Updated November 10, 2026 · 9 services tested
We tested 9 LLC services for Florida. Northwest is our pick: $39 + $125 state fee, with the first registered agent year included (then $125/yr).
By Jon Morgan · Fact-checked by Jon Tobin, Business Attorney · How we test
Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + $125 state feeForm my LLC for $39 (opens in a new tab)
LegalZoom
$0 + $125 state feeSee LegalZoom plans (opens in a new tab)Save 20% with code: venturesmarter20
ZenBusiness
$0 + $125 state feeSee ZenBusiness plans (opens in a new tab)Prices checked November 10, 2026. Florida's state filing fee is $125.
We formed LLCs with the nine services below, and Northwest Registered Agent is our top pick for most Florida owners. LegalZoom ranks second and ZenBusiness third in our overall comparison.
ZenBusiness’s checkout kept optional charges visible before payment, and its account listed the work after filing as a clear set of tasks.
Northwest Registered Agent is the better choice when privacy and registered-agent coverage belong in the opening order. Its first agent year, address tools and human support fit a different need than ZenBusiness's guided dashboard.
We scored price, services, support, internal filing speed, ease of use and reputation. We then checked how each service handles Florida's public filing fields, annual report and continuously maintained registered agent.
| Service | Service Fee | Registered Agent | Money-Back Guarantee | Score | Compare offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $39 + $125 state fee | Free first year with the $39 LLC, then $125/yr | 90 days | 4.9 | Form my LLC (opens in a new tab) |
| $0 + $125 state fee | $249 first year, then $249/yr (not in any plan) | 60 days | 4.7 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
| $0 + $125 state fee | $199 first year, then $199/yr (not in any plan) | 60 days | 4.6 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 + $125 state fee | Free first year with formation, then $249/yr | Before filing | 4.5 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 + $125 state fee | $199 first year, then $199/yr (not in any plan) | No | 4.4 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $49 + $125 state fee | $14.99/mo first year, then $14.99/mo (inside its compliance plan) | Refund if not submitted within 24 business hours | 4.3 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $99 + $125 state fee | $99 first year, then $159/yr (sold separately) | Before submission | 4.1 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 + $125 state fee | Free first year with formation, then $149/yr | Refund before state filing, less $30 | 4.0 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 + $125 state fee | $596 first year, then $596/yr (billed $149 a quarter; not in any plan) | 60 days | 3.8 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
Prices checked November 10, 2026. Florida's state filing fee is $125.
Each score combines support, price, features, turnaround, ease of use and user ratings.
Refund: 90 days
BBB: Not accredited; A rating
Same/Next Day Filing: No paid speed tier
Our Northwest Registered Agent order reached a human guide quickly. The confirmation, document portal and agent instructions used plain language, and Corporate Guides handled formation questions without passing us through a sales queue.
Business Identity bundles address and communications tools with the agent service. While the agent service stays active, it adds limited mail scanning, a phone line, a domain, website hosting and business email accounts.
We found the recurring cost easier to model than most competitors. The first agent year came bundled with formation, and renewal held at a published $125. Northwest is the stronger privacy purchase for a Florida home-based business.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
BBB: A+ accredited
Same/Next Day Filing: No included same-day tier
Free Features: Accuracy guarantee
Advisory Services: Attorney access on Expert
LegalZoom collected payment before asking for every formation detail in our test, a reversal of the other leading checkouts. Registered-agent service never appeared in that order path, even though LegalZoom sells it separately.
The account's strongest tools sat beyond formation. Its attorney network, contract analysis and bookkeeping options gave us more routes for legal and financial follow-up than a filing-only company could provide.
The buying risk appeared in subscriptions. Managed Service’s business-advisor support renews at $49/month after its first 30 days; Expert Service’s advisor, attorney and accountant team renews at $99/month after 30 days if kept.
Set a reminder before day 30 if you don’t plan to keep either plan.
Get 20% off eligible LegalZoom LLC formation and other services with Venture Smarter code venturesmarter20.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
BBB: Accredited
Advisory Services: Advisor access on Premium
ZenBusiness gave us the cleanest checkout in the group. The order summary stayed visible, and the website-builder trial was preselected but removable before purchase. The cart kept it separate from the formation plan.
The account earned ZenBusiness its Guided Online Formation distinction. Velo AI, ZenBusiness's in-account assistant, ran an immediate status check and flagged the missing EIN, agent decision, compliance setup and unfinished website items in one view.
