Free tools to plan your pet's farewell, one decision at a time
Cost worries are common: in one US survey, 61%[1] of pet owners rated the cost of after-death care as a concern. These tools give you clear numbers and a simple plan, privately, in a few minutes each.
- Nothing to sign up for, nothing sent to us
- Price ranges with their sources shown
- A printable plan for the day itself
Start here
Which tool to open first
If your pet has just died, open the farewell planner first. It gets the day itself organized. If you're planning ahead, start with the aftercare comparison, because cremation or burial shapes everything else. Once you know the shape of the goodbye, the budget planner adds up the cost.
Every tool runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us, and you can close the page at any point. Price ranges come from published sources, which are shown in small print under each result.
The day itself
Farewell planner: who, where and what gets said
Choose who's coming, where it happens, and the rituals you'd like, such as a candle, a reading, a planting or letters. The planner turns your choices into a short running order and a checklist you can print or copy. It's built for a home farewell or graveside service, but works for a viewing room too. Read more on the farewell planner page.
Free tool
Farewell & memorial service planner
Build a simple goodbye: who, where, readings, rituals and a checklist.
Money
Memorial budget planner: the whole bill in one place
Funeral costs arrive from several directions: the vet, the crematory or cemetery, the florist, the stonemason. This planner lists each item with an editable low and high amount, then shows a running total range. It starts with sourced defaults, such as a US average of $260[2] for private dog cremation, and you can overwrite any line with a real quote. See the budget planner guide.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Cremation
Cremation cost calculator: a range for your pet's size
Enter your pet's species and weight, your country and the type of cremation, then tick extras like home pickup or a paw print. You get a low-to-high total and a private-versus-communal comparison. Useful if you're holding a farewell before cremation and need to know what the cremation part will cost. Details are on the cremation cost calculator page.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Burial or cremation
Aftercare options compared: what fits your priorities
Move the sliders for what matters to you, such as cost, keeping the ashes, environmental impact, speed and having a ceremony. The tool ranks private cremation, communal cremation, water cremation, home burial and pet cemetery burial, with pros, cons and cost ranges for each. If water cremation is new to you, the Veterinary Sustainability Alliance's aquamation explainer describes how it works in plain terms. By our estimate, US cemetery burial runs about 3.2x[3] the price of a private dog cremation, so the ranking often turns on how much a graveside farewell matters to you.
Free tool
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Lasting memorials
Memorial stone planner and memorial tree finder
If the farewell ends at a grave or a garden spot, these two help with what stays behind. The stone planner checks how many characters fit per line on a small, medium or large stone, previews the layout and gives a typical price range. The tree finder suggests three to five trees for your climate and space, for planting over ashes or beside a grave.
Free tool
Memorial stone planner
Plan size, material and engraving length so your wording fits the stone.
Try the memorial tree finder if you'd like something living, or read the stone planner guide for wording ideas.
Afterwards
Grief check-in: a private look at how you're doing
Six gentle statements, each answered agree or disagree. The check-in gives a plain-language summary, such as "raw and early" or "finding your feet", with ideas that match, plus helplines for the US, UK and Australia. It isn't a diagnosis. It's a quiet way to notice where you are, because pet grief is often underestimated: in the RSPCA's UK pet-loss survey, 34.5%[4] of bereaved owners were told "it's just a pet". Open the full grief check-in.
Free tool
Pet loss grief check-in
A private, two-minute check-in on how you're coping, with ideas that match where you are.
What would you spend on a farewell, beyond cremation or burial?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Putting it together
How the tools fit together: one family's weekend plan
Here's a made-up example to show how the tools connect. A family's 13-year-old spaniel, around 35 lb, is declining, and they'd like a small goodbye at home on Saturday with the grandparents on a video call.
- The aftercare comparison shows that private cremation fits their wish to keep the ashes and scatter some on the beach later.
- The cremation cost calculator gives a range for a 35 lb dog with home pickup, so they know what to expect before calling anyone.
- The farewell planner produces a 20-minute running order: stories, a short poem, the children's drawings tucked into the blanket, and one candle.
- The budget planner adds the vet's home visit, the cremation, a simple urn and some flowers, and shows a total range they're comfortable with.
- A few weeks later, the tree finder suggests a small flowering tree for a pot on the patio, for the rest of the ashes.
None of that needs an account or a phone call. When they're ready for real prices, they send us a short note and compare local quotes against the ranges. For more on timing the ceremony around cremation, see coordinating a ceremony with ash return.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
What would you spend on a farewell, beyond cremation or burial?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What surprised you most about the cost of pet aftercare?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
How much would you spend on a memorial item, beyond the cremation itself?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Farewell & memorial service planner
Build a simple goodbye: who, where, readings, rituals and a checklist.
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Memorial stone planner
Plan size, material and engraving length so your wording fits the stone.
Memorial tree finder
Pick a tree for a planting urn that suits your climate, space and pet.
Pet loss grief check-in
A private, two-minute check-in on how you're coping, with ideas that match where you are.
Questions people ask
Are the tools free to use?
Yes. All seven tools are free, need no account and run in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to us. If you'd like real prices from providers near you, you can send us a separate note using the form.
How accurate are the price ranges?
They're ranges based on published national surveys and price lists, with the source shown under each result. Your local price can sit above or below them, especially in expensive cities or remote areas. Use them to sense-check a quote, then ask providers for a written total.
Can I print the farewell plan?
Yes. The farewell planner produces a checklist and running order you can print or copy into a message. Many families share it with whoever is helping, so nobody has to remember everything on the day.
Is the grief check-in a mental health test?
No. It's a short, private reflection with suggestions, not a clinical assessment. If you're struggling to cope, or having thoughts of harming yourself, please contact a helpline or your doctor. The check-in lists crisis lines for the US, UK and Australia.
Which tool should I use if I only have a few minutes?
Use the farewell planner. It gives you a running order and checklist for the goodbye itself, which is the part that can't wait. The budget, stone and tree tools can all be used later, once the first days have passed and you have more room to think.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 61% of US owners in the Cooney survey rated the cost of after-death body care as a concern (27.9% concerned, 33.1% very concerned). Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [2] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for private dog cremation at $260 (range $206-$473). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [3] US pet cemetery burial for a dog costs about 3.2x a private cremation ($831 vs $260 national averages). Our estimate: 831 / 260 = 3.20. How we calculate.
- [4] 34.5% of bereaved pet owners were told 'it's just a pet'. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Want real local prices instead?
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.