Four formation services, ranked nationally on published cost and third-party ratings, alongside the Montana filing costs, publication rule and ownership-privacy rules.
Last updated September 16, 2026
TL;DR: On our scoring, the best LLC service in Montana is Northwest Registered Agent. The ranking is national and lists only services that pay us a commission. Its 3-year service cost is $289, though its 4.1/5 Trustpilot score is the lowest listed. Montana's state costs are separate: $35 to file the Articles of Organization, within an estimated first-year state cost of $35.
LLCs are formed at the state level, so the right service is the one that best handles Montana’s specific requirements. The service ranking below is national and identical on every state page. What changes by state is the Montana section further down, and the notes on individual cards where a Montana rule bears on the choice.
$35Estimated first-year state cost
42,566Business establishments in Montana (2023)
+13.4%New business applications YoY in Montana (2026 YTD (Jan to Jul))
NoNewspaper publication required
NoAnonymous LLC available
Cost figures are our estimated first-year state cost for an LLC in Montana, built from minimum state fees and taxes. Source: business counts and population from the US Census Bureau (CBP, ACS, Business Formation Statistics); LLC cost figures from MyStateLLC's 50-state cost dataset.
Affiliate disclosure: Every formation service listed on this page pays us a commission if you sign up through our link, at no extra cost to you. This page lists the formation services we have an affiliate relationship with, so it is not a survey of the whole market. Among the services listed, the order is computed from published cost and third-party ratings.
This order is national, not specific to Montana. Every service files in all fifty states at the same state fee, so there is nothing here for a state to change. The score is 55% three-year service cost, 25% BBB rating and 20% Trustpilot score, all three printed on each card below. See the full formula and the arithmetic for all four services. Where a Montana rule bears on a particular service, it is called out on that card.
#1, score 94.3 / 100Lowest 3-year cost
Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + state feeStarting price
Trustpilot4.1/5 (297 reviews)BBB ratingA, not BBB accreditedRegistered agentIncluded yr 1, then $125/yr3-year service cost$289
Score: 0.55 × 100 (cost) + 0.25 × 91.7 (BBB) + 0.2 × 82 (Trustpilot) = 94.3 out of 100. BBB and Trustpilot as recorded September 15, 2026, not re-checked since. How this is calculated
Northwest Registered Agent files your LLC for $39 plus the state fee, and that price includes a year of registered agent service. After year one, registered agent service is $125/yr, which puts the 3-year total at $289. Northwest says it does not sell your information and runs its own servers. The $39 package does not include EIN filing (a $50 add-on) or IRS Form 2553. One thing to know before you sign up: registered agent customers are enrolled by default in Northwest's annual report filing service, charged at $100 plus state fees when it files your report, and you can cancel that service at any time.
Pros
Registered agent included for year one, then a flat $125/yr
States in its privacy policy that it does not sell your information
Runs its own servers
Cons
EIN filing is a $50 add-on, and S-corp election is sold as a separate service
$39 formation fee vs $0 on starter plans elsewhere
Enrolls registered agent customers in annual report filing ($100 + state fees) by default
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no cost to you
#2, score 83 / 100Registered agent renews at $149/yr
Bizee
$0 + state feeStarting price
Trustpilot4.8/5 (26,100+ reviews)BBB ratingC, unaccredited, with a live BBB pattern-of-complaint alertRegistered agentFree yr 1, then $149/yr3-year service cost$298
Score: 0.55 × 97 (cost) + 0.25 × 41.7 (BBB) + 0.2 × 96 (Trustpilot) = 83 out of 100. BBB and Trustpilot as recorded September 15, 2026, not re-checked since. How this is calculated
Heads upBizee holds a C rating from the BBB, which is not accredited and carries a live pattern-of-complaint alert. We're flagging this so you can make an informed choice. It's still a widely-used service.
Bizee (formerly Incfile) suits founders for whom registered agent renewal cost is the priority. Its registered agent renews at $149/yr once year-one promotions expire, $50/yr less than ZenBusiness and $100/yr less than LegalZoom. Their Gold plan bundles IRS Form 2553 (S-Corp election filing), EIN application, and a banking resolution document. Its C rating from the BBB is the main drag on Bizee's score. BBB gives two reasons for that grade: 82 complaints filed in three years, and, in BBB's words, that the business "has failed to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints". BBB's pattern-of-complaint alert on the profile is still live, and Bizee has posted a response to it describing changes to renewal notices, cancellation and refunds. If you choose Bizee for the price, read every auto-renewal term before completing checkout.
