Jack DonaldHiring professional formation services to register an LLC has become common practice for many entrepreneurs. And given that there is a wide range of companies offering LLC service, finding a fitting option for the needs of your company is an achievable goal.
The following LLC service comparison might help you save some time by offering more structured information on Rocket Lawyer and IncFile in one place. Here you can find more about their pricing plans, services, and individual features which may help you make the final decision.
Do Rocket Lawyer and IncFile Offer Good Value?
When it comes to popular and reputable LLC formation services, both Rocket Lawyer and IncFile make for natural picks with either option offering affordable formation features without losing in quality of the service itself.
IncFile stands out predominantly for their exceptionally low prices, namely their cheapest LLC service package that costs exactly $0 while including a year of registered agent service without upsells.
Meanwhile, Rocket Lawyer’s cheapest plan is priced at $99,9 in stark contrast to IncFile’s free base package. But good pricing isn’t all you should be focusing on. Let’s look closer at the various features both companies have on offer and decide which plans are more suitable for your business.
6 Things They Have In Common
Affordable
When forming a new company, the majority of the planning always comes down to the allocation of funds. And compared to hiring an expensive business attorney, subscribing to the services of Rocket Lawyer or IncFile might help you balance your startup capital while still getting high-quality service.
Customer Support
Both companies offer strong customer support capable of assisting even with the most complex problems. This way you can fully focus on managing your business activities without wasting precious time on looking up obscure information. Plus they offer help as part of your subscription, saving you from spending a fortune on hiring a lawyer whenever an issue arises.
Experience
Rocket Lawyer and IncFile are two highly experienced companies, both boasting impressive track records. While IncFile has served over 250 000 customers, Rocket Lawyer has worked with over 20 million entrepreneurs according to the information on their website. Both the volume of their customer bases and successful formations attest to the reliability and professionalism of the two companies.
Additional Services
Both companies provide plenty of other services aside from forming an LLC since they operate as business service shops capable of helping your company tackle such processes as:
- designating a registered agent service as per LLC formation requirements;
- obtaining federal tax ID number (EIN) required for filing taxes;
- drafting annual reports;
- preparing your operating agreement and other formation documents.
Great Customer Reviews
When choosing a service provider, many business owners pay special attention to the company’s feedback history as reviewed by previous customers. If you also prefer to check out the reviews first, both Rocket Lawyer and IncFile have extensive feedback histories detailing pros and cons as well as providing average ratings.
Educational
As a beginner, you might find a significant part of the paperwork involved in business formation to be rather confusing. There is where services like IncFile and Rocket Lawyer come in, both providing lots of free information on:
- state law;
- organizational structures;
- taxation, licensing etc.
Side by Side Comparisons
Pricing (The Main Difference)
When it comes to affordable prices, IncFile is truly unmatched, offering three LLC formation plans:
- Silver: costs $0 + state fee while covering all the basics like one year of registered agent service for free;
- Gold: $149 package fee + state fee or $386 single payment;
- Platinum: $299 package fee + state fee or $536 single payment;
Refer to IncFile’s website to see details regarding their LLC formation pricing plans.
Rocket Lawyer doesn’t deal with packages but provides their services along with their $39,99 monthly subscription. By subscribing you will be able to have your LLC formed for free, otherwise, the service costs $99.99 + state fee without any additional features.
Evidently, IncFile is a clear leader of the two in terms of pricing since even their basic plan offers more valuable features, including registered agent, while their higher-tier packages are more than affordable.
Features
Rocket Lawyer offers their services based on subscription status.
As such, if you want to get your LLC formation at no additional cost without subscribing, be ready to only get the following features in your plan:
- business name availability search;
- templates of principal documents;
- LLC registration;
- online storage for managing documents.
Those who purchase Rocket Lawyer’s subscription will get a more comprehensive plan that includes:
- LLC registration:
- free for new subscribers;
- at 25% discount for recurring subscriptions;
- consultation with lawyers via phone, email, or online;
- 25% discount on registered agent service;
- attorney discounts;
- legal documents database, storage, and more.
As for IncFile, the extensiveness of their services depends on which LLC service package you choose out of three they have on offer.
- Silver plan includes $0 formation service + state fee as well as:
- business name availability search;
- drafting and filing the Articles of Organization;
- a full year of registered agent service for free;
- lifetime customer support;
- business tax consultation and more.
- Gold plan includes all of the Silver plan features plus additional services including:
- EIN acquisition;
- drafting your Operating Agreement;
- expedited delivery of the Articles of Organization;
- opening a business bank account;
- personalized ledger to monitor the accounts of the company.
- Platinum formation package includes:
- expedited processing of all documentation;
- templates of all documents;
- website development.
As is evident from these listings, Rocket Lawyer focuses on basic essentials of formation, LLC or otherwise, while IncFile has a massive advantage in terms of the volume of their services. Plus their selection includes a free registered agent.
