Jack DonaldIf you are strong in your decision to start a corporation in the United States and now contemplate how to open a new business entity in a budget-friendly manner and with minimum fuss on your side, choosing a professional service that will help you incorporate a business online will be the right way to go. By hiring an online legal service provider, you’ll entrust all routines related to creating a corporation to a third party having solid expertise in that field. Experienced specialists will file all the necessary documents to state authorities for running the business. Not only will they handle all the paperwork on your behalf but also they will save your peace of mind about all documents being duly filled and prepared.
With numerous market players offering their legal assistance and claiming to be the best online incorporation services, you might feel a bit confused about which of them will meet your individual business needs. To help you make up your mind, below, we’ve picked 5 top-rated services we consider the best companies to start your business with. Each of them has its fortes and weaknesses we are going to review in detail.
Top Incorporation Services Reviewed
Setting up a corporation is not an easy task, so you need a trustworthy and reliable legal assistant if you want to complete the incorporation process fast and without a hassle. The legal service providers we’ve chosen for our review are the most popular legal services overall and to make sure you’ll find your perfect legal helper among them, we’ve made a thorough research and evaluated each service under certain criteria that cover price and features, added legal assistance, customer support, and customer feedback. Let’s dig in!
ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is a confident top-liner in many reviews and for a good reason. What makes this online incorporation service stand out among the rivals is strong incorporation expertise and outstanding customer support. More than that, they offer pricing flexibility to match varying budgets and easily deal with complex and tricky business scenarios many other providers often steer away from.
Price and Features
With three different pricing plans, you’ll be able to incorporate your business for fairly affordable money. At $49 per annum, the Starter Plan offers complete filing services along with a registered agent and an Operating Agreement. This plan is a safe starting point for those on a stringent budget and each next year will be charged at $119. The Pro Plan, at $199, also provides EIN registration and worry-free compliance to keep up with state requirements. The Premium Plan costs $299 and suggests enhancing your corporate credibility by setting up a business website with a unique domain name and corporate email. Besides, your documents will be filed within only a few days.
Added Legal Assistance
Overall, ZenBusiness provides valuable assistance in all key elements of the incorporation process. Each pricing plan of the company covers a free full year of registered agent service and drafting an Operating Agreement. On top of that, the service might provide help in EIN registration as well as in preparing and filing annual corporate reports.
Customer Support
High-quality customer support is one of the biggest fortes of this online legal service. You’ll get access to phone calls, live chat, and emails, which are quite common types of support provided. However, what makes ZenBusiness different is that they are open to questions from the early morning till the late evening 7 days a week.
Customer Feedback
Having been operating on the market since 2015, ZenBusinress is a relatively new company. At the same time, they already boast more than 4,700 reviews online showcasing high customer satisfaction since 97% of those reviews are positive.
ZenBusiness Pros
- Strong positive customer feedback;
- Annual registered agent service;
- Flexible pricing and valuable packages;
- Worry-free guarantee;
- Highly user-friendly interface;
- Extensive and efficient customer support.
ZenBusiness Cons
- Additional legal services are not diverse enough;
- Processing speeds are not the fastest out there;
- It’s a relatively new company with some lack of record.
IncFile
A runner-up on our list, IncFile is deservedly one of the best legal service providers. In fact, it’s a free incorporation service that provides assistance in registration in different states and offers to create a corporation only at the state fee cost, which is an indisputable company benefit as compared to other competitors. Other than that, they’ll complete the whole process within 15 working days, which is pretty fast. Some other beneficial features include an easy-to-navigate website that abounds in helpful and valuable information and educational materials laid down in a comprehensible manner.
Price and Features
You’ll have three pricing packages at your disposal including a free Silver Package, a $149 Gold Package, and a Platinum Package priced at $299. Notably, there is a registered agent service in each package, which means you can get a registered agent at no cost for the whole year if you choose to stay with a free Silver Package. The plus of the Gold plan is that it also covers a federal tax ID number (or EIN) and a whole range of essential business forms. Meanwhile, with the Platinum Package, your papers will be filed within two days and you’ll also get contract templates that will never go amiss for a corporation, given its complex business structure.
Added Legal Assistance
The best thing about IncFile is that it offers free-of-charge assistance to entrepreneurs with a limited budget to help them get their business off the ground at minimal initial expenses, at the same time providing turnkey solutions within paid packages to those customers who are ready to spend some extra to further facilitate the corporate formation process. Thus, at an added cost, you can get business forms and templates vital for setting business relationships and running the business. Besides, you’ll get a banking resolution and IncFile will even open a bank account for your company. If you need, the legal specialists will also provide professional help in filing IRS and tax returns. Some other nice extras include a personal binder and company bylaws to create a corporate style and easily maintain operating activities.
