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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.
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 August 22, 2022
Updated on October 2, 2023
If you’re starting an LLC, 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 LLC formation services? This article takes a closer look, stepping into an entrepreneur’s shoes, to help you choose the service that puts you on the road to success.
Here we summarize our top ten picks of business formation services.
Best Overall
Best Registered Agent Service
Best Turnaround Time
Best Variety of Legal Services
Best for Small Budget
Best Legal Assistance
Best Support for Small Business Owners
Best for Ensuring Compliance
Best for Variety of Business-Essential Services
Best for Speedy Processing
ZenBusiness offers various plans for prospective business owners. The Starter plan is $0 plus state fees, covering business name availability search and formation with full support. The Pro plan, at $199 plus state fees, encompasses the Starter Plan services, an operating agreement template, an EIN, annual compliance service, and rush filing. Their Premium plan at $349 plus state fees provides all Pro services, a business document template library, domain name, website, and email.
ZenBusiness is our winner as the best overall LLC filing company due to its low-cost base service, including LLC filing and a 100% accuracy guarantee starting at $0 plus state fees. In addition, ZenBusiness is a Public Benefit Corporation, meaning it’s a for-profit company with a community goal similar to a nonprofit.
In addition to LLC formation, they provide various add-on services, from registered agents to business tools, although these can raise costs. Historically, ZenBusiness has garnered positive feedback from its customers.
ZenBusiness offers valuable services for budding entrepreneurs. While registered agent services are an add-on, their excellent customer support, user-friendly site, and positive reviews make them a top choice.
Northwest’s plan, at $39 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 an excellent value since registered agent services and an operating agreement, which are very important, are included.
But if you do not choose the registered agent services, you’re still charged the full plan price.
Northwest Registered Agent, as the name implies, is best known for registered agent services. As a registered agent, they offer more personalized customer support and fast correspondence notification.
We recommend Northwest Registered Agent because of their transparent pricing, outstanding customer service, and a commitment to maintaining your privacy. They pride themselves on personalizing their approach to meeting your registered agent needs, which are their specialty.
For state fees only, Swyft Filings’ Basic Package includes verification of your company name, preparation of the articles of organization, and document filing with the state. You’ll also get online access to your documents and lifetime customer support.
You can purchase the Standard package for $199 plus state fees. This includes all the services included in the Basic package, but with the addition of a custom operating agreement and a federal tax ID, or EIN. You will also get 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.
Swyft Filings’ Premium package includes everything in the Standard package with the advantage of expedited filing, as well as a business document library, compliance notifications, and a business domain name and website. You also get a digital LLC kit, which includes a digital company “seal”, a ledger for tracking transfers of ownership, and customized ownership certificates. The Premium package is available for purchase for $299 plus state filing fees.
Swyft Filings offers excellent customer support and has a good track record in customer reviews.
Swyft Filings offers fast processing but doesn’t include registered agent services in their packages, making additions somewhat costly. However, they provide good value overall and strong customer support.
LegalZoom’s Basic plan costs state fees only and 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 a digital welcome packet and a business website. You’ll also have access to your formation documents online at any time.
The Pro plan, at $249, includes all the services included in the Basic plan, but with the addition of an operating agreement, an EIN, a business license guide, and initial phone consultations with specialists.
The Premium plan, at $299, includes everything in the Pro plan with the advantage of unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations and changes to your LLC for 30 days, plus hands-on guidance from a business attorney.
LegalZoom’s differentiator is the extensive additional legal services and documents they offer.
LegalZoom’s services are easy to use and they offer great customer experience. They offer a wider 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 legal business needs.
The Silver package, at the cost of state fees only, includes the preparation and filing of the articles of organization and unlimited name searches, with free registered agent services for a year.
The Gold package, at $199, includes all the services included in the Silver package, plus an operating agreement template, lifetime company alerts, and a business tax consultation. Lifetime company alerts mean that Incfile will remind you of any reporting due dates based on your state’s requirements.
Incfile’s Gold package also includes an EIN tax ID number and the filing of IRS Form 2553, which allows LLCs to reap the tax benefits of an S corporation. You’ll also receive banking resolution services and assistance with setting up a business bank account. Lastly, you’ll get access to a personalized online dashboard and unlimited phone and email support.
