Updated November 10, 2026 · 9 services tested
We tested 9 LLC services for Maine. Northwest is our pick: $39 + $175 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 + $175 state feeForm my LLC for $39 (opens in a new tab)
LegalZoom
$0 + $175 state feeSee LegalZoom plans (opens in a new tab)Save 20% with code: venturesmarter20
ZenBusiness
$0 + $175 state feeSee ZenBusiness plans (opens in a new tab)Prices checked November 10, 2026. Maine's state filing fee is $175.
Northwest is our top pick for a Maine LLC, with privacy and a flat registered-agent renewal as its main strengths. We chose it after forming an LLC with every service in this guide.
LegalZoom is our second choice for owners who expect to use legal services beyond formation. ZenBusiness, our third choice for guided online formation, delivered the smoothest of the nine formations we ran, from checkout through the first login.
Bizee is the cheapest way in if a free first-year agent is the priority. We compared checkout friction and what each account actually tracked after payment, then checked the real renewal cost behind each headline price.
| Service | LLC Fees | Registered Agent Price | Money-Back Guarantee | Score | Compare offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $39 using our special link + $175 state fee | Free first year with the $39 LLC, then $125/yr | ✓ Guaranteed for 90 days | 4.9 | Form my LLC (opens in a new tab) |
| From $0 for LLC formation + $175 state fee | $249 first year, then $249/yr (not in any plan) | ✓ 60-day guarantee period | 4.7 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
| Pricing from $0 + $175 state fee | $199 first year, then $199/yr (not in any plan) | ✓ 60-day guarantee period | 4.6 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 starting point + $175 state fee | Free first year with formation, then $249/yr | ✗ | 4.5 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 starting point + $175 state fee | $199 first year, then $199/yr (not in any plan) | ✗ | 4.4 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | Starts at $49 + $175 state fee | $14.99/mo first year, then $14.99/mo (inside its compliance plan) | ✓ Between 30 and 60-day refund policy | 4.3 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $99 one-time fee + $175 state fee | $99 first year, then $159/yr (sold separately) | ✗ | 4.1 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 starting point + $175 state fee | Free first year with formation, then $149/yr | ✓ Order can be refunded before state filing (24h typical); $30 processing fee | 3.9 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | Rocket Legal: $39.99/month / Rocket Legal+: $239.88/year or $19.99/month + $175 state fee | $124.99 first year, then $124.99/yr (Plus or Pro membership required) | ✓ 30-day refund window | 3.7 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
Prices checked November 10, 2026. Maine's state filing fee is $175.
Each score combines support, price, features, turnaround, ease of use and user ratings.
Refund: 90 days
BBB: Holds A rating but not BBB accredited
LLC Packages: Just 1 plan
Same & Next Day Filing: No
Free Package Features: No free features available
Advisory Services: No
The moment our Northwest filing closed, a free Operating Agreement, plus resolutions and membership certificates, were already sitting in the account. No upsell screen got in the way.
Our test intake was missing one detail. Automated emails went out on day one, day three and day five, then a real person called after 48 hours.
Annual renewal now signs up new customers by default, under a program called Compliance For All. There is an opt-out window instead of a separate purchase.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60-day guarantee period
BBB: Accredited with A+ BBB rating
Same & Next Day Filing: No
Free Package Features: Digital welcome packet, plus a customizable website
Our LegalZoom checkout took payment before it asked for our business details, the reverse of the order most of the other providers used.
A post-payment trademark offer used a 50%-off countdown, a sharper urgency tactic than the rest of this lineup used.
Managed Service includes 30 days of business-advisor support, while Expert Service includes an advisor, attorney and accountant.
They renew at $49/month and $99/month respectively after 30 days if kept. A registered agent was never even offered as a paid option during our recorded checkout.
Get 20% off eligible LegalZoom LLC formation and other services with Venture Smarter code venturesmarter20.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60-day guarantee period
BBB: BBB accredited
Same & Next Day Filing: Pro & Premium Package
Free Package Features: LLC filing covered by 100% accuracy guarantee
Advisory Services: Accounting consultation offered
We formed our test LLC through ZenBusiness and watched Velo AI, its in-dashboard assistant, run an automatic status check the moment we logged in. It flagged the missing EIN and the missing compliance filing without us hunting for them.
