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Written by: Coralee Bechteler
Coralee is a business writer with experience in administrative services, education, and software testing.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Published on September 5, 2022
Updated on April 10, 2024
If you’re starting a business, the business entity formation process is one of the first and most important hurdles. This step can be terribly complex and time-consuming, which is why many entrepreneurs turn to professional formation services.
But which are the best services for you? Bizee is a great option, but we’ve examined a wide variety of alternatives to help you choose the service that will put you on the road to success.
Here are our top alternative choices for LLC business formation.
Northwest Registered Agent offers a competitive business formation plan that offers registered agent services for one year. They also have outstanding customer service.
ZenBusiness is registered as a public benefit corporation, a business entity that serves a social purpose. They offer three business formation plans, and their Starter Plan costs state fees only.
LegalZoom offers affordable pricing plans (free Basic plan) with the option to add on additional services. The company has a great industry reputation and offers a variety of other legal services.
Swyft Filings has three business formation packages and a variety of a la carte services. Swyft Filings is known for their quick signup process and faster turnaround times.
Northwest Registered Agent offers several a la carte services and one business formation package, which is competitively priced and includes registered agent services for one year. All customers will have online access to their documents and full customer support.
Northwest Registered Agent differentiates itself from competitors with transparent pricing, outstanding customer service, and a commitment to maintaining your privacy.
Northwest’s plan, at $225 plus state fees, includes business formation, free registered agent services for a year, a business address, an operating agreement, and a few extras.
This plan is of good value since registered agent services and an operating agreement, which is very important, are included.
But if you do not choose the registered agent services, you’re still charged the full plan price.
Overall, Northwest Registered Agent provides valuable services for aspiring business owners. They can ensure that your new business gets off on the right foot. Their service is easy to use and offers a great customer experience, which we learned from testing their support services, reading countless customer reviews, and moving through their online formation process.
Northwest Registered Agent can take the time and hassle out of starting your business and the ongoing process of staying in compliance with your state’s laws. Their streamlined pricing is uncommon amongst competitors, so you’ll have more control over what you pay for. We highly recommend Northwest Registered Agent.
ZenBusiness offers three competitively priced service packages and a la carte services.
ZenBusiness is a public benefit corporation (PBC) and aims “to promote entrepreneurship by providing accessible products and responsive support.”
The Starter Plan, at the cost of state fees only, includes a business name availability search through your state and the business formation service, with full customer support. It also offers a few extras, including an accounting consultation to help you get started with your finances. You’ll also have access to your formation documents online at any time.
The Pro Plan, at $199, includes all the services included in the starter plan, with the addition of an operating agreement template and their annual compliance service. The annual compliance service means that ZenBusiness will remind you of any reporting due dates based on your state’s requirements.
The Premium Plan includes everything in the Pro Plan with the advantage of rush filing, as well as a business domain name, website, and email. It costs $349.
Overall, ZenBusiness provides extremely valuable services for aspiring business owners. They can ensure that your new business gets off on the right foot. Their service is easy to use and offers a great customer experience, which we learned from testing their support services, reading countless customer reviews, and forming our own LLC.
ZenBusiness can take the time and hassle out of starting your business and the ongoing process of staying in compliance with your state’s laws. Their pricing is very competitive, so you’ll get outstanding value for what you pay. We highly recommend ZenBusiness.
LegalZoom is an industry leader when it comes to LLC formation services. They offer three business plans, with one-time fees ranging from $0 to $299, plus state fees. Their Basic plan is great value for what’s included, and they have great customer service.
The LegalZoom Basic plan costs state fees only and provides a business name availability search through the state database, your business’s formation, and full customer support. It also offers a few extras, including a digital welcome packet and a customizable business website. You’ll also have access to your formation documents online at any time.
LegalZoom’s Pro plan costs $249 and includes all the services in the Basic plan plus an operating agreement, an EIN, a business license guide, and a tax and insurance consultation.
The LegalZoom Premium plan, at $299, offers all of the services listed above, plus expedited filing.
