Best LLC Formation Services to Use in 2024 

A limited liability company is a separate business structure that protects its owners from the business’s liabilities and debts. 

So, if the business fails or faces legal action, the owners are off the hook, and the LLC assumes the liability.

LLCs have many other advantages, too, including tax and flexibility. 

For example, LLCs are pass-through tax structures, and all profits go to the owners as taxable income, which avoids corporation tax. 

Flexibility means members can design a management structure to suit their needs, like running it as a member-managed LLC or employing an external manager.  

Sounds great, right?

However, starting an LLC can become complicated for aspiring small and micro business owners, who must complete the legal forms and file them with the state department.

But that’s why LLC formation services exist!

Disclaimer: Please note that the rates and offerings below are subjected to changes made by the service providers. All reviews below are written by Tailor Brands.

This post will cover the following companies, click on the links below to get to each one:

Why Use an LLC Formation Service?

Simplicity, convenience, and peace of mind are 3 reasons to use an LLC formation service.

Here’s why:

LLCs are chartered separately in every U.S. state, meaning each state regulates them (sets the rules) and requires different registration documents and fees. If you fill in the forms incorrectly, your state will refuse your application.

Don’t misunderstand me; you can form an LLC yourself; many entrepreneurs do, but if you’re unsure about what boxes to tick, where to sign, and how to file the paperwork, an LLC formation service simplifies the process and puts your mind at ease. 

Heads up, here at Tailor Brands, we’re biased since we offer an LLC formation service, but trust us, we will give you an unbiased opinion on our chosen best LLC formation services so you can successfully start your business.

Hey, that’s what we do best!

Tailor Brands

At Tailor Brands, we’re known for our all-in-one package, which includes our online website builder, logo design, and business branding services that help small business owners like you create an all-around online presence. 

However, we also provide a professional LLC formation service that guides you through every step of the process. 

We’ve helped aspiring business owners turn their dreams into reality. Those numbers alone are a reason to consider us for your LLC formation service. 

But successful startups aside, let’s look at how we do it.  

Tailor Brands pros

Tailor Brands cons

Tailor Brands features 

Tailor Brands offers a wide variety of services to start your business. For instance, besides our LLC formation service, we also offer expedited processing, annual LLC compliance, branded merchandise and tools, business cards, website design, domains, and our innovative AI logo creation service.  

And for LLC formation, our Elite Plan is where we stand out from our competitors; it includes:

Tailor Brands pricing

Tailor Brands offers 3 LLC filing plans, including a free basic package. The basic Lite plan includes the LLC formation filing in the state of your choosing (not including the state fee). The Essential and Elite plan include expedited processing as well as legal compliance (like preparing and filing reports and an operating agreement), and the Elite plan also includes the company’s branding suite and tools which includes domain, logo, website, business cards and social templates.

PRICES START AT:

$49 + state filing fees

PROCESSING TIME:

4 weeks

REGISTERED AGENT:

$199/year

OPERATING AGREEMENT:

$29

EIN REGISTRATION:

$99

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE:

Yes

ADVISORY SERVICE:

Yes

WEB DOMAIN & HOSTING:

Yes

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent is known for its excellent service, customizable plans, and popular same-day application delivery service.

They differ from most other LLC formation service providers is by assigning a U.S.-trained and based corporate guide to each client, ensuring they speak to the same representative whenever they have a question.

Their easy-to-understand plans and competitive pricing make their LLC formation service popular for aspiring LLC owners.

Northwest pros

Northwest cons

Northwest features

Northwest offers the following business features:

Northwest pricing

Northwest doesn’t provide conventional LLC formation packages. Instead, it provides business maintenance and development services.

PRICES START AT:

$39 + state filing fees

PROCESSING TIME:

One week (basic plan)

REGISTERED AGENT:

Free for one year, then $125 yearly

OPERATING AGREEMENT:

Yes

EIN REGISTRATION:

$50

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE:

No

ADVISORY SERVICE:

Yes

WEB DOMAIN & HOSTING:

No

Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer has a super fast LLC formation service, hence the name!

Its lawyers can draft, submit, and have your LLC documentation processed, as they say it, in record time.

Rocket Lawyer also offers tax preparation, legal advice, and a monthly membership service that provides everything you need to run your new LLC.

