Best LLC Services for 2027: We Compared 13 Providers on True Cost, Support & Upsells
Skip the paperwork. Northwest files your LLC for $39 + state fee and includes the first year of registered agent service for free.
Most “$0 LLC formation services” are not really free.
We tested 13 best-rated online LLC formation services by going through their actual checkout flows, emailing support lines, and recording what’s included vs. upsold. Here’s what we found out below:
Best LLC services: the short answer:
Northwest Registered Agent is the best LLC service for most people. We tested forming a Wyoming LLC, and it cost $39; a year of free registered agent service came with it, and the $125 renewal appeared in the order summary before the payment page. Across three years, it was also the cheapest of the 13 services we compared, at $289. By “most people,” we mean owners forming a simple LLC who need the filing and a registered agent, and don’t need tax, accounting, or multi-state compliance bundled in.
Cheaper-looking options exist. Bizee, Inc Authority, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom all start at $0 formation cost. But every one of them costs more than Northwest by the second, third, and even fifth year, because registered agent renewals and other charges make those options more expensive over three years.
Best LLC Service by situation and why
| If you want | Our pick | Why | 3-year comparison cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| The best overall value 🏅 | Northwest | $39 with a year of registered agent service, renewal price shown before payment, nothing preselected | $289 |
| The lowest upfront cost | Bizee | $0 to file with a free first year of registered agent service | $397 |
| Help as a non-US founder | doola | Registered agent, US address and EIN help without a Social Security number in one annual plan | $832 |
| The most transparent checkout | CorpNet | Every package and add-on in one table, nothing preselected | $535 |
| Multi-state or compliance-heavy support | Harbor Compliance | Its published services center on multi-state and regulated-industry compliance | $615 |
| To do it yourself | File with the state | $102.40 to file online in Wyoming; EINs are free from the IRS | $102.40 plus annual report |
What we tested, and what we didn’t. We tested: direct checkout flows for 11 providers (out of the 13) up to the payment step, pricing and renewal terms, a timed customer support test sent to 11 providers, registered agent privacy claims against Wyoming’s own filing form (our chosen state for testing), and fees and deadlines against official sources.
We did not: place paid orders, test customer dashboards, or observe renewals after purchase. Where a finding comes from a pricing page instead of a checkout, the review says so.
How we ranked these top 13 services
Eleven providers received complete scores across seven weighted criteria. BetterLegal and Rocket Lawyer received partial criterion scores but no overall ranking, because they weren’t support-tested.
The ranking follows those scores, and the article is organized in four groups:
- Best overall: Northwest, the highest score.
- Best by use case: doola, Bizee, CorpNet and Harbor Compliance. Each is the strongest choice for a specific kind of owner.
- Big names worth knowing: ZenBusiness, Inc Authority and LegalZoom. They score lower, but they’re among the best-known names in the category, so each gets a full review explaining where it falls short.
- Also researched, and skip these: MyCompanyWorks and BetterLegal get shorter coverage; Swyft Filings, Tailor Brands and Rocket Lawyer are services we’d avoid for most owners.
| Rank | Provider | Score (out of 5) | 3-year cost | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwest | 4.35 | $289 | Best overall 🏅 |
| 2 | doola | 3.75 | $832 | Best for non-US founders 🌍 |
| 3 | Bizee | 3.40 | $397 | Lowest upfront cost |
| 4 | CorpNet | 2.90 | $535 | Most transparent checkout |
| 5 | Harbor Compliance | 2.55 | $615 | Multi-state businesses |
| 6 | MyCompanyWorks | 2.45 | $436 | Also researched |
| 7 | ZenBusiness | 2.20 | $696 | Big name |
| 8 | Inc Authority | 2.05 | $587 | Big name |
| 9 | LegalZoom | 1.70 | $846 (estimate) | Big name |
| 10 | Tailor Brands | 1.35 | $697 or more | Skip |
| 11 | Swyft Filings | 1.05 | $1,887 | Skip |
| Not ranked | BetterLegal | Partial* | $659 | Also researched |
| Not ranked | Rocket Lawyer | Partial* | $1,122 | Skip |
BetterLegal and Rocket Lawyer weren’t part of the support test, so they have criterion scores but no overall score or rank.
