying for the grant is a reserved legal activity (Legal Services Act 2007, Schedule 2, paragraph 6). A solicitor is authorised for it, so Aaron obtains the grant and administers the estate himself. | Online will-writersNot unless authorisedPreparing the probate application for a fee is reserved to authorised persons under the Legal Services Act 2007. A will-writer may handle other estate work, but cannot apply for the grant for a fee, so some pass the estate to a partner firm or write their own company in as executor. | National law firmsTypically yesA regulated law firm is authorised for probate. The work is often done by a probate department rather than the person who drafted the will. |
| Home visits | Safe Harbour LegalYesAcross East and North Yorkshire, at no travel charge. Evening appointments if daytimes are hard. | Online will-writersNot usuallyAn online service works by web form, email and phone. Some traditional will-writers do visit at home. | National law firmsSometimesMost work from offices, by phone or by video. Some offer home visits on request, sometimes at extra cost. |
| One person, start to finish | Safe Harbour LegalYesAaron takes the first call, drafts the document, oversees the signing and, when the time comes, administers the estate. Nothing is handed off. | Online will-writersNot usuallyThe will comes from a template or a consultant. Any later probate usually goes to a different company. | National law firmsVariesMatters often pass between departments and people, and your contact can change part-way through. |
Honestly
Sometimes the cheaper route is good enough.
An online will-writer costs less for a reason: usually a template, little or no advice, and no statutory regulator behind the document. For some people that is a fair trade. For others it is the expensive option, because a mistake is found after death, when it cannot be put right.
An online will-writer can be a reasonable choice when
- The estate is simple and below the inheritance tax threshold, the nil-rate band.
- There is little or no property in the estate.
- One marriage or partnership. No children from an earlier relationship, no stepchildren.
- No business, farm, holiday let or property abroad.
- You are content with a template document and do not need advice on your options.
A solicitor is, in many cases, materially safer when
- The estate is over the inheritance tax threshold, so tax planning matters.
- There is a second family, stepchildren or children from an earlier relationship.
- You own a business, a farm or business assets.
- You want a trust written into the will, to protect a share of the home or a vulnerable beneficiary.
- You own property abroad or a holiday let.
- You want advice on inheritance tax or care fees.
Whether your circumstances fall on one side or the other depends on the detail. The solicitor or will-writer page goes further, including the one question to ask about any free or very cheap will. Terms are defined in the glossary.
On national firms
The same protection. Three questions to ask.
A national law firm is regulated, insured and within the Legal Ombudsman scheme, just as Safe Harbour is. On protection there is no difference worth arguing about, and this page does not pretend otherwise.
The differences are usually about price and people. Ask any firm, including this one:
- 01Is the fee fixed and written down before work starts, or charged by the hour?
- 02For probate, is there a percentage of the estate on top of the fee?
- 03Is the person you meet the person who does the work, from start to finish?
Safe Harbour answers fixed, never, and yes. Aaron Johnson is one solicitor, working under the regulation and insurance of Legal Studio Solicitors, doing every matter himself. Every fee is published with VAT.
Sources
Where each claim comes from.
Every row above rests on one of these. If the law or the rules change, this page is corrected and the review date updated. Reviewed .
Legal Services Act 2007, section 12
Defines the reserved legal activities. Will-writing is not one of them.
Checked 1 September 2026
Legal Services Act 2007, Schedule 2
Lists the reserved activities in detail, including probate activities, which only authorised persons may carry out for a fee.
Checked 1 September 2026
Including the SRA Indemnity Insurance Rules, which make professional indemnity insurance compulsory for regulated practices at a minimum level of cover.
Checked 1 September 2026
The price and service information a regulated firm must publish, which covers probate but not wills or powers of attorney.
Checked 1 September 2026
SRA register entry for Legal Studio Solicitors, SRA 598793
The regulated practice of which Safe Harbour Legal is a trading name.
Checked 1 September 2026
Who the scheme covers and how to complain. The service is free to the person complaining.
Checked 1 September 2026
A voluntary trade body for will-writers. Membership is not required by law.
Checked 1 September 2026
Institute of Professional Willwriters
A second voluntary trade body with its own code of practice and complaints process for members.
Checked 1 September 2026
Safe Harbour Legal fees and service pages
The published fees, VAT, third-party costs and timescales the Safe Harbour column relies on.
Checked 1 September 2026
Next step
Seen the comparison. Three ways to take the next step.
Or call 01262 310 850. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.
- 01No commitmentFind your plan and price
Sixty seconds of questions that end on a plan and a fixed fee, with VAT. No call needed.
- 02A conversationBook a 15-minute call
15 minutes with Aaron, by phone or video, at no charge. Appointments are usually available within a few working days, including weekday evenings and home visits across East and North Yorkshire.
- 03Ready to goStart my matter
Give Aaron the details he needs and he confirms the fixed fee in writing before any work starts.