Best LLC Formation Services for Small Businesses in 2026
Six LLC formation services compared on what you pay in year 1 and year 2, what is included, and which upsells to skip.
Last updated: November 2026
- Start free at $0 + state fees
- Free Lite plan files in 14 business days
- Logo, website and LLC filing in one account
- Free Lite plan to file your LLC
- Logo and website tools in the same account
- Essential plan ($199/yr) adds 1-day filing and an operating agreement
- Registered agent ($199/yr) and EIN ($99) cost extra on the free plan
- Bookkeeping trial turns into $39/mo if you don't cancel
- Doesn't support C corp or nonprofit formation
- Features may feel overwhelming if you only need the LLC filed
- Start free at $0 + state fees
- Free Lite plan files in 14 business days
- Logo, website and LLC filing in one account
- Free Lite plan to file your LLC
- Logo and website tools in the same account
- Essential plan ($199/yr) adds 1-day filing and an operating agreement
- Registered agent ($199/yr) and EIN ($99) cost extra on the free plan
- Bookkeeping trial turns into $39/mo if you don't cancel
- Doesn't support C corp or nonprofit formation
- Features may feel overwhelming if you only need the LLC filed
- Fast and simple setup with clear pricing
- Expert filing and award-winning support
- 100% accuracy guaranteed all-in-1 platform
- Affordable and Customizable
- Has everything a business owner needs in one place
- Worry-Free Compliance Guarantee
- High TrustPilot Review Score
- Limited Live Customer Service Hours
- Fast and simple setup with clear pricing
- Expert filing and award-winning support
- 100% accuracy guaranteed all-in-1 platform
- Affordable and Customizable
- Has everything a business owner needs in one place
- Worry-Free Compliance Guarantee
- High TrustPilot Review Score
- Limited Live Customer Service Hours
- Step-by-step guidance to help you launch
- Comprehensive legal solutions for businesses
- 100% Accurate filing guarantee
- Affordable and Customizable
- Has everything a business owner needs in one place
- Access to a wide pool of experienced attorneys
- Limited Live Customer Service Hours
- Expensive Add-Ons
- Step-by-step guidance to help you launch
- Comprehensive legal solutions for businesses
- 100% Accurate filing guarantee
- Affordable and Customizable
- Has everything a business owner needs in one place
- Access to a wide pool of experienced attorneys
- Limited Live Customer Service Hours
- Expensive Add-Ons
- Free 1 year of registered agent service
- Same business day filing
- Registered agent services in all 50 states
- Excellent Customer Service
- Strong Privacy Protections
- Over 20 Years of Operation
- Highly Rated
- No Free Option
- Free 1 year of registered agent service
- Same business day filing
- Registered agent services in all 50 states
- Excellent Customer Service
- Strong Privacy Protections
- Over 20 Years of Operation
- Highly Rated
- No Free Option
- Free professional registered agent
- Lifetime compliance alerts
- Free business tax consultation
- Free Registered Agent for 1 Year with All Packages
- Easy to Use
- No Hidden Costs or Fees
- Offers Grants to Entrepreneurs
- Limited Live Customer Service Hours
- Expensive Add-Ons
- Free professional registered agent
- Lifetime compliance alerts
- Free business tax consultation
- Free Registered Agent for 1 Year with All Packages
- Easy to Use
- No Hidden Costs or Fees
- Offers Grants to Entrepreneurs
- Limited Live Customer Service Hours
- Expensive Add-Ons
- Personalized customer service to your needs
- Verify company name availability
- Trusted by over 600,000 businesses since 2015
- Installment Payments Allowed
- High TrustPilot Review Score
- Quick Application Process
- Lifetime Customer Support Access
- Limited Live Customer Service Hours
- Personalized customer service to your needs
- Verify company name availability
- Trusted by over 600,000 businesses since 2015
- Installment Payments Allowed
- High TrustPilot Review Score
- Quick Application Process
- Lifetime Customer Support Access
- Limited Live Customer Service Hours
* Featured prices can be updated and free offers may include additional terms.
The best LLC formation service for most small businesses is Northwest Registered Agent if you want the lowest honest cost over two years - $39 to file, a free registered agent for year 1, then $125/yr. Pick Bizee if you want to pay $0 up front, ZenBusiness if you want annual reports handled for you, and LegalZoom if you want an attorney on call. Watch the year-2 price, not the $0 headline - that is where these services make their money.
