North Carolina charges $125 to form an LLC and $200 a year for the annual report, due April 15. The state quotes 5 to 10 business days to create an entity, or $100 for 24-hour and $200 for same-day service.
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
Bizee, formerly Incfile, files your LLC for $0 and includes a free first year of registered agent service, then $149 a year. The $0 Basic plan is slow (Bizee quotes 4 to 6 weeks in total), and refunds end once your fee goes to the state, usually within 24 hours.
$0 + state fee
Pros
$0 Basic includes a free first year of registered agent
Registered agent renews at $149/yr, below ZenBusiness and LegalZoom
4.8/5 on Trustpilot from 26,442 reviews
Cons
Basic takes about 4 to 6 weeks; Standard about 2 weeks
Refunds end once fees go to the state, usually within 24 hours
EIN ($70) and operating agreement ($99) cost extra on Basic
Northwest has the lowest first year. It auto-enrolls you in annual report filing at $100 plus the state fee, charged about 90 days before the deadline (Northwest annual report). In North Carolina that is $300 each mid-January, so decide early whether to keep it or file the $200 report yourself.
MyCompanyWorks sells annual report filing inside its Premium plan at $139 a year, state fees extra, and North Carolina is not on its excluded list (MyCompanyWorks Premium). Its agent renews at $119 (MyCompanyWorks agent).
Bizee suits you if you will file the report yourself. Compliance alerts are free (Bizee), and its agent is free for a year, then $149. Basic takes 4 to 6 weeks by Bizee's own estimate, longer than the state's 5 to 10 days, so you may want the state's 24-hour rush instead.
North Carolina traps to avoid
Budget for the $200 report every April 15. A service fee on top can push it past $300.
File online. The state says online is always faster, and the card fee is only $3.
A service's "fast" plan cannot beat the state's queue. Only North Carolina's own $100 or $200 rush changes the 5 to 10 day wait.