Best LLC Formation Services 2026 — ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom vs. Bizee vs. Northwest

Comparison

LLC formation services — head to head

All figures verified against official service websites as of 2026-05-07. Prices exclude state filing fees.

Factor	LegalZoom	Bizee (formerly Incfile)	Northwest Registered Agent
Starter / entry plan
Mid-tier plan			Best
Premium plan			Best
Registered agent — year 1
Registered agent — year 2+		Best
EIN (Federal Tax ID) service			Best
Annual report service
Operating agreement template
Customer support	Best
Trustpilot rating			Best
Filing method			Best
Privacy posture			Best

Data verified: 2026-05-07. Pricing changes frequently — verify against each provider's website before purchasing.

Pick a formation service

Start your LLC with the right formation service

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ZenBusiness

$0 + state fee (Starter)

Best onboarding experience in the category — polished dashboard, automated compliance reminders, and a money-back guarantee on the Starter plan. B-Corp certification resonates with values-driven founders. The Starter plan ($0) includes an operating agreement and 1-year registered agent at no service fee.

LegalZoom

$0 + state fee (Basic)

Broadest legal ecosystem in the category: on-demand attorney consultations, trademark filings, operating agreement review, and business contract services. The right choice if you anticipate ongoing legal needs beyond basic formation.

Bizee (formerly Incfile)

$0 + state fee (Silver)

Lowest ongoing registered agent fee ($119/yr) and fastest standard processing claim. The Silver plan ($0) includes a 1-year RA and operating agreement at no service fee. Best pick for cost-conscious founders who want to minimize year-2+ overhead.

Northwest Registered Agent

$39 + state fee

Only major formation service that hand-types every state filing instead of using an automated form-mill pipeline. Their RA address replaces yours on the public record — the strongest privacy posture in the category. Flat $39 fee avoids the tiered upsell model used by competitors.

Post-formation next step

Need contracts, trademark help, or operating agreement review after formation?

Once your LLC is filed, the next legal risks are usually contract templates, vendor agreement review, trademark search and filing, IP assignment paperwork, and operating agreement cleanup. Compare LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, Nolo, Bizee Legal, and Clerky before choosing a subscription or one-off document provider.

Compare online legal services for LLCs →

Service profile

ZenBusiness

Formation service fee: $0 + state fee (Starter)
Registered agent — year 1: Included free year 1 (Starter plan)
Registered agent — year 2+: $199/year
Processing speed: Standard 7–10 business days (rush available on Premium plan)
Support channels: Email, Live chat, Phone (Pro and Premium plans)
Trust signal: Certified B-Corp; Trustpilot 4.7★ (100,000+ reviews); 700,000+ businesses formed; money-back guarantee
Key differentiator: Best onboarding experience in the category — polished dashboard, automated compliance reminders, and a money-back guarantee on the Starter plan. B-Corp certification resonates with values-driven founders. The Starter plan ($0) includes an operating agreement and 1-year registered agent at no service fee.
Verdict: Best UX and brand trust; Starter is the strongest $0 offer; year-2 RA ($199/yr) is the highest among free-formation rivals

Service profile

LegalZoom

Formation service fee: $0 + state fee (Basic)
Registered agent — year 1: $249/year from day 1 (not included in Basic)
Registered agent — year 2+: $249/year
Processing speed: Standard 7–14 business days (30-day rush available)
Support channels: Phone, Email, Attorney network (paid consultations)
Trust signal: Founded 2001; largest U.S. online legal brand; 4M+ businesses served; Trustpilot 4.5★
Key differentiator: Broadest legal ecosystem in the category: on-demand attorney consultations, trademark filings, operating agreement review, and business contract services. The right choice if you anticipate ongoing legal needs beyond basic formation.
Verdict: Strongest legal portfolio; highest brand trust; most expensive RA ($249/yr, no free year 1); only worth premium if bundling legal services

Service profile

Bizee (formerly Incfile)