Best LLC formation service by situation
Read the table by your situation, not by the logo. The price is what you pay the service in year 1, before state fees.
Your situation | Pick | Year 1 (service only) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
Lowest cost over 2 years, with a registered agent | Northwest Registered Agent | $39 | Registered agent free for year 1, then $125/yr, the lowest published renewal on this list |
Pay $0 today | Bizee | $0 | Every package includes a free registered agent for year 1 - the renewal after that is automatic |
Want annual reports filed for you | ZenBusiness | $99 | Worry-Free Compliance is free for year 1. The $99 is the first-year registered agent |
Want a lawyer to review things | LegalZoom | $299 (Expert) | Attorney and accountant access - turns into $99/mo after 30 days |
Need a logo and website too | Tailor Brands | $0 (Lite) | Branding tools in the same account - registered agent is $199/yr extra |
Need it filed today | Northwest Registered Agent | $199 (Premium) | Same-day filing, registered agent year 1 included |
What does an LLC service really cost in year 1 and year 2?
Year 1 includes the cheapest package that files your LLC, the service's own registered agent, and the state filing fee. Year 2 is the registered agent renewal, any subscription that renews on its own, and the state's yearly fee. Read Y1 as your first-year total and Y2 as what renews if you cancel nothing.
Service | Wyoming Y1 | Wyoming Y2 | Texas Y1 | Texas Y2 | California Y1 | California Y2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bizee | $100 | $209 | $300 | $149 | $890 | $949 |
Northwest Registered Agent | $139 | $185 | $339 | $125 | $929 | $925 |
ZenBusiness | $199 | $458 | $399 | $398 | $989 | $1,198 |
Tailor Brands | $299 | $259 | $499 | $199 | $1,089 | $999 |
LegalZoom | $349 | $309 | $549 | $249 | $1,139 | $1,049 |
Swyft Filings | $696 | $656 | $896 | $596 | $1,486 | $1,396 |
How we got there:
- State fees: Wyoming $100 to file, then a $60 minimum annual report. Texas $300 to file, with no franchise tax due under $2.65M in revenue. California $70 to file, $20 for the first Statement of Information, and the $800 annual tax every year, including year 1.
- Registered agent prices: Northwest $125/yr after year 1. Bizee $149/yr. ZenBusiness $99 in year 1, then $199/yr. Tailor Brands $199/yr. LegalZoom $249/yr. Swyft $149 per quarter.
- ZenBusiness year 2 also includes Worry-Free Compliance at $199/yr.
The honest read: Bizee and Northwest land within $15 of each other over two years. The difference is what happens at renewal. Northwest publishes its $125 price. Bizee renews through its partner LegalInc, and its cancellation policy says that charge can't be refunded. You can skip the registered agent cost entirely by acting as your own agent - more on that below.
How to Choose The Best LLC Formation Service
Four things decide whether a service is cheap or just cheap to start:
- Year-2 registered agent price. It ranges from $125/yr (Northwest) to about $596/yr (Swyft at $149 per quarter). It renews every year your LLC exists.
- What the $0 tier leaves out. Most free packages skip the EIN and the operating agreement. The EIN is free from the IRS in about 15 minutes. Pay a service for it only if you want them to do it for you.
- Subscriptions that start on their own. LegalZoom's paid tiers become $49/mo or $99/mo after 30 days. ZenBusiness pre-checks a website add-on at $15/mo. Tailor Brands' bookkeeping trial becomes $39/mo. Untick or cancel them before the trial ends.
- Filing speed. Free tiers take 7-14 business days of the service's own processing, before the state even starts. If you need the LLC this week, pay for same-day filing.
Best Online LLC Formation Services
These are some of the most recommended LLC formation services on the market:
- Step-by-step guidance to help you launch
- Comprehensive legal solutions for businesses
- Fast and simple setup with clear pricing
- Expert filing and award-winning support
- Retain a Legal Pro to handle your unique legal situation
- Trusted by over 3 million solopreneurs and microbusiness owners
- Personalized customer service to your needs
- Verify company name availability
- Free 1 year of registered agent service
- Same business day filing
* Featured prices can be updated and free offers may include additional terms.
What is a Registered Agent?
