1
ZenBusiness
Pricing
$49 + State Fees
Service Time
Varies By State & Package
2
IncFile
Pricing
$0 + State Fee
Service Time
Varies By State & Package
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Updated: Jun 22, 2021, 1:00pm
When you reach the point that you’re ready to form a limited liability company, you need to be sure to find the best LLC service for your situation to ensure everything is done efficiently and—more importantly—legally. Starting a business is stressful enough on its own without worrying about paperwork being rejected by the state due to improper filing.
While there are many guides to walk you through the process on your own, hiring a trustworthy LLC service ensures that you have help when you need it. Using these services or hiring a registered agent does come with a cost, but there is value in the peace of mind knowing that a registered agent is handling your case. Forbes Advisor compared the cost, features and reliability of the most popular LLC services to bring you this ranked list.
1
Pricing
$49 + State Fees
Service Time
Varies By State & Package
2
Pricing
$0 + State Fee
Service Time
Varies By State & Package
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Forbes Advisor chose ZenBusiness as the best LLC service company because it offers the ideal balance of pricing, features and ease of use.
With different service tiers, businesses can choose which features are needed—and which are not. By offering this “only pay for what you need” feature, ZenBusiness offers better value for the money compared to other services. While it isn’t one of the most popular LLC services on the market, it is incredibly easy to use and offers impressive features.
Who Should Use It:
ZenBusiness is best for small businesses trying to save money by only paying for what they need and those looking for multiple plan tiers to choose from.
Excellent
Good
Okay
Excellent
Good
Okay
Northwest Registered Agent offers different plans, including the option for a free account that helps you walk through the process of registering an LLC.
For this reason, Northwest Registered Agent is best for those on a budget who don’t mind doing some work themselves.
Filing service fees for LLCs start at $100, and the registered agent service costs $125 for a year. Your final cost will depend on the state or territory you choose.
Who Should Use It:
Those who are considering doing an LLC registration on their own but want to be walked through the process if needed.
LegalZoom, one of the most popular online legal help platforms, offers LLC formation in addition to other legal services. The company offers straightforward pricing that provides good value for money spent.
For its basic filing service, LegalZoom charges $79, plus state filing fees. The company also offers expedited shipping and document formation services through its “Standard” and Express Gold” plans, for $329 and $349 respectively.
It’s one of the easiest services to use, and for those who are looking for an all-around online legal services provider, LegalZoom is a great option.
Who Should Use It:
LegalZoom is a trusted option for businesses in need of access to LLC filings and additional legal services.
Rocket Lawyer is a well-known company offering a wide range of legal services including LLC filings.
Rocket Lawyer charges $99.99 plus state filing fees for its LLC filing services. Premium members, who pay $39.99 per month for access to myriad legal services, get a discount of 25%. For new members, the $99.99 filing service fee is waived (but the state filing fee still stands).
Its a la carte filing service helps keep costs low, especially for existing members. Additionally, LLC legal document templates are free and accessible to anyone on its website, and registered agent services are available separately (for $149.99).
Who Should Use It:
Those in search of a company capable of providing a broader range of other legal services might be interested in this online legal services provider.
Inc Authority is a great option for LLC filing because it does not charge a service fee for basic filing services. You will only need to pay your state’s filing fee. The free plan also includes a year of registered agent services as well.
Paid plans range from $399 to $799, and include a host of tangentially related services including tax consultations, business credit and funding reviews, EIN filing and more.
Inc Authority is upselling its clients on a number of other business packages, such as logo and website development. Expect to pay for anything outside of the minimum, as custom filings or non-standard information may require purchasing an upgraded plan.
Who Should Use It:
Inc Authority is best for businesses that need a simple LLC filing but have no budget beyond the filing fees.
Company | Company - Logo | Forbes Advisor Rating | Forbes Advisor Rating - Image | Features | Easy of Use | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ZenBusiness | 4.8 | Excellent | Excellent | Good | ||
Northwest Registered Agent | 4.6 | Excellent | Good | Okay | ||
LegalZoom | 4.5 | Excellent | Excellent | Okay | ||
Rocket Lawyer | 4.5 | Good | Good | Good | ||
Inc Authority | 4.0 | Good | Good | Great |
These services were evaluated according to a number of factors such as pricing, general features and user reviews. The ideal LLC service is affordable enough for small business budgets while still offering enough features and flexibility to make sure that companies are legally covered. General features for best LLC companies included name availability search, online document access, registered agent add-on, articles of organization and whether additional legal services are available. The reviews and recognition score looked at BBB and Trustpilot ratings while the expert score considered overall value for money, ease of use, popularity and features.
An LLC service is not the only way to form an LLC. Forming an LLC is straightforward in most states and possible without using (or paying for) a service. That said, there are often additional benefits to using an LLC service. Having someone else file paperwork for you can save time both in filing and the research required to figure out how. A registered agent service (which, in many cases may be available separate from an LLC filing service) can help protect personal information from appearing online or being available to the public.
Some LLC services also offer an operating agreement as part of a filing package. The operating agreement is a roadmap for the way you’ll operate your LLC, so it may be worth finding a template and structuring to fit the needs of your LLC–especially if your LLC has a more complex structure. Each LLC service has different offerings and fees, so it’s best to consider which services are required and choose a company that offers those for a reasonable price.
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Everything an LLC service can do a business owner can do on his or her own. A DIY approach means you won’t pay for paperwork preparation, but you’ll still have to pay your state’s LLC formation fee, as well as additional fees if you want expedited processing. That said, LLC services can save time and ensure that the paperwork is filled out and filed correctly. LLC services also offer access to other legal services such as startup advice and registered agent services.
LLC services can provide different variations in offerings, but all of the LLC services on Forbes Advisor’s list include name availability search, online document access, the option for a registered agent add-on, creation of articles of organization and additional legal services. Some of these services may only be available through add-on fees or the more expensive packages, depending on the service provider.
There are a number of different ways to structure your business and protect the owners from personal liability. For example, a corporation can be a good option if you want your company to be partially owned by outside shareholders. The best choice for your company will depend on your ownership and management structure, your goals and your potential tax liabilities.
Chauncey grew up on a farm in rural northern California. At 18 he ran away and saw the world with a backpack and a credit card, discovering that the true value of any point or mile is the experience it facilitates. He remains most at home on a tractor, but has learned that opportunity is where he finds it and discomfort is more interesting than complacency.
Jane Haskins practiced law for 20 years, representing small businesses in startup, dissolution, business transactions and litigation. She has written hundreds of articles on legal, intellectual property and tax issues affecting small businesses.
Rob is an SMB writer and editor based in New Jersey. Before joining Forbes Advisor, he was a content producer at Fit Small Business. In that role, he was responsible for writing, editing, and strategizing content geared toward small business owners. Before that, he worked at PCMag as a business analyst.