Formation service fee: $0 + state fee (Silver)
Registered agent — year 1: Included free year 1 (Silver plan)
Registered agent — year 2+: $119/year
Processing speed: Standard 2–5 business days (brand claims fastest standard processing)
Support channels: Email, Live chat
Trust signal: 1.2M+ businesses formed since 2004; rebranded as Bizee in 2023; Trustpilot 4.7★; strong price-value positioning
Key differentiator: Lowest ongoing registered agent fee ($119/yr) and fastest standard processing claim. The Silver plan ($0) includes a 1-year RA and operating agreement at no service fee. Best pick for cost-conscious founders who want to minimize year-2+ overhead.
Verdict: Best price-value after year 1 — lowest ongoing RA ($119/yr) and fastest processing claim; lighter support options

Service profile

Northwest Registered Agent

Formation service fee: $39 + state fee
Registered agent — year 1: Included free year 1 (flat $39 formation package)
Registered agent — year 2+: $125/year
Processing speed: Same-day to 1 business day (hand-typed, not form-mill workflow)
Support channels: Phone, Email, Live chat
Trust signal: Independently owned; publicly discloses ownership; Trustpilot 4.9★ (highest rating in category); privacy-first registered agent model
Key differentiator: Only major formation service that hand-types every state filing instead of using an automated form-mill pipeline. Their RA address replaces yours on the public record — the strongest privacy posture in the category. Flat $39 fee avoids the tiered upsell model used by competitors.
Verdict: Best for filing quality and privacy; flat $39 avoids upsell tiers; highest Trustpilot rating (4.9★) in the category

Decision framework

How to choose the best LLC formation service

Decide if the $0 entry plan covers your actual needs All four services offer $0 formation (ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Bizee) or a near-zero entry point (Northwest at $39). Before comparing plans, check: do you need an EIN at formation? (You can get one free from IRS.gov in 10 minutes, making paid EIN add-ons unnecessary.) Do you need rush processing? (Standard 2–10 day processing usually suffices for most founders.) If you just need the Articles of Organization filed and a 1-year registered agent, the $0 Starter plans from ZenBusiness or Bizee cover you.
Evaluate the registered agent renewal cost — not just year 1 The free first-year RA offer is a marketing hook. The real cost is year 2 and beyond. ZenBusiness charges $199/yr, LegalZoom $249/yr, Bizee $119/yr, Northwest $125/yr. Over 5 years, that's a $400 spread between the cheapest (Bizee) and most expensive (LegalZoom) option. Run the 5-year math before choosing: if your state charges annual reports and you'll maintain the LLC for years, the ongoing RA cost matters more than the formation price.
Weigh quality and privacy vs. cost If filing accuracy and privacy are priorities — especially for founders in high-litigation industries, real estate investors, or anyone operating from a home address — Northwest's hand-typed filings and address-shield model are the category best. Their $39 fee and $125/yr renewal are modest premiums for the quality gap. If you're comfortable with an automated pipeline and just want the lowest cost, Bizee ($0 + $119/yr from year 2) or ZenBusiness ($0 + $199/yr) are strong choices.
Only pay for legal services if you'll actually use them LegalZoom's premium — a higher RA fee and no free year-1 RA — is justified only if you'll actively use their legal services: attorney consultations, trademark filings, or business contract templates. If you're forming a simple LLC and don't anticipate ongoing legal needs, you're paying for a legal ecosystem you won't use. For most small-business owners, ZenBusiness or Bizee deliver everything needed at formation without the LegalZoom premium.
Verify your state's filing fee before comparing formation service costs The formation service fee (ZenBusiness: $0, Northwest: $39) is only part of the total formation cost. Your state's filing fee can range from $50 (Kentucky, New Mexico) to $500 (Massachusetts). Texas charges $300; California charges $70 + $800/yr minimum franchise tax. Before choosing a formation service, check your state's Secretary of State website for the exact filing fee and annual report requirements. A $0 formation service in a $300-fee state costs $300 total — not $0.

Pick a state to form in

LLC formation state comparisons

Choose the right state before you pick your registered agent — the state determines your annual obligations.

FAQ

LLC formation services — common questions

Which LLC formation service is best overall in 2026?

