Most official US court forms are free — the question is which tasks genuinely benefit from a paid document service. This page compares the main online legal-form services against the free official sources we catalogue (start with official forms vs generic templates and the fee-waiver guide).
Advertising disclosure: this page contains sponsored links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. Rankings and descriptions are editorial; commissions never determine what we write.
The free baseline first
If a court publishes a form, use the court's version — many judges reject substitutes, and official forms are updated when rules change. This directory exists to route you to those official sources. Paid services earn their place only where no official form exists and you need a private document (a will, a lease, a settlement agreement) or guided preparation.
What each service actually is
LawDepot: a large template library (hundreds of document types), state-adapted via questionnaire, per-document or subscription pricing. Good for private agreements and planning documents.
LegalZoom: estate plans, business formation and IP filings, with attorney consults available as add-ons. Strongest when a task mixes documents with professional advice.
Trust & Will: estate documents only (wills, trusts, guardianship), state-specific, with attorney review on upper tiers. Narrow but polished.
Comparison at a glance
| Task | Best route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Court-required filing form | Official court source (free) | Judges expect the exact official version |
| Private agreement / template (no official form) | LawDepot | Widest library, pay per document |
| LLC formation or trademark with advice | LegalZoom | Documents + optional attorney consults |
| Will or living trust | Trust & Will | Specialised, state-specific estate drafting |
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Our position on paid vs free
We rank official free sources above every paid service in our directory listings, and we label sponsored links as advertising. If a paid service fits your task, the links above may earn us a commission — the same service appears in our comparisons whether or not it pays, and no court filing should ever be bought when the official form is free.