Even though you can get a discounted registered agent service from Rocket Lawyer if you buy their subscription, it is unlikely to be as frugal as a whole year of free registered agent IncFile offers. Still, Rocket Lawyer offers comprehensive legal services the majority of which you won’t find in IncFile packages.
Experience
Despite being the younger of the two, Rocket Lawyer doesn’t fail to impress with their history that rightfully made them into one of the industry giants. Since their opening in 2008, the company has successfully processed over 20 million orders and accumulated hundreds of positive reviews.
It’s near impossible to compete with Rocket Lawyer in workload volume, but it doesn’t make IncFile any less reputable. Not only have they helped more than 250 000 customers, but they also show plenty of experience in handling LLC formations and providing other related business services.
Customer Support
Both companies provide solid customer service by answering your questions online, via mail, or by phone. Still, they are not devoid of minor shortcomings such as:
- response times may span hours;
- even though correct, the answers can be too succinct.
One of the advantages Rocket Lawyer holds in this regard is their extended working hours, whereas IncFile representatives can only assist during standard office hours.
Turnaround Times
Although IncFile and Rocket Lawyer handle applications at similar processing times, the speed of the review depends on the processing speeds of your state of formation.
Both companies also offer expedited service for their LLC formation customers. For an extra fee, you will be able to get your formation processed in a few days instead of several weeks.
Order Tracking
Both IncFile and Rocket Lawyer let you check your order status, though their approach is a bit different.
IncFile’s website offers a status tracking tool that can be used after you have placed your order. All order info updates in real-time to help you keep an eye on the processing without the need to refresh the page.
As for Rocket Lawyer, they primarily update you via email with a standard order confirmation. If you want to get a more detailed tracking, simply log in to your account on their website.
Registered Agent Service
Registered agent is responsible for important document deliveries between the relevant authorities and the LLC. According to federal law, every LLC in America must have a representative agent to facilitate smooth communication between the state government and the company.
Keep in mind that the state requires the business entity to designate a registered agent during the formation process, and without assigning an agent beforehand your application may be rejected.
This can be explained by the fact that the state needs to have a reliable means of contacting your company in order to establish reliable channels for sending formal correspondence.
Rocket Lawyer sets rather steep prices for this feature, selling a year of their registered agent service for $149,99. In contrast, IncFile includes a full year of registered agent free of charge in all its LLC service packages, including the $0 base plan. After the first year, the subsequent annual fee for their registered agent is $119.
Customer Reviews
IncFile and Rocket Lawyer are both rather popular with their customers, having accumulated thousands of reviews. Their average rating scores are quite high as well, each company further reinforcing it with strong reviews from its customers and hundreds of successful formations.
Ease of Use
Both companies offer business services that are both accessible and well-structured. IncFile is particularly easy to use, allowing you to place an order for LLC formation in a few easy steps. All you need to do is select the preferred formation plan and provide basic information about your business.
Rocket Lawyer may only offer one form of subscription, but the plan is also highly customizable. Moreover, both services have user-friendly websites with plenty of useful info and additional educational content.
Additional Services
The two companies share a few of the additional services. When it comes to the features included in their plans, both of them can:
- offer registered agent service;
- help draft annual reports and other formation or maintenance documents.
In addition to these common business services, Rocket Lawyer expands its customer support practices. What particularly makes them stand out is the broad selection of services they offer, including various business and personal services. Some of these unique services include:
- copyright protection, intellectual property, contracts, NDRs;
- estate planning;
- business attorneys for consultations and other forms of legal support.
Which Is the LLC Formation Service for You?
Although Rocket Lawyer and IncFile offer similar services in many ways, each company also provides unique features on a more personalized level. The two differ in some important aspects, and it’s the little details that may help you choose the right service for your company.
Choose IncFile if You Are:
- looking to receive the most bang for your buck by hiring one of the top-quality cheap LLC formation services without dealing with upsells and redundant features;
- not looking for regular legal support.
Choose Rocket Lawyer if You Are:
- not only looking to start an LLC but also want to receive extended legal support;
- interested in online legal services and prepared to pay for the monthly subscription.
Frequently Asked Question
Both companies avoid common upselling practices, but Rocket Lawyer has been known to push their legal subscription during the registration process.
Rocket Lawyer is more reliable in this respect, offering full data protection. This is primarily the result of their policy to promote in-house services rather than contract third-party providers.
IncFile, on the other hand, pushes a few special offers for soliciting services from third-party providers, namely Bank of America and SnapWeb that deals with web hosting, development, and digital marketing.
Both companies are fully capable of helping you form an LLC without much hassle. Their plans are fairly similar in terms of features and overall pricing.
LegalZoom has certain benefits over Rocket Lawyer by extending their office hours to provide more consistent customer support.
Rocket Lawyer, on the other hand, has a longer track record when it comes to their service history. The high number of customers and a wide range of legal services both point to the company as the best option out of the two.
