Nolo
Nolo is a Berkeley-based self-help legal publishing platform founded in 1971 that sells books, WillMaker estate planning software, and online legal forms to consumers and small businesses, supplemented by a free legal encyclopedia and a paid attorney directory.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Nolo does
Nolo, founded in 1971 in Berkeley, California, is a self-help legal publishing and information platform that sells books, software, and online forms to consumers and small businesses seeking affordable legal guidance outside traditional attorney services. Its product portfolio centers on the WillMaker & Trust estate planning software (perpetual licenses starting at $109), a catalog of self-help legal books covering immigration, small claims, intellectual property, business formation, landlord-tenant matters, and other areas, NoloCloud online legal forms, and an extensive free legal encyclopedia that functions as both a standalone information product and a customer acquisition funnel.
The underlying technology is a content management and publishing platform that delivers attorney-reviewed legal articles, encyclopedia entries, and downloadable/online software products via web, supported by a lawyer directory marketplace (lawyers.nolo.com) where attorneys pay for paid listings. Nolo monetizes through one-time purchases of books and software, paid attorney listings on the directory, and an affiliate program on CJ.com. Distribution combines a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (store.nolo.com) with global wholesale and library reach via a partnership with Ingram Publisher Services established in 2012. The company operates as MH Sub I, LLC, with 51–100 employees, and maintains multiple parallel GTM motions: product-led self-serve software sales, content/SEO-driven organic acquisition, and a referral/marketplace channel through the attorney directory.
Nolo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nolo
- Legal name
- MH Sub I, LLC
- Website
- https://nolo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Nolo is a Berkeley-based self-help legal publishing platform founded in 1971 that sells books, WillMaker estate planning software, and online legal forms to consumers and small businesses, supplemented by a free legal encyclopedia and a paid attorney directory.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nolo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Self-Help Publishing and DIY Legal Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Other Legal Services (54119)
- SIC
- Retail-Nonstore Retailers (5960)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Omnichannel Commerce & Click-and-Collect Platforms (BPAMAGAL)
Keywords
Where Nolo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Nolo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations
Revenue model
- Books and Digital Publications: Nolo sells physical books and eBooks covering self-help legal topics including immigration, wills and trusts, business formation, landlord-tenant law, small claims, and more. Products are sold through store.nolo.com and distributed via Ingram Publisher Services to retailers and libraries.
- Legal Software (WillMaker): Nolo sells Quicken WillMaker & Trust, a downloadable and online estate planning software product that allows users to create legal documents without an attorney. Pricing starts at $109 per license.
- Lawyer Directory and Referral: Nolo operates a lawyer directory that connects consumers with attorneys. Attorney listings on the site are paid attorney advertising, generating referral/lead revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2026 - Estate planning software |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Small Claims & Lawsuits books and forms |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | How to Get a Green Card - book and eBook |
| Subscription | Annual | Books and DIY Legal Tools |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Nolo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nolo sells do-it-yourself legal products directly to consumers and small businesses, including the Quicken WillMaker & Trust estate planning software, NoloCloud online legal forms, and a catalog of self-help legal books and eBooks covering immigration, small claims, business formation, intellectual property, and other practice areas. It complements these paid products with a free Legal Encyclopedia of attorney-reviewed articles, Nolo News, legal research guides, and a Lawyer Directory that connects visitors with attorneys for paid consultations.
Product overview
Nolo is a self-help legal publishing platform offering a comprehensive suite of tools and resources. The core offerings include: (1) WillMaker estate planning software for creating wills and trusts without attorneys; (2) NoloCloud online legal forms platform; (3) an extensive free legal encyclopedia with thousands of articles; (4) a lawyer directory for professional legal help; (5) self-help legal books covering immigration, small claims, patents, business formation, and other legal topics; and (6) downloadable legal forms. Products are organized by legal area including immigration, wills/trusts, small claims, landlord-tenant, bankruptcy, and intellectual property. The company operates primarily as a direct-to-consumer publisher, with distribution through Ingram Publisher Services for retail and library sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Quicken WillMaker & Trust (WillMaker) Estate planning software available online and as a downloadable product that allows individuals and families to create wills, trusts, and related legal documents without hiring an attorney. Priced from $109 per perpetual license.
- NoloCloud Online Legal Forms Web-based platform that lets users complete and manage legal documents digitally, with forms organized by legal area for purchase and download.
- Nolo Self-Help Legal Books Self-help legal books and eBooks covering immigration, wills and trusts, business formation, landlord-tenant law, small claims, intellectual property, family law, and other practice areas, written by attorneys in plain English and available in print and digital formats.
- How to Get a Green Card Guide to obtaining U.S. lawful permanent residence covering family-based, asylum, U visa, and other green card categories. 17th edition published May 2026.
- Becoming a U.S. Citizen Book guide that walks readers through the naturalization process to become a U.S. citizen.
- Fiancé & Marriage Visas A couple's guide to U.S. immigration through fiancé and marriage visas; 12th edition published July 2025.
- U.S. Immigration Made Easy Comprehensive guide to U.S. immigration covering visas, green cards, and citizenship processes.
- Nolo's Immigration Bundle Bundle of Nolo immigration books providing comprehensive guidance on visas, green cards, and U.S. citizenship applications.
- Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court Guide to navigating small claims court procedures to resolve disputes without costly legal bills.
