Are you looking to start a new business? Do not drown in attorney fees or get swamped by the tedious work of filing documents. Chances are a lot of mistakes can and will be made if you are doing it yourself. A limited liability company (LLC) is currently the biggest business entity among startups in the U.S. LLC formation services are your saving grace. It is better to create a business through a professional formation service. The process is quicker, affordable, and does all the tedious work for you. There are a plethora of LLC formation services online geared towards helping you.
We've researched the best LLC formation services online to help you pick the right company. Read on for a detailed breakdown of what they're best at doing for you:
1) ZenBusiness - Overall Best llc formation service
2) Legalshield -Best for Legal Services
3) NorthWest Registered Agents - Best for small businesses
4) ncAuthority - Best for real estate Investing
5) LegalZoom - Best for Online Business formation services
6) Corpnet -Best for Corporate and Compliance services
7) FileNow - Best For Fast services
8) Incorporate -Best for Large businesses
Top 8 LLC Formation Services
Now let us look at what these LLC formation services have to offer. We will discuss their features, pricing, pros and cons, user experience, and customer support. We hope this article will help you pick an LLC service that is best for your needs.
1) ZenBusiness
Are you looking for an all-inclusive LLC service with outstanding value? ZenBusiness is the answer for you. This is undoubtedly the best llc formation service. ZenBusiness scores well across all categories, making it a good LLC service company. They make the formation process easy, fast, affordable, and give you great value for your money. At only $49, they can form your LLC while including an annual report filing service.
ZenBusiness includes everything in all its packages and plans. Even the cheapest packages contain all the features and services you will need. Their starting packages include all the necessities of creating an LLC.
Since its creation in 2015. ZenBusiness has built an excellent reputation. They are a socially conscious organization that aims to do good and grow businesses. They also loan money to minority-owned businesses and women to help them kick start their businesses. Investopedia, Forbes, and many other major publications have highly ranked the company.
Features
Here are the best features of ZenBusiness included in all the three packages:
- They provide a digital record of important business documents and articles of organization filing.
- They provide free consultations on accounting.
- They provide automatic expense tracking for free.
- Clients get access to unlimited business availability searches.
- Worry-free compliance: This feature gives you a free annual report service in all the packages. Additionally, it gives you two free filing changes yearly and insurance on documents.
- Registered agent service: You can add this feature to your package at $199 per year.
- Publication services: ZenBusiness handles any publications if you need them at an extra fee.
- Federal tax ID number (EIN): They provide an EIN for your business.
Pricing
ZenBusiness offers pricing in 3 package options. The lowest package, which is the starter package, costs $49. This package gets you an llc filing, plus an operating agreement.
The second plan is the pro plan package for $299 per year. This package provides extra services such as a website, rush filing, and a business domain. It also gives you free registered agent service for one year only.
The third package is the premium plan, which costs $349 plus corporation filing fees. This package gives you access to all the extensive features on the site.
ZenBusiness also offers other a la carte services that have different pricing.
User Experience
ZenBusiness has excellent reviews from satisfied clients. They are highly rated on Trustpilot. Users report that the llc formation process is fast and very easy.
Pros
✅ Offers excellent pricing
✅ Quick turnaround time
✅ Provides compliance support along with LLC filing
✅ Guarantees 100% accuracy
✅ Easy to use
✅ Great customer support with extended support hours
✅ Provides important business documents on their digital dashboard
Cons
🚫 Have limited website templates
🚫 Ads on services increase the cost significantly
2) LegalShield
LegalShield is an excellent online legal service for small business owners to start their LLCs. The company is among the pioneers in the industry and has been around since 1972. They have a great attorney network that covers all 50 states. Additionally, they work with many law firms to provide affordable legal services.
Features
- Business formation services
- Legal consultations
- Document and contract review
- Debt collection assistance
- Correspondence on behalf of your business
- Trial defense services
Pricing
LegalShield charges a fixed fee per month for their services. The more you pay this fee, the more comprehensive your plan gets. Business formation services start at $145 plus all state filing fees. Registered agents' service will cost $120 per year.
There are three levels of coverage for LegalShield plans.
The first plan costs $39 per month. This plan gets you phone consultations, documents review, and debt collection assistance. There is a limit to how long you can use these services.