Before that, the upgrade screen laid out exactly what the free option lacked next to what upgrading would cost, dollar by dollar. The pitch was direct, but every number stayed visible on screen.
A Bank of America offer surfaced twice, once before payment and again inside the account afterward. Skipping it took one click each time, and the checkout stayed easy to follow start to finish.
Pros
Cons
All three packages show a 30-day website-builder trial, preselected but removable before purchase. It renews at $15/month if kept.
Refund: No
BBB: No
LLC Packages: Just 1 plan
Same & Next Day Filing: Yes
Free Package Features: Name availability check, preparation & filing, Inc Care support, business credit analysis
Advisory Services: Free tax planning consultation provided
Eight separate upgrade screens stood between us and payment at Inc Authority, each one carrying its own countdown timer.
In our checkout test, we were offered one free extra, an EIN or faster processing, not both. The current offer linked here lists both a business tax ID and 24-hour processing with the free filing.
Our test didn't turn up an ongoing compliance dashboard once the paperwork cleared, just a logo builder, a confirmation email and a referral to a tax-consultation partner.
That same message flagged exactly when the free registered-agent year would end. Inc Authority now advertises digital document storage and a client portal, so check what your account includes.
Pros
Cons
Refund: No
BBB: No
Advisory Services: Business coaching program with all plans
Our Tailor Brands filing routed formation documents straight into a documents folder in the dashboard instead of emailing them, with just a notification that they were ready.
Registered agent and a virtual address had to be selected before we submitted the application. Once it was filed, that window closed for good.
Opting into the free tax consultation brought a real callback from a tax partner about a week later, by phone rather than by email. When something in the application was incomplete, the team followed up by email rather than leaving us to guess.
Pros
Cons
Open any card for the complete review, scores and packages.
Refund: Between 30 and 60-day refund policy
BBB: BBB A rating
Advisory Services: Paid attorney support add-on available
When we called LLC Attorney's phone line, an advisor picked up within three minutes, well ahead of the roughly 18-hour average we saw over email.
The dashboard kept formation progress and upcoming compliance deadlines on one screen, though the portal occasionally slowed down during busier stretches.
We tested the mail-scanning feature for 90 days and it logged a dozen notices accurately over that stretch, each one scanned and uploaded.
Formation and compliance documents both landed in the same account area, with nothing scattered across separate emails.
Pros
Cons
Refund: No
BBB: BBB accredited
LLC Packages: Just 1 plan
Same & Next Day Filing: ~ Subject to state availability
Free Package Features: No free features available
Advisory Services: No
Our Harbor Compliance order let us build the filing item by item. We started from Articles of Organization alone, with no preset combination pushed on us.
Registered agent customers also get Entity Manager, a tool that connects to every Secretary of State's system. Same-day document scanning came with it too.
No one called to walk us through setup. Support was there when we needed it, but the process assumed we already knew what to add.
Turnaround on the initial submission ran a couple of days once every signature was supplied.
Pros
Cons
Refund: Order can be refunded before state filing (24h typical); $30 processing fee
BBB: No
Same & Next Day Filing: Platinum Package
Free Package Features: LLC formation, business tax consultation & more
Advisory Services: Complimentary 1-hour tax consultation
A running total stayed in view the entire time we checked out with Bizee, and the order confirmation showed up within minutes of paying.
We checked the account's order details afterward. The agent on file was Republic Registered Agent LLC, a third party, not Bizee itself.
An expedited-filing offer we had turned down at checkout came back inside the dashboard after payment, this time as a one-click add. The dashboard also flagged an upcoming annual-report deadline within days of the account going live.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 30-day refund window
BBB: BBB accredited
LLC Packages: Just 1 plan
Same & Next Day Filing: No
Free Package Features: No free features available
Advisory Services: Ask-a-lawyer via email & 30-minute monthly phone consultation per new matter (subscription-based)
Our Rocket Lawyer support line resolved our test issues quickly, often on the first call, and email replies from an incorporation specialist arrived fast too.
Every membership level includes one business registration at no extra service charge. Most of the other providers charge for that separately.
The free trial behind the no-cost filing lasts seven days before the membership itself starts billing on its own schedule. Membership terms and the legal-document library both stayed visible from the same account home screen.
