Direct Cremation Reviews
Direct Cremation Reviews
Organising a funeral can be alot of work.
A direct cremation is a popular choice for a low cost, no ceremony cremation.
Below we have reviewed and picked out the best direct cremation services currently offered in the UK
LOWEST PRICE
Celebration of Life Cremations
A specialist direct cremation service provider, Celebration of Life offers the lowest basic cost with a no frills direct cremation offering.
BEST LOCAL COVERAGE
Co-op Direct Cremation Service
Co-op Funeralcare is one of the oldest and most extensive funeral directors operating in the UK today
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE
DirectCremation.co.uk
An independent company specialising in direct cremation. Typically the family will handle most orders personally.
OUR OVERALL PICK
Distinct Cremations
A national company, Distinct Cremations, succeeds in combining a low-cost, flexible service with excellent customer satisfaction.
Organising a funeral in the modern era is becoming easier and cheaper.
More and more companies are offering a direct cremation service.
We have looked through the companies offering this service and picked out the best ones that we recommend, along with what you should look for when choosing the right service for you and your family.
What is a Direct Cremation and How are they Different from a Traditional Cremation?
The main difference between a direct cremation and a traditional cremation is that there will not be a service. It’s a straightforward collection of the body and delivery of the ashes.
This sounds impersonal, but it is a suitable choice for 2 main reasons:
- It’s low cost & easier to arrange.
The cremation company will take care of the paperwork and care of the deceased, through to the delivery of ashes. - It gives you time to plan a meaningful celebration
When a death occurs there are so many things to take care of. Added to that list is planning a funeral and all of the options that come with it. It can be overwhelming. A direct cremation allows families to separate the actual cremation from the celebration of life service. You can plan something once the ashes are back that is a true reflection of their life.
Here is a list of things that you will not have to think about right away if you opt for a direct cremation vs a traditional service:
- Burial or Cremation
- Day of service (will guests be able to make it)
- Guestlist
- Service attire (what to wear)
- Who will form the procession
- A Wake (venue, food, entertainment, memorials)
- Coffin choice
- Plan an order of service
- Funeral flowers
- Donation causes
- Funeral music
- Transport
- Eulogy/speeches
- Keeping a track of costs
Our Pick: Direct Cremation Service Reviews
We have reviewed each service using 5 categories to reach an overall recommendation. You can read our detailed review policy below.
Each company has its pros and cons, please do your research to make sure the service is right for you before purchasing.
| Provider | Raters Review | Price | Inclusivity | Flexibility | Locality | Customer Satisfaction | TOTAL SCORE | Overall Rank | Detailed Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distinct Cremations | ★★★★ | 5th | 6th | 1st | 5th | =1st | 18 | 1st | DISTINCT REVIEW |
| DirectCremation.co.uk | ★★★★ | 4th | 8th | =3rd | 7th | =1st | 23 | 2nd | DIRECTCREAMTION.CO.UK REVIEW |
| Celebration of Life | ★★★★ | 1st | =10th | =3rd | =9th | =1st | 24 | 3rd | CELEBRATION OF LIFE REVIEW |
| Aura | ★★★★ | 7th | 4th | 5th | 3rd | 6th | 25 | 4th | AUR REVIEW |
| Tyde | ★★★★ | 3rd | 2nd | 9th | =9th | 4th | 27 | 5th | TYDE REVIEW |
| Affordable Funerals | ★★★★ | 6th | 9th | 2nd | 6th | =7th | 30 | 6th | LOW COST FUNERALS REVIEW |
| Co-op | ★★★ | =8th | 4th | =7th | 1st | 12th | 32 | 7th | CO-OP REVIEW |
| Farewill | ★★★★ | 2nd | =10th | 6th | =11th | 4th | 33 | 8th | FAREWILL REVIEW |
| Dignity | ★★★ | =8th | 7th | 11th | 2nd | 9th | 37 | 9th | DIGNITY REVIEW |
| Simplicity | ★★★ | =8th | 10th | =7th | 4th | 10th | 39 | 10th | SIMPLICITY REVIEW |
| Liberty | ★★★ | 12th | 1st | 12th | 8th | =7th | 40 | 11th | LIBERTY REVIEW |
| Pure Cremation | ★★★ | 11th | 3rd | 9th | =11th | 11th | 45 | 12th | PURE REVIEW |
Our Review Policy
All of our direct cremation service reviews have been carried out by an independent writer/researcher who has experience of working in the funeral sector.
Each service is scored across 5 different sectors; Price, Inclusivity, Flexibility, Locality & customer satisfaction.
Each of these is broken down below to give some clarity into how we scored each service.
Price – this is mainly based on the headline, the cheapest price that the service offers. We also take into account the cost of the extra included vs other competing services too (eg if the service charges more for delivery than others, this will go against them regardless of it is included in the price or not)
Inclusivity – this is scored based on how much they offer for their packages. If a service offers everything a family would need then this is a great sign that the service will be able and willing to help.
Flexibility – this is based on what extras the service can provide and how much they are able to veer from the most basic of offerings to suit your needs – if you so wish.
Locality – this is based on both the coverage that the service can offer but also how far the deceased will potentially have to travel. If a service can offer a cremation close to the location of death, this is an added benefit vs a cremation service that might have to happen 100+ miles away.
Customer Satisfaction – this is based on both external review websites (eg Trustpilot / FairerFiannce) and also the interaction between our researcher and the company. How quickly they replied and how helpful they were.
Direct Cremation: Frequently Asked Questions
We have answered the most common questions below, but feel free to read our in-depth Direct Cremation fact sheet for more information.
If you are looking for a less stressful, cheap funeral service then yes.
This is entirely down to the deceased family and what your needs are though.
Yes, you will need a coffin for direct cremation, and all services in our review will provide, at least, a basic coffin for the service.
The body is collected by a direct cremation service. The body will then be cremated at a time suitable for the crematorium which the company decides is best. This can vary between 48 hours – 7 days after collection. Once the cremation has taken place, the ashes will be delivered back to the family.
Research has suggested that direct cremations account for up to 24% of all funerals in the UK, meaning they are as popular as burials.
In most cases the answer is No, but some providers do have options for a limited number of attendees if you wish (this comes at an extra cost)
Yes you can. We have reviewed the best prepaid direct cremation plans to help you decide which is right for you
Best 5 Direct Cremation Companies
A brief overview of the top 5 direct cremation services in the UK
Distinct Cremations
DirectCreamtion.co.uk
Celebration of Life
Aura Cremations
Tyde Cremation