Best LLC Formation Services of 2027
Seven services, the same single-member LLC, ordered through each at the advertised entry price. We tracked what the checkout added, what the registered agent costs from year two, how long the state took to approve the filing, and how clearly each service disclosed that the state fee is separate. This is a comparison of filing services, not legal advice.
Northwest Registered Agent ($39 + state fee) - Puts its own address on the public record instead of yours, answers the phone with a person, and does not sell your data — the cleanest checkout in the test Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Uses its address on the articles wherever the state allows, keeping your home address off the public record
- One upsell screen in the whole checkout, clearly priced
- "Privacy by default" policy: it does not sell customer data
Harbor Compliance (Formation from $99 + state fee) - Built for businesses that must stay licensed in several states — registered agent at $99 a year and real licensing expertise, not a $0 headline Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Cheapest registered agent renewal here at $99 a year, in every state
- Handles licences and permits that filing services ignore
- Assigned specialist; no upsell screens at all
Bizee (formerly Incfile) (Silver, $0 + state fee) - A genuine $0 package with a free first year of registered agent service — the cheapest real way to get an LLC filed for you Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Year one cost us nothing beyond the state fee
- Free registered agent for a year, $119 after
- Dashboard tracks annual report deadlines
ZenBusiness (Starter, $0 + state fee) - The most polished dashboard and the widest set of add-ons — formation, banking, bookkeeping and compliance in one account Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Clearest dashboard: filings, deadlines, documents and money tools in one place
- Worry-Free Compliance files your annual report
- Banking, invoicing and bookkeeping add-ons that actually work
Rocket Lawyer ($99.99 one-time or free with membership) - A legal-document subscription that throws the LLC filing in free — the better deal if you will also need contracts and attorney questions answered Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Membership covers unlimited legal documents and 30-minute attorney consultations
- Operating agreement and EIN included, not upsold
- Documents are genuinely usable — leases, NDAs, contractor agreements
LegalZoom (Basic, $0 + state fee) - The best-known name, with real attorneys on subscription and 25 years of filings behind it — priced accordingly at every step Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- A licensed attorney in your state on a monthly plan — nobody else here offers it properly
- Trademark, contracts, estate documents in the same account
- Satisfaction guarantee and a long track record
Tailor Brands (Lite, $0 + state fee) - Files the LLC and builds the brand — logo, website and social kit — for founders starting from nothing but an idea Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Logo maker, website builder and brand kit in the same subscription
- Genuinely $0 to file
- Good for a founder with no design resources
What separates the best LLC formation services?
Seven services filed the same single-member LLC. The scores run from 9.1 to 6.8, and the gap is mostly about what happens after the filing.
Northwest Registered Agent scores 9.1 at $39. It puts its own address on the articles wherever the state allows, so your home address stays off the public record. One upsell screen in the checkout. The trade-off: $39 is not $0, and an EIN costs $50 when the IRS issues one free in ten minutes.
Harbor Compliance scores 8.4 at $99. Registered agent renewal is $99 a year in every state, the cheapest renewal here. It handles licences and permits other filing services ignore. No free package, so year one runs $198.
Bizee scores 8.3 at $0 plus state fee. Year one cost nothing beyond the state fee, with a free registered agent for a year, $119 after. Four upsell screens stand between you and checkout, and the operating agreement and EIN sit behind the $199 Gold package.
ZenBusiness scores 8.0 at $0 plus state fee. The dashboard is the clearest here, and Worry-Free Compliance files your annual report. Registered agent is $199 a year from day one, the most expensive on this page. Standard filing took ten business days.
Rocket Lawyer scores 7.5 at $99.99. The filing is included with a legal-document membership that covers unlimited documents and 30-minute attorney consultations. Filing alone is $99.99; the value sits in the $39.99 monthly membership, which auto-renews after the trial.
LegalZoom scores 7.3 at $0 plus state fee. A licensed attorney in your state on a monthly plan is something nobody else here offers properly. Registered agent is $249 a year and an EIN is $99. It also ran the most upsell screens of any checkout in the test.
Tailor Brands scores 6.8 at $0 plus state fee. Logo maker, website builder and brand kit come in the same subscription, and filing is genuinely $0. It had the heaviest upselling in the test, and Lite filing took fourteen business days.
What should you check before buying an LLC formation service?
The scoring criteria weight true first-year cost at 30 and renewal cost at 20, so run your own two-year math before you pick.
- Year-one total. A $0 headline still carries the state fee. Harbor Compliance has no free package, so year one is $198.
- Registered agent from year two. Bizee is free for a year then $119. ZenBusiness is $199 from day one. LegalZoom is $249 a year.
- Checkout transparency. Count the upsell screens. Bizee has four, LegalZoom the most in the test, Tailor Brands the heaviest upselling.
- What is bundled. Rocket Lawyer includes the operating agreement and EIN. Bizee puts both behind the $199 Gold package.
- Filing speed. ZenBusiness standard filing took ten business days; Tailor Brands Lite took fourteen.
Which LLC formation service is right for you?
If privacy matters most, Northwest Registered Agent uses its address on the articles wherever the state allows. If you operate in several states and need licences, Harbor Compliance pairs a $99 annual registered agent with licensing work. If you want the lowest year-one cost, Bizee files for $0 plus the state fee with a free registered agent for a year. If you want one dashboard for filings, deadlines and money tools, ZenBusiness is the pick. If you will also need contracts and attorney questions answered, Rocket Lawyer bundles the filing into its membership. If you want an attorney on a monthly plan, LegalZoom offers one in your state. If you are starting from an idea and need a logo and website too, Tailor Brands builds the brand alongside the filing.
Northwest Registered Agent suits founders who want their home address off the public record, and Harbor Compliance suits businesses that must stay licensed in several states. Bizee is the cheapest real way to file, while ZenBusiness fits anyone who wants filings, deadlines and money tools in one dashboard. Rocket Lawyer and LegalZoom suit founders who need ongoing legal documents or an attorney, and Tailor Brands fits a founder starting from an idea who also needs a logo and website.
Questions about best llc formation services of 2027
*Scores: True first-year cost 30 · Renewal cost 20 · Filing & compliance service 20 · Checkout transparency 15 · Support & extras 15; score = Σ ÷ 10. Prices shown were checked on the date beside each and may change. Affiliate links are added only after a score is locked and can never change it. How we rank.