Customer Support
You can contact the company customer support center at any time from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. on weekdays or fill in a customer request form online at any time ever. Within payable packages, you’ll also receive lifetime company alerts to stay compliant with state regulations and will be able to track all your company documents via an online dashboard. You’ll also get a 1-hour consultation with a tax professional to clarify important corporate tax issues.
Customer Feedback
Since 2004 when they launched their platform, IncLife helped over 500,000 businesses to get started and proved to be one of the most reliable and trusted legal assistance providers. With IncFile, you can be sure you’ll obtain relevant incorporation services for your money.
IncFile Pros
- Free of charge incorporation service;
- A year of registered agent service at no cost;
- Fast document processing;
- Solid and trustworthy customer feedback;
- Extensive business expertise;
- Well-organized online platform with an abundance of educational information.
IncFile Cons
- Multiple upsells;
- Limited refund policy;
- Informational materials become available only upon registration.
Northwest Registered Agent
Starting as a registered agent service provider, Northwest gained huge expertise in the field before the company grew into a multi-faceted legal platform providing different types of legal services including corporate registration. Thanks to their previous registered agent experience, today, this service is strongly focused on customer identity protection. With Northwest, you can rest assured your personal and business information won’t be revealed to any third parties and will be kept confidential.
Price and Features
Right off the bat, Northwest is not the most affordable incorporation service out there. More than that, it doesn’t have a three-tier pricing system employed in other similar services. Instead, though, it offers the ultimate pricing flexibility to meet varying customer needs. Thus, if you are an experienced entrepreneur with a clear vision of your business structure and goals, you can choose the DIY option and incorporate the company by yourself making use of the Northwest tools and guides accessible at no extra charge. By just selecting the state to register your corporation, you’ll get a lot of valuable information on the legal peculiarities of running a business in that state. More than that, you can hire Northwest specialists at any state of your registration process if you feel you need assistance.
When it comes to payable services, you’ll have two options. The first one is a one-time payment of $225 + state fee for filing services, an Operating Agreement, and a full year of the registered agent service. The second option is to pay from $30 to $50 on a monthly basis to get permanent registered agent service and compliance maintenance for as long as you pay as well as lifetime support and EIN registration.
Added Legal Assistance
As an experienced registered agent, Northwest offers a full range of add-ons related to this service. They can get an EIN for your company and file compliance documents on your behalf to assure your corporation meets all legal requirements. Besides, they can file with the IRS to change your company status to S-Corp to avoid dual taxation. On top of that, the company delivers virtual office, mail forwarding, and apostille services along with corporate supplies to help you build a unique corporate style from the start.
Customer Support
Northwest is known for providing by far the best customer support in the industry. First of all, secure customer protection is the company’s top priority. With this service, you can be 100% sure your personal data won’t be sold to or shared with any third parties. Secondly, whatever question or problem you have, it will be duly tackled by the company specialists. Staying in touch with their customers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday, support experts will also readily answer the emails you are free to send at any time.
Customer Feedback
Though you won’t find a multitude of online customer reviews on Northwest, those you’ll find are all positive. Besides, the company’s experience speaks for itself. Established in 1998, the service has helped hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs start their business on the right foot.
Northwest Pros
- A thought-out combo of registered agent and filing services;
- Top-notch customer support with a focus on a personal approach;
- A close eye on customer data protection and safety;
- No unnecessary add-ons and upsells as you register;
- Easy-to-navigate platform;
- A lot of optional information available for free.
Northwest Cons
- The company services are a bit pricey as compared to other similar providers;
- Quite low processing speeds.
BizFilings
Supported by a massive global compliance firm Wolters Kluwer, BizFilings is a high-end legal service with almost 20 years of experience in the field. What makes them different is the unique registration and incorporation process they offer, which is intuitive and fully understandable for the least-experienced entrepreneur. They replaced a long list of features and prices you’d normally come across on other platforms with a customized approach. Walking through a step-by-step incorporation wizard, in the end, you’ll get a personalized recommendation on what will be better for your business at this stage.