Pros
Registered agent renews at $149/yr after year one
Free registered agent included on all plans for year one
Gold plan bundles EIN + IRS Form 2553 + banking resolution
Cons
C rating from the BBB, which cites a pattern of complaints about charges and cancellation
Phone and email support only, with no chat channel
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no cost to you
#3, score 82.1 / 100Compliance dashboard on the free plan
ZenBusiness
$0 + state feeStarting price
Trustpilot4.8/5 (32,500+ reviews)BBB ratingARegistered agentFree yr 1, then $199/yr3-year service cost$398
Score: 0.55 × 72.6 (cost) + 0.25 × 91.7 (BBB) + 0.2 × 96 (Trustpilot) = 82.1 out of 100. BBB and Trustpilot as recorded September 15, 2026, not re-checked since. How this is calculated
ZenBusiness holds a 4.8/5 Trustpilot score. Their free Starter plan covers 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 useful if you would rather not track state deadlines yourself, and skippable if you will. Registered agent renews at $199/yr, which is $50/yr more than Bizee, and that renewal is what puts the 3-year total at $398.
Pros
Free starter plan with registered agent included yr 1
4.8/5 Trustpilot score, with phone, email and chat support
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
Score: 0.55 × 38.7 (cost) + 0.25 × 100 (BBB) + 0.2 × 92 (Trustpilot) = 64.7 out of 100. BBB and Trustpilot as recorded September 15, 2026, not re-checked since. How this is calculated
LegalZoom has helped form more than 4 million business entities since 2001. For a simple single-member LLC, they're overkill: registered agent costs $249/yr and is not included in any plan. That puts their 3-year total at $747, against Bizee's $298. 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: it includes unlimited 30-minute consultations with a licensed attorney during your first 30 days. Budget the full first-year cost. RA adds $249 on top of the plan price before you start.
Pros
Attorney access on Premium: unlimited 30-min consultations (first 30 days)
4M+ customers served since 2001
Handles trademarks, wills, and contracts beyond just LLC formation
Cons
Registered agent is $249/yr and NOT included in any plan
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no cost to you
Montana LLC requirements
These apply whichever service you use, and they are what actually differs between Montana and anywhere else. The service ranking above does not.
Where you file
Montana state filing officeLLCs are created at the state level, never with a city or county.
Estimated first-year state cost
$35$197 below the national average of $232.
Newspaper publication
Not requiredMontana law imposes no newspaper publication requirement for LLC formation; the Secretary of State's filing requirements and Title 35 MCA contain none.
Anonymous ownership
Not availableMCA 35-8-208 requires the LLC's annual report to state the names and business mailing addresses of the managers (if manager-managed) or of the members (if member-managed), and these reports are public.
Annual LLC tax
No franchise or privilege tax on LLCs; the Secretary of State currently waives the annual report fee for reports filed by April 15 ($35 if filed late).
Personal income tax
Montana levies a two-bracket individual income tax; per HB 337 (2025) the top rate drops from 5.9% to 5.65% effective January 1, 2026, with the 4.7% lower rate applying up to $47,500 single/$95,000 joint (Montana Department of Revenue).
On our scoring, the best LLC service in Montana is Northwest Registered Agent. The ranking is national and scores each service 55% on 3-year service cost, 25% on BBB rating and 20% on Trustpilot score, and it lists only services that pay us a commission. Northwest Registered Agent scores 94.3 out of 100, although its 4.1/5 Trustpilot score, as recorded September 15, 2026, is the lowest of the four services listed. That is a statement about those three figures, not about which service suits you.
Montana charges $35 to file the Articles of Organization. Our estimated first-year state cost for an LLC in Montana is $35, which is $197 less than the national average of $232. It counts a year's share of recurring state fees and taxes at their minimum, so what you pay in year one can differ. If you use a formation service, it charges separately: of the services listed here, the lowest 3-year service cost is $289 and the highest is $747, on prices recorded between September 10 and September 15, 2026.
LLCs are created at the state level. You file your LLC formation paperwork with the Montana state filing office, not with a city or county. Your business address can be anywhere in the state.
No. Montana law imposes no newspaper publication requirement for LLC formation; the Secretary of State's filing requirements and Title 35 MCA contain none.
No. MCA 35-8-208 requires the LLC's annual report to state the names and business mailing addresses of the managers (if manager-managed) or of the members (if member-managed), and these reports are public.