How we worked out true cost
A headline price only tells you year one. The comparison cost in this article is:
Formation fee + registered agent years 1 to 3 + operating agreement (if sold separately) + any recurring fee the checkout requires = three-year cost
The state’s filing fee is left out, so the comparison shows what each service charges for its own work; checkouts listed the Wyoming fee anywhere from $100 to $104. The EIN is left out because it’s free from the IRS. The one exception is CorpNet, whose 3% convenience fee applies to the whole order, so its total includes the $3.12 that fee adds to the state-fee portion.
| Northwest 🏅 | Bizee | Swyft Filings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formation | $39 | $0 | $0 |
| Registered agent, year 1 | Included | Included | $596 |
| Registered agent, years 2 and 3 | $250 | $298 | $1,192 |
| Operating agreement | Not charged | $99 | $99 |
| Three-year cost | $289 | $397 | $1,887 |
Swyft’s three-year cost is more than six times Northwest’s three-year cost, because its registered agent renews every quarter.
Full scoring breakdown
Each criterion is scored 1 to 5 against written standards. Ongoing terms were scored only on what could be checked from outside an account: renewal clarity, cancellation terms, compliance features and published account documentation.
Column key, with weights:
- Cost = cost and transparency (25%)
- Checkout = checkout and upsells (20%)
- RA value and privacy = registered agent value and privacy clarity (15%)
- Support (15%)
- Essentials = included essentials (10%)
- Ongoing = ongoing terms (10%)
- Special = special situations (5%).
Here’s how to read the scores: a 5 means strong performance against that criterion’s documented standards, such as publishing formation, registered agent and renewal prices that match the checkout.
A 3 means acceptable with a gap, like public prices but a renewal that’s hard to find.
A 1 means a real problem: prices hidden or contradicted, paid add-ons preselected without clear disclosure, or a registered agent above $200 a year.
| Provider | Cost | Checkout | RA value and privacy | Support | Essentials | Ongoing | Special | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest 🏅 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4.35 |
| doola | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3.75 |
| Bizee | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3.40 |
| CorpNet | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2.90 |
| Harbor Compliance | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2.55 |
| MyCompanyWorks | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.45 |
| ZenBusiness | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2.20 |
| Inc Authority | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.05 |
| LegalZoom | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1.70 |
| Tailor Brands | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.35 |
| Swyft Filings | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.05 |
| BetterLegal | 3 | 3 | 4 | n/t | 3 | 3 | 2 | Partial |
| Rocket Lawyer | 2 | 2 | 2 | n/t | 2 | 2 | 4 | Partial |
n/t = not tested.
A registered agent priced above $200 a year scores 1 on registered agent value and privacy clarity, which is why LegalZoom, Inc Authority, Tailor Brands and Swyft score low there.
Support test results for the LLC Companies
At 6:00am Pacific on September 24, 2026, the same five questions went to 11 providers: what year one costs, what renews, which address appears on the public filing, how long processing takes and how to cancel. Each had 24 hours to answer.
In the answer columns below, “No” means the question wasn’t answered and “Partial” means the reply covered only part of it. The first-reply column shows whether a provider responded at all within 24 hours.
| Provider | Channel | First reply | Price | Renewal | Address | Cancel | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bizee 🏅 | About 4 hours | Yes | Yes ($149) | Yes, with a caveat | Yes, no fees | The most useful answer of the test | |
| Northwest | Contact form | About 3 hours | Yes | Yes ($125) | Partial (general answer) | Not answered, asked twice | Right on price, vague on cancelling; quoted a WY $104 state fee |
| doola | 9 minutes | Partial (links) | Yes, same cost | Partial | Partial (“cancel anytime”) | Fast, with specific EIN timelines for non-US founders | |
| ZenBusiness | Live chat | Minutes | Corrected after we asked ($99 to $199) | Yes ($199 agent) | Yes | Yes, no fee | Quick, but first quoted the wrong agent price and a 2 to 3 week Wyoming wait |
| Tailor Brands | Live chat | About 25 minutes | Yes | Yes ($199, then $249) | Partial (virtual address only) | Yes | Gave the agent price the checkout never showed |
| Harbor Compliance | Email (sales) | Minutes | No | No | No | Partial (method, no fees) | A package pitch with no prices |
| CorpNet | Auto-reply only | No | No | No | No | Said replies “may take 24-48 business hours”; nothing arrived | |
| MyCompanyWorks | Contact form | Auto-reply only | No | No | No | No | No answer within 24 hours |
| LegalZoom | No reply | No | No | No | No | No answer within 24 hours | |
| Inc Authority | No reply | No | No | No | No | No answer within 24 hours | |
| Swyft Filings | No reply | No | No | No | No | No answer within 24 hours |
BetterLegal and Rocket Lawyer weren’t part of the support test.
