hestiaHow we label businesses and share your family’s information.
Hestia keeps public business records apart from businesses that work with us. You decide when your family’s information is shared.
Our promise: we do not take sides
Hestia is here to help families, not to sell to them. We show your choices side by side. We explain them in plain words. Every decision is yours.
No one pays to be recommended
Businesses can’t pay to be listed higher or to be recommended. Right now, you cannot book or pay through Hestia, and there are no fees. Families pay businesses directly. If we add a fee later, we will explain it before you agree.
Every choice is a good choice
You may choose burial or cremation. You may follow a faith or not. You may have a large funeral or a quiet goodbye at home. We explain each choice plainly. We never say one is better.
Free, private and at your own pace
Hestia is free for families. Your plan stays private. You choose who takes part. Nothing is decided until your family decides it.
People, not algorithms
We don’t use AI to make decisions for your family or to influence them. No algorithm ranks providers or nudges you toward a choice. The guides are written and checked by people, and the drafts on our site come from simple templates filled with your own words.
A place to start
This information may come from a named public source or the business’s website. The business may not have checked it.
Business has taken over the listing
Hestia has looked at proof that the person asking for access is allowed to act for the business.
Working with Hestia now
The business has chosen to turn on requests from families through Hestia.
A label only tells you what the business has done. It does not mean we approve of the business. It is not a license. It does not promise good service or that the business can help you.
Fixing and taking over listings
- A business can take over its listing or ask us to fix it.
- Hestia may ask for proof that the person can speak for the business. This may be a business email, website, license or other proof.
- If there is a serious disagreement, we may hide a listing or part of it while we look into it.
- When we can, we keep a record of where facts came from and when we checked them.
Family privacy
- Family spaces are private from the start.
- Being listed does not let a business see your family space.
- Information is sent only when a family member with permission sends a request.
- Do not upload Social Security numbers, passwords or card details. Do not upload medical records you do not need to share.
We are a planning website, not a funeral home.
Hestia is a website for planning and for finding businesses. Hestia does not run funerals or do cremations. We do not offer cemetery or headstone services. We do not give legal, medical, money or religious services. We are not an emergency service. Each business decides on its own about meetings, when it can help, prices and contracts. Each business is in charge of its own licenses and doing the work. It also handles its own cancellations and customer complaints.
Hestia does not decide which services the law requires. We do not take care of the body. We do not file official death records. We do not make plans for a family as its legal stand-in.
You cannot check out on Hestia, and there are no booking fees. This will stay true until we finish checking the legal rules, payment companies and how things work. Families and businesses make contracts and payments directly with each other.
Before we add reviews, we will post our rules for them. The rules will cover how we collect and check reviews and what we tell you about them. They will also cover how to report a review or disagree with one.
If you have a medical, safety or police emergency right now, call the right emergency service. You can also call the local officials in charge.
Do you run a funeral home or similar business?
Sign up and list what you really offer. Families who find you will already know what they need. It is free, with no monthly fee. No business can pay to be listed higher. We review businesses that join before their profile goes live. Listings taken from public records are marked that way.
Get the next steps for your situation
Answer four questions about what has happened. Then get a list of steps in order. You do not need an account, and it is free. You can print it or share it with your family.