The second plan costs $89 per month. It covers the same features as the first plan with an additional trial defense feature. The limits of this plan are more flexible than the first plan. It covers longer hours of service.
The third plan costs $149 monthly. This covers the same features as the second plan, but the limit is stretched further. It covers up to five designated users, unlike the second plan, which covers three users. The first plan only covers two designated users.
Additional services are also charged separately. The trial defense supplement will cost an additional $9.95 monthly.
User Experience
The user experience at LegalShield is a mixed bag. Some users report a positive experience, while others have given negative feedback.
However, we can say positive customer reviews supersede negative ones. Users found that the attorneys at LegalShield are highly responsive. Many users also praise the company for helping them save money on legal fees. Their legal services subscriptions are affordable compared to hiring attorneys on your own.
The negative user experience is mostly because of the challenges of canceling the plans. Users report that it is difficult to cancel their LegalShield plans.
Pros
✅ They offer debt collection assistance.
✅ Provide quality and consistent work
✅ They have a mobile app that can be helpful to business owners.
✅ Provide home business supplement
Cons
🚫 They have no money-back guarantee.
🚫 They have no trial membership compared to similar services like Rocket Lawyer.
🚫 The website is challenging to navigate.
🚫 The customer service is not the greatest.
🚫 Limited legal plan
3) NorthWest Registered Agents
NorthWest Registered Agents is the best LLC service for small business owners. The company focuses on delivering reliable and secure online LLC services.
NorthWest Registered Agents has provided reliable and secure business formation services since its creation. They offer quick and straightforward services. The company has no upsells; you won't have to buy adds-on upon adds-on.
One of the biggest strengths of NorthWest's Registered Agents services is its customer support. They have a large, knowledgeable, and highly responsive customer support staff. Many clients have reported great satisfaction in how their team responds.
NorthWest Registered Agents also promises fast turnarounds on LLC filings. They offer same-day filing in every state and are ranked among the quickest LLC services online.
Features
Here are some of the features of a NorthWest formation plan:
- Mail forwarding services for free
- Free registered agent services for one year
- A digital dashboard of important business articles and documents
- Free phone services for 60 days
- A user-friendly and fast ordering process
- They provide you with a business address
- Corporate guide services
- Privacy by default
- Annual report filing at an extra fee
Pricing
NorthWest Registered Agents helps you to form an LLC at minimal costs. They offer only one formation plan. The package deal is $39 and includes state filing fees. They provide multi-state discounts.
Other additional services will require an extra fee.
User Experience
People who have used NorthWest services report some of the best user experiences. Their customer support is top-notch. It is arguably the best in the industry.
The online ordering process is also streamlined to simplify users' work. The online form system automatically fills in relevant fields.
The removal of ads-on features also makes it easy to pick your options. Unlike other services, you won't spend time considering many options to decide what you want. NorthWest has proven that it cares about its customers in many ways.
Pros
✅ One of the leading customer support in the industry
✅ Quick turnaround on services
✅ There are no upsells.
✅ Has an excellent reputation
✅ The easy online ordering process
Cons
🚫 Clients have to pay an extra fee for an EIN.
4) IncAuthority
IncAuthority is one of the cheapest LLC filing services one can use. They even call themselves "home of the FREE LLC and corporation." Since its creation in 1989, IncAuthority has risen to become one of the major players in the industry.
The company has a proven track record of forming more than 110,ooo LLCs. This is mainly because of its affordability and reliability. Aside from formation services, they help you to draft corporations and limited liability companies.
IncAuthority offers free processing and online business formation service. This has greatly helped to make people trust them. If TrustPilot reviews are anything to go by, users have been satisfied with their services to form an LLC.
Features
Here are some of the features you get with IncAuthority plans:
- Ownership certificates
- Complete operating agreement
- Company seal and record book
- Tax consultation
- Custom state filed articles of organization
- Business credit & funding evaluation
- Business license report
- Inc protection advisor
- Website domain
Pricing
IncAuthority comes in three package plans: Starter, Executive, and Tycoon. The Starter business bundle is $399, including the state filing fee. The second package is the Executive business bundle. This goes for $499, including the state filing fee.
The last package is the Tycoon bundle, which costs $799, including the state filing fee. This gives your extra services like Business Credit Coach and Bizcredit Express.