Checkout friction and preselected service add-ons
| Provider | Preselected paid items | Early account | Renewal shown | Required fees | Biggest issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest 🏅 | None | Yes, before the payment page | Yes ($125/yr) | None | State fee listed 60 cents above the state’s own total |
| doola | None | Yes, before you start | Annual plan at the same price | None | Claims DIY “typically costs $2,000-$5,000” in year one |
| Bizee | Virtual address and mailbox ($29/mo after 1 free month) | Not documented | In the package FAQ ($149) | None | The preselected address goes on your state filing |
| CorpNet | None | No | Yes ($149) | $29 shipping and a 3% fee | Still sells a $199 BOI report most owners no longer need |
| ZenBusiness | None documented | Not documented | Yes ($199, billed after filing) | None | Agent is $99 in marketing, $199 in the cart |
| Harbor Compliance | Default path totals $571 in Harbor fees | Not documented | Yes ($159 after year 1) | None | $99 formation excludes the agent, EIN and operating agreement |
| MyCompanyWorks | $199 package, $99 license package, EIN and agent on Basic | No | Order line shows $119/yr | None | Widget says “$99/YEAR FOR LIFE,” order line says $119 |
| Inc Authority | None | Not documented | Fine print only ($249/yr) | None | Comparison pop-up leaves out its own renewal |
| LegalZoom | Expedite ($99) and Founder’s Kit ($99) | Not documented | No agent offered | None | $198 added to a $0 order; no registered agent at checkout |
| Tailor Brands | EIN ($99) and formation kit ($120) switched on | Not documented | No agent offered before payment | None | “Total due today” left out charges |
| Swyft Filings | Agent ($149/quarter), banking kit ($99), operating agreement ($99) | Not documented | Yes, fine print (quarterly) | None | $596 a year for a registered agent |
| BetterLegal | “Yes” highlighted for agent and compliance (unclear if selected) | Not documented | Yes ($120/yr) | None | Hard to tell what’s selected |
| Rocket Lawyer | Not reached | Yes, before formation questions | Pricing page only | Paid membership | The $0 formation needs a paid membership |
1. Northwest Registered Agent (Best Overall LLC Service)
Verdict: Northwest won because it’s the cheapest service over three years, its $125 renewal is the lowest among the main picks, and it shows that renewal before you pay, with nothing preselected. The $0 services look cheaper on day one, but each of them costs more by year three.
| Best for 👍 | Most single-owner LLCs that want the lowest three-year cost |
| Skip if ❌ | You want one company to bundle the EIN, annual reports and compliance tracking |
| Biggest strength 💪 | Renewal price shown in the order summary before payment; nothing preselected |
| Biggest drawback 👎 | Support didn’t explain how to cancel, even when asked twice |
| Key verified cost ✅ | $39 formation, $125/yr agent from year 2, $289 over three years |
| Checkout warning ⚠️ | Account required before the payment page; state fee shown as $103.00 |
Northwest’s checkout offered one add-on, an EIN filing, and preselected nothing. Before the payment step, the order summary read “Registered Agent Service Included/Renews at $125/yr.” Most competitors never put their renewal price that close to the buy button, which, in our opinion, seems a bit cunning.
There’s some friction with NW. You create an account before the payment page appears.
The checkout also listed Wyoming’s state fee as $103.00, about 60 cents above the state’s own online total of $102.40, and nothing on the page explained the difference.
Northwest answered our contact form in about three hours with the right price and the right renewal. Cancellation was another concerning matter. We asked twice how to cancel and whether it costs anything, and got no direct answer either time; the reply also put Wyoming’s online filing fee at $104.
