BizFilings vs Legal Zoom Comparison

Business entity formation is a crucial element of launching a business, and because it’s often complex and tedious many entrepreneurs hire professionals to do the job right. Business formation services also offer additional services that can be helpful to a new business owner. 

Two of the leading online services to consider are BizFilings and LegalZoom. To help you determine which is best and which might be best for you and your business, we have thoroughly reviewed their services by putting ourselves in the shoes of an entrepreneur. 

Read on to learn about the service that will put your business on the path to success. 

Services Overview

Our Verdict

Upon careful evaluation, we’ve found that all of LegalZoom’s offerings provide superior value for money compared to the plans offered by BizFilings. Additionally, LegalZoom has earned favorable reviews and a reputation for excellent customer service.

Given these factors, we confidently recommend LegalZoom to budding business owners based on its overall value and user experience.

Pricing

Turnaround Time

Help and Support

Customer Satisfaction

Ease of Use

Overall Score: 4/5

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Pricing

Turnaround Time

Help and Support

Customer Satisfaction

Ease of Use

Overall Score: 4.2/5

Learn More

Overall, LegalZoom’s plans offer more for the money than the plans of BizFilings.

Pros and Cons

Plans and Pricing – Winner: LegalZoom

BizFilings

Their pricing begins at $99 for the Basic package, which includes three months of registered agent service (priced at $220/year thereafter). However, their pricing leans towards the higher end compared to other service providers, and the Standard and Complete packages, which vary in cost depending on the state, often fail to offer enough beneficial features to warrant their prices.

LegalZoom

While LegalZoom offers an initial $0 LLC package, the continual upselling may become costly and cumbersome. Moreover, none of their formation packages come with a registered agent service, which is an add-on service priced at $249 annually.

Experience – Winner: LegalZoom

BizFilings

Although BizFilings has managed more than 500,000 business formations since its inception in 1996, it still falls short of LegalZoom’s numbers.

LegalZoom

Having served more than 3.5 million customers since 2001, with approximately half being business clients, LegalZoom has extensive experience in this field.

Customer Support – It’s a tie between the two

BizFilings

They offer support through phone, email, and an online chat feature on their website. However, the online chat doesn’t operate over the weekends. We promptly received professional and comprehensive responses via both phone and email. During workdays, we were able to get immediate answers to our questions from the online chat representative.

LegalZoom

They provide support via phone, chat, and email. Overall all three channels have quick responses with polite and professional customer service representatives.

Turnaround Times – Winner: LegalZoom

BizFilings

BizFilings’ processing times, much like LegalZoom’s, are contingent on the selected service level. Their most affordable package offers a 4–6 week turnaround, but their pricier plans can reduce this to 7–10 days. An additional $60 can expedite processing for the Basic plan, but it does not hasten state processes.

LegalZoom

Unlike many rivals, their processing times depend on the package chosen, not the state of formation. For their premium package, finalized business formation documents could be received within 7–10 business days. Still, more economical packages could take up to 30 business days (or six weeks).

Customer Reviews – Winner: LegalZoom

BizFilings

There were very few BizFilings reviews available online – less than 30 were found on third-party review platforms. As a larger entity, LegalZoom naturally has more customer feedback.

LegalZoom

We found over 9,000 reviews on BBB and Trustpilot, with a significant portion being positive. Happy customers frequently mentioned LegalZoom’s services’ convenience and user-friendliness.

Ease of Use – Winner: BizFilings

BizFilings

Their incorporation wizard is a useful tool for deciding between forming an LLC or a corporation. The application process presents upselling opportunities, but they are subtly integrated and not overly aggressive. An order number is automatically assigned to your application for easy reference during customer support interactions.

LegalZoom

LegalZoom has numerous upsells, which can lead to a confusing and potentially costly ordering process. Despite this, the actual process of business formation with LegalZoom is efficient and straightforward. Upon forming an LLC with them, we received documents along with comprehensive instructions, which we found to be extremely beneficial.

Additional Services – Winner: LegalZoom

Both BizFilings and LegalZoom offer similar services, such as registered agent service, foreign qualifications, operating agreements, and EIN acquisition. Yet, LegalZoom extends its services beyond the business realm, aiding with personal legal needs like last will and testament, power of attorney, and divorce proceedings – services not offered by BizFilings.