Updated October 29, 2026 · 10 services tested
We tested 10 LLC filing services. Northwest is our pick: $39 + 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 + state feeForm my LLC for $39 (opens in a new tab)
LegalZoom
$0 + state feeSee LegalZoom plans (opens in a new tab)Save 20% with code: venturesmarter20
ZenBusiness
$0 + state feeSee ZenBusiness plans (opens in a new tab)Prices checked October 29, 2026. State filing fees are extra.
The cheapest way to have a service form your LLC is a $0 plan: Inc Authority, Bizee, ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Swyft Filings and Tailor Brands charge nothing beyond the state filing fee for their basic package.
The real price difference shows up in year two, when registered-agent service renews at $119 to $249 a year with most providers on this list.
We formed LLCs with Northwest and several other services on this list in June 2026 and recorded each checkout, from the order summary to the offers that followed.
Northwest Registered Agent is our Best Overall pick: $39 + state fee, with the first year of registered-agent service included, then $125 a year.
LegalZoom ranks second for buyers who will use its legal support, and ZenBusiness ranks third for guided online formation.
Compare the registered-agent columns in the table below as well as the formation fee. The agent renewal is the cost you keep paying.
| Service | Formation fee | Registered agent, year one | Registered agent, year two on | Score | Compare offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $39 + state fee | Free first year with the $39 LLC, then $125/yr | $125/year | 4.9 | Form my LLC (opens in a new tab) |
| $0 / $249 / $299 + state fee | $249 first year, then $249/yr (not in any plan) | $249/year | 4.7 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
| $0 / $199 / $299 + state fee | $199 first year, then $199/yr (not in any plan) | $199/year | 4.6 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 + state fee | Free first year with formation, then $249/yr | Not published; check at checkout | 4.5 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 / $199 / $249 + state fee | $199 first year, then $199/yr (not in any plan) | $199/year | 4.4 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $99 + state fee | $99 first year, then $159/yr (sold separately) | $159/year | 4.1 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 / $169 / $269 + state fee | $596 first year, then $596/yr (billed $149 a quarter; not in any plan) | $149+ per quarter | 3.9 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 / $199 / $299 + state fee | Free first year with formation, then $149/yr | $149/year | 3.8 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $0 for the first registration with a $149–$349/year membership + state fee | $124.99 first year, then $124.99/yr (Plus or Pro membership required) | $124.99/year + membership | 3.7 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
 | $79 / $199 / $279 + state fee | $119 first year, then $119/yr (year one included with Entrepreneur or Complete) | $119/year | 3.6 | See plans (opens in a new tab) |
Prices checked October 29, 2026. State filing fees are extra.
Each score combines support, price, features, turnaround, ease of use and user ratings.
Refund: 90 days
Northwest asks for some business details again after payment, and a sequence of optional offers follows.
The recorded signup then received a call from a Corporate Guide to verify the account. See our Northwest Registered Agent review for more on that signup.
That extra human step adds time but gives founders someone to contact about setup and filing questions. Northwest’s address and registered-agent services can reduce personal-address exposure where state filing rules permit it.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
LegalZoom collects your business details only after you pay. That's the reverse of how most competitors run checkout.
Once payment clears, checkout runs a five-screen upsell sequence covering state compliance filings, a combined operating-agreement-and-EIN offer, a banking referral, then expedited processing.
A trademark-search offer follows with "today only" urgency pricing, the only tested provider to use that framing.
The post-payment dashboard leans into that same pattern. It opens on an "Action Required" notice asking for more information before the application can be filed. That notice sits right next to two more subscription offers.
Exclusively for Venture Smarter users, get 20% off LLC formation and other services at LegalZoom with the discount code venturesmarter20
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
ZenBusiness had a clear registered-agent decline option and a visible running total in the checkout we recorded.
Its current pricing page now discloses a separate 30-day website-builder trial that is preselected at checkout but can be removed before purchase; it renews at $15/month if kept.
After formation, the dashboard organizes documents and flags tasks such as registered-agent appointment and EIN paperwork, which makes follow-up easier to see.
Pros
Cons
The 30-day website-builder trial is preselected but removable before purchase and renews at $15/month if kept.
Refund: 60 days
Inc Authority's checkout runs through eight separate full-screen upsell offers before you reach the total. Each one carries its own countdown timer.
The homepage advertises several free extras all at once, but checkout only lets you choose one specific perk at no cost instead of the full homepage promise.
Our test didn't turn up an ongoing compliance dashboard once the paperwork cleared. After payment, we received an AI-generated logo suggestion and an email pointing to a third-party accounting referral.