Northwest’s own terms are plainer than its support desk: customers can cancel “anytime by logging into your account and canceling in the client portal,” and “there are no fees to cancel.”
To confirm the cancellation process, we had our co-founder, who has been using Northwest for over 6 years, log into his Northwest dashboard to confirm the cancellation, and it was right there in the client portal.
If you sign up through our Northwest link, you’ll land on a page advertising the same $39 package, with registered agent service, a business address, mail forwarding, and a website listed as included.
2. doola (Best by use case/best for non-US founders)
doola costs more than any other top pick, and it’s built for a specific owner: a founder outside the US who needs an EIN without a Social Security number, a US address, a registered agent, and more hand-holding, all from one company.
| Best for 👍 | Non-US founders who need an address, EIN help and a registered agent together |
| Skip if ❌ | You’re a US owner who just needs an LLC on file |
| Biggest strength 💪 | Handles EIN applications for owners without an SSN; everything in one plan |
| Biggest drawback 👎 | $297 a year, every year |
| Key verified cost ✅ | $297/yr ($237.60 in year one with a 20% discount), $832 over three years |
| Checkout warning ⚠️ | Account required before you start; its DIY cost claim is overstated |
The Starter plan includes the registered agent, a US business address, an operating agreement, and EIN help, and it renews at the same $297. Checkout came to $340 with the $102.40 Wyoming fee, offered one optional add-on, and preselected nothing.
The support reply arrived by email in nine minutes. Much of it was links to pricing pages. It did confirm that “all plans are yearly and renew at the same cost,” and it gave specifics for founders without a Social Security number: six to eight weeks for an EIN, or four to five weeks with a $300 expedite.
One line on doola’s pricing FAQ is worth pushing back on. It says doing it yourself “typically costs $2,000-$5,000 in the first year.” Which is NOT entirely true.
For a US owner forming in Wyoming, the required spending is the $102.40 state fee, and the EIN is free (even for a non-US owner, it is also free). A number in the thousands only makes sense once you add accounting, tax prep, or other services doola happens to sell.
3. Bizee: lowest upfront cost
| Best for 👍 | First-time owners who want the smallest upfront bill and will read every screen |
| Skip if ❌ | You click through checkouts on autopilot |
| Biggest strength 💪 | $0 formation with a free first year of registered agent service, and the best support answer in our test |
| Biggest drawback 👎 | Several offer screens between you and the total |
| Key verified cost ✅ | $0 formation, $149/yr agent from year 2, $99 operating agreement, $397 over three years |
| Checkout warning ⚠️ | A $29-a-month virtual address is preselected, and it goes on your state filing |
The Bizee Basic package costs nothing beyond the state fee, and the first year of registered agent service is included. That part holds up.
The path to payment is where it gets busy.
One screen asks how you want to receive business mail, and “Use Virtual Address + Mailbox” is already selected. It’s free for a month and then $29 a month. The same screen says “the address you choose will appear on your filing documents with the state,” and, in smaller type, “Some states may require an amendment after cancellation.”
Keep the default and cancel later, and you may end up filing paperwork to change your own address. To keep your own, choose “I’ll use my own address.”
Two other screens made claims we couldn’t match to anything official. Bizee estimated about three weeks for a Wyoming filing, and the state says online filings are active immediately. It also reported that it had “identified 2 licenses for your business in Wyoming” before we’d told it what the business did.
Bizee gave the most useful support answer of the test. About four hours after we wrote, a rep confirmed that Basic includes a year of registered agent service, that the agent renews at $149 and that “canceling a service will not incur any additional fees.” Without being asked, the rep also warned that a virtual address “may not be accepted” for some filings or bank accounts.
4. CorpNet: most transparent checkout
| Best for | Owners who want every number in view before they commit |
| Skip if | You’re shopping on the headline price |
| Biggest strength | Every package and add-on in one table, nothing preselected |
| Biggest drawback | Two mandatory charges, and no support reply within 24 hours |
| Key verified cost | $99 Basic, $149/yr agent from year 2, $535 over three years |
| Checkout warning | $29 shipping and a 3% fee on the whole order added about $36 to Basic |
CorpNet puts its three packages:
Basic at $99, Deluxe at $219, and Complete at $269, in a single table with every add-on beside them, and preselects none of it. All three include the first year of registered agent service, renewing at $149.
