Entrusted vs Empathy: Which Estate Settlement Tool Is Right for You?

When you’re named executor of an estate, the weight of responsibility can feel overwhelming. You’re likely dealing with grief while also facing an unfamiliar administrative process with real legal and financial consequences. It’s natural to look for tools that can help.

Two platforms frequently come up in searches for estate settlement support: Empathy and Entrusted. Both aim to help families after a death, but they take fundamentally different approaches. Understanding these differences can help you choose the right tool for your specific situation and needs.

This comparison breaks down what each platform offers, how they differ, and which scenarios each handles best. By the end, you’ll have a clear framework for deciding which option fits your circumstances.

Quick Comparison at a Glance

Before diving into details, here’s a side-by-side overview of the key differences:

Feature	Entrusted	Empathy
Access Model	Direct sign-up (anyone)	Requires employer or insurer benefit
Primary Focus	Executor workflow and estate settlement	Bereavement care and emotional support
Target User	Named executors with fiduciary duties	Family members dealing with loss
AI Document Processing	Yes, auto-extracts key information	No, manual upload and storage only
Beneficiary Portal	Built-in transparency for all beneficiaries	Family collaboration (up to 5 people)
Task Generation	State-specific, jurisdiction-aware automation	General guidance and Care Manager advice
Human Support	Available when needed	Dedicated Care Manager included
Grief Resources	Not the primary focus	Core offering (journaling, meditation, community)
Pricing	Transparent public pricing	Enterprise/benefit-based (no public pricing)

The quick takeaway: Empathy is a bereavement-first platform accessed through employer or insurance benefits. Entrusted is an executor-first platform with direct access and AI-powered document processing.

What Is Empathy?

Empathy is a bereavement support platform that combines emotional care with practical help for families dealing with loss. Founded in 2020 and backed by $162 million in funding, the company has partnerships with major insurers including MetLife, New York Life, Prudential, and Aflac.

How Empathy Works

Empathy operates on a B2B model, meaning access typically comes through:

Employer benefits: Your workplace offers Empathy as part of your benefits package
Life insurance claims: When filing a claim, the insurer provides Empathy access
Health plan partnerships: Some health plans include Empathy for members

When you gain access, Empathy provides a dedicated Care Manager who guides you through both the emotional and practical aspects of loss. The platform includes:

Loss Support: Help with funeral planning, account closures, probate navigation, and benefit claims
LifeVault: A pre-death planning tool for organizing documents and estate information
Grief resources: Journaling tools, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and community support

Empathy’s Strengths

Empathy excels in several areas:

Human-centered support: Dedicated Care Managers provide personalized guidance
Holistic approach: Addresses emotional needs alongside practical tasks
Account closure services: Handles canceling subscriptions and memberships on your behalf
Strong partnerships: Access through major employers and insurers
High satisfaction: 4.8/5 rating with 75 Net Promoter Score

Empathy’s Limitations

There are trade-offs to consider:

Access barriers: You need an employer or insurer relationship to use Empathy. Without that connection, there’s no direct way to sign up.
Bereavement-first focus: Estate settlement is one component of a broader grief support platform, not the primary focus
General guidance: While Care Managers provide help, the platform doesn’t automatically generate state-specific task lists or deadlines
No AI document processing: Documents are stored in a vault, but information isn’t automatically extracted or organized

Who Should Consider Empathy

Empathy is a strong choice if:

You have access through your employer or insurance company
Emotional support is your primary need right now
You want a dedicated human Care Manager guiding you
You’re a family member dealing with loss, not necessarily the named executor
You value grief processing resources like journaling and meditation

What Is Entrusted?

Entrusted is an estate settlement platform built specifically for executors. The focus is on helping named executors fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities efficiently and correctly, with tools designed for the practical work of settling an estate.

How Entrusted Works

Unlike benefit-based platforms, Entrusted offers direct access. Anyone can sign up without needing an employer or insurance relationship. The platform centers on:

AI-powered document understanding: Upload estate documents and Entrusted automatically extracts key information like account numbers, beneficiaries, property details, and valuations
Jurisdiction-aware task engine: Based on your state and the estate’s specifics, Entrusted generates a personalized roadmap of required tasks and deadlines
Beneficiary transparency portal: A dedicated view where beneficiaries can see estate progress without needing executor-level access
Living estate model: The system adapts as you discover new information and complete tasks

Entrusted’s Core Features

AI Document Extraction: When you upload a bank statement, insurance policy, or property deed, Entrusted’s AI reads the document and populates your estate inventory automatically. No manual data entry required.