Inc Authority now advertises digital document storage and a client portal, so check what your account includes. Most competitors keep a compliance dashboard running long after filing, but Inc Authority stops there.
Pros
Cons
Free LLC Formation includes registered-agent service for the first year (then $249/yr). It then renews at $249/yr.
Tailor Brands treats formation documents as dashboard property instead of email attachments. Once your LLC is filed, the Articles of Organization and any operating agreement land in the account under Documents.
You only get a notification email telling you they're ready to download. Essential and Elite customers also get a separate follow-up email about claiming a signup gift card, a small extra touchpoint most competitors skip.
If you add the optional one-on-one tax consultation, a tax partner reaches out by phone or text about a week later to schedule the call, rather than the same day. That slower pace fits a brand-building service more than a pure filing service.
Pros
Cons
The 30-day invoicing and bookkeeping trial renews at $39/month if retained.
Open any card for the complete review, scores and packages.
Harbor Compliance's own checkout wizard has no test-or-cancel option. An order placed there goes straight into the formation flow.
Instead, this review relies on a direct walkthrough of that wizard plus a Q&A with the Harbor Compliance team. Paying grants Client Portal access, where you fill in remaining details and track progress through a "Project Status" marker.
Entity Manager, included free with an active registered-agent plan, is the real strength here. It links to every state office, checks good-standing status, and scans incoming legal mail the same day it arrives.
There is no onboarding call for a standard LLC filing, just business-hours phone and email support.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
Swyft Filings runs a five-step application that finishes in under 15 minutes, with turnaround speed varying by plan and real-time status updates visible in the dashboard along the way.
That combination of speed and visibility gives Swyft Filings its clearest edge.
Support answered quickly in our testing, with most questions resolved on first contact rather than requiring a follow-up.
The current public registered-agent offer starts at $149 a quarter ($596 first year, then $596/yr) and is billed quarterly, so budget for that separate recurring service.
Pros
Cons
Refund: Before state payment
Bizee's checkout stood out for its restraint. No paid option comes pre-selected, each upsell sits on its own screen with a clear decline button, and the order summary sidebar keeps the running total visible the whole time.
After payment, though, a dashboard banner re-offers expedited filing again, even if you already declined it once during checkout.
Free inclusions like the virtual mailbox, website and domain don't turn themselves on automatically. Each one needs a manual "claim" click inside the dashboard.
One thing worth knowing upfront is that Bizee's registered agent is handled by a third party, Republic Registered Agent LLC, rather than Bizee itself.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
A seven-day free trial gives partial access to Rocket Lawyer's platform, and the paid membership kicks in automatically afterward unless you cancel first.
The LLC filing runs on a membership structure rather than a one-time fee. The document library is broad and attorney-drafted, with built-in e-signature so nothing needs to be printed.
Direct attorney access is priced per interaction, either per question or per half-hour consultation. Our test contact got resolved quickly, on the first call. That per-question pricing model is worth understanding before you rely on it heavily.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 90 days
MyCompanyWorks publishes a 90-day refund window on the service charge, no questions asked if you're not satisfied. That's longer than several competitors offer.
Support is available during business hours, and the account dashboard is built around the paperwork the service generates once your LLC is filed.
Phone support only runs on weekdays, so plan around that if you need a live call outside a normal work week.
Pros
Cons
We formed LLCs with Northwest and several other services on this list in June 2026 and kept the checkout and account records.
Package terms for the three featured providers were refreshed on October 13, 2026 for our best LLC services guide, and this page uses the same scores. The full testing methodology explains the process.
The overall score is the average of five editorial categories and User Ratings, rounded to one decimal place. Providers ranked fourth and below use the same scores and order as our best LLC services guide.
Northwest scores 5.0 for direct Corporate Guide help. LegalZoom scores 4.9 because paid offers add advisor or attorney access.
ZenBusiness scores 4.7; its support and AI guidance are useful, but it does not include the same dedicated guide or paid attorney service.
Northwest scores 4.9: its $39 formation includes the first agent year, then the published renewal is $125/year. LegalZoom scores 4.4: paid formation offers are $249/$299, agent service is $249 first year, then $249/yr, and subscriptions can renew.
ZenBusiness scores 3.8: Pro/Premium renew at $199/$299 per year; registered-agent service is separate at $199 first year, then $199/yr, with a qualifying formation offer at $99 for the first year, and Starter has a $0 provider fee.
On day one, the $0 plans from LegalZoom and ZenBusiness cost less than Northwest's $39 + state fee. The gap closes once you add a registered agent: LegalZoom charges $249 a year and ZenBusiness $199, while Northwest includes the first year.
