Best LLC services in Ohio (2026)

How are LLC services for Ohio ranked?

Providers appear in order of our rating, highest first. When providers share a rating, they keep our editorial order.

Our rating combines customer satisfaction, services and dashboard, and plan value. Bizee (formerly Incfile) and ZenBusiness tie on it, as do BizFilings and Rocket Lawyer. The weights are set out in how we rate.

Second year: the recurring Ohio report fee as the state lists it (some states charge it every two years) plus the plan's renewal, if it renews. Registered agent renewals are extra unless the plan includes the agent for good.

For each provider, the first-year column adds Ohio's filing fee for the Articles of Organization to the compared plan's price. The second-year column adds Ohio's recurring report fee, which is $0, to the plan's renewal. That is why several rows show $0 there: those plans list no renewal of their own.²

Some costs stay out of both columns. Agent renewals after a free period are one; Inc Authority charges $249/year and Northwest Registered Agent $125/yr. Trial items that start billing later are another: Tailor Brands Elite includes a bookkeeping trial that then costs $39/month, and for Managed Service, LegalZoom lists that its Business Advisor Plan auto-renews at $49/mo after 30 days. Any Ohio expedite tier is also left out. The list ranked by cost across both years applies the same plan-only basis nationally.^{3, 4, 5, 6}

Which Ohio LLC service fits which need?

The picks below each rest on one published fact, and the subsections explain where Ohio's rules change how that fact reads.

• Lowest first-year total in Ohio: Inc Authority, Free LLC, $99 with the state fee.
• Lowest two-year total in Ohio: Inc Authority, Free LLC, $99 over two years with state fees. Full list
• Fastest filing: Tailor Brands, 1 business day stated on Elite. Full list
• Best for first-time founders: Tailor Brands, all three supports included in a plan (annual report filing, coaching, AI guidance). Full list
• Best all-in-one platform: Tailor Brands, sells 9 of the 10 business service types we track, with an online dashboard. Full list
• Best for non-U.S. founders: Tailor Brands, highest-rated provider whose own pages say it serves founders outside the U.S. Full list

Each line is decided by the published fact it names. First-time founder support counts an annual report filed for you, business coaching and AI guidance; the all-in-one count is the business service types a provider sells nationally.

Lowest first-year total and the agent renewal

Inc Authority Free LLC costs $99 in year one in Ohio and shows $0 for year two. Its statutory agent is free only for the first year; after that it renews automatically at $249/year unless you cancel or name a different agent. Northwest Registered Agent costs $138 up front, and its included agent then renews at $125/yr. Ohio law requires an LLC to continuously maintain a statutory agent, so unless an owner acts as the agent, that renewal is the year-two cost of either plan. The cheapest services list orders providers by plan price, and the Inc Authority profile lists its separate add-ons.^{3, 4, 7, 8}

Fastest stated filing

Tailor Brands and ZenBusiness each state 1 business day on their compared plans, and Inc Authority states 24 hours. Those times end when the provider submits. Ohio then reviews the articles in 3 to 7 business days unless someone pays for an expedite tier, and Expedite 2: $200 (1 business day) is the quickest option that doesn't require walking the filing in. Bizee (formerly Incfile) lists Expedited Filing in its compared plan without saying whether that buys an Ohio expedite tier. The fastest services list and the LLC timeline guide cover both clocks.^{1, 9}

First-time founders

We count these supports here: a recurring report filed for you, business coaching from a person and AI guidance. Tailor Brands includes all three supports: mandatory report filing & updates on its higher plans, its Business Coaching Program, and Navi, an AI assistant built into every plan. ZenBusiness includes all three supports: filing of state-required annual reports, included in Pro and Premium, Personal Velo AI guidance on every plan, and an advisor consultation on Premium only. doola includes two of the three supports, among them its AI Co-Founder.^{10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}

Ohio changes how the first support reads. Ohio LLCs file no annual report, so report filing has no Ohio report to act on, and neither provider says what the item does for an Ohio company. In Ohio, the coaching and AI guidance are the supports that clearly apply. The first-time founders list shows each provider's supports.

