Passings vs Empathy: How Two End-of-Life Platforms Compare in 2026

What is Empathy?

Empathy is a bereavement support platform founded in 2020, with R&D based in Israel and business operations focused on the US market. It combines AI-powered tools with human care managers to help families navigate the practical and emotional aftermath of a death. The platform handles tasks like closing accounts, settling estates, planning funerals, and providing grief support through meditations, journaling, and community resources.

Empathy has raised over $160 million in venture funding and partners with major insurance carriers (MetLife, Aflac, New York Life, Allianz) and employers (CarMax, Hilton, Cisco) to provide its services as an employee or policyholder benefit. It serves approximately 40 million people through these partnerships.

How do you access Empathy?

This is the most important distinction between the two platforms. Empathy is primarily a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) product. Most users access it through their employer's benefits package or their life insurance carrier — not by signing up directly on the Empathy website.

If your employer or insurer does not partner with Empathy, you can subscribe individually at $8.99 per month or $64.99 per year. However, the direct-to-consumer path is secondary to Empathy's business model, and not all features may be available outside of an employer partnership.

Passings is direct-to-consumer by design. Anyone can sign up, start a plan, and access core features for free. There is no employer or insurance requirement.

How do the features compare?

Both platforms are feature-rich, but they emphasise different things. Empathy excels at post-loss support: grief resources, live care managers, account closure automation, and estate settlement guidance. Passings excels at holistic pre-need and immediate-need planning: guided checklists, encrypted document storage, provider discovery, and legacy creation.

Empathy offers an AI-powered obituary writer, care plan personalisation, and 24/7 access to human care managers. Passings offers a provider marketplace, budget estimator, legacy studio (letters, voice notes, photos), and zero-knowledge encrypted vault — features that Empathy does not include.

Where the platforms overlap, both offer guided checklists, family collaboration, and AI assistance. Empathy has deeper grief support tools (meditations, breathing exercises, journaling, peer communities). Passings has deeper planning tools (270-task checklists, funeral budget estimation, provider comparisons).

How does grief support compare?

Empathy leads in grief support. Its platform includes a library of articles, audio guides, guided meditations, breathing exercises, a journaling tool, and peer community forums. Users also have access to human care managers who can provide personalised emotional support.

Passings currently offers condolence resources and supportive content throughout the planning experience, with deeper grief and emotional support on the product roadmap. If comprehensive grief therapy tools are your primary need, Empathy provides more in this area today.

However, it is worth noting that Empathy's grief tools are designed for the post-loss period. Passings' planning tools are designed to reduce the logistical burden that often intensifies grief — by having a plan in place before a loss occurs, families experience less chaos and overwhelm during the most difficult days.

How does security compare?

Passings uses zero-knowledge AES-256-GCM encryption with client-side key derivation for its document vault. Documents are encrypted on your device before upload, and Passings cannot access your files.

Empathy's LifeVault provides secure document storage, but does not use a zero-knowledge encryption model. For families storing highly sensitive legal, medical, and financial documents, Passings offers a stronger privacy guarantee.

What about provider discovery?

Passings includes a marketplace where families can browse local funeral homes, estate attorneys, florists, and celebrants, compare services, and request quotes directly at their own pace.

Empathy does not include a provider marketplace. While its care managers can help connect families with specialised advisors (attorneys, tax professionals), this is a concierge-directed process rather than a self-service marketplace families can browse independently.

What does each platform cost?

Empathy's individual pricing is $8.99 per month or $64.99 per year. However, many users receive Empathy at no cost through their employer or insurance carrier. If you have access through a benefit, Empathy is effectively free.

Passings offers a free tier with core planning features (checklists, family collaboration, provider marketplace, AI companion). Paid plans unlock expanded features. For families without employer-provided Empathy access, Passings provides comparable planning functionality at no cost.

Which platform is better for pre-need planning?

Passings is the stronger choice for planning ahead. Its 270-task pre-need checklist is purpose-built for proactive planning, covering legal, financial, funeral, and legacy considerations in a structured, step-by-step format. Families working through the planning process often find it helpful to pair Passings with resources like the estate planning checklist and the end-of-life documents checklist to ensure nothing is overlooked. For families deciding between burial and cremation — a major early decision — the cremation vs. burial costs guide breaks down the real financial differences.

Empathy was built primarily for the post-loss experience. It has expanded into pre-planning with the LifeVault product, but planning ahead is not its core strength. Empathy's deepest functionality activates after a death has occurred.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Empathy if my employer does not offer it?

Yes, but with caveats. Empathy offers direct subscriptions at $8.99 per month or $64.99 per year. However, the platform is primarily designed for its B2B2C channel, and the direct consumer experience may differ from the employer-provided version.

Is Passings a good alternative to Empathy?

Yes, particularly for families who do not have Empathy through an employer or insurer. Passings offers a broader set of planning tools (provider marketplace, budget estimator, legacy studio, zero-knowledge vault) and is accessible to anyone for free. Empathy offers stronger grief-specific support and live care managers.

Does Empathy offer a document vault?

Yes. Empathy recently launched LifeVault, a digital solution for legacy planning and document storage. However, it does not use zero-knowledge encryption, which means Empathy can technically access stored documents. Passings' vault uses client-side encryption where only you hold the key.

Which platform is better immediately after a loss?

Both are strong for immediate-need support. Empathy provides live care managers, account closure automation, and grief resources specifically designed for the post-loss period. Passings provides a dedicated immediate-need checklist that prioritises tasks by urgency and walks families through what needs to happen first. If your primary need is emotional support, Empathy is stronger. If your primary need is logistical guidance and provider access, Passings is stronger.

Disclaimer — For informational purposes only

This article is compiled from publicly available resources and is provided solely for general informational purposes. It does not constitute and should not be relied upon as legal, financial, tax, insurance, medical, psychological, or other professional advice. Passings is a planning and organizational platform, not a licensed advisory service, and no attorney-client, financial advisor-client, or other professional relationship is created by reading this content.

Laws, regulations, financial products, and professional standards vary by state and change over time. Passings makes no representations or warranties — express or implied — regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or suitability of any information contained herein. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Passings disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or harm arising from your use of or reliance on this content. Always consult a qualified, licensed professional — including an attorney, financial advisor, CPA, or licensed counselor — before making decisions specific to your situation.

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