Creating a will is an essential part of an estate plan, enabling you to make choices about how your assets are disbursed after you die.

While it might seem intimidating to draft a legal document, online will-makers can make it easier. They allow you to work at your own pace, on your own time and without committing a lot of money or resources.

They may not be the right option for everyone, though, especially if there are complicated family or financial dynamics. But even a simple online will is better than having no estate plan at all.

We've selected the top online will-makers in a variety of categories. Some of our choices are free, while others are paid plans that connect you with an estate-planning attorney for expert help. (See our methodology for more on how we made our picks.).

Who's this for:FreeWill is a comprehensive, interactive will-maker that's completely free. Funded by hundreds of nonprofits, the company won't sell your data and doesn't require credit card or banking information.

Standout benefits: FreeWill's platform has space for preferred names and gender identities. The company claims the process only takes 20 minutes and you can make updates at any time for free. It also offers revocable living trusts in California.

Who's this for:Trust & Will offers discounts for couples creating a joint will and allows families to create trusts, which can help you to avoid a lengthy probate process.

Standout benefits: Trust & Will modernizes will creation with a seamless flow of simple questions that create a document you can print at home or have shipped to you.

Who's this for?Rocket Lawyer's fill-in-the-blank wills have a chat feature that allows you to submit questions to an estate planning attorney as you work, with responses typically available in one business day.

Standout benefits: Rocket Lawyer's will templates include a way to bequeath digital files and property, including online accounts. In addition to wills, the brand offers a variety of documents for small business owners and landlords.

Who's this for? Unlike other online platforms, Quicken WillMaker & Trust allows you to download its software to either MacOS or Windows for indefinite access and to make updates or changes without an additional fee. One download creates unlimited wills for those in your family, so you can help your parents, siblings or other loved ones with their estate planning, too.

Standout benefits: Quicken WillMaker provides an extensive array of documents, including agreements for elder care, childcare and even pet care, as well as house-sitting instructions and authorization for international travel with a minor.

A will, also known as a last will and testament, is an estate-planning document that lays out how you'd like your assets distributed after your death. It also names legal guardians for children, pets and other dependents.

Without a will, your assets will be distributed according to state law, which may not follow your wishes.

Despite this, about two-thirds of Americans don't have a will or any estate-planning document, according to a LegalZoom survey.

As part of the willmaking process, you'll name people who will receive a portion of your estate and an executor, who is in charge of distributing those assets and other aspects of the will.

After your death, your estate will go through probate, a court proceeding that reviews the authenticity and validity of the will. Some assets may be designated separately from the will, like 401(k) plans, bank accounts and life insurance policies that name beneficiaries. Jointly titled accounts may also not be covered under a will.

During the process, you may encounter other estate-planning documents, like health care or financial power of attorney, which authorize others to make decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated or are otherwise unable to make your wishes known.

A will created online can be just as legally binding as a one prepared by an attorney, as long as it meets all of your state's requirements. You should have a strong understanding of what's required where you live before starting the process.

The signatures on your will are just as critical as the document itself. You'll need to ensure your will is signed and witnessed by two non-beneficiaries. In some states, the relevant parties can sign electronically, in others in needs to be in ink. Some states require the will to be notarized to be seen as valid.

So, even if you draft an online will, you may want to have a lawyer review it so you can be confident it will stand up in probate court. It will still be simpler, faster and cheaper than working with an attorney throughout the whole process.

If you're hesitant about the commitment and expense involved in a traditional will, an online will saves both time and money and can provide a basic framework for how your estate is divided and how any dependents are cared for.

"Services online are a good match for anybody who doesn't have a will at all," Pittsburgh attorney Michael Fiffik of Fiffik Law Group told CNBC Select. "It's always better to have your own plan for your family."

That doesn't mean an online will-maker is a good fit in every situation, he added, especially if you need a lot of customization.

"Your family situation dictates whether you've got a complicated estate," Fiffik said. "It's a whole lot less about how much money you have."

An online will-maker may not be the right tool if you've remarried, if you have a special needs child who will need lifelong care or if you think someone may contest the will.

In those cases, an estate-planning attorney can better navigate potential pitfalls.

1. Choose an online will-maker

And any online will-maker you're considering should follow your state's specific laws.

2. Take stock of your assets

Make a list of your assets and who you want to have them. A spreadsheet can help you keep track of everything and who is receiving it (with contact information).

3. Follow the prompts

Most of our top choices for online will-makers guide you through the process with a series of questions.

You'll start by assigning an executor, who should be a trusted friend or relative. Consider their ability to multi-task and stay calm under pressure. You may want to assign an alternate executor in case your original choice is unavailable or predeceases you.

You'll then start assigning guardians for dependents and beneficiaries for assets that are not governed by beneficiary designations. You may also choose to leave funds to charities.

You'll also be asked about any last wishes. This is when you can specify anything you'd like done at your funeral or list other requests you have for survivors.

4. Gather witnesses and sign

In most states, you'll need two adults to witness and sign your will. and then have it notarized. Check with your state laws about whether the will needs to be physically signed or notarized.

Once the will has been signed, make several copies. You should keep the original in a safe place and distribute copies to the executor and anyone else you'd like to inform of your wishes.

FreeWill has been offering no-cost wills since its inception in 2017. The company is funded completely by donations and has raised more than $11 billion for charities.

Availability: FreeWill can draft wills in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

Trust & Will has helped over 250,000 people make estate plans since its founding in 2017. Offering both wills and trusts, the tech startup also partners with lawyers and estate planners to offer legal advice.

Availability: Trust & Will can draft wills in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

Rocket Lawyer has served more than 30 million clients since 2008, from individuals to small businesses. There is a basic free template and a seven-day trial to check out more advanced features, like legal assistance via phone, email or online.

Availability: Rocket Lawyer is authorized to draft wills in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

Quicken WillMaker & Trust was launched in the 1980s, making it one of the oldest companies in the industry. The All-Access Plan includes one year of digital vault and organization services with Everplans.

What is the downside to an online will?

Online wills aren't always customizable enough to handle complicated family or financial dynamics or large estates. They utilize generic templates, which may leave more room for mistakes or omissions, and rarely offer the same level of personalized legal advice as a qualified estate planning attorney.

What is a trust?

Wills are powerful estate planning tools, but a trust has certain additional benefits. It doesn't have to go through the probate process, for example, and is harder to contest. However, it can be more complicated to set up.

Are online wills accepted in every state?

Wills created with the online programs we've recommended are valid in every state as long as you follow local estate laws. (The one exception is that Quicken WillMaker & Trust is not accepted in Louisiana). In many cases, though, you will have to print out a hard copy of the document and sign it in ink. Just over a dozen states accept online wills signed and stored digitally.

At CNBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. For this story, we interviewed Michael Fiffik, a managing partner at Pennsylvania-based Fiffik Law Group. He practices estate planning law as well as business and corporate law.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every online will-maker review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of life insurance products. To research the best online will-makers, we compiled dozens of data points on more than eight online will-makers. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

To determine the best online will-makers, we looked at state availability and the cost of creating a simple will, of getting legal advice and of making updates.

We also considered the availability of other estate-planning documents, including living wills and power of attorney. We also considered the types of plans they could make, including whether they could help make trusts and joint wills for couples. We also considered the ease of use, trying programs to see how easy they were to use and how simple the flow of questions was. We also considered extra features like document storage included in each program.

From there, we incorporated customer satisfaction scores from Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau.

We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.

Our recommendations are sorted by the best free online will-maker, best for couples and families, best for attorney assistance and best for offline access.

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.