That table also holds two charges no other provider in our test added. A $29 shipping and handling fee applies to every package, and a 3% convenience fee is calculated on the whole order, state fee included. With both, Basic came to $238.96 before the operating agreement. CorpNet still sells a FinCEN BOI report for $199, a filing US-formed companies no longer have to make.
Our email got an automatic reply saying responses “may take 24-48 business hours.” Nothing else arrived inside the 24-hour window.
5. Harbor Compliance: best for multi-state and compliance-heavy businesses
| Best for | Businesses registered in several states or in regulated industries |
| Skip if | You’re forming one simple LLC |
| Biggest strength | Its published services center on ongoing compliance across states |
| Biggest drawback | The $99 formation leaves out the agent, EIN and operating agreement |
| Key verified cost | $99 formation, agent $99 then $159/yr, $615 over three years |
| Checkout warning | The default path came to $571 in Harbor fees |
Harbor’s pitch, per its own site, is compliance for businesses in several states or regulated industries; we tested its Wyoming checkout and support, not its multi-state service.
It priced like a compliance firm. The $99 formation covers the name check and the articles. The registered agent is $99 in year one and $159 after, and the operating agreement, EIN, and annual report service are extra. Our order summary on the default path came to $571 in Harbor service fees plus $103.75 for the state.
Its LLC page still advertises “optional support for Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting.” Harbor’s sales team answered our questions within minutes with a list of what its compliance package includes and no prices, plus an estimate of about seven business days for its own review before filing.
Big names worth knowing
6. ZenBusiness: costs more than the ads suggest
| Best for | Owners who want ZenBusiness’s compliance tools and have budgeted for them |
| Skip if | The “$0” is what drew you in |
| Biggest strength | Fast live chat and a clear yes-or-no on its compliance offer |
| Biggest drawback | Registered agent is $199, not the $99 it advertises |
| Key verified cost | $0 Starter, $199/yr agent, $99 operating agreement, $696 over three years |
| Checkout warning | The cart’s agent price doesn’t match the marketing price |
ZenBusiness markets its registered agent at $99 for the first year. The formation cart showed $199, “billed after your LLC filing is complete,” renewing at $199.
In live chat, the rep’s first answer was the $99 price. Asked about the gap, the rep explained that the $99 rate is for existing businesses switching to ZenBusiness, and new formations pay $199.
The free Starter plan comes with “Standard 7-10 day processing,” by ZenBusiness’s own description, while the $199 Pro plan promises one-day processing. Among the offer screens was “Worry-Free Compliance,” free for a year and then $199 a year. It was a yes-or-no question, which is more than some competitors manage.
The chat was quick, with every reply within a few minutes. Its privacy answer was accurate: the registered agent address handles legal mail, and “you would still need to provide your own business address” on the filing. Its timing answer was harder to square. The rep said Wyoming “typically takes an additional 2-3 weeks” to process a standard order, and 1 to 2 business days with Rush.
Wyoming says online filings are active immediately. We asked why the state would need weeks for one order and days for another, and the question went unanswered.
7. Inc Authority: free to start, expensive to keep
| Best for | Owners who want a $0 start and will move their registered agent before year two |
| Skip if | You’re likely to let the default renew |
| Biggest strength | Formation, EIN and year-one agent all at $0 |
| Biggest drawback | $249-a-year agent renewal, the highest we confirmed in a checkout among the main picks |
| Key verified cost | $0 formation, $249/yr agent from year 2, $89 operating agreement, $587 over three years |
| Checkout warning | Its comparison pop-up leaves out its own renewal |
In our order, the formation, the EIN and the first year of registered agent service all showed $0 in the order summary.
Late in checkout, a pop-up titled “Always Know What You’ll Pay” set Inc Authority’s $0 total beside LegalZoom at $328 and ZenBusiness at $298, and announced, “You’re saving at least $298 with Inc Authority.”
The pop-up skipped the company’s own renewal. That sits in the fine print above the payment button: registered agent service “is free for 1 year and then auto-renews at $249/year.”
