We reviewed 4 leading services — ZenBusiness, Northwest, Bizee, and LegalZoom — across price, speed, trust, and support. Here's who wins for each situation, and the one we'd actually use.
Services reviewed4
Hours of research40+
Last updatedJuly 2026
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We evaluate services on real pricing (not promotional rates), first-year total cost, BBB and Trustpilot ratings, and feature completeness.
Find your best fit:
Our Rankings
ZenBusiness is the highest-rated LLC formation service on Trustpilot and the choice we'd recommend to most first-time founders. Their free Starter plan covers all the basics — state filing, registered agent for year one, and a compliance dashboard that tracks your annual report deadlines. Worry-Free Compliance ($199/yr after year one) is genuinely useful if you'd rather not track state deadlines yourself; skip it if you will. Their checkout flow is notably cleaner than competitors with fewer pre-checked upsells at critical decision points. In our support testing, chat response times were consistent and issues reached resolution without escalation.
#1 Best Overall★ Our Pick
ZenBusiness
$0 + state fee
starting price
⭐ 4.8/5 Trustpilot (27,600+ reviews)BBB: A+
Pros
✓Free starter plan with registered agent included yr 1
✓Highest-rated customer support — phone, email, and chat
✓Worry-Free Compliance keeps annual filings on track
Cons
✗Registered agent renews at $199/yr after year one
✗Compliance package auto-renews — read the fine print at checkout
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you
Bizee (formerly Incfile) is the right choice if minimizing registered agent renewal cost is your priority. At $119/yr for RA renewal, they're the cheapest major service once year-one promotions expire — $80/yr less than ZenBusiness, $130/yr less than LegalZoom. Their Gold plan uniquely bundles IRS Form 2553 (S-Corp election filing), EIN application, and a banking resolution document — features no other starter plan includes at this price. The F BBB rating reflects a documented pattern of unresolved customer complaints, most commonly around unexpected renewal charges and difficulty canceling add-ons. We include Bizee because the pricing is genuinely competitive, but read every auto-renewal term before completing checkout.
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LegalZoom is the oldest and most recognized name in the space, having helped form more than 4 million business entities since 2001. For a simple single-member LLC, they're overkill at $249/yr in registered agent fees — the highest of any service we reviewed, and not included in any plan. But if your situation involves multiple members with non-equal ownership, IP or trademark concerns, or an operating agreement with unusual terms, their Premium plan's attorney access changes the math: unlimited 30-minute consultations during your first 30 days with a licensed attorney is a service no other formation company offers. Budget the full first-year cost — RA adds $249 on top of the plan price before you start.
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Northwest Registered Agent is the best choice for founders who want a no-frills formation with no upsells, no spam, and no data sharing. Based in Montana, they own their own server infrastructure specifically to maintain control over customer data — a meaningful differentiator in a market where competitors routinely monetize contact lists with third-party vendors. The $39 formation fee is higher than the $0 starter plans at ZenBusiness and Bizee, but registered agent is included in year one making the true first-year cost competitive. Northwest is not for founders who want an EIN filed for them, a compliance dashboard, or step-by-step hand-holding. It's for founders who want the filing done cleanly, a $125/yr registered agent with no surprises, and nothing else.
#4 Best for Privacy / No Upsells
Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + state fee
starting price
⭐ 4.7/5 Trustpilot (1,500+ reviews)BBB: A+
Pros
✓No upsells, no spam — owns its own data infrastructure
✓Lowest 3-year total cost among full-service options ($289)
✓Flat, transparent pricing — no auto-renewal surprises
Cons
✗No EIN filing, IRS Form 2553, or compliance dashboard included
✗$39 formation fee vs $0 on starter plans elsewhere
✗Fewer features than ZenBusiness or LegalZoom at every price point
Registered agent is a legal requirement in every state, not an optional add-on. That makes registered agent renewal cost the most important variable in this comparison — not the formation fee. Here's the full picture over three years, excluding the state filing fee (which is identical regardless of which service you use):
Service
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
3-Year Total
Note
Bizee
$0
$119
$119
$238
F BBB rating
Northwest
$39
$125
$125
$289
Includes RA yr 1
ZenBusiness
$0
$199
$199
$398
RA free yr 1
LegalZoom
$249
$249
$249
$747
RA not included in plans
Excludes state filing fees ($35–$500 depending on state) and any optional add-ons. Assumes registered agent only — no compliance packages or premium tiers.