User Experience
Users have reported a relatively good experience using IncAuthority services. They receive good reviews on TrustPilot, meaning they have to do something well.
Their ordering process is also very easy to use.
Pros
✅ Free LLC service
✅ Free registered agent services for one year
✅ User-friendly website
✅ Streamlined checkout process
✅ Great customer support
Cons
🚫 It has many upsells
🚫 Premium bundles are relatively expensive
5) LegalZoom
LegalZoom is one of the highly sought companies in online legal services. It is also one of the best LLC services anyone can use to form their limited liability company. The company has built a powerful brand name. They are incredibly popular given the large volumes of LLC formation services they handle.
However, as popular as LegalZoom is, we are not particularly crazy about their user experience. For a brand name like LegalZoom, we do not expect the customer reviews to be a mixed bag. They have had a few negative reviews, especially in their pricing. Some users note that their prices are too high for the exact thing they can get elsewhere
Fortunately, the negative reviews do not overshadow the positive customer reviews. The customer support at LegalZoom evens things out as they are one of the best in the industry. Their customer support works some of the longest hours compared to other services. They can be contacted from 1-a.m. until 8 p.m. ET during the week. On weekends you can find them from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
LegalZoom promises a 100% satisfaction guarantee for its customers. If you are not pleased with their services, they have a 60-day window for you to claim a refund. If your dissatisfaction is provable, you get a 100% money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
Features
Here are the features one gets with the packages at LegalZoom;
- Business filling and name check
- Articles of organization
- Financial account authorization letter
- Customer support for a lifetime of the business
- Official certificates and seal
- Deluxe organizer
- Peace of mind review
- Express shipping
- LegalZoom VIP processing
Other additional features and services include:
- Trademark registration: They protect your brand by registering a trademark for you.
- Annual report service: At an extra fee of $55, LegalZoom helps you to file your annual reports.
- Business Advisory Plan: LegalZoom offers consultations with attorneys for contract reviews, tax advice, and more. They got you for any legal service you may need.
Pricing
LegalZoom offers its services in three package plans. The first plan is the economy package. This plan costs $79 plus state filing fees. This package grants you all the basic LLC filing services and includes Financial Account Authorization Letter. With this package, you also get lifetime customer support. Meaning even after the LLC is formed, you can still contact them about any concerns.
The next package is the standard package, which costs $329, including state filing fees. The standard package gives you extra features like a deluxe organizer. You also get official certificates and seals plus LegalZoom VIP processing.
The final package is the Express Gold Package, which costs $349 plus state fees. If you are in a rush to go through the business formation process, this Is the package deal you want. This package gives you rush processing with the secretary of state!
User Experience
As we have mentioned earlier, the user experience with LegalZoom is a mixed bag. Most users have complained of the high prices for LLC formations. However, LegalZoom still maintains its popularity. This is because they are good for the prices they want. They offer top-notch services and have great customer support. They promptly respond to concerns and offer a money-back guarantee within 60 days.
Pros
✅ Large customer base
✅ Best in annual report service and trademarks
✅ Offer online legal services
✅ Have a proven track record of LLC formations
Cons
🚫 It is relatively expensive compared to other LLC services
🚫 The customer feedback is a mixed bag, with some not liking their services
6) CorpNet
CorpNet is among the best LLC formation services for many reasons. The company has helped form more than 100,000 LLCs and continues to form even more. The company was built by a husband and wife team who have shown great dedication to their business.
Their dedication has seen the company receive many positive customer reviews. The company has been in business for more than 20 years and has grown steadily.
CorpNet offers its's clients a 100% money-back guarantee if they are unsatisfied with their services. Users who subscribe to their packages get free registered agent services. They also enjoy some flexibility in the services they can get.
There are other benefits to using CorpNet to form an LLC. The company helps you to maintain your business structure until it grows to something bigger! Corpnet sticks by its LLCs as long as the company exists. The registered agents will help the company grow bigger over time.
Features
Here are the features that a package plan at CorpNet grants you:
- Business name availability check
- Free registered agent service
- Free corporate compliance tool
- Custom LLC kit and seal
- Print delivery
- Federal tax ID number (EIN)
- Official filed articles of organization
- Custom operating agreement
Pricing
It is always advisable to subscribe to their package plan To get a better deal with CorpNet. It is better to get the complete package instead of buying ads after ads. The latter is more expensive.