- Represent Yourself in Court Guide to self-representation in court, helping individuals safely and efficiently act as their own lawyer.
- Patent It Yourself Step-by-step guide to filing patents, helping inventors navigate the patent process without expensive attorney fees.
- Patents, Copyright & Trademark Comprehensive reference covering intellectual property protections for patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
- General Mutual Release Form Legal form template for releasing both parties in a dispute from future claims when both sides claim the other's fault.
- Nondisclosure Agreement for Inventors Legal form template for inventors to protect confidential information when sharing invention details with potential partners or investors.
- Joint Ownership Agreement for an Invention Legal form establishing terms for joint ownership of an invention between multiple parties.
- Accident Claim Worksheet Online form to help users track and document important details of an accident for insurance or legal claims.
- Lawyer Directory Online directory at lawyers.nolo.com that helps consumers search for, learn about, and connect with attorneys in their area for consultations and one-on-one legal help. Attorney listings are paid advertising, generating referral revenue for Nolo.
Companies that use Nolo
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Nolo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Nolo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Ingram Publisher ServicescoreAs of January 30, 2012, Ingram Publisher Services became Nolo's official distributor for all retail, institutional, and business orders of Nolo books. Ingram handles order fulfillment through ipage.ingrambook.com, phone, fax, and email for trade orders, and Ingram Library Services for library orders and standing orders. This partnership allows Nolo to focus on content development rather than distribution logistics.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Nolo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LegalZoom: LegalZoom is the largest direct competitor to Nolo in the legal self-help space, offering DIY legal forms, wills, business formation, and registered agent services. Like Nolo, it targets consumers and small businesses seeking affordable alternatives to full-service law firms, but operates at a much larger scale with subscription pricing and an integrated attorney network.
- Rocket Lawyer: Rocket Lawyer is a subscription-based legal self-help platform offering DIY legal documents, attorney consultations, and on-demand legal advice. It competes directly with Nolo's WillMaker software, online forms, and legal encyclopedia content, with a stronger subscription model and broader international presence.
- FindLaw: FindLaw is a legal information and lawyer directory platform owned by Thomson Reuters, offering consumer-facing legal articles, attorney directories, and legal forms. It was cited alongside Nolo by the U.S. FTC as a trusted legal authority, making it a directly comparable content-plus-directory competitor.
- Avvo: Avvo is an online legal directory and Q&A platform that connects consumers with attorneys, similar to Nolo's lawyers.nolo.com directory. It provides attorney ratings, legal guides, and a lawyer marketplace, competing for both the consumer legal content audience and the attorney advertising revenue.
- Justia: Justia provides free legal information, case law, codes, and a lawyer directory, directly competing with Nolo's legal encyclopedia and lawyer directory. It focuses on free access to primary legal sources alongside consumer-friendly guides, putting it in overlapping content and audience territory.
- LawDepot: LawDepot is a leading DIY legal forms platform offering subscription-based access to legal document templates for personal and business use. It competes most directly with NoloCloud Legal Forms and WillMaker on the online forms product category, though its subscription model differs from Nolo's one-time licensing.
Broad incumbents
- Martindale-Hubbell: Martindale-Hubbell is one of the oldest and most recognized lawyer directory services in the U.S., now part of Internet Brands. It competes with Nolo's lawyers.nolo.com directory on attorney advertising and consumer attorney search, though it does not produce DIY content or software products.
- Lawyers.com: Lawyers.com is a consumer-facing legal directory operated by Martindale-Hubbell/Internet Brands that connects users with attorneys. It competes with Nolo's lawyer directory on the attorney referral and advertising side but does not offer Nolo's self-help books or WillMaker software.
Emerging players
- LegalShield: LegalShield offers subscription-based access to attorneys for everyday legal matters, including document review, consultations, and letter-writing. It competes indirectly with Nolo by serving the same consumer affordability gap but through a membership-based attorney access model rather than DIY publishing.
Others
- Quicken (Intuit) WillMaker: Intuit's Quicken WillMaker is the brand under which Nolo's WillMaker software has historically been co-marketed. While not a direct competitor today, the relationship illustrates Nolo's product positioning within the broader personal finance software category and is relevant for benchmarking the WillMaker product line.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Nolo social profiles
Digital presenceNolo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nolo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Nolo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nolo 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 Nolo
What does Nolo do?
Nolo sells do-it-yourself legal products directly to consumers and small businesses, including the Quicken WillMaker & Trust estate planning software, NoloCloud online legal forms, and a catalog of self-help legal books and eBooks covering immigration, small claims, business formation, intellectual property, and other practice areas. It complements these paid products with a free Legal Encyclopedia of attorney-reviewed articles, Nolo News, legal research guides, and a Lawyer Directory that connects visitors with attorneys for paid consultations.
Is Nolo a public or private company?
Nolo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Nolo founded?
Nolo was founded in 1971. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Nolo based?
Nolo is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Nolo make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Books and Digital Publications are the primary driver. The others are legal Software (WillMaker) and lawyer Directory and Referral.
Who are Nolo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, FindLaw, Avvo, Justia and LawDepot. Broad incumbents are Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com. LegalShield is listed as an emerging player. Quicken (Intuit) WillMaker is listed as an others.
Does Nolo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nolo.
What industry is Nolo in?
Nolo's product category is Legal Self-Help Publishing and DIY Legal Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAL, Omnichannel Commerce & Click-and-Collect Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 5960.