LegalZoom’s services are easy to use and they offer great customer experience. LegalZoom has competitively priced plans and they offer a wide variety of legal services and have been in business for more than 20 years. Overall, they’re a great one-stop shop for all of your business formation and legal needs.
Swyft Filings has three business formation packages and a variety of a la carte services. Package prices range from $0 to $299 plus state filing fees, and are sold for a one-time expense. Swyft Filings is known for speed, as their signup process is quick and they have faster turnaround times.
Swyft Filings Basic package costs state filing fees only. This package provides you with the verification of your company name, the preparation of the articles of organization, and document filing with the state. The package also includes online access to your documents and lifetime customer support. This plan comes with a one-hour business tax consultation to help you prepare for your first tax season while company compliance alerts so you never miss a deadline.
You can purchase Swyft Filings’ Standard package for $199 plus state fees. This includes all the services included in the Basic package with the addition of a custom operating agreement and a federal tax ID, or EIN. You will also be provided with access to custom banking resolution services and custom organizational minutes, which is a form that helps you set up your very first meeting as an LLC.
For $299 plus state fees, Swyft Filings’ Premium package offers everything in the Standard package with the advantage of expedited filing. It also includes a business website and web hosting services. A digital LLC kit, which contains a digital company “seal,” a ledger for tracking transfers of ownership, and customized stock certificates, is also included.
Swyft Filings lives up to its name in terms of speedy processing times. However, the biggest drawback is that they don’t include registered agent services in any of their packages. Additionally, the registered agent service is $199 per quarter, whereas many other LLC formation services either charge an annual fee or bundle it with other offerings.
A business formation service handles the business formation process for you, making it nearly seamless while offering additional services that can make life easier for a new business owner. Whether you’re forming a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation, a business formation service takes care of all the red tape, freeing you up to focus on growing your business.
With so many business formation services to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which is best for you. There are four essential elements that can help you make your decision.
Each service offers various products and services, and their plans are all designed differently. You may need some services but not others, so you need to choose the service that offers everything you need. For example, only some of the providers offer annual report filing.
If it’s important to you to get that task off your plate, you’ll want a service that offers that feature. Another feature you might need is a digital dashboard where you can always access your business formation documents.
You’ll want to choose a service that has everything you need to make starting and running your business as easy as possible.
One good way to learn about the quality of any service is to listen to what people are saying about it. When we review services, we look at reviews and ratings from the Better Business Bureau and TrustPilot. It’s wise to look at both positive and negative reviews to find out what people love about the service and the issues they’ve encountered.
Remember that fake reviews are common, so you should take some of the reviews with a grain of salt.
Of course, you’ll want to get the best value for your money!
Compare the cost of each service for everything you need. The price can really add up when you start adding extras, so be careful not to go too far. You also want to get good value and great customer service, so if you’re considering the cheapest service, check the reviews to see how people felt about it.
Business formation turnaround times vary with each service, so if you’re in a hurry to get your business up and running, you’ll want to look for the quickest service. You don’t want your order to sit in an office too long before your paperwork gets filed with the state. Some services differentiate themselves with fast turnaround times, so if they also offer good value, that might be your best choice.
As a leading entrepreneurial advisory site, we take our responsibilities seriously. We understand that countless entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs rely on our judgments and insights, particularly when it comes to creating their businesses.
As a result, our writers do their utmost to gain a comprehensive understanding of the services offered and the actual customer experience. In nearly every case, we:
Thanks to this full immersion in the actual customer experience, our reviewers are able to provide the most complete and insightful analysis of various LLC formation services.
When assessing whether or not a business formation service is right for you, it’s important to dive into the following four categories: included features, customer service, pricing, and turnaround time.
Most of the BizFilings plans and services are of good value. Their site is easy to use, and they offer a great customer service experience. They don’t offer as many services as some competitors, but if you’re just looking for a business formation service, they are a good option.
Northwest Registered Agent offers a competitive business formation plan that offers registered agent services for one year. They also have outstanding customer service.
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