Best LLC Formation Services Compared (2026)

First, the framing the industry won't give you: forming an LLC is filing one form with your state and paying a fee. The form takes most people under an hour on the state website. What formation services actually sell is everything around that form — a registered agent, the EIN, the operating agreement, compliance reminders — plus the reassurance of not doing government paperwork alone. That bundle has real value for some founders and none for others, which is why this comparison starts with whether you need a service at all.

The quick answer

*Every option also pays your state's mandatory filing fee ($50–500 depending on state) — no service can waive it, whatever the ads imply.

How the "free" formation services make money

Understanding this makes you a better shopper: $0-formation offers are customer-acquisition pricing. The margin comes later — registered agent renewals after the free first year, compliance subscriptions that auto-renew, EIN filing charged for (the IRS does it free — our EIN guide), operating agreement templates, and "rush processing" for things the state processes at one speed anyway. None of this is a scam; it's just a checkout flow designed for people who don't know which add-ons matter. Now you do: the registered agent is the one genuinely valuable recurring service in the pile (what it is and whether to be your own); most of the rest you can do yourself in minutes.

The contenders in detail

Northwest Registered Agent — the straightforward one

Northwest's pitch is the absence of a pitch: ~$39 plus your state fee, a real registered agent service included free for the first year (~$125/year after), a privacy-first policy of putting their address on public filings instead of yours where possible, and support staffed by humans who answer questions rather than scripts that upsell. It has become the near-consensus recommendation among people who compare these services for a living, and the reason is boring: the price on the tin is the price. If you want one default answer, this is ours.

ZenBusiness — polished, with a subscription engine underneath

The slickest onboarding in the category and a genuinely helpful dashboard, with a $0 starter tier that covers the filing itself. The trade: the flow steers you toward its Worry-Free Compliance subscription and other recurring add-ons, and the value of those depends entirely on whether you'd otherwise forget your annual report. Fine choice if you read the checkout carefully and untick what you don't need.

Bizee — the $0 headline, veterans of the upsell

Bizee (formerly Incfile) pioneered free formation and includes a first year of registered agent service, which makes its true first-year cost genuinely low. The checkout is the heaviest gauntlet of add-ons in the category, and the agent renewal lands at ~$119/year. Good deal for disciplined shoppers; expensive for impulse-clickers.

LegalZoom — the brand name, at brand-name prices

The most recognisable name, backed by a large legal-services ecosystem — attorney consultations, trademark filings, ongoing legal plans. For a straightforward single-member LLC you're paying a premium for that brand halo; where LegalZoom earns its keep is when you know you'll want the wider legal menu anyway.

DIY — the option the ads skip

Your state's website, the articles-of-organization form, the state fee, done — typically under an hour. Then the follow-ups: free EIN from the IRS, an operating agreement (templates and AI drafting make this a same-day job), and a decision about serving as your own registered agent. DIY is the right answer for founders who are comfortable with forms and value the ~$40–300 saved; a service is the right answer if a checklist someone else maintains is worth real money to you — no shame in either.

Which should you pick?

• Want it handled, minimum games: Northwest.
• Want $0 today and can resist a checkout: Bizee, with the add-ons declined.
• Want compliance babysitting long-term: ZenBusiness with eyes open about the subscription.
• Expect to need lawyers anyway: LegalZoom.
• Comfortable with an hour of forms: DIY, and put the savings toward insurance — it protects you from more than an LLC does.

And zoom out before any of it: make sure you actually need the LLC yet — our plain-English guide covers when it matters and when it can wait.

The service you pick matters less than the add-ons you decline. Know what the IRS and your state give you free, and buy the rest deliberately.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to form an LLC?

Filing yourself on your state's website — you pay only the mandatory state fee ($50–500 by state). Among services, Bizee's $0 tier (with add-ons declined) and Northwest's ~$39 flat fee are the cheapest realistic routes; every "free" offer still passes the state fee through to you.

Are LLC formation services worth it?

They're worth it if you value an hour of your time above their fee, want a registered agent bundled with privacy benefits, or want someone tracking your compliance dates. They're not worth it for the EIN (free from the IRS), rush processing, or most template add-ons — that's checkout-flow revenue, not necessity.

Is Northwest or ZenBusiness better?

Northwest wins on pricing transparency and privacy (your address stays off public filings where possible); ZenBusiness wins on dashboard polish and hand-holding, at the cost of subscription-heavy checkout. For most solo founders who just want the LLC done cleanly, Northwest is the safer default.

How long does it take to form an LLC?

The filing itself takes under an hour; state approval ranges from same-day (online-filing states) to a few weeks (paper-heavy ones). Formation services add little speed — they file the same form with the same state queue, and paid "expedite" options mostly resell the state's own expedite fee.