State-Specific Guidance: Probate requirements vary significantly by state. Entrusted generates tasks based on your specific jurisdiction, so you’re not following generic advice that may not apply.

Beneficiary Portal: Instead of fielding constant calls from family members asking for updates, you can give beneficiaries controlled access to see progress. They see what you want them to see, reducing friction while maintaining transparency.

Multi-Executor Collaboration: When co-executors share duties, Entrusted helps coordinate who’s handling what, preventing duplicate work and miscommunication.

Remote Management: For out-of-state executors, the platform supports managing everything remotely with guidance on resident process agents and remote notarization when needed.

Entrusted’s Strengths

Direct access: Sign up immediately without waiting for benefits or employer enrollment
Executor-specific workflow: Every feature is designed for the executor’s responsibilities
AI automation: Significant time savings through automatic document processing
Beneficiary transparency: Reduces family tension with a shared source of truth
Jurisdiction awareness: State-specific task lists mean relevant, actionable guidance

Entrusted’s Limitations

Less focus on grief support: The platform is designed for execution, not emotional processing
Self-directed approach: While support is available, you’re primarily using tools rather than receiving dedicated human guidance

Who Should Consider Entrusted

Entrusted is the right choice if:

You need to get started immediately without waiting for benefits
You’re the named executor with legal fiduciary responsibilities
You want AI to automate document processing and estate inventory
You need to keep multiple beneficiaries informed without constant calls
You’re managing the estate from out of state
You prefer transparent pricing you can see before signing up

Key Differences That Matter

Let’s examine the most significant differences between these platforms and what they mean for your situation.

Access: Direct vs Benefit-Based

This is often the deciding factor. Empathy requires a relationship with an employer, insurer, or partner organization. If your employer doesn’t offer Empathy and you’re not filing a life insurance claim with a participating company, you simply cannot access the platform.

Entrusted takes a direct-to-consumer approach. Anyone can sign up and start using the platform immediately. There’s no waiting to see if you qualify or checking with HR about available benefits.

What this means for you: If you have Empathy access through your benefits, that’s a valuable resource. If you don’t, Entrusted provides an immediate alternative. Even if you have Empathy access, some executors prefer Entrusted’s executor-specific tools alongside Empathy’s grief support.

Focus: Bereavement Care vs Executor Workflow

Empathy was built to support families through the emotional journey of loss. Estate settlement is one component of that broader mission. The platform’s design, features, and Care Manager training all reflect this bereavement-first philosophy.

Entrusted was built for the executor’s job. The platform assumes you need to get work done: file documents, track assets, meet deadlines, communicate with beneficiaries. While the team understands executors are often grieving, the tools prioritize practical execution over emotional processing.

What this means for you: If grief support is your primary need right now, Empathy’s approach may feel more aligned with where you are. If you need to focus on fulfilling your executor duties efficiently, Entrusted’s workflow-centric design may serve you better.

Technology: Manual Storage vs AI Processing

Empathy provides document storage through its vault feature. You can upload important documents and keep them organized in one place. However, you’re still responsible for reading those documents and extracting the relevant information yourself.

Entrusted uses AI to process uploaded documents. When you upload a bank statement, the system doesn’t just store it. It reads the document, extracts the account number, balance, institution name, and other relevant details, then adds that information to your estate inventory automatically.

What this means for you: For estates with dozens of accounts and documents, automatic extraction can save significant time. The industry average of 500+ hours for estate settlement includes substantial time spent on manual data organization. AI processing reduces that burden considerably.

Beneficiary Communication: Collaboration vs Transparency Portal

Empathy allows up to 5 family members to share one account. Everyone has the same access level and works within the same interface. This works well when family members are collaborating closely and trust is high.

Entrusted takes a different approach with a dedicated beneficiary portal. Executors control what beneficiaries can see. Beneficiaries get visibility into progress and status without having access to executor tools or sensitive estate details. This separation acknowledges that executor responsibilities are different from beneficiary interests.

