Online Obituary Platforms: Where to Post an Obituary Online

Most families post an obituary online in one of three ways: through a newspaper network such as Legacy.com, on the funeral home's own website, or on a free obituary or memorial site. Legacy.com's 2025 cost guide says online obituaries on its platform start at $150, while print obituaries in newspapers run from under $100 to $800 or more. A post on social media or a free memorial page costs nothing.

Where can you post an obituary online?

Tributes.com used to be a separate obituary site. Its home page now says it is gone and sends searches to Legacy.com.

How much does an online obituary cost?

Legacy.com's 2025 cost guide gives these figures:

• Print newspaper obituaries range from under $100 to $800 or more for a basic notice, and up to $2,000 in some large metro areas.
• A 150-word obituary ranged from $85 in Everett, Washington to $780 in New York City in its examples.
• Photographs can add $15 to $250 depending on the location.
• Its own online obituaries start at $150. The guide describes online obituaries as having no length limit, with room for photos and an interactive guestbook.

These are one publisher's figures from 2025, so ask the paper or platform for a written quote. For more detail, see our guides to obituary cost and free obituary options, or try the obituary cost calculator.

Which option fits your situation?

• You want the local paper to print it and have it online: a newspaper network such as Legacy.com is built for that. You can also submit directly to the paper.
• You want to keep cost low: write one full obituary for a free site or the funeral home's page, and run a short death notice in print if you want one. Our guide to obituary versus death notice explains the difference.
• You want a page that grows: use a memorial site where people can add photos and stories over time. See memorial website builders.
• You want people to find it: include the full name and town in the headline, and the service details if you want guests.

How to post an obituary online, step by step

1. Decide where it will go. Ask the funeral home what it offers first, so you do not pay twice.
2. Write the obituary. Cover the person's name, age, place of residence, a short life story, surviving family and service details. Our guide to obituary length and format shows how long to make it.
3. Check the details. Names, dates, spellings and service times. A second reader helps.
4. Submit it. The funeral home can often submit for you. You can also submit directly to the platform or newspaper, which may ask for confirmation of the death.
5. Share the link. Send the page to family and friends and post it where people will look.

What should you leave out for safety?

An obituary is public, so think about who will read it. A few precautions are common:

• Leave out the home address, especially next to the time of the service, since the house may be empty then.
• Leave out a mother's maiden name and the full date of birth if you can. They are often used to verify identity.
• Keep the names of young children and any private medical detail to what the family is comfortable sharing.

How do you find someone's obituary online?

Start with the person's full name and the town where they lived. Legacy.com says it has the largest searchable database of obituaries in the U.S., and Echovita also has a searchable database. If you know the funeral home, its website is often the most reliable place to find service details. Tributes.com now directs searches to Legacy.com.

If the obituary is not online, try the local newspaper's site or the library, which may hold older notices.

What to do next

1. Ask the funeral home what it posts and whether there is a fee.
2. Write one obituary and use it everywhere.
3. Add the service details last, once they are confirmed.
4. Consider a memorial page for photos and stories that do not fit in a short notice.