Pricing comparison, LLC formation services

This research gives you an independent pricing comparison of the top LLC formation services. We looked at base fees, add-on costs, registered agent renewals, and what you’ll actually pay in year one and year two. Our checkout experience research dug into the sales process, but this study is all about the real prices.

The Federal Trade Commission says: "Before you buy, compare the full cost across providers, including recurring fees and add-ons."

Methodology

We looked at five big LLC services: Inc Authority, ZenBusiness, Bizee, Northwest Registered Agent, and LegalZoom. For each one, we added up the full cost, which means state filing fees (we used Texas as our baseline), the base service price, must have add-ons like a registered agent, operating agreement, and EIN, plus what you’ll pay to renew in year two. Our ranking method treats pricing as a big deal.

We also looked into hidden fees like auto-renewals and add-ons that were already checked. The Texas Secretary of State puts it this way: "Filing fees are set by statute and are the same regardless of the service you use."

Inc authority pricing

Inc Authority’s $0 base plan throws in a free registered agent for year one. That’s about as good as it gets upfront. Is Inc Authority really free? The base service is, but year two is where the costs creep in.

First-Year Cost Breakdown. State filing fee: $300 (Texas baseline). Base service fee: $0. Registered agent: $0 (year one free). Operating Agreement: $89 (optional). EIN: $0 (free perk option). Total (with key features): ~$300 + state fee.

Second-Year Cost Breakdown. Registered agent renewal runs $179 to $249 a year. Compliance tools? That's $147 a year, but only if you want them. So your total for year two lands around $179 to $249.

Pros. Free registered agent in year one, free EIN as a perk, genuinely $0 base service. Which LLC upsells are useful can help you decide which add-ons to select.

Cons. Operating Agreement costs extra ($89), registered agent auto-renewal sneaks up on you if you miss the 11 month mark, and compliance tools are free at first but then run $147/year.

Zenbusiness pricing

ZenBusiness has a $0 Starter plan, but the stuff you actually need, like a registered agent, operating agreement, and EIN, costs extra. Their "Worry-Free Compliance" subscription gets pre-checked at checkout. One of the biggest mistakes when choosing a LLC service is missing those pre-selected add-ons.

First-Year Cost Breakdown. State filing fee: $300 (Texas baseline). Base service fee: $0. Registered agent: $199/year. Operating Agreement: $99. EIN: $79. Worry-Free Compliance: $199/year (pre-selected). Total (with key features): ~$676 + state fee.

Second-Year Cost Breakdown. Registered agent renewal runs $199 a year. Worry-Free Compliance renewal is also $199 a year. So you're looking at about $398 total for year two.

Pros. Clean interface, full compliance tools, responsive support.

Cons. Registered agent costs extra, so do the operating agreement and EIN. Worry-Free Compliance gets pre-checked at checkout, and the total price runs higher than what competitors charge.

Bizee pricing

Bizee (formerly Incfile) has a $0 formation package, and you get a free registered agent for the first year. Their pricing is pretty simple and hard to beat. When you compare Inc Authority and Bizee, both throw in a free registered agent for year one, but Bizee’s renewal costs a bit less.

First-Year Cost Breakdown. State filing fee: $300 (Texas baseline). Base service fee: $0. Registered agent: $0 (year one free). Operating Agreement: $99 (optional). EIN: $79 (optional). Total (with key features): ~$300 + state fee.

Second-Year Cost Breakdown. Registered agent renewal: $119/year. Compliance reminders: included free. Total second-year cost: ~$119.

Pros. Free registered agent in year one, pricing is simple, and there are fewer upsell screens than competitors.

Cons. Operating Agreement and EIN cost extra, and the dashboard works fine but isn't as slick as some others.

Northwest pricing

Northwest Registered Agent does things differently: a flat $39 formation fee, and the registered agent’s included. Their pricing is the most simple of anything we looked at. Comparing Inc Authority and Northwest shows you’ll pay more upfront with Northwest, but you get a lot more for that.

First-Year Cost Breakdown. State filing fee: $300 (Texas baseline). Base service fee: $39. Registered agent: included. Operating Agreement: included. EIN: included. Total (with key features): ~$339 + state fee.

Second-Year Cost Breakdown. Registered agent renewal: $125/year. Compliance reminders: included free. Total second-year cost: ~$125.

Pros. Everything’s in the base price, pricing is super transparent, no pushy upsells, and support’s been great.

Cons. Higher upfront cost than "free" services ($39 vs $0), no free first-year registered agent (it's included in the $39 fee).

Legalzoom pricing

LegalZoom’s $0 Basic plan sounds great, but the key stuff costs a lot. Honestly, their pricing is the murkiest of the bunch. Why LegalZoom is so expensive mostly comes down to pricey add-ons and pushy upsells.

First-Year Cost Breakdown. State filing fee: $300 (Texas baseline). Base service fee: $0. Registered agent: $249-$299/year. Operating Agreement: $99. EIN: $79. Attorney plan: $39/month (pre-selected). Total (with key features): ~$727-$777 + state fee.

Second-Year Cost Breakdown. Registered agent renewal: $249-$299/year. Attorney plan renewal: $39/month. Total second-year cost: ~$717-$767.

Pros. Well-known brand, full feature set, attorney access in higher tiers.

Cons. Registered agent costs way more than competitors, a lot of features are add-ons, and they push upsells hard. All told, it's the priciest option.