Updated October 29, 2026
ZenBusiness has the cleaner dashboard, an AI assistant that works before you ask it to and a 60-day guarantee.
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
ZenBusiness
$0 + state feeSee ZenBusiness plans (opens in a new tab)Prices checked October 29, 2026. State filing fees are extra.
LegalZoom wins the matchup on licensed attorney access and compliance filings, and for many founders that is worth the premium.
We formed Meridian Retail LLC in Montana with ZenBusiness on June 7 and paid $35 total, the state fee alone. A day later we filed Maine Spoons LLC with LegalZoom, and the $175 charge was Maine's own filing fee, nothing else.
Both plans start at $0 plus the state fee, but what happens after filing differs. Choose ZenBusiness if you want a more polished dashboard and proactive guidance, or LegalZoom if you expect to need attorney access in the first year.
The table below lines up both services on price, processing and the one line that decides most year-one budgets, registered agent cost.
| Feature |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Venture Smarter rating | ★★★★ | ★★★★½ |
| Entry plan | $0 + state fee (Starter) | $0 + state fee (Basic) |
| Mid tier | $199/yr (Pro) | $249/yr (Pro) |
| Top tier | $399/yr (Premium) | $299/yr (Premium) |
| Registered agent, year 1 | $199/year (not included in any plan) | $249/year |
| Registered agent, year 2+ | $199/year | $249/year |
| Year 1 total with agent | State fee + $199 | State fee + $249 |
| EIN | Pro and up | Pro and up |
| Operating agreement | Pro and up | Pro and up |
| Attorney consultations | Not offered | Pro: 30 days included, then $49 monthly |
| Filing speed | 7-10 business days (1 on Pro/Premium) | 5-14 business days |
| Money-back guarantee | 60 days on any plan | 60 days on service fees |
ZenBusiness sells three tiers. Starter is $0 plus the state fee, with processing that takes 7 to 10 business days on ZenBusiness's side.
Pro is $199 a year and adds an EIN, an operating agreement, a logo builder and 1-business-day processing, plus a free first year of Worry-Free Compliance. Premium runs $399 a year and is the only tier that folds in registered agent service.
Every ZenBusiness plan includes a free 30-day trial of the domain, email and website bundle, which renews at $15 a month if you keep it past day 30.
LegalZoom's Basic plan is also $0 plus the state fee, while Pro costs $249 a year. It adds an operating agreement, an EIN, a document library and a 30-day attorney-consultation trial that auto-renews at $49 a month once it ends.
Premium is $299 a year and layers on LZ Books, its bookkeeping tool. Core invoicing and client features stay free after the trial, while mileage tracking and proposals shift to $9.99 a month.
Get 20% off eligible LegalZoom LLC formation and other services with Venture Smarter code venturesmarter20.
Leave a LegalZoom Pro subscription running for a full year and the attorney add-on alone turns a $249 purchase into $837.
Both checkouts stay upfront about the plan you're buying, though the paths diverge once you're past it.
ZenBusiness keeps the order summary visible, a back button on every screen and no paid add-on pre-selected, with registered agent among the upsells shown there.
LegalZoom collects payment before it asks for your actual LLC details.
Our dashboard opened on an "ACTION REQUIRED" notice asking for company information we expected to submit earlier, and registered agent was never mentioned at any point in the flow.
A trademark-search upsell followed, priced at "TODAY ONLY 50% OFF" and cut from $199 to $99. We did not see that kind of framing on the ZenBusiness order.
ZenBusiness built its account area around Velo AI, an assistant that runs a check the moment you log in rather than waiting to be asked.
On our account it had already flagged a missing EIN, noted that Worry-Free Compliance was not active and confirmed the website package, all before we clicked anything.
LegalZoom's dashboard leads with subscriptions instead. Attorney consultations run through independent lawyers, not LegalZoom staff. What you share with them is not protected by attorney-client privilege.
Document review beyond 10 pages costs extra, and LZ Books adds tax projections, mileage tracking and invoicing once the free trial ends.
Neither dashboard is a downgrade. Velo AI tells you what to do next, and LegalZoom's tools give you somewhere to send the harder questions.
Neither service bundles a free first year of registered agent, which sets this matchup apart from most of the field. ZenBusiness charges $199 a year starting on day one unless you buy Premium, which includes it.
LegalZoom charges $249 a year, the higher of the two, though the state requirement itself is just to keep an agent on file, a role you can fill yourself for free.
Both companies price it as a recurring line item, not a one-time fee, and our best registered agent services guide compares dedicated alternatives if neither pick fits.
Processing speed splits by tier on both sides. ZenBusiness Starter runs 7 to 10 business days before the state's own clock starts, or 1 business day on Pro and Premium.
A $79 rush add-on speeds up Starter to match, while LegalZoom quotes 5 to 14 business days internally, with a $99 expedite that also covers the state's own expedited fee in 15 states.
Both providers promise a 60-day refund window on their service fees. ZenBusiness offers phone, chat and email support. LegalZoom offers phone and chat on every plan and carries BBB accreditation.
The real support difference sits behind a paywall, since ZenBusiness's guidance stays free in the dashboard. LegalZoom's highest tier of support, real legal advice from a licensed attorney, costs $49 a month once the included 30 days end.
ZenBusiness
Pros
Cons
LegalZoom
Pros
Cons
For a broader look at the field, including our overall top-ranked pick, our best LLC services guide covers the wider comparison.
Yes, you only pay the state filing fee. Montana's fee was $35 on our order. The formation service itself carries no charge on Starter.
No plan bundles it, and LegalZoom's $249 a year is the higher of the two; ZenBusiness charges $199 a year, included only on Premium. Neither company gives you a free first year the way some competitors do.
ZenBusiness's built-in assistant, active from your first login. It flagged our missing EIN and unpurchased compliance plan before we did anything else on the account.
The dashboard opens on an "ACTION REQUIRED" notice asking for your LLC details, which LegalZoom collects after payment rather than before. A discounted trademark-search offer appears around the same point.
Between these two, LegalZoom wins on attorney access and compliance filings. Its Pro plan adds unlimited 30-minute attorney consults for 30 days, renewing monthly unless you cancel.
Its compliance plan ($199 for the first year) files annual reports and pays the fine or penalty if it misses anything.
Pick ZenBusiness instead if you want the guided dashboard and a $0 Starter plan plus the state fee. Its Velo AI assistant flagged our missing EIN at first login.
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.