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Best LLC formation services (2026): tested & priced
The short version
We compared the leading services on published pricing, filing terms and documented customer experience. Northwest wins on the thing that matters — filing correctly with zero upsell pressure — at $49 + state fee (Basic; raised from $39 this year), with year-one registered agent included. The $0 offers cost more by year two; math inside.
How this ranking works
Published pricing and filing terms, checkout walk-throughs (see the $0 trap below), and community experience — cited:
Rankings
| Service | Formation price | Year-2 reality |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Northwest | $49 + state fee, Basic (RA year 1 included) | RA renewal $125/yr flat; Deluxe $149 / Premium $199 |
| 2. doola | $297/yr list (promos to ~$208) + state fees | Best for non-residents |
| 3. ZenBusiness | 0 + state fee | RA ~$199/yr + Worry-Free ~$199/yr at renewal |
| 4. Bizee | 0 + state fee (RA year 1 free) | RA renewal $119/yr |
| 5. LegalZoom | $0–299 | RA $249–299/yr; annual report from $199 |
The $0 trap, with receipts
We walked the $0 checkout on July 30, 2026 — screenshots below. What we found: the “Domain, Email, and Website” 30-day special offer arrived pre-checked on every plan, including the $0 Starter; the registered-agent step offers “Appoint ZenBusiness” renewing at $199/yr; and the paid tiers now run Pro $199/yr and Premium $399/yr at renewal. Community walk-throughs add the rest of the catalogue: Worry-Free Compliance free-for-year-one auto-renewing ~$199, website builder $15/mo and bookkeeping $30/mo after their trials, EIN-and-documents bundle $149, operating agreement $99. Decline everything and the $0 is real — but the design bets you won’t un-check the boxes it checked for you.
1. Northwest Registered Agent
Breezy wins the value slot: the free Bootstrap tier is a real (single-position) product, the drag-and-drop pipeline is the most intuitive in the group, and $157/mo annual undercuts Workable meaningfully. What you give up is sourcing muscle — it advertises and organizes well but hunts less. For teams that generate applicants and need to not lose them, that trade is fine. Full take: the review.
2. doola
doola’s pitch is the non-resident stack: LLC formation, EIN without an SSN (via the paper SS-4 route they handle), and introductions to fintech banking that onboards foreign founders. For a US resident it’s an ordinary formation service at a higher price; for a founder abroad it’s often the difference between finishing setup and stalling at the bank step.
Do you even need a service?
Honest answer: no. Every state lets you file Articles of Organization on the Secretary of State website for just the state fee, and for a simple single-member LLC it’s a 30-minute form — the top-voted community answer in our threads says exactly that. A service earns its fee in three cases: you want your home address off public records (the agent’s address goes on file instead), you’re a non-resident who needs the EIN-without-SSN path handled, or you simply price your own hour above the $49-plus fee and want the deadlines tracked for you.
Skip formation services if…
- you're comfortable filing a two-page form on your state's website — the service adds convenience, not legality.
Where this page can send you
Northwest — our formation of record.Form with Northwest
doola — for non-US founders.Start with doola
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