ZenBusiness vs LegalZoom (2027): Which Is Better?

The short version

Pick ZenBusiness if you want the lower bill for the same core filing. Pick LegalZoom only if you will use its attorney or advisor support and document library, because year one costs about $100 more. Neither puts a registered agent in any package, so budget for one with either. All prices on this page exclude the state filing fee.

Cost: year one and year two

This assumes you need a registered agent, an EIN and an operating agreement, the cheapest way each company sells them.

	ZenBusiness	LegalZoom
Package with EIN and operating agreement	Pro $199	$249 tier (Pro or Managed Service)
Registered agent	$199/yr	$249/yr
Year one	$398	$498
Year two	$398 if you keep Pro, $199 if you drop it	$249
Auto-renewing extra to watch	Website trial, $15/mo after 30 days	$249 tier support, $49/mo after 30 days

ZenBusiness Pro renews at $199 a year (ZenBusiness pricing). Its $0 Starter plan comes to the same $397 once you add the agent, the $99 EIN and the $99 operating agreement (ZenBusiness plans). One note: its registered agent page offers $99 for the first year, then $199 (ZenBusiness registered agent), while the LLC page lists $199 a year. Check which price your checkout shows.

LegalZoom's agent is $249 a year with no free first year and renews on its own (LegalZoom registered agent). Its $0 Basic plan files the articles and nothing else.

What's included

ZenBusiness Pro adds 1-day processing, Worry-Free Compliance, an operating agreement template, the EIN and a logo kit. Worry-Free Compliance files your annual reports and up to 2 amendments a year (ZenBusiness compliance). Starter takes 7 to 10 business days unless you pay $79 for rush.

LegalZoom's $249 tier (shown as Pro or as Managed Service; its pricing page currently carries both versions) adds the EIN and operating agreement, plus 30 days of support that renews at $49 a month. In the Pro version that support is attorney consults; in the Managed Service version it is a business advisor, and attorney access moves to the $299 Expert Service, which renews at $99 a month (LegalZoom LLC pricing). Both versions include 150+ legal documents and unlimited eSignatures. It also promises a free fix if it makes a filing error. Its annual report service is $99 plus the state fee, and its compliance plan starts at $199 a year (LegalZoom compliance).

Renewals, refunds and cancelling

ZenBusiness advertises a 60-day money-back guarantee on formation plans. Its support terms are stricter: if any part of a bundled order has been filed with the government, the whole order is nonrefundable, and the registered agent is refundable within 30 days only before ZenBusiness is appointed (ZenBusiness terms). Read the terms, not the banner.

LegalZoom gives 60 days on filed products but nothing once your filing goes to the state, 30 days on subscriptions, and never refunds government fees (LegalZoom guarantee). To cancel its agent you may need to show proof that you named a new one.

Both score well with customers: ZenBusiness has 4.8/5 from 33,239 Trustpilot reviews (Trustpilot) and LegalZoom 4.6/5 from 33,990 (Trustpilot).

Which one to choose

Choose ZenBusiness if price matters and you can live without a lawyer on call. Drop Pro after year one if you don't need its compliance filings, and your year-two bill falls to the $199 agent.

Choose LegalZoom if you expect legal questions in your first year and will use the attorney or advisor support and documents. Cancel the $49 monthly plan within 30 days if you won't.