User Experience
CorpNet provides a great user experience. Their website is filled with many positive reviews from satisfied clients. The customer support is highly responsive. Their ordering process is also straightforward to avoid any confusion. Overall, we can say the user experience is great.
Pros
✅ Good customer feedback
✅ Offer personalized services
✅ Guarantees satisfaction
Cons
🚫 Prices can be a bit misleading
7) FileNow
FileNow is another respectable company that helps you to start a limited liability company. They also provide company information services and a wide range of other services.
This company understands how difficult it is for entrepreneurs to start a new business. They aim to make work easier for you by doing all the hard work. Even after helping you start your LLC or corporation, they still help to keep your business running. FileNow takes care of the legal works of your business to give you time to concentrate on other things.
FileNow has a team of professional lawyers to assist you with legal issues. They also have a tax professional with enough experience in the field. All these people work together to ensure the business formation process is seamless. The experts will review your documents and prepare your documents for the business. Once the documents are ready, they file your company with the state you want. You will receive your corporation package, and you can start operations.
FileNow has a quick turnaround time of only 24 hours. If you want the process expedited, you can add a small fee. They offer a money-back guarantee for the user who is unhappy with the services.
Features
- Registered agent service
- Federal tax ID/EIN
- Doing business as (DBA)
- Application for authority
- Certificate of good standing
- Reservation on company name if you are not ready to form an LLC
Pricing
FileNow is available in two package plans- the starter package and the premium package. The starter package costs $49 plus state fees. This package guarantees error-free processing and Free EIN or Federal tax ID number. It also gives your free registered agent services for one year. Additional features include FedEx shipping and online order status tracking.
The premium package costs $149 inclusive of state fees. This package comprises everything in the starter package. On top of that, it comes with a made-to-order company kit with a seal and binder. It also gives you a banking resolution document. This helps you set up your company business bank account.
After one free year of registered agent services, additional charges apply. You will need to pay $119 per year for the services.
Additional features and services are also charged separately. You can visit their website to see what other additional services cost.
User Experience
FileNow compares favorably to other online LLC services. Users like it for its favorable prices when it comes to LLC formations. Their customer support is also very responsive.
There are many options to reach out to their customer support. You can contact them through their office address or contact number or send them an email. They also have a live chat for more pressing concerns. The customer support works 9 a.m. -7 p.m. from Monday-Friday.
Pros
✅ They are relatively affordable
✅ Have a quick turnaround on services
✅ Great customer support
✅ 24-hour order processing without any extra costs
✅ They offer a 100% money-back guarantee
✅ All packages include registered agent services
✅ Provide all business documents online for you to view at any time
Cons
🚫 They do not provide additional services like annual reports or tax services.
8) Incorporate
Incorporate offers a wide range of business formation services for LLCs and incorporations. Their website is well-designed to make it easy for users to navigate. They provide tons of helpful information on the site to help you understand their services.
Incorporate is a large company with more than 2,500 employees. The company has its headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. Since its creation, they have helped to form more than 750,000 LLCs. They walk with the businesses through their life circles by providing guidance. In case of any obstacles, they help the business overcome them.
Features
Here are some of the features that a package plan at Incorporate grants you:
- LLC formations and online incorporation services
- Operating agreement and bylaws drafting
- Annual filing of reports
- Business licenses and permits sesearch
- Doing business as (DBAs)
- Federal tax ID number (EIN)
- Certificate of good standing filing
- Registered agent services
- S corporation elections
- Articles of organization or incorporation
User Experience
The user experience at Incorporate is a mixed bag. Most of the users complain about the high prices of the packages. Also despite the high prices, there isn't much offered in terms of features.
There is also poor fee transparency on the prices. Incorporate upsells in-house services; sometimes, it is unclear how much it costs.
Pricing
Incorporate offers pricing in three packages. They have the Starter, the Essential, and the Works package. The prices differ with each package and offer different features.
The starter package costs $99, including state fees. This package gives you the bare minimum of LLC formation services. While you will get your LLC, there are no registered agent services. An operating agreement is also not included in the package. This package is okay for people who only need basic formation services.
