Life Ledger alternatives:
seven options, compared.

NotifyNOW

NotifyNOW lets you "Notify companies of the passing of a loved one securely and efficiently." Its terms describe "deceased notification services in the United States" covering banks, credit card companies, finance companies, utilities, telecoms and other creditors. It's a service of Estate Resolution Technologies (US) LLC, part of The Estate Registry.

Built for

The same job in the United States

Published cost

Its home page calls them "our free services." No fee appears in its FAQ or terms.

Free tier

The notifications

Account

Required, as a "Notifier," with identity verification. Notifications go out within 3 days of entry, per its FAQ.

The limit to know

US residents only, per its terms. A death certificate is optional to submit, but its FAQ says companies "may not complete the action without one."

NotifyNOW ↗ NotifyNOW FAQ ↗ NotifyNOW terms ↗

Empathy

Empathy's Loss Support page says "We take the job of canceling accounts and subscriptions off your plate," alongside help claiming benefits and navigating probate, through a dedicated Care Manager. It's sold to employers, insurers and financial institutions rather than to families.

Built for

Account closing and paperwork through an employer or life insurer

Published cost

No consumer price is published. Its terms say the site "is currently offered free of charge" and that the app "may be subject to the purchase of a subscription" when you don't come through a sponsor.

Free tier

Access through an employer or insurer code

Account

Through the sponsoring employer or insurer, then the mobile app.

The limit to know

You need a sponsor. Its terms say the Care Team can't give legal, financial or insurance advice.

Empathy Loss Support ↗ Empathy terms ↗

MORTL

MORTL doesn't send notifications for you. Its someone-just-died path orders the first tasks by day and week, its guide to closing accounts says what banks, card issuers, utilities, phone companies, subscriptions, government agencies and insurers each require, and the Who to Notify tracker keeps the list. All of it is free and needs no account.

Built for

Knowing what each company will ask for, and tracking who you've told

Published cost

Free. The crisis path stays free and carries no upsell.

Free tier

Everything on this job

Account

None.

The limit to know

You make the calls. MORTL tells you what to bring and in what order.

When someone dies ↗ How to close accounts after a death →

Experian deceased notification

Experian's guide says the bureaus are usually told of a death by the Social Security Administration or the person's creditors, and that "only a spouse or other legally authorized person, such as the executor of an estate, can report a death." You upload a certified copy of the death certificate online or mail it to its Consumer Assistance Center. Once one bureau is notified, "it'll notify the other two."

Built for

Flagging the credit file so nobody opens accounts in the name

Published cost

The guide names no fee.

Free tier

The notification

Account

None. A certified death certificate copy, the name, Social Security number, dates of birth and death.

The limit to know

Credit reports only. It adds a deceased alert; it doesn't close the accounts. The page is an Ask Experian article dated August 12, 2024.

How to report a relative's death to the credit bureaus ↗

Deceased Do Not Contact List

The ANA's Deceased Do Not Contact List exists "to assist family members, friends and caretakers seeking to remove the names of deceased individuals from commercial marketing lists." A monthly file goes to subscribing companies; the page says to expect less promotional mail within three months.

Built for

Stopping the marketing mail

Published cost

"$6 administrative processing fee," paid online with an email verification.

Free tier

None

Account

None. The form asks the month and year of death, the age at death and your relation to the person.

The limit to know

Marketing lists only, and only companies that subscribe to the file. It doesn't touch accounts, creditors or government records.

Deceased Do Not Contact List registration ↗ DMAchoice consumer tools ↗

Settld

Settld says "When a loved one dies, use Settld to close or transfer their accounts in one go, fast-track probate, sell the property - and much more." It "reports a death to multiple companies in one go, and requests any credit owed to the estate," and assigns a Settld Assistant. Its terms say the service is free to individuals; its home page says partner referral fees keep it that way. It's a service of The Estate Registry, the same parent as NotifyNOW.

