PrenupByState
Take the quiz

Online Prenup: LegalZoom vs HelloPrenup vs a Real Attorney

Last updated 7 min read

An attorney-reviewed online prenup ($599–$749) is enough for the simplest cases and inadequate for everything else. The line is sharper than the marketing suggests. This page covers what online services actually do, when they're appropriate, and when "saving on a lawyer" costs you the agreement.

This isn't legal advice. We're an editorial team, not lawyers. We do have affiliate relationships with LegalZoom and HelloPrenup — disclosed below at every CTA.

The two real online prenup options: LegalZoom and HelloPrenup

LegalZoom — $599

LegalZoom's prenup product is a guided online questionnaire followed by attorney review. The attorney is licensed in your state and reviews the agreement before you sign. The price covers drafting, review, and revisions; signing logistics are on you.

  • What's included: state-customized agreement, attorney review, revisions.
  • What's not: negotiation with the other party's attorney (because there usually isn't one), business valuation, complex inheritance planning.
  • Best for: Both spouses with similar W-2 incomes, no business, no kids from prior relationships, no significant separate property.

See LegalZoom's prenup product

We may earn a commission when you click these links. This costs you nothing and does not influence our state-by-state coverage.

HelloPrenup — $599 single / $749 both partners

HelloPrenup is dedicated to prenups (LegalZoom does many things). The platform walks both partners through a structured negotiation — you each enter your preferences separately, the system shows where you agree and disagree, and a state-licensed attorney reviews the final agreement.

  • What's included: guided dual-party negotiation, state-specific drafting, attorney review.
  • What's different: built for the conversation. The UX makes the negotiation less awkward than a blank document.
  • Best for: Couples who want both partners involved in the drafting process, with similar fact patterns to LegalZoom's audience.

See HelloPrenup

We may earn a commission when you click these links. This costs you nothing and does not influence our state-by-state coverage.

When an online prenup is enough

The honest answer is: when your case is genuinely simple. Specifically, all of these apply:

  • Both spouses on W-2 income — no business owners, no significant self-employment income.
  • No real estate, OR a single home in a single state.
  • No business interest now or planned during the marriage.
  • No children from prior relationships.
  • No expected inheritance.
  • No significant separate property beyond a retirement account and a bank balance.
  • Both spouses have read the agreement, understand it, and agree to it without ultimatum.

If all seven apply, an attorney-reviewed online prenup is a reasonable instrument. The state-customized templates handle the procedural basics; the attorney review catches obvious problems; the price is one-tenth of a full attorney engagement.

When an online prenup is NOT enough

Any of these moves you out of "simple":

  • Business ownership. Online templates can't valuate a business or draft succession-aware separate-property clauses. Hire a family law attorney with business-property experience.
  • Real estate in multiple states. Each state's property law differs. A template that assumes one state will miss interactions.
  • Children from a prior relationship. Inheritance and estate-planning concerns intersect with the prenup. Requires custom drafting.
  • Expected inheritance. Distinguishing "what I have now" from "what I'll receive later" needs careful language, especially around commingling and appreciation.
  • Significantly asymmetric finances. A spouse waiving substantial rights needs the kind of independent legal advice that online templates can't substitute for. California, by statute, requires it.
  • State-specific complications. California's 7-day rule, New York's acknowledgment rule, Minnesota's witness rule — online templates have these built in, but they don't always know which version of state law to apply when there's a conflict.

The DIY template problem

Free prenup templates from Google search results, Word document repositories, or generic legal-form sites are not online prenups in the sense above. They're documents you fill in yourself with no review and no state customization.

The problem isn't the template language — most are fine. The problem is the procedural execution: adequate disclosure, voluntariness documentation, state-specific signing rules. Those decide enforceability, and a template can't help you do them right.

For more on what gets prenups thrown out, see what makes a prenup invalid.

Decision framework

Three honest options, in order of cost:

  1. Free DIY template. Don't.
  2. $599–$749 attorney-reviewed online (LegalZoom / HelloPrenup). Fine for genuinely simple cases.
  3. $2,000–$15,000 full attorney representation (both spouses). Required for anything more complex.

To see what a full attorney engagement would cost in your state, check the state-by-state cost guide. To pressure-test which path is right for you, take the 60-second prenup quiz.

Frequently asked questions

Are online prenups legally binding?
Online prenups from services that include licensed-attorney review (LegalZoom, HelloPrenup) are as legally binding as any other prenup — they have to satisfy the same state requirements. Free DIY templates downloaded from the web are a different category: they're technically binding if executed properly, but courts struck them down at high rates because users miss the procedural requirements that an attorney would catch.
How much does an online prenup cost?
LegalZoom's prenup product is around $599 at last check, including state-specific attorney review. HelloPrenup runs $599 for a single user or $749 for both partners on the platform. By comparison, an attorney-drafted prenup runs $1,500–$7,500 for most couples, with complex estates running higher.
When is an online prenup enough?
For couples with simple finances: both on W-2 income, no business interests, no real estate in multiple states, no expected inheritance, no children from prior relationships. If that's you, an attorney-reviewed online prenup is reasonable. If any of those don't apply, hire a family law attorney instead.
When should we hire a real attorney instead?
Anytime the case involves: a business owned or about to be started, real estate in more than one state, expected inheritance, children from a prior relationship, significant pre-marital separate property, or asymmetric finances (one spouse with substantially more assets). Also any case where state-specific rules add complexity — California's independent counsel + 7-day rule, New York's acknowledgment requirement, Minnesota's witness rule.
Can I use a free prenup template from the internet?
You can. We don't recommend it. Free templates fail the procedural requirements that decide enforceability — adequate disclosure, voluntariness documentation, state-specific signing rules. The cost of getting it wrong is the entire agreement. Spending $600 on an attorney-reviewed online product or $2,000+ on a real attorney is insurance against the prenup not holding up when it matters.

Why we don't recommend DIY templates

The free-template failure pattern.

Attorney-drafted prenup cost

When $2,000+ makes sense over $599 online.

Will my prenup hold up?

Pressure-test your specific situation.

What to include in a prenup

The 7 sections of a real document.

Do I need a prenup?

Whether your case is simple enough for online.

Find a family-law attorney

When online isn't enough.