The trade-off is agent cost. Registered-agent service is a separate purchase, so privacy-focused owners can spend more than expected. Most Florida filings do not need every Premium tool.
Pros
Cons
Refund: Before filing
BBB: Accredited
LLC Packages: Free entry plus paid bundles
Same/Next Day Filing: Expedite in paid Fast Track bundle
Advisory Services: Personalized business advisor
Our Inc Authority order delivered formation, EIN help and the opening agent year without a provider fee. The checkout also separated the government charge clearly, so we could see exactly what the state received.
Eight paid-offer screens stood between selection and payment. Each used a short countdown, and the S corporation pitch appeared more than once. We spent more attention declining extras here than with any other tested provider.
After payment, we received basic order material and a logo tool, but no useful ongoing dashboard comparable to ZenBusiness. The free first year also leads to a $249 agent renewal.
Pros
Cons
BBB: Not accredited
Free Features: Formation coaching
Advisory Services: Business coaching
Our Tailor Brands test connected the formation application to logo, website and marketing work in the same account. Navi AI, its dashboard assistant, routed us to setup tools instead of leaving a blank post-purchase screen.
The platform made more sense for a customer-facing launch than for a filing alone. We could track the LLC order beside brand assets, but Lite's provider-controlled review can last up to 14 business days before Florida begins its work.
Agent service and bookkeeping sit outside the entry plan. Those subscriptions can be useful for a retailer or studio building from scratch. They add cost the owner does not need when the owner already has a brand and accounting system.
Pros
Cons
Open any card for the complete review, scores and packages.
Refund: Refund if not submitted within 24 business hours
BBB: A-rated
Advisory Services: Paid attorney support
We moved through LLC Attorney from account setup to an approved filing. Registration took only a few minutes, and the formation questionnaire stayed concise. The dashboard also separated filing progress from compliance and mail tasks.
The generated package was the useful part. We reviewed the operating records, organizational minutes and bank resolution and found the documents properly formatted.
Submission occurred inside the provider's promised 24-business-hour window during our test.
Its privacy label needs a Florida reading. The service can keep a home address out of selected fields, but it cannot erase the principal office, registered-agent information or other details Florida law makes public.
Pros
Cons
Refund: Before submission
BBB: Accredited
Same/Next Day Filing: No paid same-day tier
Advisory Services: Compliance specialist
Inside Harbor Compliance, we completed the company details and signature steps through the Client Portal. Formation status, messages and delivered documents stayed attached to the entity. Nothing scattered across separate emails.
Entity Manager, Harbor's multi-entity tracking dashboard, stood out from the rest of the account.
It connected state registrations, good-standing status, annual-report dates and registered-agent records. Legal mail reached the portal as a same-day scan during our order.
The service is modular. Formation, agent coverage and managed annual reports carry separate charges instead of one bundle. That structure suits a company expanding across states, but it is more machinery than one Florida LLC needs.
Pros
Cons
Refund: Refund before state filing, less $30
BBB: Not accredited
Advisory Services: Tax consultation on paid tiers
Bizee kept a running total beside us throughout the order, and its free formation tier remained free above the government charge in our test. The first registered-agent year also stayed in the opening package.
Submission and state review were easy to separate. Bizee told us the order would go to the state the next business day, while the confirmation email showed the longer state-controlled timeline. The dashboard then tracked the filing status.
Several included partner tools appeared as unclaimed items, so domain, email, website and mailbox benefits needed manual activation. A third party, Republic Registered Agent LLC, supplied the agent service.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
BBB: Not accredited
Same/Next Day Filing: Standard: three days
Free Features: Formation and lifetime support
Advisory Services: Legal support on Premium
We completed Swyft Filings' five-step application in under 15 minutes. The questions stayed in a logical order, and the account showed filing status without forcing us to search through separate order emails.
The provider's deadline system handled the practical follow-up. Deadlines remained visible in the dashboard, and support answered routine formation questions quickly during our review.
The experience was efficient, but the account offered fewer operating tools than the leaders.
Its current tiers make internal speed the main upgrade decision. Registered-agent service remains separate, so the lowest listed formation price still needs an added agent purchase.
Pros
Cons
We completed an LLC formation with every provider in this ranking, then compared the carts, order records, dashboards and renewal terms we received. Provider prices were checked again against current plan pages before scoring.
For Florida, we verified the filing guidance against the Division of Corporations and Chapter 605 of the Florida Statutes [5].