Rocket Lawyer pros

Rocket Lawyer cons

Rocket lawyer features

Besides Rocket Lawyers’ monthly subscription, extra features like tax filing, attorney consultation, and business name registration are available. While they cost extra, many come at a discount with the RocketLegal+plan.

Rocket lawyer pricing

Rocket Lawyer also offers one-off payment or subscription options.

PRICES START AT:

$99 + state fees

PROCESSING TIME:

Up to 5 business days

REGISTERED AGENT:

$149/year ($111/year for Premium)

OPERATING AGREEMENT:

Yes

EIN REGISTRATION:

$59.99

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE:

No

ADVISORY SERVICE:

Yes

WEB DOMAIN & HOSTING:

No

Inc Authority

Inc Authority has been helping entrepreneurs start their businesses for over 30 years. It has become a well-respected authority in the LLC formation service niche during that time.

Inc Authority’s competitive basic plan (includes a free registered agent) and its 4.8 out of 5 score on Trustpilot from over 30,000 reviews make it a popular choice for LLC formation.

Inc Authority pros

Inc Authority cons

Inc Authority features

Famous for its comprehensive list of features, including business name search and registration, S-type corporation tax selection forms, and documentation preparation.  

Other features include:

Inc Authority pricing

Inc Authority enables you to register your LLC with zero extra charges, barring your state filing fees. 

Its paid plans, however, come at premium prices but include a wealth of additional services to help you start and run your business. 

PRICES START AT:

$0 + state fees

PROCESSING TIME:

Up to one week

REGISTERED AGENT:

1st year free (then $99/year)

OPERATING AGREEMENT:

Yes

EIN REGISTRATION:

$0

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE:

No

ADVISORY SERVICE:

Yes

WEB DOMAIN & HOSTING:

Available through the Tycoon bundle

ZenBusiness

A household name with a track record of thousands of satisfied customers, ZenBusiness is another excellent choice for starting an LLC online.

ZenBusiness offers company formation services that start at $0 per year, provide a free tax assessment and accounting, and their registered agent service is free for one year with all their plans.

ZenBusiness pros 

ZenBusiness cons

ZenBusiness features

ZenBusiness offers many additional services you’d need from an LLC formation service, like a registered agent’s service, EIN registration, business banking, and credit cards.

While its free formation package doesn’t have as many free services as others on our list, you get their standard filing with a 100% accuracy guarantee and one year of free compliance.

All 3 ZenBusiness packages include the following services:

ZenBusiness pricing

ZenBusiness offers a free plan and many available upgrade options. 

PRICES START AT:

$0 + state fees

PROCESSING TIME:

2-3 weeks (Basic plan)

REGISTERED AGENT:

Incl. in the formation package, then $119/year

OPERATING AGREEMENT:

Yes

EIN REGISTRATION:

Plan dependable

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE:

Plan dependable

ADVISORY SERVICE:

Yes

WEB DOMAIN & HOSTING:

Plan dependable

LegalZoom

LegalZoom, another household name in relation to business, has been providing its LLC formation service since 2001.

Besides business formation, LegalZoom also offers legal and accounting services, including intellectual property, Wills, and trusts, etc.

LegalZoom has many comprehensive plans that suit all business sizes and offers a full 60-day refund.

LegalZoom pros 

LegalZoom cons

LegalZoom features 

LegalZoom’s premium plan gives you unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations that’ll answer all your legal business questions, and their attorneys will also assess your legal documents and contracts.

Other features in their Business Advisory Plan include:

LegalZoom pricing

LegalZoom provides 3 LLC filing packages; the basic one is free. You can upgrade to their pro or premium plan at any time.

PRICES START AT:

$0 + state fees

PROCESSING TIME:

5-14 business days

REGISTERED AGENT:

$299/year standalone

OPERATING AGREEMENT:

Pro tier/$99 standalone

EIN REGISTRATION:

In the Pro plan/$79

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE:

$69/year

ADVISORY SERVICE:

Yes

WEB DOMAIN & HOSTING:

Via Wix

Bizee

Bizee, formerly known as Incfile, is a seasoned professional in company incorporation and all things business. Their basic pricing plan is excellent value, and while their services are price competitive, they don’t compromise on quality.

