Updated October 29, 2026
Bizee and LegalZoom split this matchup cleanly: Bizee wins on cost, LegalZoom wins on attorney access, and we tested both with real filings to see exactly where that line falls.
By Jon Morgan · Fact-checked by Jon Tobin, Business Attorney · How we test
LegalZoom
$0 + state feeSee LegalZoom plans (opens in a new tab)Save 20% with code: venturesmarter20
Bizee
$0 + state feeSee Bizee plans (opens in a new tab)Prices checked October 29, 2026. State filing fees are extra.
We formed Road Logistics LLC in Kentucky with Bizee on June 6 and paid $40 total, just the state fee. The LegalZoom order came two days later for Maine Spoons LLC and cost $175, all of it Maine's filing fee.
The gap between the two LLC formation services opens after filing. Bizee bundles a free registered agent for year one, while LegalZoom sells agent service separately.
The table holds the rest of the story: identical $0 entry plans, then a triple-digit swing on the registered agent line in year one.
| Feature |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Venture Smarter rating | ★★★★½ | ★★★★ |
| Entry plan | $0 + state fees | $0 + state fee |
| Mid tier | $249 (Pro) | $199 (Standard) |
| Top tier | $299 (Premium) | $299 (Premium) |
| Registered agent, year 1 | $249, sold separately | Free with formation |
| Registered agent renewal | $249 | Yearly fee after year 1 |
| Order process | Payment first, details after | Your details first, payment last |
| Year 1 total with agent | State fee + $249 | State fee only |
| EIN | Pro and up | Standard and up |
| Operating agreement | Pro and up | Standard and up |
| Attorney consultations | Pro: 30 days included, then $49 monthly | Not offered |
| Money-back guarantee | 60 days on service fees | Refundable before state submission, minus $30 |
Get 20% off eligible LegalZoom LLC formation and other services with Venture Smarter code venturesmarter20.
The two checkouts run in opposite directions. Bizee walked us through ten decision screens covering company details and add-on choices before asking for a card.
Each upsell sits on its own screen with a plain No-thanks and nothing pre-selected. We closed the Road Logistics order at the bare state fee, declining the expedited-filing pitch along the way.
LegalZoom reverses the sequence: payment lands first, and it was the only service in our tests to collect formation details afterward. The dashboard greets you with an "ACTION REQUIRED" banner asking for the company information.
Registered agent service never came up during our checkout either. The upsells that did appear rely on urgency, including a trademark-search pitch marked "TODAY ONLY 50% OFF" with its price crossed from $199 to $99.
Bizee's dashboard carries compliance alerts and ready-made contract templates, though several free extras, like the first-year domain and email, need manual activation after login.
The expedited-filing offer we declined at checkout also reappeared there, so expect the pitch twice.
LegalZoom's account area is designed to steer you toward its subscriptions. Pro buyers get a year of the legal document library plus attorney consultation scheduling, and Premium layers on bookkeeping tools, six months included, then $9.99 a month.
The consultations run through independent attorneys rather than LegalZoom staff, and what you share isn't covered by attorney-client privilege.
The attorney plan bills $49 a month once its 30 included days run out, and a year left running turns the $249 Pro purchase into an $837 one. Cancel inside the window if you only want the trial.
Bizee's agent service comes from a third party, Republic Registered Agent LLC, free for year one, then a yearly renewal fee after that. Your legal mail runs through Republic's Lexington, Kentucky office at 271 W Short St instead of through Bizee.
LegalZoom prices agent service at $249 first year, then $249/yr, on its registered-agent page. It leaves the service out of every formation plan, so you add it after forming.
Skipping an agent isn't an option in any state, so budget for one of these numbers from day one. More options sit in our best registered agent services guide.
Bizee submits every order to the state the next business day, but standard processing still took about three weeks for Kentucky approval. The $50 expedite buys one-business-day processing instead.
LegalZoom says internal processing takes five to 14 business days before the state's own clock starts. Its $99 expedite is included in 15 states.
Both companies run weekday phone support, with Bizee's line open 9 to 6 Central and chat standard on every LegalZoom plan. LegalZoom also holds BBB accreditation and backs its service fees with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Don't expect proactive check-ins from Bizee once the filing is in. Its team responds when you reach out rather than following up on its own.
Attorney consultations sit behind the Pro subscription rather than free support, so a phone call gets you filing help instead of legal advice.
LegalZoom's first support touchpoint comes right after payment, when its dashboard asks for your formation details.
LegalZoom
Pros
Cons
Bizee
Pros
Cons
For the wider field beyond these two, including our overall top pick, see the full best LLC services guide.
Bizee, once the whole first year is priced in. Entry plans match at $0 plus the state fee, so the difference comes from the middle tiers, $199 Standard against $249 Pro, and from who covers the agent in year one.
No plan bundles it. The service is a standalone purchase made once you start your LLC, so treat it as its own line in the first-year budget.
For year one, yes, and the free year applies even on a $0 Basic order like ours. After that the service continues at the renewal rate in the table above unless you switch agents or cancel.
You finish the paperwork after paying: the account opens with an action-needed notice until your formation details go in. A discounted trademark-search pitch shows up at the same point, so expect one more sales screen before the filing moves.
Between these two, LegalZoom wins. Its Pro plan adds unlimited 30-minute attorney consults for 30 days, renewing monthly unless you cancel. It also has the deepest post-formation toolkit we tested, including 150+ legal documents.
Its compliance plan ($199 for the first year) files annual reports and pays the fine or penalty if it misses anything.
Pick Bizee instead if you only need the filing: $0 plus the state fee, with the first year of registered agent service (then $149/yr) included.
We formed Maine Spoons LLC with LegalZoom in June 2026 and paid $175 on the $0 Basic plan, which was Maine's state filing fee.
Two costs to plan for: registered agent service is sold separately, and Pro's attorney consults renew at $49 a month after the first 30 days unless you cancel. If you expect legal questions after filing, LegalZoom is the one to pick.
Our verdict
$0 + state fee. 60-day money-back guarantee.
Save 20% with code: venturesmarter20
Prices checked October 29, 2026. State filing fees are extra.