Farewill
Farewill is a UK digital end-of-life services platform offering online will writing, fixed-fee probate, direct cremation, and pre-paid funeral plans to UK consumers, operating as a subsidiary within the Dignity group and partnering with over 100 charities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Farewill does
Farewill is a UK-based digital end-of-life services platform that enables consumers to write wills online in approximately 15 minutes, apply for fixed-fee probate, and arrange direct cremations or pre-paid funeral plans. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Sutton Coldfield with operations in London, the company serves UK adults across a wide age range (21 to 106) through a digital-first, self-service model complemented by phone-based specialist support (9am–6pm, weekdays). The underlying platform is a cloud-based system with encrypted data storage (multi-disk instant write, daily backups, multi-location) and Stripe PCI-compliant payment processing, offering differentiated ease-of-use features such as guided will creation, online probate application, and streamlined funeral arrangement.
Farewill monetizes through four revenue streams: one-time will writing fees, fixed-fee probate services (Grant Only from £895, Complete Probate from £2,750), direct cremation at £895 plus doctor's fees, and pre-paid funeral plans on multi-year contracts. The company also earns affiliate and referral revenue through a charity partnership network of over 100 UK charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Alzheimer's Society, British Heart Foundation, Royal British Legion, Age UK, RNLI, and Cancer Research UK. By May 2024, customers had pledged over £1 billion (now over £1.25 billion) to charity partners via wills written on Farewill, indicating substantial platform volume.
Farewill operates as a subsidiary within the Dignity group, with Dignity Group Holdings Limited as ultimate parent and wholly-owned operating subsidiaries including Farewill Legal Services Limited, Farewill Funerals Limited, and Farewill Trustees Limited. The company has cumulatively raised approximately £30 million+ across funding rounds, including a £20 million Series B led by Highland Europe in July 2020 and a Crowdcube round in November 2022. It has 51–100 employees and has been recognized with first-place wins at the Good Funeral Awards and British Wills & Probate Awards, plus a TechCrunch Europas award for social innovation in 2020.
Farewill firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Farewill
- Legal name
- Farewill Ltd
- Website
- https://farewill.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Farewill is a UK digital end-of-life services platform offering online will writing, fixed-fee probate, direct cremation, and pre-paid funeral plans to UK consumers, operating as a subsidiary within the Dignity group and partnering with over 100 charities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Farewill industry classification
Industry- Product category
- End-of-life planning services
- NAICS
- Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (81221)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Estate & Probate Administration Services (FSAEAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Notary & Signing Agent Services (Remote/Onsite) (BPAJAOAF)
Keywords
Where Farewill is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Farewill business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Will Writing Services: One-time fees for online and telephone will writing services. Customers can complete will writing online in approximately 15 minutes.
- Probate Services: Fixed-fee probate services including Grant Only service (£895) for simple estates and Complete Probate service (starting at £2,750) for full estate administration. No percentage-based fees.
- Direct Cremation Services: Direct cremation service priced at £895 plus £82 for doctor's fees and £250 for urgent collection. Includes collection, private cremation, and ash return. Funeral plans also available for pre-payment.
- Charity Partnership Revenue: Customers pledge gifts to charity in their wills, generating referral/partnership revenue from charity partners including Macmillan, Marie Curie, and Cancer Research UK.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Online Will Writing |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Probate Grant Only |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Complete Probate Service |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Direct Cremation |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Funeral Plans |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Farewill product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Farewill operates a digital-first platform that provides three core end-of-life services for UK consumers: online will writing (completed in approximately 15 minutes from home), fixed-fee probate services (Grant Only from £895 and Complete Probate estate administration), and funeral services including pre-paid funeral plans and direct cremation (from £895). The platform serves as an all-in-one solution for paperwork and arrangements following a death, replacing traditional solicitors and funeral directors with streamlined, fixed-fee online alternatives.
Product overview
Farewill is an online death services platform operating as part of the Dignity group. The company offers a portfolio of three core services: Online Wills (for writing wills online in approximately 15 minutes or via telephone), Probate Services (fixed-fee grant-only probate starting at £895 or complete estate administration starting at £1,500), and Funerals (comprising pre-paid Funeral Plans and a Direct Cremation service priced at £895 plus £82 doctor's fees). The platform also provides free educational resources including a downloadable bereavement checklist. The company is positioned as a consumer brand in the death services industry, digitalising traditionally offline processes such as will writing, probate, and cremation arrangements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Online Wills Online will writing service allowing customers to write their will from home in approximately 15 minutes via a guided question flow, with optional telephone assistance for those preferring to speak with a specialist.
- Probate Services Fixed-fee probate services offering Grant Only probate (starting at £895) for simple estates and Complete Probate estate administration (starting at £2,750) for full estate handling, with no percentage-based charges.
- Funeral Plans Pre-paid funeral plans allowing customers to plan and pay for a funeral in advance, covering both direct cremation and traditional funeral options.
