The Best LLC Services of 2023
A good LLC service makes forming an LLC fast and simple in any state.
Compare features and prices below of the best LLC services, or read our detailed reviews, and choose the service that’s best for you.
Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + State Fees
- Includes 1 day processing
- Includes first year registered agent service ($125 2nd yr)
- Includes custom operating agreement
- Includes Premium customer support
- Actual registered agent (their address on public docs)
- Will not sell or share client data
ZenBusiness
$0-$299/yr + State Fees
- 2-3 week processing ($49 expedited)
- $199/yr registered agent service
- $125 Operating agreement
- Great for beginners
- Excellent customer service
IncFile
$0-$299 + State Fees
- $0-$299 (+state fees) LLC formation
- 3 week processing ($50 expedited)
- $119/yr registered agent service (free first year)
- Operating agreement available with Gold package $449
- EIN available with Gold package $449
LegalZoom
$0–$299 + State Fees
- $0-$299 (+state fees) LLC formation
- 5-14 day processing ($99 expedited)
- $299/yr registered agent service
- $99 Operating agreement
- $79 EIN service
We reviewed our top four online business formation services based on:
Value
Upsells and Spam
Customer Service
Ease of Signup
Formation Speed
Online LLC Services: Pros and Cons
Good online LLC formation services add a lot of value and alleviate a lot of the pain involved in the LLC formation process.
Pros
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They make Starting an LLC safe and easy
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They have relationships and back channels with state offices, eliminating your need to deal with clunky bureaucracies
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They include extensively trained customer service professionals to deal with any obstacles or peculiarities you might run into when forming your LLC
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They offer online accounts with digital access to all your documents as well as state compliance notifications
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They offer other valuable products like registered agent services, which can be managed in those same accounts
Cons
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If you have an unusual situation or sophisticated strategy in mind, you may want to consult an attorney. Most online services are willing to facilitate a double LLC or series LLC, but won’t be able to ensure its legal adherence like an attorney will.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Filing Articles (or Certificates) of Organization with your Secretary of State is, in most cases, not a wildly complicated endeavor. Online services are just very affordable time savers that can save you from common pitfalls and a lot of time researching things like the difference between a principal address and a business address. Good LLC formation services also help ensure your privacy by allowing you to use their address instead of yours wherever possible. They also offer fun free asides like annual report reminders.
You can operate as a sole proprietor without forming an LLC, but your personal assets will be exposed until your formation paperwork is submitted. For this reason, we recommend forming your LLC before you conduct business.
There are two costs to forming an LLC: • state fees • formation service or legal fees State fees are unavoidable and vary by state between $40(KY) and $500 (MA). Formation services charge to create the paperwork for your LLC and file that paperwork with the state. You can do this yourself, but the cost for their experienced help is relatively low (we know of two that are free), between $0-$300.
No, you don’t need to be in the United States to form an LLC. You don’t need to be an American Citizen, either. Just about anyone can form an LLC.