Best LLC Filing Services of September 2023

ZenBusiness is our winner as the best overall LLC filing company due to its low-cost base service, including LLC filing and a 100% accuracy guarantee starting at $0 plus state fees. In addition, ZenBusiness is a Public Benefit Corporation, meaning it’s a for-profit company with a community goal similar to a nonprofit.

In addition to forming your LLC, ZenBusiness offers a wide variety of add-on services. These can help take care of more of your LLC needs conveniently in one place. However, adding these services will quickly increase your cost. Add-on services include: registered agent, tax filing number, documents package, rush filing, online tools, and expense and money management. Their LLC service also features worry-free compliance.

ZenBusiness has received generally positive reviews from past customers.

Incfile is our winner for best value, thanks to its free LLC filing service option, where you only pay state filing fees. The free package includes preparing and filing your articles of organization with your state and a year of registered agent service. Just be on the lookout for upsells and long-term recurring charges, as that’s where you may find yourself with some higher-priced services or annual fees.

Additional plans are available with more services for a one-time fee. The Gold package includes an EIN, IRS Form 2553, operating agreement, tax consultation, and other services. The Platinum package includes expedited filing and a business domain name and email. Beyond your first year, you can pay for annual report filing, registered agent services, trademark filing, and other business forms.

Incfile offers the cheapest method of getting your business registered, as it’s the same cost of doing it yourself. The company has strong customer reviews too, with a 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot. You can’t beat the price for its basic LLC filing service: free.

Rocket Lawyer is our pick as best for legal services thanks to its ongoing legal support plan that gives you access to a live lawyer for help with business questions. New customers who sign up for that premium plan get an included LLC filing and 25% off future business incorporations. Non-members can still get help filing an LLC for $149.99.

The Premium membership costs $39.99 per month after a free weeklong trial. Members get access to a library of legal documents, unlimited legal questions, and a 30-minute consultation on new legal matters. Members get up to 40% off when hiring a lawyer through Rocket Lawyer and 25% off its $149.99-per-year registered agent service.

Rocket Lawyer is best for those who need ongoing legal support, as the membership package that includes an LLC filing ends up costing about $480 per year, which is a lot more than you would need to pay for an LLC filing alone. However, depending on your business, that cost for ongoing access to a lawyer may be a great deal. It all depends on how often you would need a lawyer and how much the membership could save you compared to paying for services as a one-time fee. For many businesses, Rocket Lawyer makes a lot of sense. It generally earns positive reviews from past customers, so you can plan on a positive overall experience.

Northwest Registered Agent is our choice as the best LLC filing company for small businesses because it offers a suite of services ideal for small business owners working from home or looking to protect their personal privacy. The LLC filing service is bundled with registered agent services starting at $39 plus state fees.

Registered agent services give you a public address where legal and business notices may be sent for official purposes. This may shield your personal address and phone number, particularly if you run a business out of your own home. At checkout, you can choose to pay the full $225 upfront or pay monthly for one year, including any extra fees or services.

Northwest Registered Agent offers a refreshing customer service experience. Everything is handled in-house by customer service agents called “Corporate Guides.” There are no partnerships with third parties, and your information is not sold. When you call or email, a live person will always respond to you. Northwest Registered Agents makes things easy on its customers. It generally earns positive reviews from past users.

Hashtag Legal is a boutique legal experience compared to some of the big LLC filing companies, but that may be perfect for business founders with limited legal knowledge. We picked Hashtag Legal because it specializes in helping small businesses, entrepreneurs, and online businesses with various legal needs, including business entity formation.

One major benefit of Hashtag Legal over larger firms is its ability to customize offerings for your unique business needs. Business entity formation services come with legal advice, so you know if an LLC is the best choice. For business owners with a need, Hashtag Legal also offers business legal advice, legal strategy, and general counsel services.

You typically pay more for a custom legal package than you would with a website where you enter your business information online and never work directly with the person filling out your forms. But that complete package is often worthwhile to entrepreneurs looking to lay the right foundation for a new business.

LegalZoom is a large, recognized name in online legal services and earns our top spot as the best LLC filing company for online businesses. LegalZoom is our winner thanks to its low-cost option for new LLC filings. However, it’s worth noting that you can count on 20 business days of waiting time before your filing is complete unless you upgrade to a more expensive plan.

There are three plans to choose from when creating an LLC with LegalZoom. The LLC Sku Package plan costs $0 plus state tax includes everything required to file your business but takes about a month. The $249 Pro LLC Package plan cuts processing time to 10 business days and gives you a Founder's kit, embosser, and certificates. The Premium LLC Package plan costs $349 and gives you express filing and express shipping for your documents which completes in two to five business days.

The company generally earns positive reviews from past customers, though there are some complaints about waiting times and poor customer service. If you’re patient enough to wait a month, the LLC Sku Package is a good deal for online businesses looking for someone else to file their LLC forms. Just take care to avoid expensive add-ons and upsells if your business doesn’t actually need them.

Founded over 30 years ago, Inc Authority is one of the more established LLC filing companies on our list. They've been doing it for so long that they have found a way to offer a well-equipped, standard filing package for free. If all you need are essential formation services, Inc Authority is a reliable company with an excellent track record, making it our choice as the LLC filing service with the best package for real estate investors.

With its free standard package (not including the state fee), you get registered agent service for one year, name availability search, preparation and filing of articles of organization, and S corporation tax election forms if you choose to categorize your LLC as an S corp for tax purposes. You also have tax planning consultation and business funding analysis included. You can elect open a Bank of America business bank account and credit card for no extra charge as well.

That should keep most fledgling businesses going for a while. However, if you need additional services, such as an LLC operating agreement, ownership certificates, and an EIN, you'll need to add that. Other add-on services include domain & website, minutes & resolutions, and Inc Authority success advisor. If you decide to go with one of these paid services, you should know that Inc Authority does not offer a money-back guarantee.?

Most startup entrepreneurs can get along fine without the additional services from the paid packages, except perhaps an EIN, which you can add for an extra cost or get one on your own from the IRS for free.

It may be useful to know that Inc Authority has many happy customers, as evidenced by the more than 13,000 reviews on Trustpilot averaging 4.8 stars.

Nationwide Incorporators doesn’t simply auto-fill your forms and have them reviewed by a customer service agent. We picked Nationwide Incorporators because all plans include support from an experienced attorney. That makes Nationwide Incorporators a good option for business owners with more complex needs or who simply feel better knowing a legal professional personally completed and filed their registration forms.

The basic plan, for $200, includes LLC formation and templates for your operating agreement and minutes. The Priority Deluxe plan costs $425 and adds a customized operating agreement, custom membership certificates, embossed meeting minute book, and more. For $475, Priority Premium gives you fully customized meeting minute templates, a custom member ledger, and everything needed to get your EIN. Both upgraded plans include faster priority processing. You can upgrade to add features including registered agent services, a more comprehensive operating agreement, and other startup and registration needs with any plan.

There are few reviews for Nationwide Incorporators, but the reviews available indicate a positive overall experience, notably from California-based customers. The basic package should cover most business owners, and few would need to pay for the $475 plan, as you can quickly get an EIN yourself for free on the IRS website. Overall, Nationwide Incorporators is best for those who need a little more handholding and prefer working closely with a human attorney instead of an automated process.