- Direct Cremation Direct cremation service priced at £895 base plus £82 for doctor's fees and £250 for urgent collection if applicable, covering collection, private cremation, and ash return; customers arrange their own memorial after ashes are returned.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over £1.25 billion pledged to charity by customers leaving gifts in wills
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Farewill
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Farewill technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
Farewill partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Tech NationminorSelected for Tech Nation's Upscale 5.0 growth programme in January 2020, joining a network of successful UK scaleups.
- StripecorePCI-compliant payment provider used for all credit card transactions. Provides secure encryption at the same level used by leading banks.
- Macmillan Cancer SupportcoreMajor charity partner receiving legacy gifts pledged by Farewill customers in their wills. One of the flagship charity partners featured on homepage.
- Marie CuriecoreCharity partner for legacy gifts in customer wills. Featured prominently on homepage alongside other major UK charities.
- Alzheimer's SocietycoreCharity partner receiving legacy gifts. Featured as one of the primary charity partners on Farewill's platform.
- British Heart FoundationcoreCharity partner for will-based legacy giving. One of the major UK charities partnered with Farewill.
- Royal British LegioncoreCharity partner for legacy gifts in customer wills.
- Age UKcoreCharity partner for will-based legacy giving.
- Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)coreCharity partner receiving legacy gifts pledged by Farewill customers.
- Cancer Research UKcoreMajor charity partner featured on homepage for legacy gift giving through wills.
- Dignity Funerals LimitedcoreParent company relationship. Farewill operates under the Dignity group. Dignity trades as Dignity Funeral Plans, Dignity Funeral Directors, The Crematorium Group, and Simplicity Cremations. Farewill Legal Services Limited trades as Dignity Legal Services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights6 records
Farewill competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pure Cremation: UK specialist in direct cremation without a funeral director. Most direct like-for-like competitor to Farewill's cremation service, competing on a similar low-cost, simple digital proposition.
- Co-op Legal Services: Provides wills, probate, and family legal services in the UK, often bundled with Co-op Funeralcare plans. Directly competes with Farewill's will writing and probate service lines.
- Golden Charter: UK's leading funeral plan provider, partnering with independent funeral directors. Directly comparable to Farewill's funeral plan business, with a long-established network advantage.
- SunLife: UK provider of over-50s life cover and pre-paid funeral plans with a digital-first marketing model. Directly comparable to Farewill on funeral plans and adjacent on the broader end-of-life category.
- Simplicity Cremations: Direct cremation provider operating under the same Dignity Group parent as Farewill. Most direct internal comparable for cremation unit economics and serves similar UK customer segments.
- Age UK Funeral Plans: Charity-affiliated pre-paid funeral plans for older UK adults, leveraging strong brand trust among the over-50 demographic. Comparable to Farewill's funeral plan line as a trusted UK provider targeting the same end-customer.
Broad incumbents
- Co-op Funeralcare: One of the UK's largest funeral directors, offering pre-paid funeral plans, cremation, and burial services nationally. Operates as a broad incumbent against Farewill's narrower digital-first offering.
- Dignity plc: Ultimate parent group (now Dignity Group Holdings Limited, private since 2023). Operates Dignity Funeral Plans, Dignity Funeral Directors, The Crematorium Group, and Simplicity Cremations, providing the physical infrastructure and broader funeral services context for Farewill.
- Slater and Gordon: UK national law firm offering wills, probate, and estate administration services. Provides incumbent comparison point for Farewill's probate and will offerings, particularly on fixed-fee vs traditional hourly billing.
Emerging players
- Trust & Will: US-based digital estate planning platform offering online wills, trusts, and related services. Comparable as a digital-first end-of-life planning peer; serves as a US analogue that demonstrates the model and could potentially enter the UK market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Farewill social profiles
Digital presenceFarewill compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Farewill financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Farewill leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Farewill subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Farewill funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Farewill M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Farewill
What does Farewill do?
Farewill operates a digital-first platform that provides three core end-of-life services for UK consumers: online will writing (completed in approximately 15 minutes from home), fixed-fee probate services (Grant Only from £895 and Complete Probate estate administration), and funeral services including pre-paid funeral plans and direct cremation (from £895). The platform serves as an all-in-one solution for paperwork and arrangements following a death, replacing traditional solicitors and funeral directors with streamlined, fixed-fee online alternatives.
Is Farewill a public or private company?
Farewill is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Farewill founded?
Farewill was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Farewill based?
Farewill is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Farewill make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Will Writing Services are the primary driver. The others are probate Services, direct Cremation Services and charity Partnership Revenue.
Who are Farewill's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pure Cremation, Co-op Legal Services, Golden Charter, SunLife, Simplicity Cremations and Age UK Funeral Plans. Broad incumbents are Co-op Funeralcare, Dignity plc and Slater and Gordon. Trust & Will is listed as an emerging player.
Does Farewill have an API?
No public API is recorded for Farewill.
What industry is Farewill in?
Farewill's product category is End-of-life planning services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEAKAD, Estate & Probate Administration Services, with a secondary code of BPAJAOAF, Notary & Signing Agent Services (Remote/Onsite). Its NAICS code is 81221 and its SIC code is 8111.