Updated November 10, 2026 · 9 services tested
We tested 9 LLC services for South Carolina. Northwest is our pick: $39 + $110 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 + $110 state feeForm my LLC for $39 (opens in a new tab)
LegalZoom
$0 + $110 state feeSee LegalZoom plans (opens in a new tab)Save 20% with code: venturesmarter20
ZenBusiness
$0 + $110 state feeSee ZenBusiness plans (opens in a new tab)Prices checked November 10, 2026. South Carolina's state filing fee is $110.
We set up LLCs with every service in this guide, and ZenBusiness is our pick for guided online formation.
Its checkout stayed easy to read from start to finish, and the account kept surfacing what still needed attention after the state accepted the filing.
Northwest Registered Agent is our Best Overall pick and the better privacy buy. The $39 order bundles a full registered agent year with the $125 renewal printed on the same screen.
Keeping that service active also adds address, mail, phone, domain, website and email tools.
We scored support, price, features, turnaround, ease of use and user ratings, then judged how each provider fits South Carolina.
The state requires a continuously maintained in-state agent, yet most default-taxed LLCs avoid a recurring state annual report.
| Service | Service Fee | Resident Agent | Money-Back Guarantee | Score | Compare offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $39 + $110 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 + $110 state fee | $249 first year, then $249/yr (not in any plan) | 60 days | 4.7 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
| $0 + $110 state fee | $199 first year, then $199/yr (not in any plan) | 60 days | 4.6 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 + $110 state fee | Free first year with formation, then $249/yr | 60 days | 4.5 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 + $110 state fee | $199 first year, then $199/yr (not in any plan) | No | 4.4 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $49 + $110 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) |
 | $0 + $110 state fee | $596 first year, then $596/yr (billed $149 a quarter; not in any plan) | 60 days | 4.2 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 + $110 state fee | Free first year with formation, then $149/yr | Refund before state filing, less $30 | 4.1 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $149/yr minimum after trial + $110 state fee | $124.99 first year, then $124.99/yr (Plus or Pro membership required) | Cancel during 7-day trial | 3.7 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
Prices checked November 10, 2026. South Carolina's state filing fee is $110.
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 internal-speed tier
Northwest Registered Agent solves the address and agent questions in one order. The first agent year comes with formation, and the renewal price sits on the same screen instead of hiding until later.
Business Identity goes beyond the statutory address. While agent service stays active, Northwest adds mail scanning, a phone line, a domain, website hosting and email addresses.
Corporate Guides answer formation and compliance questions directly, with no sales handoff.
Cheaper opening screens exist elsewhere, but few rivals combine agent coverage, a flat renewal and usable identity tools this cleanly. Northwest is the stronger long-term buy once privacy matters more than the lowest possible formation charge.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
BBB: A+ accredited
Same/Next Day Filing: No included same-day tier
Advisory Services: Attorney access on Pro & Premium
LegalZoom earns its place when attorney access will matter after formation. A filing-only provider has nothing comparable to its lawyer network, document library and ongoing legal plans once regulated or contract-heavy work shows up.
The formation path has a few extra steps. Payment comes before every business detail is collected, and no formation option includes registered agent service.
That stays a separate ongoing purchase. The flow we tested also introduced an attorney subscription that renews monthly after a short trial unless it's canceled.
The $0 Basic plan covers the South Carolina Articles filing. The paid plans add the attorney access and legal documents for what comes after.
Get 20% off eligible LegalZoom LLC formation and other services with Venture Smarter code venturesmarter20.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
BBB: Accredited
Advisory Services: Accounting consultation
ZenBusiness is our pick for guided online formation. The cart keeps optional purchases visible before payment, and the account surfaces follow-up tasks after approval.
The dashboard makes ZenBusiness a strong guided-formation choice. Velo AI scans the account for open items, from the EIN to compliance setup and general business basics, and stacks them into a single to-do view.
South Carolina owners still have to handle tax accounts and local licenses on their own, so that visible list carries real weight.
Registered-agent service is the cost to watch at $199 first year, then $199/yr, separate on every plan. Pick Northwest instead when agent coverage and address privacy need to be part of the opening order.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
BBB: Accredited
LLC Packages: Free entry plus paid bundles
Same/Next Day Filing: Expedite filing in paid Fast Track bundle
Advisory Services: Personalized business advisor
Inc Authority's entry offer creates real first-year savings for a buyer who can stay focused. In the flow we tested, formation, the EIN and the first registered agent year stayed free of any provider charge, leaving only the government fee.
Eight upsell screens are the price of that bargain. Repeated offers and countdown prompts slow the purchase, while the post-formation account gives less direction than ZenBusiness's task list.
Registered agent coverage moves to a paid renewal once the free term ends.
This is a short-term deal for someone prepared to decline extras and calendar the renewal date immediately. Northwest and Bizee demand less attention once predictable agent pricing starts to matter beyond the first year.