The operating agreement upsell ($89) says an operating agreement is “required by all banks” and required by “the state.” Wyoming’s LLC Act defines an operating agreement as one that can be oral, written, or implied, and the state doesn’t ask to see one. Plenty of banks do want a written agreement before opening an account, which is a bank policy. The state claim doesn’t hold for Wyoming.
No response to our support email arrived within 24 hours.
7. LegalZoom: you’re paying for the name
| Best for | Owners who want the LegalZoom name or expect to use its attorney services |
| Skip if | Price matters to you |
| Biggest strength | Brand recognition and access to attorney services |
| Biggest drawback | No registered agent offered at checkout; $249 a year bought separately |
| Key verified cost | $0 Basic, $249/yr agent, $99 operating agreement, about $846 over three years (estimate) |
| Checkout warning | $99 expedite and $99 Founder’s Kit preselected |
Basic formation is $0 plus the state fee. By the time we reached the add-ons, two were already selected: one-day expedited filing at $99 and a Founder’s Kit at $99, together $198 on top of a $0 order. In Wyoming, where online filings take effect immediately, it’s hard to see what the expedite buys.
A registered agent never came up during checkout. LegalZoom’s separate registered agent page lists the service at $249 a year and says renewal pricing is subject to change, so the $846 three-year figure is an estimate built on that page.
We emailed our five questions to LegalZoom’s support address at 6:00am on September 24. No reply came within 24 hours.
Also researched, and why they’re handled differently
MyCompanyWorks ($436, score 2.45):
MyCompanyWorks has the third-lowest three-year cost and outscored the three big names, but its checkout leans hard on defaults, so it didn’t make a use-case pick. Its $79 Basic package includes an operating agreement, and the registered agent is $119 a year.
The $199 Entrepreneur package was selected when the order table loaded, a $99 business license package was preselected in every column, and on Basic the EIN ($69) and registered agent were checked too.
With those defaults, the total came to $400.
A comparison widget in the same checkout advertised the registered agent at “$99/YEAR FOR LIFE,” while the order line said $119 a year. MyCompanyWorks sent an automatic acknowledgment to our contact form and nothing more within 24 hours.
BetterLegal ($659, not ranked):
BetterLegal charges a flat $299 that includes expedited filing, an EIN, and an operating agreement, with a registered agent at $120 a year (or $12.50 a month).
On its order form, the “Yes” buttons for both the registered agent and a $120-a-year state compliance service were highlighted when the page loaded. We couldn’t tell from the form whether they were actually selected. BetterLegal wasn’t part of the support test, so its score covers six of the seven categories, and we left it out of the ranking rather than guess.
Skip these LLC formation websites unless you have a specific reason
Swyft Filings ($1,887, score 1.05)
Swyft Filings had the most expensive registered agent in the test. The checkout preselected it at “$149” with the note that it “renews automatically every quarter,” which works out to $596 a year. A banking kit ($99) and an operating agreement ($99) were preselected on the next screen.
The review page then showed “My total $104” with the registered agent and an Annual ComplianceGuard subscription both marked “Added*.” According to Swyft’s own ComplianceGuard page, that service is a 14-day trial followed by $199 a year. Swyft didn’t respond to our support email.
Tailor Brands (at least $697, score 1.35)
Tailor Brands is a branding company that sells LLC formation, and the checkout reflects that. Its plan list showed Lite at $0, Pro at $99 a month, and Max at $149 a month.
On September 24, 2026, the final checkout listed Max at “$199” with no “per month,” a $99 EIN and a $120 formation kit switched on and “Charged only after” the LLC is processed, and a “Total due today” of $199 that left both out. No registered agent was offered anywhere before payment.
In live chat, a rep explained that it’s added in a questionnaire after you pay, at $199 for the first year and $249 after.
Rocket Lawyer ($1,122, not ranked)
Rocket Lawyer advertises LLC formation “starting at $0 with a Rocket Lawyer membership.” The membership is the product. Plans run $149, $249, or $349 a year, each “billed yearly after free 7-day trial,” and the $0 covers only your first registration.
Its registered agent page lists the service at $124.99 a year and “Requires Rocket Lawyer Plus or Pro membership,” so the cheapest route to a formation with an agent is the $249 Plus plan.
You create an account before you see any formation questions, and Rocket Lawyer wasn’t part of the support test. If you’d use the legal documents and attorney questions anyway, the math changes.