For most first-time LLC founders, ZenBusiness is the strongest all-around choice: $0 service fee (Starter plan), 1-year registered agent included, an operating agreement template, and the best onboarding UX in the category. If filing quality and privacy matter more than price, Northwest Registered Agent ($39) is the category leader — they hand-type every filing and post their address instead of yours on public records. If you'll need ongoing attorney access, LegalZoom's legal ecosystem is unmatched. If minimizing year-2+ registered agent cost is the priority, Bizee at $119/yr wins on total cost of ownership.

Is ZenBusiness or LegalZoom better for LLC formation?

ZenBusiness is better for most small-business founders. The $0 Starter plan includes a 1-year registered agent and operating agreement template — LegalZoom's Basic plan ($0) does not include a registered agent, so you'd pay $249/yr for RA from day one. ZenBusiness also has a higher Trustpilot rating (4.7★ vs. 4.5★) and a significantly better user experience. LegalZoom wins only if you need their legal services: on-demand attorney consultations, trademark filings, or ongoing contract support. If you're purely forming an LLC and want to keep costs down, ZenBusiness or Bizee are the stronger picks.

What does 'free LLC formation' actually mean — what's included and what's extra?

When ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, or Bizee advertise '$0 LLC formation,' the service fee is free but the state filing fee is not — states charge $50–$500 for LLC registration (e.g., $125 in Florida, $300 in Texas, $50 in Kentucky). What 'free' means: the company files the paperwork at no service charge. What's typically extra at the $0 tier: your registered agent (after the free first year), an EIN, expedited processing, and multi-state registrations. Read the plan details carefully before purchasing. ZenBusiness and Bizee both include 1-year RA free in their $0 plans; LegalZoom does not — RA starts at $249/yr from day one on the Basic plan.

Why does Northwest Registered Agent charge $39 when competitors offer free formation?

Northwest charges $39 because their workflow is fundamentally different: instead of an automated form-mill that generates state filings programmatically, they hand-type every filing for accuracy and review. This costs real labor, which is reflected in the fee. The tradeoff: Northwest has the highest Trustpilot rating in the category (4.9★), the fastest processing (same-day to 1 business day), and the strongest privacy posture — their registered agent address replaces yours on the public record, not just as the RA designation but on the filing itself. If you value quality over a $39 savings, Northwest is often worth the fee, especially since their ongoing RA rate ($125/yr) is competitive with the free-formation alternatives.

Do I need the premium plan or is the free Starter tier good enough?

For most founders forming a basic single-member LLC, the free Starter tier (ZenBusiness or Bizee) is sufficient: it covers the state filing, 1-year registered agent, and an operating agreement template. Upgrade to a paid plan when you need: (1) an EIN — available in ZenBusiness Pro ($199) or Bizee Gold ($199), or as a $50 add-on at Northwest; (2) annual report filing assistance — covered in mid-tier plans at ZenBusiness and Bizee; (3) rush processing — available in premium plans. Note: you can get an EIN for free directly from the IRS (irs.gov, takes 10 minutes online), so don't pay for it if your only reason to upgrade is the EIN. The formation service add-on is convenience, not a necessity.

What is Bizee and is it the same company as Incfile?

Yes — Bizee is the rebrand of Incfile, which was founded in 2004 and grew to be one of the highest-volume LLC formation services in the U.S. (1.2M+ businesses formed). The company rebranded to Bizee in 2023. The core service offering and pricing structure remained the same post-rebrand: Silver ($0 + state fee) with 1-year free RA, Gold ($199) adds EIN and compliance tools, Platinum ($299) adds rush processing and website tools. Bizee's $119/yr registered agent renewal is the lowest ongoing RA rate among the four major services — that's their primary competitive differentiator beyond the rebrand.

Can I switch LLC formation service providers after I've already formed my LLC?

Yes — but there's an important distinction. The formation service itself is a one-time transaction: once they've filed your Articles of Organization with the state, the service is complete and you can't really 'switch' it. What you can switch is your registered agent service. Filing a Statement of Change of Registered Agent with your state ($0–$50 fee) updates the RA on your public record. Most formation services handle this paperwork if you're switching to them. If you formed through ZenBusiness at $0 but want to switch to Northwest for their privacy posture after year 1, you file the RA change form and cancel your ZenBusiness renewal — straightforward process, no LLC standing impact.