- Free templates carry the most enforceability risk because they typically skip financial disclosure, state-specific compliance, and the procedural steps courts look for.
- DIY platforms in the $300 to $1,000 range handle the procedural compliance most templates miss, but vary widely in legal sophistication.
- Attorney-drafted prenups ($1,500 to $4,000+) add personalized negotiation and the strongest enforceability defense, but cost reflects time billed not always complexity.
- An attorney-review hybrid lets you draft on a platform and have a lawyer sign off, often for half the cost of a from-scratch attorney engagement.
The four real options
When people say "DIY prenup," they usually mean one of three different things: a free template downloaded from the internet, a paid online platform, or a fillable PDF from a legal forms site. These produce very different documents. There's also a fourth option many couples don't realize exists: drafting on a platform and adding attorney review. Here is what each one actually delivers.
Option 1: Free template ($0)
You search "prenup template" and download a Word document. You fill in your names, list some assets, and sign. This is the riskiest option and the one most likely to fail in court.
Free templates almost always skip the procedural elements that make a prenup enforceable: a financial disclosure schedule with both parties' assets and debts, separate independent counsel acknowledgments, the right notarization workflow, witness signatures where required, and language tailored to your state's specific enforceability rules. A judge looking at a challenged free-template prenup is asking three questions: was there full disclosure, did both parties have a fair chance to understand what they were signing, and is there evidence neither party was pressured. Free templates rarely produce a paper trail that answers those questions.
Option 2: DIY platform ($300 to $1,000)
A guided online platform walks you through asset listing, debt allocation, separate-property identification, optional clauses, and produces a state-compliant document with the procedural elements built in. Both partners typically complete their own disclosure section in the same system, so the disclosure schedule is automatic. Notarization workflow is included, and the platform usually generates an audit log showing each step.
Where DIY platforms vary is in legal sophistication. The cheapest platforms produce documents that read like glorified mad-libs, with limited customization and few state-specific provisions. Better platforms handle community-property vs equitable-distribution states differently, include optional clauses that reflect modern asset types like cryptocurrency or stock options, and generate language a court is likely to recognize as carefully drafted.
Option 3: Attorney-drafted from scratch ($1,500 to $4,000)
You hire a family law attorney who drafts the agreement based on a one-on-one consultation. This is the strongest enforceability posture: the attorney has heard your specific situation, can negotiate clause language with your partner's separate counsel, and will sit on the witness stand if the agreement is ever challenged.
The price range is wide because most of the cost is time billed, not document complexity. A simple two-page prenup in a community-property state might run $1,500 with a low-cost attorney and $4,000 with a more senior one. Expect the cost to roughly double if your partner's attorney negotiates substantive changes back and forth, since both sides bill for the negotiation.
Option 4: Platform + attorney review ($600 to $1,500 total)
You draft the document on a DIY platform, then engage an attorney to review the finished agreement, suggest edits, and confirm enforceability for your state. The platform handles 80% of the work for you, the attorney handles the 20% that benefits from a trained eye. Most couples pay roughly half what a from-scratch engagement costs, and you keep the platform's audit trail and disclosure schedule.
How to decide which is right for you
There is no single right answer, but the questions below typically point clearly to one of the four options.
- Do you own a closely-held business, real estate in multiple states, or have a complex pre-marital trust? Pick attorney-drafted or platform plus attorney review. The complexity is worth a trained eye.
- Is one partner significantly wealthier or carrying outsized debt, with no plans to disclose? Pick attorney-drafted. Disclosure mistakes are the most common reason prenups get thrown out, and a lawyer will push back when something is missing.
- Are your assets straightforward (a home, retirement accounts, basic savings), and you mostly want to clarify separate vs marital property? A reputable platform with attorney review is usually plenty.
- Are you both early in your careers with simple finances, mostly worried about pre-marital debt and a future inheritance? A platform alone can work, especially if both partners review it carefully and use the included notarization flow.
- Are you tempted by a free template? Stop. The savings disappear the first time the agreement is challenged.
What Clause includes by default
Clause's standard plan includes state-specific drafting for all 50 states, both partners completing their own financial disclosure independently, an audit log capturing each step, optional online notarization, and a starter set of optional clauses (sunset, pet custody, intellectual property, cryptocurrency, business protections). The Comprehensive plan adds attorney review and unlimited custom clauses.
If you want to see what a platform-built agreement looks like before paying anything, the first three sections of the Clause builder are free. You can complete the basic structure and asset summary, look at the generated draft, and decide from there whether you want to upgrade or take the draft to an outside attorney.
Start your free draft on Clause to see what you'd be paying for at any tier.
Clause is not a law firm and this article is not legal advice. Prenuptial agreement requirements vary by state. Consult a licensed family law attorney in your state for guidance specific to your situation.