How We Evaluate LLC Formation Services
We evaluate each service by actually using it — creating a test LLC, completing the checkout flow start to finish, and documenting every upsell, pre-checked checkbox, and auto-renewal term. Ratings from paid review sites or a single testimonial aren't how we score. Our methodology uses four criteria:
Registered agent total cost — 30%
We weight 3-year total cost, not first-year pricing. RA renewal is your largest ongoing expense and varies by $130/yr across services.
Customer support quality — 25%
We test chat and phone response times, escalation paths, and resolution rates based on Trustpilot reviews from the trailing 12 months.
Formation transparency — 25%
Does checkout show total price upfront including state fees? Are expensive add-ons opt-in or pre-checked by default?
Trust signals — 20%
BBB rating, Trustpilot score, documented complaint patterns, and data-handling practices including whether customer data is sold to third parties.
We don't accept advertising in exchange for rankings. Some links on this page are affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you — but rankings reflect our evaluation criteria, not affiliate relationships. Northwest Registered Agent has no affiliate relationship with us and is ranked purely on merit.
How to Choose an LLC Formation Service
Six things to understand before you pay — including two where the industry broadly misleads buyers.
1. Optimize for year 2+ cost, not the formation fee
All four services offer $0 or near-zero formation pricing. The real difference shows up in registered agent renewal: $119/yr (Bizee) to $249/yr (LegalZoom). Over five years, the spread between cheapest and most expensive registered agent is over $650. Choose based on what you'll pay annually, not what you'll pay once.
2. Formation speed is determined by your state, not the service
Every formation service submits your paperwork to the same state office, so standard turnaround is outside their control. What is easy to miss is that most states never publish one: 31 of 50 state no standard non-expedited processing time at all, and Arizona, California and Florida post only a rolling queue of the dates they are currently working through. Delaware is one of the silent ones — it says only that "processing times may vary during our busy season" — so a service quoting you a Delaware turnaround is quoting its own handling time, not the state's. Services can pay the state's expedite fee where one exists (30 states), and that is the only lever that actually moves the state's side.
3. Your registered agent address becomes a public record
If you list your home address as your registered agent, it appears in publicly searchable state business records. One of the real benefits of a professional registered agent service is that their address appears in the public record instead of yours. All four services above provide this privacy benefit.
4. Get your EIN directly from the IRS — don't pay for it
An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is obtained at irs.gov/EIN for free in about 10 minutes. Every formation service upsells EIN filing as an add-on. Skip it. The only exception: non-U.S. residents without an SSN must file the SS-4 paper form, where paying a service to handle the process is worth the time saved.
5. Attorney access is only worth it for complex situations
LegalZoom's Premium attorney consultations are useful for multi-member LLCs with unusual ownership splits, businesses in regulated industries, founders with IP or trademark concerns, or anyone considering Series LLC structures. For a standard single-member LLC as a freelancer, consultant, or solo founder, you don't need — and shouldn't pay for — attorney access.
6. Watch for pre-checked upsells during checkout
Registered agent, operating agreement, EIN filing, compliance packages, and domain registration are commonly pre-checked by default in formation service checkouts. Uncheck every box and add back only what you've decided you want. ZenBusiness has the cleanest checkout of the four; Bizee has the most aggressive upsell flow.