One provider for formation and later services

Of the 10 business service types we track, Tailor Brands and LegalZoom each sell 9, while Bizee (formerly Incfile) and ZenBusiness each sell 7. Some of those are paid add-ons or trials, so check the plan before treating one as included. The all-in-one platforms list ranks every provider on this count.

Statutory agent included

Ohio law requires every LLC to continuously maintain a statutory agent, and several compared plans bundle one, mostly for a set period.⁸

• Bizee (formerly Incfile) gives the first year, then charges $149/year.¹⁶
• Northwest Registered Agent gives the first year, then charges $125/yr.⁴
• BizFilings gives 3 months free, then charges $220/yr.^{17, 18}
• doola lists Registered Agent Service in Starter, a yearly plan that auto-renews (renewal price not stated).^{19, 20}

Tailor Brands sells its agent separately at $199/year. The registered agent included list sorts every plan that bundles one.²¹

Founders outside the U.S.

doola says it accepts founders outside the U.S., and its Starter plan includes a US business address. LegalZoom lists EIN filing without the need for a Social Security Number. Tailor Brands links a separate sign-up flow for non-US citizens from its formation page. Ohio's statute lets a natural person who is a resident of this state serve as agent, so an owner abroad needs an Ohio resident or a business entity to fill the role. See the non-U.S. founders list.^{8, 22, 23, 24}

What does Ohio charge no matter who files?

Ohio charges $99 to file Form 610 whether you file yourself or through a service, and no compared plan price includes it. Expedite tiers, a name hold and later agent changes are state fees too.¹

• Formation filing fee: $99
• Faster state processing: Expedite 1: $100 (2 business days); Expedite 2: $200 (1 business day); Expedite 3: $300 (4 hours if received by 1:00 p.m.; in-person delivery required). All in addition to the filing fee.
• No recurring annual report
• Optional name reservation: $39 for 180 days (Form 534B)

The expedite tiers are state fees on top of any service's price. Expedite 1: $100 (2 business days) and Expedite 2: $200 (1 business day) list no delivery condition. The top tier, $300 for 4 hours if received by 1:00 p.m., carries a condition, in-person delivery required. Ask a provider whether its rush option pays an Ohio expedite fee or only speeds up its own preparation.¹

Other state fees come later. Changing agents costs $25, and an LLC canceled for going without an agent pays $25 to reinstate. A larger business may also owe the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT), 0.26% of Ohio taxable gross receipts above a $6 million exclusion. A formation plan removes none of these.^{25, 26, 27}

What do report-filing plans do in a state with no annual report?

Ohio has no annual report for LLCs, so plan items built around one need a closer look before you pay for them here.

Tailor Brands Elite lists mandatory report filing & updates. ZenBusiness Premium lists filing of state-required annual reports, up to 2 amendments/yr. Neither page explains what that covers for an Ohio LLC. The amendments part of the ZenBusiness item could still apply if the company changes its details, yet the page doesn't say which Ohio filings count. Ask the provider in writing.^{10, 13}

The same applies to the renewal. ZenBusiness Premium renews at $299, and the compliance item is one of the things that renewal keeps, so weigh it against the items an Ohio LLC can use. The package contents guide explains which plan items are filings and which are reminders, and the ZenBusiness review lists what each of its tiers adds.

Is filing an Ohio LLC yourself enough?

It can be, because Ohio takes filings directly through Ohio Business Central, by mail or in person, and there is no yearly report to track afterwards. You pay the $99 state fee and no service fee.^{1, 26}

The work you keep is the agent. An owner who lives in Ohio can serve, since the statute allows a natural person who is a resident of this state; otherwise you hire one. A name reservation ($39 for 180 days) is optional. The Ohio formation guide walks through each step, and the cost calculator shows what a plan adds over the state fee in each year.^{8, 26}