Pros
Cons
We ran every service reviewed here through an actual LLC formation, testing each one against the same practical questions. Our testing methodology explains the scoring approach and the evidence behind these recommendations.
We separated each provider's own internal processing from Maine's state processing time, and we checked what a registered-agent renewal actually costs, not only the formation headline.
We judged how quickly each provider answered a real question through the channel it actually offers rather than a promise made before checkout, and whether a person ever entered the loop.
Northwest leads this score, followed by LegalZoom and ZenBusiness. Northwest chased our incomplete intake on a set schedule and then put a person on the phone, while ZenBusiness flagged missing steps inside the account before we had to ask.
We compared the entry cost against the full first-year total once a registered agent and any required extras were added in, since the cheapest headline rarely stays the cheapest bill.
Northwest and Inc Authority share the highest price score: both include a first-year registered agent, and Northwest has a flat renewal.
ZenBusiness kept upgrade costs visible before we paid, but its recurring plan and agent charges lower its price score.
We noted what ships free versus what costs extra, and in which membership. Northwest, Inc Authority and Bizee include a free first-year agent. ZenBusiness charges separately for registered-agent service on every current plan.
Northwest and LegalZoom share the highest Features score.
Northwest supplies formation documents at filing, LegalZoom offers attorney access in Expert Service, and ZenBusiness keeps formation, compliance tracking and follow-up services together in one account.
We split each provider's own review time from the time Maine itself takes to process a Certificate of Formation, because a provider only controls the clock up to submission.
Northwest and ZenBusiness share the highest Turnaround score. In our test, ZenBusiness moved from payment to a working account without a stall, and Tailor Brands posted formation documents the moment they were ready.
We scored the form sequence, how upgrade screens were presented and whether the account made the next step obvious once payment cleared.
ZenBusiness has the highest Ease of Use score, with a dashboard that chased the missing EIN and compliance filing on its own. Northwest and Tailor Brands share the next-highest score, with Tailor Brands filing every document into one tidy folder.
We weighed independent customer feedback alongside our own checkout notes, rather than trusting either source alone, and a big brand name counted for nothing without the experience to back it.
Northwest and ZenBusiness rate highest here, and our own checkout notes point the same way. Both accounts worked the way the sign-up page said they would, from the first screen through the working account.
We checked whether each option handles Maine's registered-agent requirement cleanly and fits a realistic Maine formation budget, since state law never lets an LLC go without an agent.
Northwest is our first choice for Maine owners who want privacy and a flat registered-agent renewal.
LegalZoom is second for broader legal support, while ZenBusiness suits guided online formation and Bizee keeps year one cheapest with its included agent.
Maine's Secretary of State publishes filing and business-service resources owners can use directly [5][6].
The Maine SBDC offers free business advising and training [7]. The Department of Economic and Community Development connects owners with state programs and local resources [8].
Maine's domestic LLC annual report costs $85 and is due June 1. Put that date on a calendar, since the state does not send a paper notice.
Start with Maine's no-cost advising resources before adding a formation-service extra that just repeats advice available locally at no charge.
It costs $175 to file a domestic Maine LLC Certificate of Formation, before any provider service or registered-agent charge.
Yes. State law requires every Maine LLC to keep a registered agent in place at all times.
June 1 is the deadline every year. Your first one is filed the year after you form the LLC.
Domestic Maine LLCs owe $85 for the annual report, the same amount each year.
You can file the Certificate of Formation yourself with Maine and pay the $175 state fee without hiring a formation service.
You can apply for an EIN directly through the IRS at no charge once your Maine LLC is formed.
Start with Northwest if privacy and a flat registered-agent renewal matter most to you. It is our first choice overall for a Maine LLC.
LegalZoom is our second choice for owners who want ongoing legal services alongside formation. ZenBusiness ranks third and is a strong fit for guided online formation and an easy checkout.
Bizee is the better call if the lowest entry cost and a free first-year agent matter most. Read the comparison table and each package list above before you decide, then confirm which recurring tasks you actually want a provider handling for you.
References
Our verdict
$39 + $175 state fee, with the first registered agent year included (then $125/yr). 90-day money-back guarantee.
Prices checked November 10, 2026. Maine's state filing fee is $175.