Registered agents are individuals or entities designated by active companies, such as LLCs, C Corporations, or any other type of entity, to receive service of process notices, government correspondence, and compliance-related documents. As a general rule, an agent represents an individual or entity and enters into transactions on behalf of that individual or entity, but registered agents aren't subject to the same restrictions. An LLC's registered agent has one primary function: to receive important correspondence on behalf of the company, and to receive service of process. A registered agent must also promptly forward such materials to an active company, such as an LLC, a corporation, or any other type of entity.
A registered agent is the person or company that receives legal papers and state notices for your LLC at a physical address in the state where it is formed. Every state requires one.
You can be your own registered agent if you have a physical address in that state and are there during business hours. It costs nothing, but your address goes on the public record. A paid agent keeps your home address off it and makes sure you never miss a lawsuit notice or an annual report deadline. On this list, that costs $125 to about $596 a year after any free period.
How to Form Your LLC
- Pick the state. Form in the state where you do business. Forming in Wyoming or Delaware while you operate elsewhere means registering as a foreign LLC at home too, and paying two sets of fees.
- Check the name. Search your state's business database, and make sure the name ends in LLC or Limited Liability Company.
- Choose a registered agent. Yourself, or a service from the list above.
- File the Articles of Organization. File online with the state, or let the service file for you. State fees run from $35 in Montana to $500 in Massachusetts - $100 in Wyoming, $300 in Texas, $70 in California.
- Get an EIN and write an operating agreement. The EIN is free on irs.gov. Your bank will ask for both before it opens a business account.
How we compared these LLC services
We checked each service's pricing page, package contents, registered agent renewal price and cancellation terms in November 2026. State fees come from each state's official business filing site. Card order on this page can be affected by our partnerships, but the prices and catches in the tables are the same for every service. See how we rate.
LLC formation service FAQ
What is the best LLC formation service?
What is the best LLC formation service?
Northwest Registered Agent is the best LLC formation service for most small businesses - $39 to file, a free registered agent for year 1, and $125/yr after that. Bizee is the pick if you want to pay $0 up front, and ZenBusiness if you want annual reports filed for you.
What is the cheapest way to form an LLC?
What is the cheapest way to form an LLC?
File the Articles of Organization yourself on your state's website and act as your own registered agent. You pay only the state fee - $100 in Wyoming, $300 in Texas, $70 in California plus the $800 annual tax. With a service, Bizee's $0 package is the cheapest start, since the state fee is the only charge in year 1.
Do I need a registered agent for my LLC?
Do I need a registered agent for my LLC?
Yes. Every state requires an LLC to name a registered agent with a physical address in the state. You can be your own if you are at that address during business hours. A service costs $125 to about $596 a year on this list and keeps your home address off the public record.
Do you have to pay the $800 California LLC fee every year?
Do you have to pay the $800 California LLC fee every year?
Yes. Every California LLC pays the $800 annual tax to the Franchise Tax Board, including in its first year. The first-year exemption only applied to tax years 2021 through 2023. LLCs with more than $250,000 in California income also pay an extra fee on top.
Is it worth using an LLC formation service?
Is it worth using an LLC formation service?
It is worth it if your time costs more than the fee or you want a registered agent anyway. Filing yourself takes about an hour in most states. A service is mainly worth it for the registered agent, filing-mistake checks and reminders - not for the filing itself.
How long does it take to form an LLC with a service?
How long does it take to form an LLC with a service?
On free tiers, expect 7-14 business days of the service's processing before the state reviews your filing. ZenBusiness Starter quotes 7-10 days and Tailor Brands Lite 14. Northwest Premium files the same day. The state's own processing time comes on top.
What does a $0 LLC package actually include?
What does a $0 LLC package actually include?
A $0 package usually includes only the filing of your Articles of Organization. You still pay the state fee. Bizee, Northwest and Inc Authority include a free registered agent for year 1. ZenBusiness, LegalZoom and Tailor Brands charge for the registered agent from day one, and most free tiers leave out the EIN and operating agreement.
Do I need an EIN for my LLC, and does it cost money?
Do I need an EIN for my LLC, and does it cost money?
You need an EIN if your LLC has employees or more than one member, and nearly every bank asks for one to open a business account. It is free on irs.gov and takes about 15 minutes. Services charge up to $99 to request it for you.
Which state should I form my LLC in?
Which state should I form my LLC in?
Form it in the state where you live and do business. Wyoming and Delaware look cheaper or more private, but if you operate from another state you must also register there as a foreign LLC and pay both states' fees every year.