Pros
Cons
BBB: Not accredited
Free Features: Formation and 30-day bookkeeping trial
Advisory Services: Business coaching on every plan
Tailor Brands belongs in the top five only when formation and brand launch happen together. The account connects the legal filing with bookkeeping, coaching, funding tools and, on the top plan, a wider set of brand-building extras.
The plan boundary matters more than the sticker price. The free entry option can sit in the provider queue for nearly two weeks before it even reaches submission.
Paying for faster internal handling also adds a first slice of compliance tooling, and the full brand kit only shows up on the priciest plan.
Registered agent service and the bookkeeping trial both renew as separate subscriptions once their free periods end.
A retailer or studio building a brand from scratch can make those extras earn their keep. Anyone who just needs Articles filed is paying for tools that sit unused.
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
Legal paperwork, not branding or software, explains why LLC Attorney ranks here. Account setup through a completed filing stayed quick in our testing, and the promised one-day turnaround held up in practice.
The one soft spot was slower replies once a question got more complex than a plain status check.
The provider markets "Anonymous & Private Filing." South Carolina still requires public organizer and agent details, plus manager names for a manager-managed LLC. The service cuts down the paperwork. It does not erase fields the state form requires.
Registered agent service is not included in any formation order. A separate monthly compliance subscription ($14.99, $29.99 or $49.99) adds it, along with ongoing compliance filing and a small batch of mail scans.
The tradeoff is a plainer dashboard than the software-forward competitors.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
BBB: Not accredited
Free Features: Formation and lifetime support
Choose Swyft Filings when provider processing speed matters and an agent is already arranged.
The entry option carries no provider fee and lands in a standard multi-day internal queue. The workflow stays conventional and easy to follow from order to confirmation.
The order screens move fast no matter which speed a customer pays for. The whole application runs five steps and rarely takes more than fifteen minutes, with occasional upsell prompts along the way as the one friction point.
Once it's submitted, the dashboard posts real-time status updates instead of leaving the order a mystery, and most filings we tracked cleared ahead of their own estimated timeline.
Registered agent service stays a separate purchase across every option. That keeps Swyft behind Northwest and Bizee for an owner who needs both services settled at once.
But it remains a sensible filing choice when speed is the only upgrade that matters.
Pros
Cons
Refund: Refund before state filing, less $30
BBB: Not accredited
Advisory Services: 30-minute tax consultation on paid tiers
Bizee combines a no-cost order with the first agent year, for one of the lowest starting totals in the lineup. Its agent renewal also undercuts Northwest, ZenBusiness, LegalZoom and Inc Authority once the free year ends.
Republic Registered Agent LLC, not Bizee, actually provides that coverage. The third party's name and address appear on the filing, and it receives legal mail on the company's behalf. That is worth knowing before the free year turns into a bill.
The dashboard keeps formation documents and compliance alerts within reach, though it offers less direction than ZenBusiness.
Bizee suits a price-first owner who wants the agent question settled fast and can accept a separate company handling service of process.
Pros
Cons
Refund: Cancel during 7-day trial
BBB: Accredited
LLC Packages: Three annual memberships
Same/Next Day Filing: No included same-day tier
Free Features: First registration with membership
Rocket Lawyer is an ongoing legal membership with formation attached, not a standalone filing service. Signing up starts a short trial before the annual charge begins, and the price climbs with how much attorney access is included.
Document turnaround held up fast across the platform in our review, typically clearing within two days. Phone and email support both stayed responsive throughout, too.
The first business registration carries no added service charge beyond the state fee. Every registration after that is priced separately, and the higher membership levels open up a deeper bench of legal help.
That model works for a consultancy, property business or employer that will reuse contracts and legal support all year.
For a one-time filer, the recurring membership commitment matters more than the free registration line, which is why Rocket Lawyer sits last in this lineup.
Pros
Cons
We matched provider prices to current plan pages and the team's own order records, then checked the filing guidance against South Carolina's Articles form and Title 33, Chapter 44.
Anonymous orders, dashboard reviews and source checks all feed the ranking, and the full LLC service testing methodology lays out exactly how.
Internal handling gets scored on its own, apart from state review, since no formation company can steer the Secretary of State's own queue.
Every service went through the same path a new owner takes: choosing a plan, checking out, weighing the required add-ons, getting into the account and tracking renewals and document delivery.
A cheap sticker price stopped counting for much the moment the working setup pulled in another subscription.
Each card carries six scored categories, and the number shown is just their one-decimal average. South Carolina Fit sits outside that math on purpose, as an editorial call that breaks close ties instead of hiding inside them.
The screenshots below capture two of the points we examined most closely: what a first login inside a paid account actually shows and what resources that account then makes available.
Northwest's Corporate Guides gave the clearest human route among South Carolina's lineup, answering filing, agent, tax and local-license questions without turning each reply into another sales pitch.
ZenBusiness's in-account task guidance is useful for routine follow-up, though it does not match Northwest's direct human support.
LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer become more useful once paid legal help is part of the relationship instead of just a formation order.
Inc Authority can complete the filing capably, but eight sales screens create real friction before an owner reaches the account.
Year-one price can hide an expensive renewal, so we compared formation, agent coverage, EIN help, operating documents and every subscription needed to reproduce the deal advertised on the first screen.
Bizee undercuts the field on raw formation cost. Northwest's $39 order includes the first agent year and its $125 renewal is published upfront, keeping long-term costs predictable.
ZenBusiness keeps Starter at $0, but registered-agent service adds $199 first year, then $199/yr on every formation plan.
Preparing Articles is the baseline every provider clears. Northwest and Bizee pair formation with a first agent year, while ZenBusiness sells registered-agent service separately on every formation plan, as do Tailor Brands, LegalZoom and Swyft.
Northwest and LegalZoom tie just ahead of ZenBusiness here for different strengths: Northwest adds agent coverage and business-identity tools, while LegalZoom offers attorney access and document resources.
ZenBusiness's dashboard and compliance tools remain a strong guided-formation fit. LLC Attorney concentrates on operating records instead, and Rocket Lawyer ties its formation service to a year of attorney access.
Only the provider-controlled queue affects this score. The slowest entry-level option we tracked can sit for close to two weeks before submission, while the fastest paid options move same-day or within a few business days.
Northwest and ZenBusiness both kept provider-controlled handling consistently quick across the account. Swyft Filings matches their pace once a customer pays for its fastest option.
State review itself starts only after a complete filing reaches the Secretary of State. A provider's rush fee cannot guarantee that date.
ZenBusiness leads this category, connecting a readable cart to a useful task list. Northwest kept plan selection compact and made human help easy to reach, exposing the agent decision before it could become an unpleasant renewal surprise.
Inc Authority demanded more attention through repeated offers. Rocket Lawyer requires a different kind of work. It means weighing a full annual legal membership before deciding whether the included registration is actually a bargain.
Review volume mattered, but it did not excuse confusing prices or weak document access. We gave more weight to consistent delivery, clear renewals and a close match between the advertised plan and the account we actually used.
Tailor Brands edged out the rest of the lineup here, helped by an account that ties formation, brand tools and bookkeeping together in one place that reviewers consistently praised.
ZenBusiness and Northwest sat close behind, both earning steady marks for keeping their promised setup and the working account in sync.
A strong state fit makes the agent decision explicit, explains which address becomes public and leaves a usable path to local licensing and tax registration.
A default-taxed South Carolina LLC skips the corporate annual report entirely, so a generic annual-report bundle is money most owners here do not need to spend.
Northwest ranks first overall because its formation order includes a registered-agent year and gives owners a published $125 renewal to plan around.
ZenBusiness remains the pick for guided online formation because its dashboard organizes follow-up work.
Hiring a provider is optional. Owners who want to start an LLC in South Carolina on their own can work through these seven steps instead.
Once the filing is on its way, our page on South Carolina LLC approval times covers what to expect next.
The total cost of a South Carolina LLC begins at the $110 Articles fee, then climbs based on whichever formation provider, registered agent and optional documents you decide to add.
A South Carolina LLC typically moves faster filed online, though the state itself commits to no fixed approval window. Whatever internal review time your provider needs comes first, before the Articles ever reach the Secretary of State.
A South Carolina registered agent has to be either a qualifying resident or an authorized company, either way holding a real in-state street address. Signing the Articles and staying continuously reachable both come with the role.
A South Carolina LLC only owes the corporate annual report once its tax election pulls it under the corporate rules. Left at the default tax status, it skips both that report and the corporate license fee.
You can absolutely file South Carolina Articles on your own, either through Business Entities Online or the official paper form. Hiring a formation company is a convenience, not a requirement.
Northwest Registered Agent is the best privacy-focused pick for South Carolina. Formation runs $39, folds in the first agent year, and lists its $125 renewal openly alongside the address tools.
Northwest Registered Agent is the best overall choice for a South Carolina LLC. Its $39 formation order includes the first registered-agent year, and the $125 renewal is shown upfront, giving owners a clear view of the recurring cost.
Between these nine, the gap that actually matters is what happens once the state has already said yes. Northwest Registered Agent is our Best Overall pick because the $39 order includes a full registered-agent year and shows the $125 renewal upfront.
ZenBusiness is our pick for guided online formation because its readable checkout and post-filing task list keep next steps visible.
Anyone who values operating documents over a polished dashboard should weigh LLC Attorney, reading its privacy claims against what South Carolina's own public form discloses.
Northwest brings together agent coverage, a published renewal and address tools in one formation order. LegalZoom remains the full-service option for buyers who expect to use its legal support, while ZenBusiness is our guided-formation pick.
References
Our verdict
$39 + $110 state fee, with the first registered agent year included (then $125/yr). 90-day money-back guarantee.
Prices checked November 10, 2026. South Carolina's state filing fee is $110.