What this means for you: Family dynamics during estate settlement can be complicated. If you need to provide transparency to beneficiaries while maintaining appropriate boundaries, Entrusted’s portal model may handle those dynamics better. If your family is working together closely with high trust, Empathy’s collaborative approach might feel more natural.

Guidance: General Support vs Jurisdiction-Specific Automation

Empathy provides guidance through Care Managers and educational content. Care Managers can answer questions and point you in the right direction. The platform offers general information about probate processes and estate settlement steps.

Entrusted automatically generates task lists based on your specific jurisdiction. California probate requirements differ from Texas requirements, which differ from New York requirements. The platform knows these differences and creates your roadmap accordingly, including relevant deadlines and filing requirements.

What this means for you: Generic probate checklists can leave you uncertain about what actually applies to your situation. Jurisdiction-aware automation means the guidance you receive is specific to your state’s requirements, reducing guesswork and the risk of missing critical steps.

When to Choose Empathy

Empathy is likely the better fit if:

You have access through your benefits. If your employer or insurer provides Empathy, you’re getting significant value at no direct cost to you. Take advantage of it.

Emotional support is your primary need. Empathy’s grief resources, journaling tools, meditations, and community features address the emotional toll of loss in ways that executor-focused platforms don’t.

You want dedicated human guidance. Care Managers provide personalized support throughout the process. If you prefer talking to a real person over using self-service tools, this matters.

You’re not the named executor. Empathy serves family members dealing with loss broadly, not just executors. If you’re a beneficiary or family member supporting the executor, Empathy’s features may be more relevant to your role.

The estate is relatively simple. For straightforward estates where you don’t need AI document processing or complex beneficiary communication, Empathy’s general guidance may be sufficient.

When to Choose Entrusted

Entrusted is likely the better fit if:

You need immediate access. If you don’t have Empathy through benefits and need to start working on the estate now, Entrusted’s direct sign-up gets you started immediately.

You’re the named executor with fiduciary duties. The platform is designed for the specific responsibilities executors face, including legal requirements, deadlines, and fiduciary obligations.

You want AI to automate tedious work. Document processing, inventory building, and data extraction happen automatically. For estates with many accounts and documents, this efficiency matters.

You need beneficiary transparency without full access. The dedicated portal lets you keep family informed while maintaining appropriate boundaries between executor responsibilities and beneficiary interests.

You’re managing from out of state. Remote executors face additional challenges. Entrusted’s guidance on resident process agents, remote notarization, and state-specific requirements addresses these directly.

The estate is complex. Multiple properties, numerous accounts, several beneficiaries, co-executors, or cross-state complications benefit from Entrusted’s structured approach and automation.

Can You Use Both?

These platforms serve different needs, and using both isn’t contradictory. If you have Empathy access through your benefits, you can use it for grief support, general guidance, and Care Manager conversations while using Entrusted for the executor-specific workflow, AI document processing, and beneficiary portal.

Think of it this way: Empathy supports you as a person dealing with loss. Entrusted supports you as an executor fulfilling responsibilities. Both needs are real, and both deserve dedicated tools.

The key is understanding what each platform does well and using them accordingly. Empathy for emotional processing and human support. Entrusted for efficient execution and beneficiary transparency.

Making Your Decision

Estate settlement is hard enough without using tools that don’t fit your needs. Consider these questions:

Do you have Empathy access through benefits? If yes, at minimum explore what it offers. If no, Entrusted provides an immediate alternative.
What’s your primary need right now? Grief support points toward Empathy. Getting executor work done points toward Entrusted.
How complex is the estate? Simple estates may not need AI automation. Complex estates benefit significantly from it.
What are your beneficiary dynamics like? High-trust collaboration suits Empathy’s shared access. Needing boundaries suggests Entrusted’s portal approach.
Are you the named executor? If yes, you have specific legal responsibilities that executor-focused tools address directly.

There’s no universal right answer. The right tool is the one that matches your access, needs, and circumstances.

Get Started with Entrusted

If you’re a named executor ready to start settling the estate efficiently, Entrusted was built for you.

Upload your first document and watch the AI build your estate inventory automatically. See your state-specific roadmap of tasks and deadlines. Give beneficiaries transparent visibility without constant phone calls.

Start your free trial with Entrusted and see your personalized probate roadmap in minutes.

You don’t have to figure this out alone, and you don’t have to wait for employer benefits. Start today.