Price and Features
Just like with other similar online services, you’ll choose between three pricing plans that overall appear to be a bit more expensive than those of many competitors. The price range varies from $99 in a Basic Plan through $229 in a Standard Plan to $359 in a Complete Plan. The cheapest package covers all the filing basics and six months of a registered agent service. The Standard plan will add a compliance kit to keep up with state regulations, corporate templates such as an Operating Agreement and essential bylaws, and expedited processing speed. The Complete Package will further enlarge the range of services provided by including two report filings to maintain compliance and certified copies of your incorporation documents. Besides, your order will be processed the very next day.
Added Legal Services
Whatever plan you choose, it covers only six months of the registered agent service and to use it on a yearly basis, you’ll have to pay $164 per annum. Likewise, the above-mentioned report filings cost $75 per year beyond the package. On the other hand, though, BizFilings has a unique set of services you won’t find anywhere else. It includes the Incorporation Wizard to help you decide how to classify your company, the License Wizard to learn which state-specific licenses and permits you need, the BizComply tool for smart compliance management, and the Trademark Explorer to tack the trademark name and logo if necessary.
Customer Support
Quality and highly efficient customer support is an aspect where BizFilings really excel. Customer service representatives are ready to answer your questions from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week, including the weekend. And all emails are usually answered within one business day.
Customer Feedback
When it comes to user reviews, we must admit BizFilings doesn’t have a lot of them. The good thing is, though, that those reviews you’ll come across are positive and there are no serious complaints about this service. No bad news is good news and the lack of reviews doesn’t mean the lack of competence.
BizFilings Pros
- Solid professional reputation;
- Robust customer support;
- Six months of registered agent service;
- Unique extra services and tools peculiar solely to this platform;
- Straightforward pricing method.
BizFilings Cons
- Higher price range;
- Lack of customer feedback.
LegalZoom
If you want premium service and a reputed provider, you can’t go wrong with LegalZoom. The best-known of the business incorporation services, LegalZoom has more than 4 million customers and boasts impressive popularity. Though their pricing starts on the higher side, they offer a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee, which means you can ask for a refund within 60 days if you don’t feel satisfied with the formation process. Besides, you can’t but like one of the best application interfaces they provide, extensive customer support with prolonged working hours that further balance a higher service cost.
Price and Features
Following a well-set tradition, LegalZoom has three pricing plans. Their Economy Package is priced at $149 annually and covers basic filing services, business name check, and lifetime customer support. Besides, you’ll get guidance on what to do after the formation process is over. The Standard package is noticeably pricier and comes at $329. It offers a corporate binder, personalized share certificates, corporate seal, and, what’s more important, expedited processing above the Economy plan. Some more perks you’ll get with the Express Gold Package at $349 are rush document filing within a week and express document shipping.
Added Legal Assistance
Legal services are one of the biggest LegalZoom strengths. Beyond regular incorporation services, the company provides different types of legal assistance both to businesses and to individuals. Their complementary services include getting all sorts of business-related licenses and permits, patent filing process, corporate attorney assistance, preparing will papers, marriage or divorce papers, creating a trust, etc. Moreover, they have a whole lot of valuable legal forms and a premium online resource library.
Customer Support
Unmatched customer service is yet another unique LegalZoom feature. As we’ve already mentioned, their support specialists have longer working hours and are available even during the weekend. Besides, they are really eager to help and will always do their best to resolve any issue you have.
Customer Feedback
Within decades, LegalZoom experts helped millions of customers in many different legal spheres. Those are both legal entities and individuals who generously shared their positive experience online. Actually, extensive customer feedback in a combo with a diverse service range is what makes LegalZoom a widely popular online incorporation service.
LegalZoom Pros
- One of the most experienced legal services so far;
- 100% satisfaction guarantee;
- High-end legal assistance in many business-related issues;
- Foolproof application interface;
- Comprehensive additional materials;
- Superb customer support.
LegalZoom Cons
- Pricey formation packages;
- Registered agent is not included;
- Rather high registered agent fee;
- Quite long processing times and expediting services comes at a cost.
Conclusion
Hiring a business incorporation service is always a winning choice for any entrepreneur since it will save a lot of time and effort when starting a company. Along with basic incorporation routines, a professional business formation service usually provides a number of other valuable add-ons that will help start your business quickly and run it smoothly afterward.
Distinguished by good track records and offering excellent customer support, ZenBusiness and IncFile take the top positions in our review and are widely favored by many customers. However, other options from our list have a lot to offer too, especially if you look for premium services, turnkey solutions, high reputation, and extensive experience.
