There are 2 significant times when you may be planning a funeral:  

• Planning and paying for a funeral that will take place in the future. 

• Planning and paying for a funeral in the days after someone has died. 

Statistics show that just 5% of adults in the UK have a funeral plan, meaning the majority of people do not have plans in place for when they die, leaving their families scrambling to pay for a funeral and make last-minute funeral arrangements. 

This is where funeral comparison sites like The Farewell Guide can help. We are here to help you compare services between your local funeral providers, potentially saving you thousands of pounds and giving you peace of mind. 

This Funeral Comparison Site Support Guide will explore: 

• The “cost of dying”, funeral debt in the UK, and the importance of planning ahead. 

• The benefits of using a funeral comparison site like The Farewell Guide. 

• Why use The Farewell Guide to compare funeral directors and plan your funeral. 

• An Overview of Funeral Comparison Sites in the UK. 

• Get started and take control of your end-of-life arrangements. 

• What to look for when choosing a funeral comparison site.  

The “Cost of Dying”, funeral debt in the UK, and the importance of planning ahead 

Funeral costs in the UK are at an all-time high, with the cost of dying rising to £9,797 in 2024. The average simple attended burial now costs approximately £5,198 and the most affordable options of direct cremation and direct burial cost £1,597 and £1,527 respectively.  

Funeral debt is also a rising issue in the UK as families grapple with unexpected funeral costs when a loved one dies without leaving behind a funeral plan or arrangements to pay for a send-off. The average family has to find approximately £2,371 to cover a loved one’s funeral costs, often putting them in thousands of pounds in debt.  

The main reason for rising funeral debt in the UK is unexpected funeral expenses, followed by rising costs and stagnating wages.  

The best way to avoid going into funeral debt, or leaving debt to your loved ones when you die, is to plan ahead and create your own funeral plan.  

It is also wise to use our free step by step guide to a funeral, this will allow you to see all the choices required and allow you to see the funeral director that suit your wishes and the costs involved. Doing this before a death allows clarity.  

The benefits of using a funeral comparison site like The Farewell Guide 

When someone dies, organising and paying for a funeral can be a stressful and emotional time for most families, especially if their loved one has not left behind a funeral plan. 74% of people surveyed who had funeral plans said they planned ahead to ease the burden on their loved ones.  

Here are some of the benefits of using a funeral comparison site like The Farewell Guide: 

1. Get the best price for your funeral. 

One-third of people surveyed for Royal London’s National Funeral Cost Index (2019) said that funeral costs were more than they expected. By comparing between thousands of available funeral providers in your area you could save potentially hundreds to thousands of pounds.  

2. Avoid funeral debt. 

Around 12% of families in the UK struggle to cover the costs of a funeral, relying on credit cards, loans or borrowing from family members. Being prepared for the inevitable costs of dying can help you avoid thousands of pounds of funeral debt, giving you and your family peace of mind and financial security. 

3. Ease organisational burden on your loved ones. 

Leaving behind your recorded funeral wishes and a financial plan to pay for your send-off will help ease the burden on your loved ones after you die, allowing them to focus on grieving.  

4. Transparent pricing. 

Funeral providers in the UK are now required by the CMA to post their standardised price lists online and at their premises, so you can get a good idea of what each service you want costs. 

5. Read genuine reviews from real customers. 

Finding a funeral provider, you can truly trust to care for your loved one can be difficult, which is why reading genuine reviews from real customers can help with your decision. Our site users Google Reviews, which is an unpaid reviewing platform which allows independence.  

6. Compare funeral directors from the comfort of your home. 

You can research funeral providers at your own pace at home before making a decision, taking as much time as you need. We have compliance checked all of our member, so you can choose a local funeral director with confidence.  

7. Saves you time. 

Funeral comparison sites make it easy for you to compare between dozens of funeral directors at once, saving you time that you would have spent visiting, phoning, or emailing individual funeral directors for information. 

8. Explore funeral packages and additional services. 

While researching funeral packages online you may come across a variety of options that you did not know were available to you! For example, many people opt for traditional funerals and burials or cremations, but you may find something else online that aligns with your values and wishes. Through your online research you could find many diverse and alternative funeral and burial ideas that you may find interesting, like off-beat funeral venues or unique burial sites. 

9. Filter funeral directors according to your needs.  

Using a funeral comparison website makes it a lot easier to filter options by what you want. You may have certain religious requirements or you may only be looking for a specific type of funeral, like a LGBTQ+ friendly funeral director.  

Why use The Farewell Guide to compare funeral directors and plan your funeral 

1. The Farewell Guide is independently owned and unbiased. 

The Farewell Guide was started by Rebecca Peach to create a platform that would support people through their funeral planning journey. It has remained an unbiased platform and is not owned or affiliated with a funeral group. The Farewell Guide was started as our founder was so lost whilst arranging a funeral that she wanted to create a guide that would support all users for free.  

2. Transparent pricing. 

The Farewell Guide requires all of the funeral directors on its platform to post their standardised price lists for customers to view, allowing for full transparency.  

3. You can record your funeral wishes and plans and share with loved ones.  

Using The Farewell Guide’s free funeral planning tool, users can record their funeral wishes and save them in a secure place. Funeral wishes can include what type of burial, flowers, coffins, limousines, donations to charities, funeral dress code and more. You can also use the vault to store important documents, photos, and important contact details. This feature gives you peace of mind, knowing that you have left detailed instructions behind for your funeral, and allows your loved ones to focus on grieving. 
 