Northwest and LegalZoom each score 4.9: Northwest bundles first-year agent and business identity services; LegalZoom offers a wider legal and document toolkit.
ZenBusiness scores 4.7 for its dashboard and compliance tools, with registered-agent service sold separately.
Northwest scores 4.8, reflecting the available filing service and optional rush route.
ZenBusiness scores 4.8; its official plan terms list 7–10 business days on Starter and 1-day processing on Pro/Premium. LegalZoom scores 4.7; provider processing does not control a state's approval queue.
ZenBusiness leads at 4.9 for guided forms and a dashboard that surfaces follow-up tasks. Northwest scores 4.7; the saved checkout includes repeated entry and optional offers.
LegalZoom scores 4.6; the recorded flow requested details after payment and showed a multi-screen offer sequence. ZenBusiness's current website-builder trial is preselected but removable, and renews at $15/month if kept.
The three User Ratings values match our best LLC services guide. They reflect the figures already published in each review; they were not recalculated for this update.
Northwest is the overall pick for founders who value first-year registered-agent coverage and direct human help.
LegalZoom fits owners who expect to use legal support and document tools. ZenBusiness is best for guided online formation and a dashboard that keeps next steps visible.
If the lowest first-year bill matters most, Inc Authority and Bizee charge $0 and include the first agent year. Expect timer-driven upsell screens with Inc Authority and a $149 agent renewal with Bizee.
Every LLC pays two costs: the state filing fee, which runs from $35 in Montana to a flat $500 in Massachusetts, and whatever the service charges on top. A $0 plan only removes the second part, and most LLCs also need a registered agent from day one.
Here is what year one and year two look like with the cheapest plan from the main providers, before state fees:
Watch for add-ons that renew. ZenBusiness preselects a website-builder trial that renews at $15/month if you keep it, LegalZoom's paid plans include advisor support that renews at $49/month, and Tailor Brands' bookkeeping trial renews at $39/month.
Need only a registered agent for an existing LLC? See our cheapest registered agent services comparison.
Whether you hire a formation service or file yourself, the same steps apply:
Several services charge $0 beyond the state fee, including Inc Authority, Bizee, ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Swyft Filings and Tailor Brands.
Over two years the cheaper choice depends on registered-agent pricing: Bizee and Inc Authority include the first year, Northwest includes it with its $39 + state fee formation and renews at $125, and LegalZoom charges $249 a year.
Montana has the lowest LLC filing fee at $35, and Massachusetts the highest flat fee at $500. Forming outside your home state usually means also registering as a foreign LLC where you do business, so for most owners the home state works out cheaper.
LLC formation service costs range from $0 in service fees, with just the state filing fee due, up to a few hundred dollars for packages with more features.
Registered-agent service is usually the biggest recurring cost most services add starting in year two. An EIN is free directly from the IRS in about five minutes, so treat any provider's EIN add-on as a convenience, not a required cost.
The state filing fee goes to the Secretary of State no matter which provider you use, and every provider charges the same amount for it.
The service fee, which can be $0, pays for the paperwork handling itself, and registered-agent or compliance add-ons are billed separately again.
Yes, every LLC needs a registered agent with a physical address in the state of formation to receive legal and state mail.
Some providers bundle a free first year in with formation, while others charge for it from day one, so compare that term specifically before you choose.
Yes, you can form an LLC in any state regardless of where you live, though forming in your home state is usually simplest. Forming elsewhere often means registering as a foreign LLC back home, which adds a second round of paperwork and fees.
Yes, an LLC that's already filed isn't locked to the service that formed it. You can move your registered-agent service or compliance tracking to a different provider at any time; the original state filing itself doesn't need to be redone.
Northwest Registered Agent is our Best Overall pick. Its $39 + state fee formation includes the first year of registered-agent service, and the agent then renews at $125 a year. Our Alaska LLC cost $289 in total, state fee included.
LegalZoom ranks second for founders who will use its legal support. Basic is $0 + state fee, but its registered agent costs $249 a year and paid-plan support can renew monthly.
ZenBusiness ranks third for guided online formation. Starter is $0 + state fee; budget $199 a year for the agent and remove the website-builder trial if you don't want its $15/month renewal.
If the lowest first-year bill is all that matters, Bizee and Inc Authority charge $0 and include the first agent year.
Our verdict
$39 + state fee, with the first registered agent year included (then $125/yr). 90-day money-back guarantee.
Prices checked October 29, 2026. State filing fees are extra.