Best Business Registration Services
Incfile's free plan option comes with one year of registered agent services.
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Northwest Registered Agent has a strong reputation for polite and personable customer service.
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Swyft Filings offers a 60-day no-questions-asked money-back guarantee.
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Tailor Brands offers digital business cards you can purchase with your LLC formation plan.
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LegalZoom gives you access to discounted legal services and a 30-minute consultation with a lawyer.
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Have you put off filing your limited liability company (LLC) because you find the process too complicated or time-consuming? Business registration services can take some of the work off your plate. They help with the LLC formation process and ongoing compliance assistance with registered agent services.
To help you find the right fit for your needs, we put together this review of the five best business registration services in the United States, evaluating each based on affordability, range of services offered, customer satisfaction and processing time. We also made a handy guide that will answer all of your burning questions about LLCs. Let's get started!
Our Top Picks For Best Business Registration Services
- Incfile – Best For Budget
- Northwest Registered Agent – Best For Positive Customer Reviews
- Swyft Filings – Best For Quick Turnaround Time
- Tailor Brands – Best For Comprehensive Business Services
- LegalZoom – Best Satisfaction Guarantee
Best Business Registration Services
Why we chose it: Incfile took our top spot because of its affordability. With its Silver plan option, Incfile will help you through the entire business formation process for free.
Incfile's Silver plan offers a full year of registered agent services. Most companies charge anywhere from $100 to $300 for this. You will also have access to unlimited name searches, live chat and phone support. However, keep in mind that you will still have to pay your state's filing fees and that the plan will auto-renew at full price after one year.
Incfile offers two other plan options: Gold and Platinum. These paid choices come with a number of ancillary services like operating agreements filing, banking resolution, EIN services and more. While costing significantly more, the Platinum plan comes with a few added services, including business contract templates, your own domain name, business email setup and expedited filing.
Incfile's average filing time is relatively slow, ranging from three to six weeks, but you can get your paperwork taken care of in just one to two business days with the Platinum plan's expedited services.
Incfile also gives you the option to customize your plan with various a-la-carte items. For example, if you're an entrepreneur, you can apply for a grant through the service.
Incfile's 4.8/5 rating with 2,105 reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website suggests that most of its customers are happy with the service, with many users citing friendly and helpful customer service representatives.
Why we chose it: Northwest Registered Agent has gained a reputation for its helpful, in-house customer service staff.
Compared to some of the other companies on our list, Northwest Registered Agent is a relatively small player. Best known for its registered agent services, it also provides a single, affordably priced LLC formation package (registered agent services included).
The firm is particularly known for its positive relationship with its customers, reflected in its 4.5/5 BBB rating with 122 customer reviews. Many reviews mention courteous, helpful and knowledgeable customer support staff.
While Northwest Registered Agent doesn't have a free filing option, it offers all of the forms that you need to file for yourself on its website. It also hosts step-by-step instructions to guide you through the self-filing process.
In addition to its filing services, you can also choose from a wide range of add-ons, such as compliance filing, EIN filing and mail forwarding, though these services can add up fast. Additionally, Northwest does not offer refunds if you pay annually and cancel early.
Northwest Registered Agent also does not offer business license reporting. Business license reporting is a feature offered by some business registration companies that details all the local, state and federal licenses and permits needed to legally operate a business in a given area. While not strictly necessary for conducting business, a business license report may prove helpful to new business owners or businesses operating in complex regulatory environments.
Why we chose it: Swyft Filings is one of the fastest services around for completing business registration filings. It also has a longer-than-average refund policy to ensure that you're getting the services you expect.
Swyft completes most filings in just seven to 10 business days. If that's not fast enough, you can speed up its turnaround time even further by opting for its expedited service.
Aside from its quick turnaround time, Swyft Filings also won approval for its 60-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to claim a refund if you're unhappy with the services you received. You also have the choice to make your payment upfront or in installments.
You can also customize your package with other common add-ons like EIN services, operating agreement templates and business name lookup, but you can only purchase registered agent services as an add-on feature, and it's relatively expensive.
On the BBB website, Swyft Filings holds a 4.5/5 star rating with 354 customer reviews. This reflects a general level of satisfaction with the service. However, multiple reviewers mentioned that Swyft wrongfully charged their credit cards.