What surprised us most
The $0 LLC formation companies looked cheapest, and none of them were. Once registered agent renewals were added, Bizee, Inc Authority, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom all cost more than Northwest’s $39 package by year three. Swyft cost more than six times as much. Interesting, really.
A support rep blamed the state for a delay the state doesn’t cause. ZenBusiness’s representative said Wyoming “typically takes an additional 2-3 weeks” to process a standard order. Wyoming says online filings are active immediately. A provider’s own preparation time can still add weeks, but that wait sits with the provider, not the state.
The privacy pitch covers less than it sounds. Most providers sell their registered agent as a way to keep your home address private. On Wyoming’s form, the agent replaces one address out of three.
The biggest lesson from our testing: the headline price decided less than the choices buried deeper in checkout, like what renews, what’s already selected for you, and which address ends up on the public record.
What a registered agent does (and doesn’t) keep private
Most of the services we checked sell their registered agent as a privacy feature. Bizee’s registered agent screen, for one, says it “keeps your home address off public records.” Wyoming’s own Articles of Organization tell a narrower story.
The form asks separately for:
- the name and physical address of the registered agent,
- the mailing address of the LLC, and
- the principal office address.
A commercial registered agent fills in the first line. The other two are yours to supply, and they’re public too. If your home is the LLC’s mailing address or principal office, it still shows up on the filing, whoever your registered agent is.
The companies’ own support teams said as much when asked directly. ZenBusiness told us “you would still need to provide your own business address,” and added that the limitation “generally applies to all Registered Agent providers.” Bizee said some states require a principal or mailing address and that a virtual address “may not be accepted” everywhere. Wyoming’s form doesn’t ask for member or manager names, which Northwest’s support team also pointed out.
Privacy note. A registered agent replaces one address on Wyoming’s form, not all three. Keeping your home off the record takes a separate business address, and it’s worth checking that your bank and state will accept it.
What to pay for and what to skip when starting your LLC
| Add-on | Typical price we saw | Our view |
|---|---|---|
| Registered agent | $119 to $249/yr ($596/yr at Swyft) | PAY for it if you don’t have a physical address in the state. Compare the renewal, not the first year. |
| EIN filing | $49 to $99 in most checkouts | SKIP. The IRS issues EINs for free. |
| Expedited filing | $49 to $99 | SKIP in Wyoming. Online filings are active immediately, and the state’s paid expedite doesn’t apply to filings you can make online. |
| Operating agreement | $0 to $99 | Worth having, though $99 is steep for a single-owner LLC. Wyoming doesn’t require one, many banks ask for one, and free templates exist, including one from Northwest. (We also have a template) |
| FinCEN BOI report | $199 (CorpNet) | SKIP for a US-formed LLC. FinCEN’s current rule exempts companies created in the US from BOI reporting. |
| Compliance subscriptions | $159 to $199/yr | OPTIONAL. Useful if you’ll forget annual reports. Watch for free trials that roll into annual billing. |
| Virtual address | $29/mo (Bizee) | Useful for privacy, with limits. Confirm your state and bank will accept it, and read the cancellation terms. |
| Formation kit | $99 to $120 | SKIP. A binder and seal are optional. |
Doing it yourself instead
Forming a Wyoming LLC without a service costs $102.40 online: the $100 filing fee plus the state’s 2.4% card fee. The Secretary of State says online filings are active immediately. Mailed filings are processed in the order received, within 15 business days (more on Wyoming LLC processing times).
The EIN comes free from the IRS.
Its online application needs the Social Security number or ITIN of the “responsible party,” and it has to be finished in one session; there’s no saving it for later. Founders without either number, including many non-resident owners, are the group a service like doola is built for.
What most people actually buy from a formation service is the initial filings/paper work and the registered agent service. Wyoming lets you be your own agent if you’re at least 18, live in Wyoming, have a physical Wyoming address, and a valid email address, according to the Secretary of State’s registered agent FAQs. Post office boxes, virtual addresses, and mail-forwarding locations don’t qualify.
Filing is also only the start. Wyoming’s annual report is due each year on the first day of the month the LLC was formed (an LLC formed May 15 files by May 1), with a license tax of $60 or two-tenths of a mill on Wyoming assets, whichever is greater.