4. Download or print your funeral plan for loved ones, will solicitor or executor.  

After you have created your funeral plan and recorded your funeral wishes you have the option to download or print out a beautifully designed funeral plan from The Farewell Guide’s free funeral planning tool. This funeral plan can be shared with your loved ones, will solicitor, or executor so they are informed of your wishes and can execute them as best they can.  

5. It is completely free to use.  

The Farewell Guide’s funeral planning tool and funeral director comparison platforms are free to use for customers. You only have to pay the funeral director you have chosen when you have selected the funeral plan you want. 

6. You can filter through thousands of funeral directors according to your needs. 

The Farewell Guide’s funeral director comparison tool includes several filters to help you find what you want. Filters include when you are planning the funeral for (immediate or future), who the funeral is for, your area, type of burial, attended or unattended service, flowers budget, limousine service, embalming option, specialist coffin option, viewings at chapel of rest. Other funeral comparison sites do not have option filters and only show you funeral directors in your local area.  

7. Only trusted and regulated funeral directors are on our platform. 

All the funeral directors in The Farewell Guide’s directory are regulated by the two main funeral regulatory bodies in the UK - National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). All funeral directors are also verified and compliance checked independently by The Farewell Guide. These funeral directors will have a “Verified” sticker on their profiles.  

8. The Farewell Guide champions independent funeral directors over large chains. 

We believe that customers benefit greatly from independent funeral directors over the large chain funeral providers. Independent funeral directors are often rooted in the local community, offer personalised service from beginning to end, and are often more flexible in providing customisable services. Other funeral comparison sites only compare funeral plans from large funeral provider chains like Co-op Funeralcare or Dignity, leaving customers with fewer options.  

9. We offer customer support and support guides.  

The Farewell Guide is not only a funeral comparison site - we are your companion throughout your funeral planning journey. We have a dedicated Support Centre to answer all your questions about funeral planning, plus support guides covering death, dying, end-of-life wishes, types of funerals and burials, coping with grief, laws and regulations, estate planning, and more.  

10. We have the largest network of funeral directors on our platform.  

The Farewell Guide has over 7,000 trusted funeral providers listed on our platform, making us the most expansive funeral comparison site in the UK.  

11. Charity partnerships.  

The Farewell Guide is proud to partner with and donate to Hospice UK. We also allow users to make a charitable donation when planning their funeral, or request donations from their friends and family in lieu of flowers.  

12. Google reviews from real clients. 

You can read genuine Google reviews left for the funeral directors by real clients on The Farewell Guide’s comparison platform. Consistently good reviews from verified customers signifies a high level of trust and can help you make your decision with peace of mind. 

An Overview of Funeral Comparison Sites in the UK 

1. The Farewell Guide  

• The Farewell Guide has the largest network of over 7,000 funeral providers in the UK. 

• The Farewell Guide’s funeral director comparison tool has several option filters, making finding a funeral director within your budget and matching your needs easier. 

• All funeral providers listed on The Farewell Guide are independently verified and members of either The Good Funeral Guide, SAIF or NAFD. 

• The Farewell Guide also offers a free funeral planning tool to all users to build their own detailed funeral plan, save important documents, record funeral wishes, and share with loved ones. 

• Independent, not part owned by a funeral director or prepaid funeral provider.  
   

2. Funeral Guide 

• Funeral Guide has an extensive directory of funeral providers, crematoriums and cemeteries, and allows users to search funeral directors by price, distance and popularity. 

• Funeral Guide does not let users filter by funeral options/needs. 

• Users can read Google Reviews and see price lists. 

• It is unclear if funeral directors are verified or required to be members of NAFD or SAIF. 

• Funeral Guide does not have a funeral planning tool. 

• Not independent it is owned by Dignity 
   

3. Compare The Market  

• Compare The Market provides data on funeral costs and compares different types of funerals and costs depending on how many additional funeral options or services a user opts for.  

• Data on funeral costs is taken from the SunLife Cost of Dying report 2025. 
   

4. Over50sChoices 

• Over50sChoices is a “later life” financial planning company that compares the top 10 funeral providers in the UK across metrics including price, flexibility, transparency and customer satisfaction. 

• They do not offer a comprehensive directory of local, independent funeral directors to compare. 

• They do not offer a free funeral planning service.  

• Their website includes advertisements for certain funeral providers, which may indicate a paid sponsorship or bias.  
   

5. Everest PriceFinder 

• Everest Funeral Concierge offers a funeral home comparison tool that will compare up to 8 funeral directors and create a report for you. 

• You can only search funeral directors by location. No other filter options are available.  

• It is unclear whether listed funeral directors are verified or members of NAFD or SAIF.  

• Everest Funeral Concierge offers several funeral planning tools like My Wishes, Will Prep, and Tenzing - a secure document vault.  

Get started and take control of your end-of-life arrangements 

We recommend looking for these main factors when choosing the right funeral comparison site to start your funeral planning journey: 

1. Transparency in pricing and information provided. 

2. Unbiased and not sponsored by large funeral providers. 

3. Verification and compliance with national funeral regulatory associations. 

4. Flexibility for types of funerals and additional funeral options. 

5. High levels of trust through Google reviews from real users. 

6. No hidden fees or charges for using their services. 

7. End-to-end customer support and guidance.  

8. Ease of use for users of all ages and backgrounds. 

9. Endorsed by professionals like funeral directors and hospice care management.  

The Farewell Guide meets all the above criteria and more for a trusted and convenient funeral comparison platform. We believe that every person should have the funeral they want, at the price that suits their budget. Try our free funeral planning tool now to build a funeral plan for yourself or your loved one and compare between over 7,000 trusted funeral directors: Funeral Plan - The Farewell Guide.