Why we chose it: Tailor Brands offers a comprehensive suite of services, including a design tool that you can use to build a logo for your company.
With Tailor Brands, you'll get a full slate of digital business tools alongside basic LLC formation services. These include digital business cards, a website, social media graphics and a domain name. You can also purchase a number of supporting services a la carte, including registered agent services, EIN services, annual compliance, operating agreement templates, expedited filing, annual report filing and business license reporting.
Many of these services are priced in line with Tailor's competition. However, its EIN service stands out as considerably more expensive than average.
Tailor Brands lets you pick from multiple plan tiers. Its Lite plan offers a stripped-down LLC formation service at an affordable price, while both its Elite and Essential plans run considerably more expensive than average. The graphic design features may partially explain these high prices, as Tailor Brands stands out for its additional services in the creative and digital spaces. You can learn about more business tech with our guide to the most and least invasive business apps.
On the BBB website, Tailor Brands holds a 1.1/5 average star rating with 78 customer reviews. Many customers have complained that Tailor Brands charged them in error. Tailor Brands has responded to all of its negative reviews with detailed breakdowns of the steps they've taken to resolve the issue, indicating that the company has made a good-faith effort to rectify its ongoing issues.
Why we chose it: LegalZoom is one of the largest and best-established players in the world of business registration services. Its long satisfaction guarantee backs up this reputation and helps customers trust that they're getting quality support.
If you aren't happy with LegalZoom, you can request a full refund up to 60 days from the time of your purchase. In addition, all packages come standard with a peace of mind review.
Though prices trend toward the upper end of the spectrum, LegalZoom offers access to a broad range of services.
The Economy plan, for example, comes with lifetime customer support, a financial account authorization letter and an LLC next-step guide. Most lower-cost services only offer these features as add-ons. LegalZoom also gives you a free 30-minute consultation with a lawyer and 25% off certain legal services. While enticing, LegalZoom's high cost may still make this a less-than-great deal for some people.
You can purchase third-party registered agent services through LegalZoom. However, it will cost you more than you might pay elsewhere. LegalZoom's lowest-price plans have an estimated filing time of 20 days. This may stretch up to 30 days in some cases.
The company has a 4.6/5 star average with 6,608 reviews on the BBB website, indicating a high level of customer satisfaction.
Other Business Registration And LLC Services We Considered
The following businesses did not make our list of best LLC formation services because they did not perform well in our four assessed areas of affordability, range of services offered, customer satisfaction and processing time. However, they still deserve an honorable mention for their quality services and may be worth checking out depending on your specific needs.
Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer operates off a subscription model that offers limited free consultations and discounted legal services to members. It requires non-members to make all of their purchases a la carte, while members receive many LLC formation services for free or at a heavy discount. Rocket Lawyer failed to make our list due to its pricing model, which may make it a poor choice for many business owners.
BizFilings
BizFilings offers a standard array of LLC formation services at higher-than-average prices. It advertises a normal filing turnaround time of four to six weeks and an expedited time frame ranging from one to two weeks. For these reasons, BizFilings failed to make our main list.
Filenow
Filenow is a relative newcomer to the business registration services space. While it offers many standard features along with a money-back guarantee, it lacks some of the added features offered by its competitors. In addition, its premium plan choice runs higher than most comparable service packages.
Business Registration Services Guide
We've put together this handy guide to help you understand how LLC formation services work. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know to make an informed purchasing decision.
What Are Business Registration And LLC Services?
Business registration and LLC services help business owners incorporate their companies by filing important paperwork with the state in which they're based. They often provide additional services related to business ownership, such as assisting with ongoing compliance matters, providing legal advice on a limited range of business-related topics, and even creating logos and websites.
You do not need to hire an LLC formation company to help you set up your business. Every state gives you the option of filing for yourself. However, you may choose to use one of these services for the sake of convenience or to take advantage of their expertise.
You also have the option of paying a lawyer to set up your business for you. Lawyers typically cost more than LLC service companies, but they provide a higher level of personalized service.
How Do Business Registration And LLC Services Work?