Built for

UK company notifications with a named assistant

Published cost

"It's free!" for individuals, per the home page and terms. Its home page counts more than 1,400 organisations; an older FAQ entry on the same site says over 950.

Free tier

The notifications and the assistant

Account

A web form, then a death certificate or interim coroner's certificate, photo ID and an identity check before anything sends.

The limit to know

UK only. Its home page also offers probate, property clearance, asset searches and bridging loans through partners that pay it a fee.

Settld ↗ Settld for families ↗ Settld terms ↗

Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once "lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go": HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Passport Office, the DVLA, the local council, Veterans UK, Social Security Scotland and some public sector pension schemes. The registrar gives you a reference number when you register the death.

Built for

UK government departments in one report

Published cost

The gov.uk page names no fee.

Free tier

The service

Account

The reference number from the registrar, used within 28 days, online or by phone.

The limit to know

England, Scotland and Wales only, and government bodies only. The page says you still have to contact banks, mortgage and insurance providers, utilities, landlords and workplace pensions yourself.

Tell Us Once on gov.uk ↗

Someone died in the United States

Life Ledger, Settld and Tell Us Once are UK services by their own terms. NotifyNOW is the US service with the same job and it says it's free; it needs your ID and it sends within three days. Before you file anything, MORTL's crisis path puts the first week in order and the account-closing guide lists what each company will ask for, so you don't make the call twice.

When someone dies →How to close accounts after a death →Who to notify tracker →

Your employer or life insurer includes Empathy

Use it. Empathy's Loss Support assigns a Care Manager and its site says it takes over cancelling accounts and subscriptions. The sponsor sets how long the coverage lasts, one or two years per Empathy's FAQ. If you weren't given an access code, the app may charge a subscription.

Every platform side by side →

Someone died in the UK

Tell Us Once covers the government departments and needs the reference number from the registrar within 28 days. For the companies, Life Ledger and Settld both say they're free to you and both need the death certificate and your ID before they send. Neither closes the account itself; the company writes back to you with what it needs.

When a death crosses borders →

The credit file and the mail

Two US steps that no notification platform on this page covers. One credit bureau notification reaches all three, per Experian, and needs a certified death certificate from the spouse or the executor. The Deceased Do Not Contact List costs $6 and thins the marketing mail over about three months.

Who to notify when someone dies →

Does Life Ledger work in the United States?

No. Its terms say it helps you contact "companies in the United Kingdom," the company is registered in England and Wales, and its prices are in pounds. NotifyNOW is the US service with the same job, and Empathy does it through an employer or life insurer.

Is Life Ledger free?

Death notifications are free and unlimited, per its home page and FAQ. Its before-death product, Register a Life, is free for the first three companies and £12 a year after that. The companies it notifies can buy a premium portal; that price isn't published.

What does Life Ledger need before it sends anything?

The deceased's details, a copy of the death certificate, interim death certificate or medical certificate of cause of death, and your verified identity. For each company it asks for the account or policy number, or a username. It says it never asks for passwords.

What is the difference between Tell Us Once and Life Ledger?

Tell Us Once is the UK government's service and reaches government departments and some public pensions. Life Ledger calls itself a private-sector Tell Us Once and reaches banks, insurers, utilities, telecoms and subscription services. The gov.uk page says you still contact those companies yourself, which is the gap Life Ledger and Settld fill.

Is there a Life Ledger for the US?

NotifyNOW. It's a service of The Estate Registry, the same parent as the UK service Settld. Its home page calls the notifications free, its terms limit it to US residents, it verifies your identity, and its FAQ says notifications go out within three days. A death certificate is optional to submit, though companies may not act without one.

Can any of these services close the accounts for you?

They notify; the company decides. Life Ledger's terms call it "an initial notification service only." NotifyNOW's FAQ says companies may not complete the action without a death certificate. Empathy says its Care Manager takes the cancelling work off your plate, through your sponsor. MORTL's guide lists what each type of company asks for so the first contact is the last.