Funeral plan comparison chart
Here’s our latest chart comparing funeral plans
Last updated October 2024
Feature
Pure Cremation
Memoria / Affordable Funerals
Co-Op Funeralcare
Dignity Funerals
Golden Charter
Independent (local) funeral director
Solid wood coffin, decorated urn, has the most 5-star customer reviews
Rating of 1.6 out of 5 on Reviews.io
Direct cremation is ‘wood veneer’ coffin
Use other companies for cremation so plan doesn’t guarantee to cover the full cost
Aren’t regulated by the FCA, so their plan will come from another company
Why these features matter
Direct cremation available?
Direct cremations are becoming more and more popular. Firstly, because they’re more affordable – as much as £2,000 less than a traditional plan.
And second, it means family can have a more personal service whenever suits them. Imagine there’s a relative who lives in Australia who’d like to come to the service. With a traditional funeral, that might not be possible, as the service will be only a week or two after the person dies. But with a direct cremation, there’s no service as part of the cremation, so you can organise a service any time you like, whenever is convenient for everyone to attend.
All-inclusive price?
Funerals are a stressful time for family and loved ones, and discovering that there are extra costs to pay they didn’t know about can only add to that. We think it’s important that when you buy a funeral plan everything that’s needed to deliver the funeral you’ve chosen is included in the cost.
Have their own chilled mortuary?
Incredibly, this still isn’t a legal requirement, but it’s good to know that the company providing your funeral has the professional standards use chilled, climate-controlled mortuaries.
Own their own crematorium?
If you are buying a plan from a company, you might prefer to know that the same company will conduct the cremation, rather than ‘outsourcing’ it to someone else. If you think about it, a traditional funeral from a funeral director would include a hearse – but that’s because they were taking someone from their funeral parlour to the crematorium, because the funeral directors didn’t have their own crematorium.
10-year instalment option?
While paying for a funeral plan in a single payment is usually the most cost-effective, not everyone has the available funds to be able to do that. So, we’re interested in how affordable a company can make their plan, by allowing customers to buy over 10 years or more, so they don’t have to resort to an over 50s plan, which doesn’t actually provide a funeral.
And don’t forget, after two years you’re covered no matter what, so if you die after that but before you’ve made all the instalment payments, the company is still obliged to provide the funeral.
Do they reinsure the trust?
This is not very common, but provides the highest level of safety. Pure Cremation, for instance, reinsures their trust (where your plan money is kept) with Munich Re, the world’s largest reinsurer, so you can be confident your money really is safe.
Three more things to consider
Here are three more things to think about when choosing your funeral plan:
- Think about what you want for your own funeral. It’s important to choose a plan that is going to give you the things that matter to you and (just as important) isn’t going to charge you for features and services you aren’t interested in.
- Also consider which provider will give you peace of mind. You may be happy to use a smaller, more local company. Or you may prefer a nationally-recognised brand, like Co-Op Funeralcare or Pure Cremation.
- Finally, have a look at the company’s reviews. Sites such as TrustPilot, Feefo and Reviews.io are good places to look to see what the company’s customers are saying about them.
With so many funeral plans to choose from, who can you trust?
In conclusion – which plan should you choose?
When we look at the different funeral plans available, they all have different things to offer, and you have to decide what matters most to you.
In our chart, Pure Cremation is the only company to tick every box – which is perhaps why they are the most popular funeral plan provider in Britain. More people buy their funeral plan from Pure Cremation than anyone else. What’s more, Pure Cremation was also recently awarded ‘Best Funeral Plan Provider’ at the Personal Finance Awards for 2025.
How much does a funeral plan cost?
The price can vary considerably, especially the difference between a traditional and a direct cremation plan. According to Legal & General, in 2023 the average cost of a funeral was £4,450. Funeral plans can be less than half that, and some companies offer instalment plans which mean you can pay in affordable monthly premiums over one or more years.
A funeral plan guarantees to provide the funeral you’ve chosen, comes with Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection, and means you’re buying your funeral at today’s prices. And that could save you money as funeral inflation continues to push the cost up ever higher.