7. Draft an operating agreement even if your state doesn't require one
Most states don't legally mandate an operating agreement for single-member LLCs. But banks often require one before opening a business account, and courts have pierced LLC liability shields in cases where there was no documented separation between personal and business operations. For a solo founder, a one-page operating agreement confirming you're the sole member, 100% owner, and managing member is sufficient and takes 15 minutes to create using a free template.
8. Know your annual report deadline before you close the tab
Every state has an annual (or biennial) report requirement to keep your LLC in good standing. Deadlines vary: some are on a fixed calendar date, others fall on your LLC's anniversary month, and a few states charge a minimum franchise tax on top of the report fee. Missing your state's deadline triggers late fees and, in most states, eventually dissolves your LLC administratively. Look up your state's specific deadline on the Secretary of State website immediately after your LLC is approved — don't rely on a formation service reminder as your only safeguard.
$119/yr registered agent from year two — $80/yr cheaper than ZenBusiness. Tradeoff: weaker support, F BBB rating.
If you need…
Privacy and no-upsell experience
Use…
Northwest Registered Agent
$39 formation + $125/yr registered agent, no data sharing, no spam, no surprises.
If you need…
Multi-member LLC, IP concerns, or complex structure
Use…
LegalZoom Premium
Only service with licensed attorney access during setup. Worth the premium for complex situations; overkill for simple ones.
What to Do After Forming Your LLC
Filing your Articles of Organization is step one. These six steps turn your approved LLC into a properly operating, protected business — and most founders skip at least two of them.
1
Get your EIN from the IRS (free, ~10 minutes)
An Employer Identification Number is your LLC's federal tax identifier — you need it to open a business bank account, hire employees, and file business taxes. Apply directly at IRS.gov/EIN for free. The online process takes about 10 minutes and delivers your EIN instantly. Do not pay a formation service to do this for you — the online application is identical and there is no benefit to using an intermediary.
2
Open a dedicated business bank account
Keeping business and personal finances separate is the single most important thing you can do to maintain your LLC's liability protection. Courts have pierced the LLC shield specifically when founders mixed personal and business funds — a practice called "piercing the corporate veil." Most major banks (Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo) offer free business checking for LLCs. Bring your Articles of Organization, EIN letter, and operating agreement when you apply. Mercury and Relay are popular online alternatives with no monthly fees.
3
Draft and sign your operating agreement
An operating agreement documents your LLC's internal rules: ownership percentage, how profits and losses are distributed, voting procedures, and what happens when a member wants to exit. For a single-member LLC, a one-page document confirming you're the 100% managing member is sufficient. For multi-member LLCs, this document is critical — especially buyout rights and dispute resolution clauses. File a signed copy in a safe place and provide it whenever a bank or vendor requests proof of membership.
4
Obtain any required business licenses
Forming an LLC gives you a legal business entity — it doesn't automatically authorize you to operate in a regulated industry or jurisdiction. Depending on your business type and location, you may need: a local business operating license (most cities and counties require one for commercial activity), a professional license (required for contractors, healthcare providers, lawyers, real estate agents, and many other professions), a sales tax permit if you sell physical goods, or federal licenses if you operate in certain industries (firearms, alcohol, broadcasting). Contact your city or county clerk and your state's licensing board for your specific requirements.
5
Set up your bookkeeping system
Your LLC is a separate tax entity and needs its own books. The IRS requires you to maintain records that clearly separate business income and expenses from personal activity. At minimum, use a dedicated business credit or debit card for all business purchases, and reconcile your accounts monthly. For simple single-member LLCs, free tools like Wave or a basic spreadsheet work fine. As your revenue grows, QuickBooks Self-Employed ($15/mo) or FreshBooks ($17/mo) add invoicing, mileage tracking, and tax estimates. If your LLC earns more than $75,000/yr, consider a bookkeeper — the cost is tax-deductible and typically pays for itself in missed deductions.
