California charges $70 to form an LLC online, but every LLC also owes the state an $800 tax each year, plus a $20 Statement of Information every two years. That $800 dwarfs any difference between formation services.
Northwest charges $39 plus the state fee and includes a year of registered agent service, an operating agreement and a business address to keep your home address off public filings. After year one the agent is $125 a year. It has one package, so there are no tiers to compare.
$39 + state fee
Pros
$39 includes a year of registered agent, an operating agreement and a business address
Registered agent renews at a flat $125/yr
Cancel any service in the portal with no fee
Cons
EIN is a $50 add-on ($200 without an SSN)
Annual report filing is auto-enrolled at $100 + state fee unless you opt out
Lower Trustpilot score (4.1, 318 reviews) than the big brands
MyCompanyWorks has filed LLCs since 2001. Every package includes an operating agreement, and it has the longest refund window here at 90 days. Its $79 Basic order form pre-checks an EIN, a registered agent and a $99 license package, so untick what you don't need.
$79 + state fee
Pros
Operating agreement, minutes and banking resolution in every package
90-day refund or fix guarantee (minus government fees)
Registered agent at $119/yr, among the cheaper renewals
Cons
Basic checkout pre-checks EIN ($69), agent ($119/yr) and a $99 license package
Agent forwards 3 lawsuit notices a year free, then $18 each
Few independent reviews: 2.5/5 from only 5 on Trustpilot
ZenBusiness has a $0 Starter plan, a 60-day money-back guarantee on formation and a 4.8 Trustpilot score from over 33,000 reviews. The catch is renewals: no package includes a registered agent ($199 a year), and Pro and Premium renew every year.
$0 + state fee
Pros
$0 Starter with a free first year of annual report filing
60-day money-back guarantee on formation plans
4.8/5 on Trustpilot from 33,239 reviews
Cons
No package includes a registered agent; it is $199/yr
Pro ($199) and Premium ($299) renew every year at the same price
Website builder trial is preselected at checkout and renews at $15/mo
$20, due within 90 days of registering and every two years after (same page)
Annual LLC tax
$800 to the Franchise Tax Board, due the 15th day of the 4th month of your tax year (FTB LLC)
Extra LLC fee
Owed if the LLC makes more than $250,000 (same FTB page)
Processing time
On November 10, 2026 the state was reviewing online LLC formations received November 5 and mail and in-person ones received October 30 (CA SOS processing times)
The first-year $800 exemption is gone. The FTB says it applied only to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2021 and before January 1, 2024 (FTB LLC).
Year-one total with each pick
Service prices exclude state fees. Year one here means $70 filing + $800 tax + $20 Statement of Information = $890 in state costs.
Pick
Math
Year one
Northwest
$890 + $39 + $50 EIN
$979
MyCompanyWorks
$890 + $199 Entrepreneur
$1,089
ZenBusiness
$890 + $199 Pro + $199 agent
$1,288
Why these picks for California
Northwest keeps the service share smallest, which matters when the state already takes $890. Its $39 package includes a business address so your home address stays off the filing (Northwest LLC).
MyCompanyWorks files the same business day if you order by 3pm EST (MyCompanyWorks LLC) and gives you 90 days to ask for a refund, minus government fees (MyCompanyWorks guarantee). Its agent renews at $119.
ZenBusiness costs the most here, but Pro includes Worry-Free Compliance, which covers annual report filings (ZenBusiness compliance). It suits you if you want report filings handled and a 60-day formation refund (ZenBusiness terms).
California traps to avoid
Do not form a California LLC to test an idea you might drop. The $800 is owed each year by every LLC "doing business or organized in California" (FTB LLC). The same FTB page notes an exemption for an LLC that cancels within one year using Form LLC-4/8.
Forming in another state does not avoid it either. The tax reaches LLCs doing business in California, wherever they formed.
Watch the 90-day clock on the $20 Statement of Information. It starts at registration, not at your first tax date.