Four formation services, ranked nationally on 3-year service cost (our total of each service's cheapest plan and registered agent prices for a new LLC, state fees excluded), BBB rating and Trustpilot score, alongside the Tennessee filing costs, publication rule and ownership-privacy rules.
Last updated October 14, 2026
TL;DR: On our scoring, the best LLC service in Tennessee 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. Tennessee's state costs are separate: at least $300 to file the Articles of Organization, within an estimated first-year state cost of at least $700.
LLCs are formed at the state level, so the right service is the one that best handles Tennessee’s specific requirements. The service ranking below is national and identical on every state page. What changes by state is the Tennessee section further down, and the notes on individual cards where a Tennessee rule bears on the choice.
At least $700Estimated first-year state cost
150,129Business establishments in Tennessee (2023)
+16.9%New business applications YoY in Tennessee (2026 YTD (Jan to Sep))
NoNewspaper publication required
NoAnonymous LLC available
Cost figures are our estimated first-year state cost for an LLC in Tennessee, 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 3-year service cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.
This order is national, not specific to Tennessee. 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 Tennessee 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 report filing service, charged at $100 plus state fees when it files your report, and you can cancel that service at any time.
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#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 (confirm at checkout), 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.
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 Standard package 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.
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#3, score 74.1 / 100Compliance dashboard on the $0 Starter plan
ZenBusiness
$0 + state feeStarting price
Trustpilot4.8/5 (32,500+ reviews)BBB ratingARegistered agent$99 yr 1 with formation, then $199/yr3-year service cost$497
Score: 0.55 × 58.1 (cost) + 0.25 × 91.7 (BBB) + 0.2 × 96 (Trustpilot) = 74.1 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 $0 Starter plan covers state filing 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 is not included in any plan: it is $99 for the first year when you form your LLC with ZenBusiness, then $199/yr, which is $50/yr more than Bizee. That registered agent cost is what puts the 3-year total at $497.
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 says it has handled more than 4 million formations since it was founded in 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, attorney access on their $299 plan (shown as Premium or Expert Service) changes the math: it includes 30 days of unlimited 30-minute consultations with independent attorneys, each on a new legal topic, then $49 or $99 a month until you cancel, depending on the version of the plans you see. In one version the $249 plan includes the same consultations; in the other it includes a business advisor, not an attorney. Budget the full first-year cost. RA adds $249 on top of the plan price before you start.
Attorney access on the $299 plan (Premium or Expert Service): unlimited 30-min consultations with independent attorneys, each on a new legal topic (first 30 days)
LegalZoom says it has handled 4M+ formations since it was founded in 2001
Handles trademarks, wills, and contracts beyond just LLC formation
Cons
Registered agent is $249/yr and NOT included in any plan
The $299 plan's 30 days of attorney access then renews at $49/month or $99/month until you cancel, depending on which version of LegalZoom's plans you are shown
The $249 plan (Pro or Managed Service) includes 30 days of attorney consultations in one version of LegalZoom's plans and a business advisor, not an attorney, in the other, then renews at $49/month until you cancel
In one version of its plans, Premium also adds bookkeeping tools that renew at $9.99/month after 6 months
LLC formation is a state-level process, but local business conditions and county filing details vary. See the best LLC services for other Tennessee metros:
On our scoring, the best LLC service in Tennessee 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.
Tennessee charges at least $300 to file the Articles of Organization. Our estimated first-year state cost for an LLC in Tennessee is at least $700, which is at least $468 more 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 15 and October 14, 2026.
LLCs are created at the state level. You file your LLC formation paperwork with the Tennessee state filing office, not with a city or county. Your business address can be anywhere in the state.
No. No LLC newspaper-publication requirement.
No. Tennessee's annual report (a per-member filing) discloses the LLC's members/managers.