6
Mark your annual report deadline
Every state requires LLCs to file a periodic report (annual, biennial, or on a rolling anniversary basis) to maintain active status. Missing the deadline results in late fees, and in most states, continued non-compliance triggers administrative dissolution — your LLC loses its legal status. Look up your state's specific deadline, fee, and filing method on your Secretary of State's website today, and calendar the reminder at least 60 days before it's due. If you prefer hands-off compliance management, ZenBusiness Worry-Free Compliance ($199/yr after year one) handles reminders and filing for you.
LLC Filing Fees by State (2026)
State filing fees are paid directly to your Secretary of State — they're mandatory regardless of which formation service you use and are not included in any service's advertised pricing. Fees range from $35 (Montana) to $520 (Massachusetts). Some states also levy an entity-level tax on top of the filing fee — California adds $800/yr, Delaware $400/yr, and Rhode Island $400/yr. Always research your specific state's total cost before filing.
State
Filing Fee
Annual Report / Fee
Key Notes
Alabama
$200
None for most LLCs
Business Privilege Tax return only if computed tax exceeds $100
Alaska
$250
$100/2 yrs
Biennial report
Arizona
$50
None
No annual report required
California
$70
$20/2 yrs
$800/yr minimum franchise tax required
Colorado
$50
$25/yr
Periodic report due annually
Delaware
$110
$300/yr
Popular for investors; $300 franchise tax
Florida
$125
$138.75/yr
Annual report due May 1
Georgia
$110
$60/yr
Annual registration
Illinois
$150
$75/yr
Annual report required
New York
$200
$9/2 yrs
Publication requirement adds ~$500 one-time
Nevada
$425
$350/yr
State Business License + Annual List
Texas
$300
$0 (franchise tax may apply)
Franchise tax due if gross receipts > $2.65M (2026)
Washington
$180
$70/yr
Annual renewal required
Wyoming
$100
$60 min/yr
Strong asset protection laws; popular for privacy
Fees shown are for standard processing. Expedited filing costs extra. Always verify current fees with your Secretary of State — these change periodically.
Frequently Asked Questions
The total cost has two parts: a service fee (which can be $0 on starter plans) and a mandatory state filing fee. State fees vary widely — Delaware charges $110, Wyoming charges $100, and California charges $70 — but some states cost more. California also has an $800/yr minimum franchise tax regardless of income. New York requires a publication fee (~$500 one-time). When you add a registered agent ($119–$249/yr depending on the service), the realistic first-year cost for most people is $150–$500 all in. The 'free' plans are legitimately free for the formation service itself — the state fee is unavoidable.
ZenBusiness wins for most people. It has a higher Trustpilot score (4.8 vs 4.6), lower ongoing cost, and includes a registered agent free for the first year — while LegalZoom charges $249/yr for registered agent on top of the plan price. LegalZoom is the right choice if you need attorney access: their Premium plan includes unlimited 30-minute legal consultations during your first 30 days, which is valuable for complex structures, IP concerns, or multi-member LLCs with unusual terms.
Both offer a $0 starter plan with registered agent included in year one. The difference shows up on renewal: Bizee's registered agent renews at $119/yr vs ZenBusiness's $199/yr, making Bizee cheaper long-term if price is your only concern. However, ZenBusiness has significantly better customer support and an A+ BBB rating vs Bizee's F rating. Bizee's Gold plan also includes EIN + IRS Form 2553 + banking resolution bundled, which ZenBusiness charges extra for. Choose Bizee for the lowest ongoing cost; choose ZenBusiness for better support and peace of mind.
Bizee (formerly Incfile) holds an F rating from the Better Business Bureau because of unanswered customer complaints on file. This doesn't necessarily mean the service is fraudulent — millions of people have formed LLCs through them — but it does mean that when customers had problems, Bizee did not resolve them through the BBB process. The most common complaints relate to unexpected charges and difficulty canceling auto-renewing services. If you do use Bizee, read the terms carefully and set a calendar reminder to review renewal charges annually.