To start, business registration and LLC services collect relevant information and enough money to cover any filing fees in your state —this is billed separately from your fee to use the service. They'll conduct a name check to ensure that your chosen business name isn't already in use. If your chosen name isn't in compliance with state regulations, they'll let you know that too.
Every state has its own rules when it comes to forming an LLC. Consequently, the services offered and fees charged may vary depending on where you're located.
The Benefits Of Using Business Formation Services
In addition to helping you avoid as much paperwork as possible, there are several other major benefits of hiring a third-party company to set up your LLC for you.
Reduced Risk Of Filing Errors
While you can file your own LLC paperwork, there's a chance that you may end up making a costly mistake. Failure to correctly file all of your relevant forms, such as your LLC operating agreement, can lead to hefty fines. You could also lose the legal liability protection granted by the LLC, potentially opening you up to some serious personal liability issues if someone sues your business.
LLC formation service companies have deep experience and knowledge in this domain. Not only are they less likely to make a mistake, but many services offer a full refund if they make a filing error with your LLC paperwork.
Help With Meeting Business Compliance Requirements
Every state has its own list of compliance requirements. In general, most states have strict rules regarding the intermingling of personal and business funds. Business registration services may also advise you on ongoing state and federal compliance issues, including:
- Franchise taxes
- Initial reports
- Annual reports and biennial statements
- Annual and biennial filing fees
Compliance requirements vary dramatically depending on the state. For more information, take a look at our review of the best states to start a business in.
Access To A Wide Variety Of Helpful Tools
Some LLC formation services offer business owners access to a range of supporting features. As part of its formation package, a business registration service may also offer to help you satisfy business license requirements and handle ongoing compliance requirements. Other services sometimes offered by these companies include:
- Website setup
- Legal advice
- Access to online resources regarding small business ownership
- Articles of incorporation template
- Logo design
Some services, like LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer, provide discounted legal services and free consultation with a lawyer. Other services, like Tailor Brands, specialize in helping businesses with their graphic design needs.
Includes Registered Agent Services
You must designate a registered agent when you set up your LLC. The law requires that this person be available at a listed address during regular business hours. Your designated agent accepts mail, legal documents and other messages on your behalf.
While it's possible for you to act as your own registered agent, you might choose to hire someone to perform the duty for you. This grants you greater flexibility and privacy. Many LLC formation services offer registered agent services. Sometimes this service comes with the base pricing, but usually, you'll have to pay an extra fee.
Am I Required By Law To Register My Business?
In most cases, the answer is no. You may need to register with your state or local government depending on the type of business that you're opening up. For example, medical service providers, like dentists and doctors, operate in highly regulated industries and must often meet certain registration requirements. However, if you choose to open a small business in a relatively unregulated market, such as lawn cutting, you may not need to register your business with any government agencies prior to beginning work. Unregistered businesses operate by default as sole proprietorships.
Sole proprietorships are the simplest form of business ownership. In a sole proprietorship, the company owner is synonymous with the business itself. You have no duty to separate your personal and business funds, and if you incur liability while performing your duties then you could be held personally responsible.
If you go into business with one or more people, then you will operate as a general partnership. This business structure resembles a sole proprietorship in several ways. It's a pass-through entity, meaning that the income flows directly to the company owners. You also maintain unlimited liability in this arrangement. However, you should have an agreement with your business partners delineating profit sharing, asset ownership and other responsibilities.
Filing for an LLC, S-corp, C-corp or other business structure often makes sense from a financial perspective. However, in some instances, you may want to operate as a sole proprietorship. For example, if you're doing a one-off job in which you likely won't incur any liability, it may not make sense to create an LLC.
Are you ready to start your own business? Find the right location for your LLC with our review of the best and worst small cities to start a business in the U.S.
Business Registration Services FAQ
How We Chose the Best Business Registration Services
We evaluated each business registration company according to the following criteria:
- Affordability: We favored companies that charge competitive prices relative to the level of service provided.
- Range of services: We assessed each company by the number and levels of services on offer. This included not only services related directly to the registration process but also supporting services like the availability of registered agent services and supplemental services, such as logo design and website creation.
- Customer satisfaction: We looked at what customers had to say about each business by consulting trusted third-party review platforms, such as the Better Business Bureau.
- Processing time: We evaluated each company according to its average processing speed.
