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Bizee vs. BizFilings Comparison
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
Business entity formation is a crucial element of launching a business, and because it’s often complex and tedious, many entrepreneurs hire a professional service to do the job right. These business formation services also offer additional services that can be helpful when starting a business.
Two of the leading online services to consider are Bizee (formerly Incfile) and BizFilings. 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 make the choice that will put your business on the highway to success.
Services Overview
Our Verdict
After a thorough assessment, we have determined that Bizee offers better value and broader service offerings than BizFilings. By choosing Bizee, you will save money and get more for it. In addition, customers seem broadly happy with their services, though our customer service experience with BizFilings was good as well.
Both companies offer valuable services, but we would recommend Bizee over BizFilings.
We recommend Bizee over BizFilings due to their affordability and wide range of services.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Affordable, with a free plan that includes all the basics
- Unlimited name searches
- Free registered agent service for a year
- Access to an online dashboard
- Unlimited access to phone and email support
Cons
- Customer service may be less responsive than other services
- Limited legal services available
- Limited customer support hours, no weekend availability
Pros
- Quick and easy purchase process
- Additional resources for entrepreneurs
- Over 20 years of experience and an A+ rating with the BBB
- Good customer support
- Part of Wolters Kluwer company, a global leader in expert solutions
Cons
- No free business formation plan; slightly expensive services compared to competitors
- Some customers had issues cancelling recurring services
- Lack of online customer reviews
Plans and Pricing — Winner: Bizee
Bizee
Bizee’s basic formation services are free (save for state filing fees) and provide a year of free registered agent services, business tax consultation, business banking account, and lifetime compliance alerts. After the first year, the registered agent service renews at $119/year. The Gold ($199) and Platinum ($299) packages offer substantial features, justifying their cost.
BizFilings
BizFilings 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.
Experience — Winner: Bizee
Bizee
Bizee, established in 2004 as Incfile, has aided in the formation of over a million businesses.
BizFilings
BizFilings has managed more than 500,000 business formations since its inception in 1996.
Customer Support — It’s a Tie Between the Two
Bizee
We tested Bizee’s customer service channels thoroughly, including chat, email (online form), and phone. The response times were impressive across all platforms, with almost instant replies on chat, immediate phone pickup, and an email response in less than a day. You can expect clear and helpful information from Bizee’s customer support, ensuring your queries will be handled efficiently and promptly. However, they don’t work weekends.
BizFilings
BizFilings offers support through phone, email, and an online chat feature on their website, but only on workdays. 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.
Turnaround Times — Winner: Bizee
Bizee
Bizee guarantees free same-day processing for their Premium plan, and it’s possible to pay for expedited processing if you go for the Silver and Gold plans. The price starts at $50. The turnaround time is state-dependent, but usually, it takes around three weeks to form your business. Bizee provides a valuable comparison tool to help you estimate your turnaround time.
BizFilings
BizFilings’ processing times 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.
Customer Reviews — Winner: Bizee
Bizee
Bizee has over 18,000 customer reviews on Trustpilot alone, with the majority of them sharing highly positive customer feedback.
BizFilings
In comparison to Bizee, there were very few BizFilings reviews available online (only around 50 on Trustpilot). Though the majority of the reviews are positive, analyzing such a limited dataset is not significant, so all we can comment on is that it’s peculiar for a company that has been around for so long and has executed over 500,000 business filings to have so few online reviews.
Ease of Use — Winner: BizFilings
Bizee
The process of forming a business with this service is fast, simple, and user-friendly. The upgrade options provide clear and useful information rather than being pushy. However, you may find it slightly annoying to have to go back and start the process all over, as clicking on the Back button can lead to it.
Despite this, the website overall is straightforward and easy to use, particularly if you’re prepared to finish the entire process in one go.
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.
Additional Services — Winner: Bizee
Both Bizee and BizFilings offer a suite of services to assist businesses. Common services include, but are not limited to, foreign qualifications, DBA names, business license research, and EIN obtainment. Unique to BizFilings are publication services for certain states, while Bizee offers business accounting services.
Bizee has more additional services and, in general, has better pricing for all plans and services than BizFilings.
FAQs
Using a business formation service to start your LLC frees you up to focus on growing your business. These services handle the filing process for you and offer additional services that can make life easier for a new business owner.
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.
Bizee is great for entrepreneurs on a budget, as their Silver package covers the basics and includes a free year of their registered agent service. Competitors like LegalZoom and Swyft Filings have a more robust suite of services, but can be more expensive.
After a thorough assessment, we have determined that Bizee offers better value and broader service offerings. By choosing Bizee, you will save some money and get more for it, and customers seem to be very happy overall with their services.
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