Besides LLC filing, Bizee also offers a complete package of startup services, like bookkeeping and banking, a free registered agents service, and business name availability services.

Bizee pros

Bizee cons

Bizee features

LegalZoom’s premium plan gives you unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations that’ll answer all your legal business questions, and their attorneys will also assess your legal documents and contracts.

Other features in their Business Advisory Plan include:

Bizee pricing

PRICES START AT:

$0 + state fees

PROCESSING TIME:

One day

REGISTERED AGENT:

First-year free, then $199/year

OPERATING AGREEMENT:

$40

EIN REGISTRATION:

Depends on the plan

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE:

$99 + state fee

ADVISORY SERVICE:

Yes

WEB DOMAIN & HOSTING:

Depends on the plan

Swyftfilings

As the name implies, Swyftfilings prides itself on some of the quickest LLC filing services in the market.

Swyftfilings are new compared to other LLC formation service providers on our list, but their lifetime customer support, affordable prices, and many other additional services make them a popular choice for starting a business.

Swyftfilings pros

Swyftfilings cons

Swyftfilings features 

Swyft Filings has several LLC filing packages, including a free package where you only pay your state’s filing fees. Most packages, however, only include some of their extra service, trademark registration, a digital corporate kit, 501(c)(3) application, etc. 

Swift Filings has an excellent customer rating plus free lifetime customer support via email or phone.

Swyftfilings pricing

Swyft Filings is an excellent option for cash-strapped entrepreneurs because it offers a free basic plan plus the usual add-on services.

PRICES START AT:

$0 + state fees

PROCESSING TIME:

Same-day processing

REGISTERED AGENT:

$149/year

OPERATING AGREEMENT:

Included in the top two plans

EIN REGISTRATION:

Included in the top two plans or $79

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE:

$99 + state fees

ADVISORY SERVICE:

Yes

WEB DOMAIN & HOSTING:

Included in the top plan

LLC formation comparison list

Business

Starting Price

Processing Time

Registered Agent

Operating Agreement

Tailor Brands

$0 plus state fees

4 weeks

$199/year

$29

NorthWest Registered Agent

$79 + state fees

1 week (basic plan)

1st year incl. in basic package (then $125/year)

Yes

Rocket Lawyer

$140 plus state fees

Up to 5 business days

$149/year ($111/year for Premium)

Yes

Inc Authority

$0 plus state fees

Up to a week

1st year free, then $99/year

Yes

Zen Business

$0 + state fee

2-3 weeks (Basic plan)

Incl. in the formation package, then $119/year

Yes

Legal Zoom

$0 plus state fees

5-14 business days

$249/year standalone

Included in Pro tier or $99 standalone

Bizee

$0 LLC Filing + State Fee

One business day

One year free registered agent service

$70

Swiftfilings

$0 plus state fees

Same-day processing

$149/year

Included in the top two plans

LLC Filling Services FAQs

Why Do You Need an LLC Filing Service?

Using an LLC formation service helps to simplify the LLC formation process. And when you compare the low costs (many offer free basic plans) to the hours you’d spend doing it yourself, it’s obvious why LLC formation services are so popular.

How Much Do LLC Filing Companies Cost?

The answer depends on what you need, such as LLC formation, EIN application, a registered agent, and ongoing LLC state compliance. 

That said, free basic LLC formation services are available where you only pay the state filing fees. 

Do You Need an EIN Number for an LLC?

Single-owner LLCs without employees who don’t file certain excise taxes do not require an EIN. Instead, you can use your social security number (SSN) and pay taxes using IRS Schedule C (Form 1040).   

Multi-member and single-member LLC owners with specific retirement or pension plans who inherit or buy an existing LLC, file for bankruptcy, or form a partnership need an EIN.

And there are plenty of other excellent reasons you might need an EIN for your LLC, regardless of whether you require one. 

Can I form an LLC for free on my own?

Yes, you can, but depending on your state, it can be time-consuming and complicated. 

For example, you must file Articles of Organization, delegate a registered agent, draft an operating agreement, pay fees, and, most times, get an EIN. To start a foreign LLC (in another state), you may need to hire a lawyer and an accountant from that state.