How we rank llc formation services
Our reviews are research-based. We read each company's pricing pages, terms and help docs, check verified customer reviews and public data, and record where every fact came from and when we checked it. We never claim hands-on testing we didn't do.
What we score
| Criterion | Weight | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| First-year cost | 30% | Package price plus the registered agent and the add-ons most people need (EIN, operating agreement), before the state fee. The headline price is rarely what you pay. |
| Year-two cost and renewals | 20% | What renews automatically after year one, at what price, and how easy it is to cancel. Renewal upsells are where cheap services make their money. |
| What's included | 15% | Registered agent, EIN, operating agreement and compliance alerts, and which package you need to get them. |
| Checkout honesty | 15% | Pre-checked add-ons, sales calls, expedite fees and refund terms. A plain checkout scores higher than a long upsell flow. |
| Customer reputation | 10% | Trustpilot and BBB scores, read for patterns (renewal billing, slow filings) rather than the star average alone. |
| Speed | 10% | How fast the company submits your filing. The state's own processing time is separate, and no company can skip it. |
What doesn't affect rankings
Commissions. Some companies pay us when you sign up through our links; that never changes a score or a position.
How each criterion is judged
Each company gets a sub-score from 0 to 10 on six criteria. We multiply each by its weight and add them up for the total out of 10.
First-year cost (30%)
We price the cheapest path to an LLC with a registered agent, an EIN and an operating agreement, using the company's own prices. The lowest total scores highest. A company that hides prices until sign-up loses points, because you can't compare it before paying.
Year-two cost and renewals (20%)
We add up what renews automatically after year one: the registered agent, any package that renews, and trials that turn into paid plans. A high agent renewal or a hard cancellation (for example, having to file an agent change with the state and send proof) lowers the score. Cancelling online with no fee raises it.
What's included (15%)
We check whether the agent, the EIN, the operating agreement and compliance alerts come in the cheapest package or need a higher tier. More included at the entry price scores higher.
Checkout honesty (15%)
We read the order form for pre-checked add-ons, trials that bill later, phone-only sales, expedite fees and refund terms. Where a company's own pages give different prices, we count that against it.
Customer reputation (10%)
We read Trustpilot and BBB scores for patterns, such as renewal billing complaints or slow filings, and weigh how many reviews stand behind the score. A high average from 5 reviews counts for less than one from 30,000.
Speed (10%)
We score how fast the company submits your filing. The state's own processing time is separate, and no company can skip it.
The full scores
| Provider | First-year cost 30 | Year two 20 | Included 15 | Checkout 15 | Reputation 10 | Speed 10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9.0 |
| MyCompanyWorks | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7.7 |
| Bizee | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 7.3 |
| Inc Authority | 9 | 3.5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 6.4 |
| ZenBusiness | 6 | 5 | 5.5 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 6.4 |
| Swyft Filings | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 6.3 |
| Doola | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6.2 |
| Harbor Compliance | 7 | 6.5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6.0 |
| LegalZoom | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 5.3 |
| Tailor Brands | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4.3 |
Inc Authority (6.40) and ZenBusiness (6.375) both round to 6.4. Inc Authority ranks fourth on the unrounded total. Tailor Brands scores 3 on first-year cost because it shows plan and agent prices only after sign-up, and 5 on speed because it publishes no submission time for its free Lite plan; the 2 to 7 days it quotes are state approval times, which this criterion leaves out.
The "typical first-year cost" assumption
When we quote a first-year cost, we mean the package plus a registered agent, an EIN and an operating agreement, before the state filing fee. Most LLCs need all three, and the headline price often leaves one or more out. State fees are left out because they're the same whichever company you use.
For example, Northwest's $39 package includes the agent and operating agreement, so with its $50 EIN the total is $89 (Northwest LLC). LegalZoom's $0 Basic leaves out the EIN and operating agreement, so the path is its $249 tier plus its $249 agent, or $498 (LegalZoom pricing). You can also get an EIN yourself for free from the IRS (IRS), and we say so where it changes the answer.
Sources and re-checks
Every fact on this site has a source link and the date we checked it. We re-check every fact at least every 90 days.
Tailor Brands' main site blocked our fetches, so its facts come from its help center. Its paid plan and registered agent prices appear only after sign-up, which is why we can't give it a first-year cost.