We followed the same buying path for every provider: plan selection, checkout, required add-ons, account access, document delivery and renewal review. We counted only results we observed or facts confirmed by a current primary source.
The six category scores determine each overall rating, while Florida Fit helps explain why some placements are close. Read the complete testing methodology for the evidence and weighting rules.
The opening service fee left out real first-year costs. We rebuilt the usable first-year setup with formation, required agent coverage and any subscription that activated automatically during the tested order.
Northwest and Bizee included an agent year, while ZenBusiness Starter and Tailor Brands Lite did not. Inc Authority started cheaply but tied the benefit to declining eight upsell screens and tracking a costly renewal.
The best bundle depended on the job after formation. ZenBusiness organized business tasks. Northwest added address tools, and Tailor Brands connected the legal setup to a public-facing brand launch.
Free agent coverage varied by provider. Northwest, Bizee and Inc Authority included the first year. ZenBusiness sold it separately, with a qualifying formation offer for $99 in the first year; LegalZoom, Tailor Brands and Swyft kept it separate.
Northwest gave us the clearest human path through its Corporate Guides. ZenBusiness handled routine status questions well inside the account, which reduced the need to contact support after payment.
LegalZoom and LLC Attorney became more useful when legal questions extended beyond filing. Harbor's support fit multi-entity compliance work, while Inc Authority's sales sequence slowed us down before support became useful.
We scored only the provider-controlled period before submission. Tailor Brands Lite can take up to 14 business days internally, while upgraded tiers at several providers move the review to one business day.
Florida review begins after complete Articles arrive. The Division publishes the dates it is processing. It does not promise a fixed approval date, so no provider can guarantee the state's finish date [6].
ZenBusiness kept the order summary visible and listed the unfinished work as a practical account check. Bizee also separated submission from state review clearly, and Swyft kept its application short.
Inc Authority required the most attention because each timed offer demanded a decision. LegalZoom's pay-before-details sequence also made the final commitment arrive earlier than it did with the leading checkouts.
We treated published reviews as background. On their own, they did not prove that a checkout actually worked. The stronger signal was a close match between the first offer, the final invoice and the tools available after payment.
ZenBusiness and Northwest produced the fewest gaps between promise and working account. LegalZoom delivered broader legal tools, but the separate agent product and recurring attorney plan required closer cost control.
Florida Fit checks three things: an explicit registered-agent choice, a plain statement that filing details become public and a plan for the first annual report. Formation and the annual report both carry weight here.
ZenBusiness ranks first because it organizes those remaining tasks. Northwest moves ahead when the owner needs agent service and address privacy settled in the opening order with a predictable renewal.
A formation service is optional. If you prefer to start a Florida LLC yourself, use the official tools in this sequence.
Track the state queue with the guide to Florida LLC processing times. If the company later closes, follow the steps to dissolve a Florida LLC.
You do not need an LLC service in Florida. You can file directly through Sunbiz, but a provider can prepare the Articles, supply an agent and organize later compliance work.
It costs $125 to form an LLC in Florida: $100 for the Articles and $25 for the registered-agent designation. Provider and optional-document charges are extra.
A Florida LLC needs a registered agent and registered office continuously. The agent must qualify under state law, maintain a Florida street address and accept the appointment.
The Florida LLC annual report is due between January 1 and May 1 each year after formation. Filing after May 1 raises the total from $138.75 to $538.75.
You can form a Florida LLC online through the Division of Corporations. The official filing collects the Articles information, agent acceptance and state payment.
The strongest privacy setup comes from Northwest Registered Agent. Its formation order combines the first agent year with address, mail and communication tools.
The best overall Florida LLC service is Northwest Registered Agent. Its formation includes the first registered-agent year, and Corporate Guides provide human help with filing questions.
Northwest Registered Agent is our first choice for most Florida owners because of its cleaner privacy bundle. ZenBusiness’s order is easy to audit, and its dashboard keeps the next administrative tasks from disappearing after approval.
LegalZoom is the second choice for owners who value its broader legal and compliance services. Tailor Brands remains the better option for a company launching its visual identity at the same time as the legal entity.
Choose Northwest for the cleaner privacy bundle. Choose LegalZoom for its legal and compliance services, ZenBusiness if guided follow-through matters most, or Tailor Brands for a combined legal and brand launch based on your own priority.
References
Our verdict
$39 + $125 state fee, with the first registered agent year included (then $125/yr). 90-day money-back guarantee.
Prices checked November 10, 2026. Florida's state filing fee is $125.