Direct cremation or a traditional funeral: the differences
The cremation is the same. Everything around it differs: the service, who attends, the day, the timing, the coffin, the cars and the cost. Here are the two side by side on each.
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- What it is
- A side-by-side comparison of a direct cremation and a cremation with a traditional funeral service.
- Who handles it
- The family decides. A funeral director provides either, and ought to tell you honestly which fits.
- How long it takes
- A direct cremation is seven to ten days with us. A traditional funeral is usually two to three weeks after the death, because of the service booking.
A traditional cremation funeral and a direct cremation end in the same place, the same crematorium, with the same ashes. The difference is everything that happens on the day, and this guide sets the two beside each other on each point that actually differs, so a family can see which of those points matters to them.
Side by side
| Direct cremation | Traditional funeral with cremation | |
|---|---|---|
| The cremation | At the crematorium, on its own, on the crematorium’s schedule | The same, after the service, in a booked slot |
| A service | None at the crematorium | Twenty to forty-five minutes in the crematorium chapel, or a church service first |
| Who attends | No one from the family | Family and mourners |
| Seeing your loved one | A viewing at the chapel of rest beforehand, if wanted | A viewing at the chapel of rest, and the coffin present at the service |
| When | Seven to ten days from the first call, with us | Usually two to three weeks after the death, set by the service booking |
| The coffin | A simple coffin, included | Chosen by the family, from simple to elaborate |
| Hearse and cars | None; the funeral director’s own vehicle | A hearse, and limousines if wanted |
| Flowers, music, order of service | None at the crematorium; whatever the family wants at their own gathering later | Part of the service |
| The goodbye | Held by the family afterwards, with the ashes, anywhere, any time | The service itself, then the wake |
| Cost | £1,295 with us; £1,628 UK average | £4,200 UK average for a traditional attended cremation, before the wake |
The averages are SunLife’s Cost of Dying Report 2026. How much does a direct cremation cost and how much does a funeral cost in the UK go into both figures.
The points that should decide it
Three of the rows matter more than the others.
Who attends. If someone in the family needs to be present at the moment the coffin is committed, that settles it for a traditional funeral, whatever the other rows say. Can you attend a direct cremation explains why no one attends a direct one and what the viewing beforehand does and does not replace.
The goodbye. A traditional funeral gives the family a set form and a set day, and many are steadied by it. A direct cremation gives none of that and instead the freedom to hold the goodbye when and where and how the family chooses, with the people who could not have made a weekday crematorium slot. Some families want the form; some want the freedom. Why families choose direct cremation has the second in families’ own words.
The person’s own wish. If they said, in a will or aloud, which they wanted, follow it.
The points that should not
The coffin, the cars and the flowers are the rows that make a traditional funeral cost what it does, and none of them is the goodbye. A family who wants the service and the presence but not the hearse can have a plain funeral with a service for a good deal less than the average, and should ask for it by name. A family who wants a direct cremation and a beautiful gathering afterwards can spend what they saved on the gathering.
What is the same
The collection of your loved one, their care at the chapel of rest, the paperwork, the crematorium, the cremation itself and the return of the ashes. Direct cremation step by step follows the direct version, and every step of it except the day is also the traditional one. Is a direct cremation right for us is six questions for deciding, and how long does a cremation take is the timetable, which is the same for both.
Our direct cremation is £1,295, fixed. If the comparison points the other way, a local funeral director arranges a cremation with a service; we arrange direct cremations only.
Direct cremation, £1,295 fixed- SunLife, Cost of Dying Report 2026
- Competition and Markets Authority, Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021
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