It depends on your state far more than on the formation service — and most states will not tell you. Only 19 of 50 publish any standard non-expedited turnaround, so for the other 31, including Delaware, Texas and New York, nobody can quote you a reliable state figure. The service timelines are their own internal handling, not a state promise: ZenBusiness typically takes 2–3 weeks, Bizee is state-dependent, and LegalZoom takes 5–14 days on their base plan. Rush options exist (LegalZoom 1 business day; ZenBusiness 4–6 business days on Pro and Premium) but they only speed up the service's side unless you also pay the state's own expedite fee, which 30 states offer. Wyoming is genuinely fast: its own portal makes online filings effective immediately.
Yes — every LLC is legally required to have a registered agent in the state where it's formed. A registered agent receives official legal and government mail on your behalf (lawsuits, tax notices, compliance reminders). You can be your own registered agent if you live in the state and are available at a physical address during business hours — but using a service ($119–$249/yr) is worth it because it keeps your personal address off public records, ensures you never miss a notice, and handles compliance reminders automatically.
Yes. Every state lets you file Articles of Organization directly with the Secretary of State — typically online, for the same state fee. The DIY route makes sense if you're comfortable with paperwork, don't need a registered agent service, and are forming in a simple single-member structure. What you give up: document storage, annual report reminders, compliance alerts, and the convenience of having formation docs organized in one place. For most first-time founders, paying $0 + state fee for a starter plan from ZenBusiness or Bizee gives you professional filing plus those extras at no additional cost.
Worry-Free Compliance is ZenBusiness's annual compliance package. It's included free for the first year on all plans, then auto-renews at $199/yr. It covers two amendment filings per year, annual report reminders and filing assistance, and access to their compliance dashboard. It's worth it if your LLC is active and you want hands-off compliance management. It's not worth it if you're comfortable tracking your own annual report deadlines (each state's deadline is public information) and your LLC structure is unlikely to change. Cancel before the auto-renewal date if you don't want it.
A formation service files your Articles of Organization with the state — a one-time action. A registered agent service receives official legal and government correspondence on behalf of your LLC on an ongoing annual basis. Most formation companies sell both: they handle the initial filing and then provide registered agent service going forward. The two are separate products bundled together, which is why all major services advertise '$0 + state fee' for formation while charging separately for registered agent renewal starting in year two.
Not automatically — they're two separate products. On starter plans at ZenBusiness and Bizee, registered agent is pre-selected and included for year one as part of the formation package. After year one, you'll receive renewal notices. You can continue with the same service, switch to a different registered agent (including Northwest at $125/yr), or appoint yourself as registered agent if you live in the state and have a physical address available during business hours.
If your registered agent service lapses and you don't replace it, your LLC risks administrative dissolution in most states — the state can revoke your LLC's good standing for failing to maintain a registered agent. In practice there's usually a notice period and cure window. Registered agent services send renewal reminders starting 60–90 days before expiration. If you plan to discontinue a professional service, file a Change of Registered Agent form with the Secretary of State before your current subscription expires.
For most small business owners: form in your home state. The popular advice to use Delaware or Wyoming applies mainly to venture-backed startups and specific situations. Delaware is the standard for companies planning to raise VC funding or go public. Wyoming offers strong asset protection for multi-state portfolios or complex multi-member structures. The catch: if you form in Wyoming but operate in California, you still need to register as a foreign LLC in California and pay California's $800/yr minimum franchise tax — the foreign registration costs typically exceed any savings for a single-state small business.
No. An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is obtained directly from the IRS at irs.gov/EIN — it's free and takes about 10 minutes online. There is no reason to pay a formation service to file it for you. Every major service upsells EIN filing as an add-on or includes it on their paid tiers. If a service charges $50–$70 for EIN filing, skip it and file directly with the IRS. The only exception is if you're a non-U.S. citizen without a Social Security Number, which requires the SS-4 paper form — formation services can handle that complexity.
