Kinly vs Childfree Trust: an honest comparison
The short answer
Both are annual memberships that include four state-specific documents, a 24/7 phone line and a regulated trust company that can serve in your plan. They differ in who can join, where the trust company sits, whether it can be named first, how couples pay and how fees are published. The better fit depends on your situation.
If you've been looking for someone to stand behind your estate plan, you may have found two services that sound alike: Childfree Trust and Kinly. Both offer a membership, documents and a trust company that can act for you. So what's actually different?
This page compares the two using Childfree Trust's own website, read in October 2026, and Kinly's published facts. Where we couldn't find a detail on their site, we say so rather than guess. It is part of our guide to choosing professional help.
The short version
Childfree Trust and Kinly are more alike than different. Each includes a will, a trust and two powers of attorney written for your state. Each has a phone line that answers around the clock. Each names a regulated trust company that can serve as your agent, executor or trustee.
The differences are in the details: who can join, how the trust company is ordered among the people you name, how couples are billed and which fees are published up front. None of these makes one service right for everyone.
Side by side
| Item | Childfree Trust | Kinly |
|---|---|---|
| What's included | Medical and financial powers of attorney, will and trust, unlimited care documents, a 24/7 emergency line, and fiduciary service from its partner trust company | Will, revocable trust, medical and financial powers of attorney, a care plan, a 24/7 team, and Trella Trust Company named in any or all four roles |
| Who serves as fiduciary | A partner trust company, not named on the pages we read, established in Alabama and regulated by the Alabama State Banking Department | Trella Trust Company, a Washington State chartered trust company |
| Where it sits in your plan | Can be primary or backup for some roles, but must be at least your last choice; its site describes it acting after the people you chose are unavailable | First, or as backup behind people you choose; you set the order in every role |
| Membership price | $999 a year per person, or $99 a month; prepay up to three years | $999 a year for one person, $1,499 a year for a couple |
| Couples | Each person buys a separate membership | One couple membership |
| Fees when it does the work | Published: $275 an hour as power of attorney; as trustee, a 12-hour retainer ($3,300 a year) plus $275 an hour beyond that; 0.10% a year on assets held in trust | Charged by the hour, and you see the rates before anything starts |
| Care plan | Care documents built in an online tool, covering things like medical wishes, pet care, giving and burial | Everything only you know, on file, and you can change it any time from your phone |
| 24/7 line | Yes, a 24/7 emergency line through the number on your membership card | Yes, a team on call 24/7/365 through the number on your membership card |
| States served | All 50 states and Washington, D.C.; not Puerto Rico or other US territories | All 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
Sources: Childfree Trust FAQ, Childfree Trust: how it works, Kinly pricing. Checked October 2026. Prices and terms change, so confirm on each site.
How Childfree Trust works
Childfree Trust's how it works page lays out three steps. You create a free account and gather your information. You answer a questionnaire that produces your powers of attorney, will and trust. Then you notarize the documents and pay the membership fee.
Its FAQ says the documents come from templates developed with estate attorneys in each state. It also says plainly that it is not providing legal advice, and that its service is self-service. A paid legal review is available, outside the membership.
In an emergency, its home page says emergency personnel call the number on your membership card. Childfree Trust then confirms your membership and sends your medical documents and wishes to the hospital.
Where Childfree Trust is stronger
Being fair means saying where they do something well:
- Published service rates. The FAQ lists exactly what the trust company charges when it serves: hourly, the trustee retainer and the percentage on trust assets. You can do the math before you join.
- Ways to pay. You can pay monthly, and prepaying up to three years locks the price.
- Clear rules on price increases. The FAQ says increases follow the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, by the same percentage, and prepaid plans aren't affected.
- A clear account of what happens. The site explains when the power of attorney turns on, how long it's meant to last, and when assets move into the trust.
Things to know before you join
These come straight from Childfree Trust's FAQ:
- Who can join. Membership is for people with no biological, adopted or stepchildren. The FAQ also lists people it can't take, including anyone needing trust or power of attorney help right away, anyone in hospice or palliative care, and anyone with documented cognitive decline.
- Order of roles. The trust company must be at least your last choice, and the FAQ suggests listing close friends and family first.
- Investments. The trust company has no authority over your investments while you're competent.
- Refunds. The FAQ says membership fees aren't refunded.
- The trust is sited in Alabama. The trusts follow Alabama law.
How Kinly works
A Kinly membership includes the same four documents, written for your state, plus a care plan you can change any time from your phone. A team is on call 24/7/365 with your plan in front of them, through the number on your membership card.
Trella Trust Company can be named in any or all four roles. Members set the order: Kinly can be first, or the backup behind a sister, brother or friend. We call that a standby fiduciary. A fiduciary is someone legally required to act in your interest and follow what you wrote.
When Kinly steps in, ordinary life keeps going. The people who should know are called, bills get paid, the plants get watered and the dog gets her afternoon walk. If the trust company does that work, it's charged by the hour, and you see the rates before anything starts. Kinly's trust is sited in Washington State.
Where the two are alike
Some features line up closely, which is worth knowing if you're choosing between them:
- No re-checks at renewal. Childfree Trust's FAQ says its intake criteria don't apply at renewal. The Kinly Lifetime Promise says Kinly never re-checks your health, age or memory at renewal.
- If Medicaid starts paying for your care. Childfree Trust's FAQ says that after 24 months of membership, billing stops if you go on Medicaid, and service continues. Kinly's promise is similar: after two years, if you spend down to the point where Medicaid is paying for your care, Kinly stops billing you. Our page on Medicaid spend-down explains how that works.
- Nationwide. Both serve all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Which fits you?
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Do you have children, even ones who live far away? Childfree Trust's FAQ says its membership isn't open to people with living children.
- Do you want the trust company named first in any role? Kinly allows that. Childfree Trust requires it to be at least your last choice.
- Are you planning as a couple? Kinly has a couple price. Childfree Trust bills each person separately.
- Do you want every fee published before you join? Childfree Trust publishes its service rates. Kinly shows you its rates before any work starts.
- Would you rather pay monthly? Childfree Trust offers that.
If you're still weighing whether to name a professional at all, our pages on naming a friend vs a professional and attorney, trust company or family may help. For how trust companies usually charge, see trust company fees. If you'd like to talk through how Kinly would fit, the free consultation is twenty minutes on the phone.
Common questions
Is Childfree Trust worth it?
It can be a good fit if you meet its membership rules and are happy with an Alabama trust company serving as your last choice in each role. Its published rates make costs easy to estimate. Compare what you'd pay for an attorney plus a professional fiduciary before you decide.
Who is Childfree Trust's trust company?
Its website refers to a "partner trust company" established in Alabama and regulated by the Alabama State Banking Department. We couldn't find the trust company's name on the pages we read.
Does Childfree Trust give legal advice?
No. Its FAQ says it provides self-service documents and isn't giving legal advice. It offers a paid legal review separately, and you can have your own attorney look at the documents.
Can a couple share one membership?
At Childfree Trust, no: its FAQ says each person needs a separate membership, with a stated exception for certain clients of its wealth-management service. Kinly has a couple membership at $1,499 a year.
Sources
This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws vary by state.