The second package is in the Essentials plan. This plan costs $249 plus state fees. Despite its larger bump in price, it does not offer much more than the first plan. The only extra feature included in this package is a corporate kit and EIN filing. The package still does not have an operating agreement or bylaws.
The last package is the Works package. This plan costs $349 plus state fees. This is the most comprehensive corporate package there is. While the package includes an operation agreement, it misses registered agent services. Another feature that comes with this package is a business license research package. Other than that, the Works package does not offer much in terms of features. This one is the company's disappointment in its services.
Pros
✅ Offers extensive business formation services
✅ Corporate compliance guarantee
✅ Registered agent services
Cons
🚫 Has many upsells
🚫 There are limited reviews on the company's services
🚫 They are relatively expensive compared to other llc services online.
🚫 The turnaround time is average.
How to Choose the Best LLC Filing Service
You need to look at certain things before choosing the best LLC service. But First, you need to consider:
- The type of business you want to start
- The needs of your business
- Any additional services or requirements that you need for your business
The above points will help you in evaluating service providers to pick the best for you.
Here are the points we used to choose the best LLC filing and incorporation service:
Pricing
If you plan on starting a small business, you dont want to be drowning in debt before it even picks up. It is important to choose LLC filing companies that offer their services at an affordable fee. If you have the budget, go for companies that offer value for your money.
Features
Apart from the basic LLC filing services, what other vital features does the company offer? Do they have an LLC operating agreement template? Consider the needs of your business and go for companies that deliver.
Registered Agent Service
All LLCs and corporations in America require a registered agent. While you are not legally bound to use a registered agent service, it is important to have one. This helps you avoid the extra charges of hiring an attorney or accountant to fill the role.
Customer Support
A friendly and knowledgeable customer support staff is key to a good company. How responsive is the company to customers' concerns? Starting a business is already stressful enough. You need customer support that gives you peace of mind.
User Experience:
This is akin to customer reviews. We checked how previous users had rated their experience using these services. We also checked how these services are rated on TrustPilot. Good customer reviews are a window to how the services offered compare. It is also important for companies to see how receptive they are to negative reviews.
Accessibility and Transparency
Nobody wants to deal with an ordering process that is too hard to understand. The websites of the companies should be easy to navigate and understand. Additionally, the ordering process should be streamlined to make it easy for customers. The checkout process should also be straightforward and with no hidden fees.
Quick Turnaround Time
It is no secret that some llc services take way longer to go through the business formation process. The process should be simple and provide a quick turnaround time. We chose LLC services that have a speedy processing of LLC formation.
Company History and Overview
It is important to consider the company's proven track record. How long have they been in business? How many businesses have they formed since? Can you trust their services? A company's reputation is everything. These questions will help you know if you can trust the company's services.
LLC Filing Service FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions on LLC Filing services.
What is an LLC?
A limited liability company (LLC) is a business entity that combines the features
How much does it cost to set up an LLC?
The cost of setting up an LLC varies depending on the services you need and what service you use. Different LLC formation services have different prices. There are also additional state fees required depending on the state you are in. Using LLC formation services is cheaper than doing everything yourself. You can only pay for what you need and maybe do other things yourself. Use this article to check the cost of different LLC services. Expect a range of $50 to $500, depending on the services you need.
Is it possible to set up an LLC for free?
Yes, LLC services offer to set up an LLC for free. However, you are still liable to pay the state fees. The cost of registering an LLC differs in every state. Companies that offer free LLC formation services only fill out the paperwork for your business. You are responsible for the state's filing fee.
Can I form an LLC on my own?
You can form an LLC on your own with the right research. However, it is a lot of work and will probably cost you more to get everything together. It is worth it to hire a professional LLC formation service.
If I'm in a Rush to Start an LLC, How Can I Get it ASAP?
The LLC services named above have expedited options if you need to start an LLC in a rush. Different packages come with different options. You may need to pay extra for an expediting option, but the services will be worth it.
Key Takeaways
Going through the business formation process with an LLC service is much easier. While you can do it independently, LLCs guarantee a more affordable and stress-free process. ZenBusiness currently ranks as the overall best LLC formation service. NorthWest Registered Agents is also a strong contender due to its customer support features. All the LLC services listed above offer great packages to form an LLC.
We hope this article will help you pick a suitable LLC for your organization and business.