The Platinum package, at $299, includes everything in the Gold Package with the advantage of expedited filing, as well as a domain name and business email. You’ll also receive access to business contract templates, which can be extremely helpful for new business owners. There are over 20 different contracts, all created and reviewed by attorneys.
Incfile provides substantial value, especially with their Silver package that costs only state fees and includes a year of registered agent service. For first-time entrepreneurs looking to save, Incfile stands out in the competition.
Rocket Lawyer does not have business formation service packages. Their fee for business formation is $99, or it’s free if you get a $39.99 membership. With a membership, you can also get discounted registered agent services for $111.99, rather than the normal price of $149.99.
If you sign up for a membership, you’ll also have access to business document templates, including an operating agreement.
Rocket Lawyer simplifies business start-up, though it lacks some services offered by competitors. Their membership stands out, providing ongoing legal assistance and offering the best value.
MyCorporation’s Basic plan, at $99 plus state fees, includes business formation, a name availability search, and online document storage.
Their Standard plan, at $124 (plus state fees) annually, has the added benefit of annual report filing for your LLC.
The Deluxe plan, at $224 (plus state fees) annually, includes the annual report filing plus registered agent services.
Finally, their Premium plan, at $324 (plus state fees) annually, includes a service called MaintainMyBiz.
Note that MyCorporation marks up your state fees to make an additional profit, which is highly unusual in the industry. For example, we started an Ohio LLC formation on the site. The state fee in Ohio is $99, but MyCorporation charges $110. Note also that they do not disclose this, so if we had been unfamiliar with Ohio’s filing fee, we may not have noticed.
MyCorporation offers quite a few additional services for added fees. These include some services that other business formation services do not offer, such as unemployment insurance and tax withholding registration.
We put MyCorporation on the list because of the extensive list of services they offer, although we are not a fan of the marked-up state fees that are not disclosed. They have, however, been in business for a long time and have a good Trustpilot rating.
Harbor Compliance does not offer business formation service packages, only a la carte services. Business formation costs $99 plus state fees, and you can add other services, including registered agent for $89–$99 per state annually, annual report filing for $100–$175 per state plus filing fees annually, and an EIN starts at $99. They also offer business license management tools and many other services.
Harbor Compliance offers quick processing and more services than many competitors, as well as well-priced registered agent services.
Harbor Compliance provides extensive services, including comprehensive annual compliance and business license guidance, surpassing competitors. Though on the pricier side, they cater to most needs of new business owners.
Tailor Brands offers a Lite plan, which comes at the cost of $49 plus state fees and includes your business formation with the state and standard state processing times.
Their Essential plan includes the additional benefits of their annual compliance service, an operating agreement, and expedited processing. The cost is $199 annually.
Their Elite plan offers a domain name, eight logos, a business website builder, and a few extras for the cost of $249 annually.
Tailor Brands differentiates itself by offering a host of modern business tools (logo maker, website, domain name) that are particularly beneficial for new businesses.
Tailor Brands’ plans are a decent value, but the main reason that we chose them for the list is the extensive business tools they offer. If you can overcome their aggressive sales tactics, you can access a variety of services to meet all your business needs.
Filenow offers a Starter plan at the cost of $49 that includes company compliance alerts, a tax consultation, and a business bank account.
Their Premium plan, at $199, has the additional benefits of a free year of registered agent services, an operating agreement, an EIN, a banking resolution, business contract templates, and 24-hour processing.
Filenow distinguishes itself with fast processing times and a money-back guarantee. Their Premium plan is also an exceptional value.
Filenow’s Premium plan is an exceptional value based on what you get for the price. It’s less expensive than similar plans offered by competitors. They also offer fast turnaround times, and a money back guarantee.
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.
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 feel 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.
One good way to learn about the quality of a service is to listen to what people are saying about it. When we review services we look at Better Business Bureau ratings and reviews, as well as TrustPilot reviews. It’s wise to look at both positive and negative reviews to find out what people love about the service and about issues customers have encountered.
Remember that fake reviews are common, so you should take some of the reviews with a grain of salt.
As an 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 business.
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.
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