Wyoming was our test state, and choosing it says nothing about where you should form. If your business actually operates somewhere else, that state will probably expect you to register the LLC there as a foreign LLC, with its own fees and filings. Wyoming applies the same rule in reverse, with penalties for out-of-state companies doing business in Wyoming without a certificate of authority.
Frequently asked questions
Are $0 LLC services really free?
For year one, mostly. Bizee, Inc Authority and ZenBusiness all charged $0 for formation in our checkouts. The cost shows up in the registered agent renewal: $149, $249 and $199 a year respectively. Over three years, all three cost more than Northwest’s $39 package.
Can I file an LLC myself instead?
Yes you can. Using our test state as an example: In Wyoming it costs $102.40 online, and the filing is active immediately. The catch is the registered agent: you can act as your own only if you’re a Wyoming resident with a physical Wyoming address. Otherwise, you’ll need to appoint an eligible Wyoming registered agent.
Which LLC service is cheapest over three years?
Northwest, at $289 in our comparison, followed by Bizee at $397 and MyCompanyWorks at $436. Those figures cover formation, three years of registered agent service and an operating agreement where sold separately, not state fees.
Does a registered agent keep my home address private?
Only partly. On Wyoming’s filing, a registered agent replaces one of three addresses. The LLC’s mailing address and principal office are separate public fields, so you need a business address for those too.
Which LLC service is best for non-US founders?
doola was well positioned for non-US founders in our testing. Its $297-a-year Starter plan combines a registered agent, a US address and EIN help for owners without a Social Security number. doola quoted six to eight weeks for that EIN, or four to five weeks with a $300 expedite.
Is LegalZoom worth it?
Not on price. Its checkout preselected $198 in add-ons and never offered a registered agent, which its own page lists at $249 a year. It makes sense mainly if you want the brand or plan to use its attorney services.
Do I need to file a BOI report for my new LLC?
Not if it was formed in the US. FinCEN’s current rule exempts companies created in the US from beneficial ownership reporting, so a $199 BOI add-on isn’t something most owners need.
Verification log
| What we checked | When | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Provider checkout pricing and preselected add-ons | September 23, 2026 (Rocket Lawyer and Tailor Brands rechecked September 24) | Direct checkout flows, 51 dated screenshots |
| Support test | Sent September 24, 6:00am PT; window closed September 25, 6:00am PT | Sent emails, form confirmations and chat transcripts |
| Northwest partner landing page | September 26, 2026 | Dated screenshot |
| Wyoming filing fee, card fee, filing speed and expedite rules | September 23, 2026 | Wyoming Secretary of State |
| Wyoming registered agent rules, annual report and foreign registration | September 26, 2026 | Wyoming Secretary of State |
| IRS EIN cost and application rules | September 23, 2026 | IRS |
| FinCEN BOI status for US companies | September 23, 2026; rechecked September 27 | FinCEN |
Sources
Official sources
- Wyoming Secretary of State: online registration instructions and card fee
- Wyoming Secretary of State: filing fee schedule (PDF)
- Wyoming Secretary of State: business FAQs (processing times, annual report license tax)
- Wyoming Secretary of State: registered agent FAQs
- Wyoming Secretary of State: how to request an expedited filing (PDF)
- Wyoming Articles of Organization and instructions (PDF)
- Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act, W.S. 17-29-102 (PDF)
- IRS: Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) online
- FinCEN: Beneficial Ownership Information
LLC Service Provider pages cited:
- Northwest: LLC formation and terms, termination of services
- Rocket Lawyer: registered agent and pricing
- Swyft Filings: ComplianceGuard
- doola: pricing
- Harbor Compliance: LLC formation
- LegalZoom: LLC pricing and registered agent
- ZenBusiness: LLC pricing and registered agent
- Bizee: cancellation policy
- CorpNet: formation and compliance pricing
- Inc Authority: free LLC and terms and conditions
- BetterLegal: registered agent
- Tailor Brands: pricing
- MyCompanyWorks: prices come from its checkout pages, which don’t have a public link
Checkout observations come from direct sign-up flows walked September 23 and 24, 2026, and support answers from replies received September 24. We kept dated checkout screenshots, support records, and a source log documenting the findings in this review.