Yes. Switching registered agents is straightforward: file a Change of Registered Agent form with your Secretary of State (typically a $10–$25 state fee), appoint the new agent, and cancel your old service. The new registered agent takes effect upon state acceptance, usually within 1–2 business days. Northwest Registered Agent ($125/yr) and Bizee ($119/yr) are both good choices if you're switching away from a more expensive service at renewal time. The formation service relationship itself is a one-time transaction — once your LLC is filed, you can switch any ongoing subscriptions independently.
An operating agreement is an internal document that defines how your LLC is governed — who owns what percentage, how profits are distributed, how decisions are made, and what happens if a member wants to leave. Most states do not legally require an operating agreement, but you should have one anyway. Without it, your state's default LLC rules apply, which may not match your intentions. Banks and investors often require an operating agreement before opening business accounts or extending credit. For a single-member LLC, a basic operating agreement is a one-page document; for multi-member LLCs with different ownership percentages, it becomes more important to get right. ZenBusiness includes an operating agreement template on Pro plans; LegalZoom provides attorney-drafted versions on Premium. Single-member owners can find template operating agreements online for free, or use LegalZoom's standalone operating agreement service if you need a state-specific version.
Annual reports (also called Statements of Information or Biennial Reports depending on the state) are periodic filings that update your state on your LLC's current registered agent, members, and contact information. They're not tax filings — they're an administrative requirement to keep your LLC in good standing. The deadline and frequency vary by state: California requires a Statement of Information within 90 days of formation, then every two years ($20 fee). Wyoming's annual report is due the first day of your anniversary month ($60 minimum). Delaware has an annual Registered Agent fee. Missing an annual report deadline can result in late fees, administrative dissolution, or loss of LLC good standing. All four formation services provide annual report reminders; ZenBusiness's Worry-Free Compliance ($199/yr after year one) includes filing assistance. If you don't use a compliance service, calendar your state's deadline immediately after formation.
The most important difference is liability protection. A sole proprietorship offers no legal separation between you and your business: if your business is sued or can't pay its debts, your personal assets (savings, home, car) are at risk. An LLC creates a separate legal entity, so business liabilities generally stay within the LLC — your personal assets are shielded in most circumstances. The second difference is credibility: an LLC signals you're running a legitimate business, which matters when opening a bank account, applying for contracts, or bringing on clients. The tradeoff is cost: a sole proprietorship costs nothing to start and has no ongoing compliance requirements, while an LLC requires a state filing fee ($50–$500) and annual maintenance. For any business with real revenue, clients, or liability exposure, the cost of an LLC is almost always worth the protection.
Yes — there is no US citizenship or residency requirement to form an LLC. Non-US residents can form LLCs in any state. Wyoming and Delaware are popular choices for international founders because of strong asset protection laws and minimal reporting requirements. The main complications are EIN acquisition and banking. Non-US residents without a Social Security Number cannot apply for an EIN online — they must submit IRS Form SS-4 by fax or mail, which takes 4–8 weeks. Formation services like Northwest and ZenBusiness offer EIN application assistance for non-residents. Opening a US business bank account is also more complex for non-residents; most major banks require in-person visits. Newer fintech alternatives like Mercury, Relay, and Bluevine have opened US business banking to international founders with varying degrees of success depending on country of residence.
A single-member LLC has one owner (the member), while a multi-member LLC has two or more. The core structure and liability protections are identical. The differences show up in taxation and governance. A single-member LLC is treated as a disregarded entity by default: you report business income on your personal tax return (Schedule C) with no separate LLC tax return required. A multi-member LLC is treated as a partnership by default, requiring a partnership tax return (Form 1065) in addition to each member's personal return. Both types can elect S-Corp or C-Corp tax status. For governance, multi-member LLCs need an operating agreement that specifies ownership percentages, voting rights, and profit distribution — these aren't needed for solo operators but become critical when co-founders disagree. If you're forming with a partner, draft a detailed operating agreement before anything else.
Best LLC services by state
LLC formation rules, fees, and timelines are set at the state level. Pick your state for rankings tuned to its requirements: