Online platform vs. attorney flat fee vs. hourly — priced with the complexity that drives the bill
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| Path | Low | Typical | High | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online platform (self-guided) | $599 | $649 | $649 | State template, e-sign, notarization; $799/partner attorney review optional |
| Online + full attorney representation | $2,197 | $2,197 | $2,197 | Platform-managed attorney draft (HelloPrenup's published tier) |
| Attorney flat fee — simple | $1,000 | $2,000 | $3,000 | Two incomes, no business, standard terms |
| Attorney flat fee — moderate | $2,500 | $4,000 | $6,000 | Real estate, support terms, mixed assets |
| Attorney flat fee — complex | $5,000 | $8,000 | $20,000+ | Businesses, equity comp, trusts; survey average ~$8,000/couple |
| Attorney hourly | $150/hr | $300/hr | $500/hr | Simple ~6 hrs, moderate ~12, complex 20+ |
| Independent review (other spouse) | $500 | $799 | $1,500 | Flat review; $799 is the published platform rate |
Bands from HelloPrenup's published pricing and its family-law attorney survey, plus family-law flat-fee ranges from consumer legal cost guides ($150-$500/hr typical; $250-$1,000 at the top of major-metro family law). Postnups commonly quote at or above prenup rates: they're negotiated after marriage, when finances are already commingled.
| Requirement | Why it matters for cost |
|---|---|
| Written and signed by both parties | Verbal agreements don't count in any state |
| Entered voluntarily | Pressure or rushed timing invites challenges; California, for example, requires at least 7 calendar days between presentation and signature |
| Full financial disclosure | Both sides exchange assets, debts, and income — this is where attorney hours actually go |
| Not unconscionable when signed | One-sided terms can void the agreement even with clean paperwork |
| Independent counsel (recommended; required in some states for support waivers) | The $500-$1,500 review line item; skipping it saves money and raises risk |
A majority of states have adopted the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (UPAA) or its 2012 revision (UPMAA); the rest apply their own case law. The practical takeaway: the process — disclosure, timing, counsel — decides enforceability as much as the document. An attorney in your state is the right source for whether your plan holds.
Every prenup bill is two lines: the drafting side and the review side. This calculator prices both, across the three ways people actually buy prenups.
Complexity is scored from what the agreement covers: 0-1 boxes is simple, 2-3 moderate, 4+ complex. Flat fee = the complexity band; hourly = hours (6 simple, 12 moderate, 25 complex) × your rate; online = $649 base ($599 + $50 e-sign/notarization). The review line adds $500-$1,500 typical when the other spouse has independent counsel. Postnup mode adds a premium at the typical-to-high end, reflecting how postnups are commonly quoted at or above prenup rates.
Tick every box that honestly describes your situation, then pick your path. If the flat-fee and hourly numbers land close for your complexity, flat fee is usually the safer buy — hourly prenups drift when negotiations take turns. The review toggle defaults to "yes" because that's what most family lawyers recommend, not because every state demands it.
The moderate case: a couple with a rental property and spousal support terms (2 boxes, moderate). Attorney flat fee: $4,000 typical, plus $799 review for the other spouse. Total: $4,799 typical, range $3,000-$7,500.
The simple case, online: two young professionals, renters, no business (0 boxes). HelloPrenup at $599 + $50 notarization, both partners adding $799 attorney review: $2,247 typical ($1,649-$3,649). Skip the review and it's $649 — valid paperwork, thinner protection if the marriage ever gets contested.
Three paths, three price tags. An online platform like HelloPrenup charges $599 per couple flat (plus $50 for e-signature and notarization), or $2,197 for full attorney representation through the platform. An attorney's flat fee runs $1,000-$3,000 for a simple agreement, $2,500-$6,000 for moderate complexity, and $5,000-$20,000+ when businesses, stock options, or family money are involved — one survey of family law attorneys put the average attorney-drafted prenup near $8,000 per couple. Attorneys billing hourly charge $150-$500 an hour.
Because a defensible prenup is a financial disclosure exercise, not a form. Each side documents assets, debts, and income; the drafting attorney negotiates terms with the other side, often through their own counsel; and the agreement gets revised until both attorneys sign off. A moderate-complexity prenup (real estate plus spousal support terms) runs about $4,000 typical from a flat-fee attorney plus $500-$1,500 for the other spouse's independent review. Cutting that process is what makes agreements vulnerable later.
Platform prenups are real legal documents built on state-specific templates, and couples do enforce them. The risk profile: courts look for voluntariness, full financial disclosure, and fairness, and an agreement both spouses signed without independent legal advice is easier to challenge. HelloPrenup itself sells attorney review at $799 per partner for exactly this reason. The full-representation tier through the platform runs $2,197. For substantial assets, a business, or anything contested, attorney-drafted is the safer spend.
Complexity, in this order: business ownership or professional practice, real estate beyond the shared home, stock options and RSUs, expected inheritance or family trusts, spousal support waivers, and debt allocation (especially student loans). Each layer adds negotiation and disclosure work. Sunset clauses, provisions about future earnings, and international assets push costs further. A simple two-income, renter, no-kids agreement is the $1,000-$2,000 case.
Not every state requires independent counsel, but most family lawyers recommend it, and some states make spousal-support provisions harder to enforce without it. Practically: the drafting attorney represents one spouse; the other spouse's review attorney commonly charges $500-$1,500 flat or bills hourly. Budgeting for both sides is why real totals often run double the headline quote.
A majority of states have adopted the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (UPAA) or its 2012 revision (UPMAA); the rest apply their own case law. The shared requirements: the agreement must be written and signed, entered voluntarily, backed by full financial disclosure, and not unconscionable when signed. Timing rules matter too — California, for example, gives parties at least seven calendar days between presentation and signature. Enforceability is ultimately a judge's call, which is why process (disclosure, counsel, timing) matters as much as price. This calculator is cost information, not legal advice.