Best LLC services in Tennessee (2026)

How are LLC services for Tennessee ranked?

Providers are listed by our rating, highest first. Where two share a rating, our editorial order breaks the tie.

That order is national: none of the rating's three parts (customer satisfaction, services and dashboard, plan value) changes from state to state. What changes is the money. Every row adds Tennessee's filing fee in year one and Tennessee's yearly report fee in year two to the plan we compare, so the totals are Tennessee totals. How we rate explains the weights.

Two ties sit in this list. Bizee (formerly Incfile) and ZenBusiness share 8.0, and BizFilings and Rocket Lawyer share 6.8.

Second year: the recurring Tennessee 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.

Read the second-year column with the report fee in mind. Where a plan bills only once, such as Bizee (formerly Incfile) Premium, that column shows $300, the state's report fee alone. Renewing plans stack on top: Tailor Brands Elite reaches $549 and ZenBusiness Premium reaches $599. doola Starter auto-renews each year (renewal price not stated), so its second-year figure repeats this year's price and may change. Agent renewals after a free period and trial items that start billing later are not in those figures. The list ordered by cost across both years ranks every provider on plan cost alone.⁵

Which Tennessee LLC service fits which need?

The picks below each rest on one published fact, and most readers care about two or three of them at once. Tennessee's yearly report fee changes how some of them read.

• Lowest first-year total in Tennessee: Inc Authority, Free LLC, $300 with the state fee.
• Lowest two-year total in Tennessee: Inc Authority, Free LLC, $600 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.

Annual report filing from a service

Because the report costs the $300 minimum or more every year, a service that files it saves you a deadline but not the fee. Tailor Brands lists mandatory report filing in Elite. ZenBusiness covers state-required annual report filings on Pro and Premium and otherwise charges $100 per report. Northwest Registered Agent prices its annual report service at $100 + state fees, LegalZoom lists $99 + state filing fees, and Swyft Filings sells a compliance add-on with the annual report filed for you each year (state fee extra). None of these listings names Tennessee's report. Northwest, LegalZoom and Swyft Filings say the state fee is extra; Tailor Brands and ZenBusiness don't publish whether their price covers it. The annual report guide separates filing from reminders.^{1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}

First-time founders

We count three supports for a founder starting out: an annual report filed for you, business coaching from a person, and AI guidance. Tailor Brands includes all three supports: report filing on its paid plans, the Business Coaching Program with any plan, and its AI assistant, since every plan comes with Navi built in. ZenBusiness includes all three supports, with Personal Velo AI guidance on every plan and a one-on-one consultation on Premium only. doola includes two of the three supports: Annual State Report Filing on its higher plans and its AI Co-Founder assistant. See the first-time founders list for every provider.^{11, 12, 13, 14, 15}

Lowest cost in Tennessee

Inc Authority Free LLC costs $0, so year one is just the state fee. The catch comes a year later, when its included agent renews automatically at $249/year on top of the Tennessee report fee. Refunds come under a 60-day money-back guarantee on initial online purchase, less state/third-party filing fees. Northwest Registered Agent is next by compared-plan price, and its agent renews at $125/yr. The cheapest services list orders all of them, and the Inc Authority profile lists what the free plan leaves out.^{3, 16, 17, 18}

Fastest stated filing

Tailor Brands and ZenBusiness each state 1 business day on their compared plans, and Inc Authority states 24 hours. That is the provider's own preparation time. We hold no verified Tennessee processing time or rush fee, so this page can't say when the state approves. The fastest services list and the LLC timeline guide explain the gap.

Registered agent included

Tennessee requires an agent who maintains an office at the same street address as the registered office. Some plans include one for a while.¹⁹

• Bizee (formerly Incfile): Free first year with any Bizee formation package, then $149/year^{20, 21}
• BizFilings: 3 months free, then $220/yr^{22, 23}
• doola: Registered Agent Service in Starter, a yearly plan²⁴

ZenBusiness offers 50% off the first year ($99) when you form with it, and Tailor Brands sells its agent at $199/year. The registered agent included list compares them.^{25, 26}

Several services from one company

Of the 10 business service types we track, Tailor Brands sells 9 and ZenBusiness sells 7. Some come as add-ons or trials. Tailor Brands Elite includes a bookkeeping trial that later bills $39/month, and LegalZoom lists that on Managed Service its Business Advisor Plan auto-renews at $49/mo after 30 days. The all-in-one list has the full count.^{27, 28}

Founders outside the U.S.

doola states it accepts non-U.S. founders, and its Starter plan includes a US business address. Tailor Brands links a sign-up flow for non-US citizens without published eligibility details, and Northwest Registered Agent charges $200 for an EIN without a Social Security number. The non-U.S. founders list covers the rest.^{29, 30, 31}

What does Tennessee charge no matter who files?

Tennessee charges $50 per member to form, with a $300 minimum, and the annual report starts at the $300 minimum. Those fees are the same with or without a service.^{2, 4}

• Formation filing fee: $50 per member, $300 minimum, $3,000 maximum
• Recurring report: due on or before the 1st day of the 4th month after the LLC's fiscal year closes, $300 minimum, plus $50 per member over 6, up to $3,000

Both state fees grow with the number of members. The annual report rises by $50 per member over 6, so a larger LLC pays more each year no matter which provider it uses.⁴

Tax is the other fixed cost. Tennessee franchise tax is 0.25% of the tax base with a $100 minimum, and excise tax applies too, both filed with the Department of Revenue. None of the provider facts we hold mention filing Tennessee franchise and excise returns.^{4, 32}

Changing agents later costs $20 with the state. The annual report also lists the names and business addresses of principal officers, governors, directors or managers, and a service that files it still needs those details from the LLC.^{33, 34}

Can you form a Tennessee LLC without a service?

Yes. You file online with the Tennessee Secretary of State and pay only the state fee, while a service adds preparation, sometimes an agent or EIN, and its own price.

Our state record gives the filing method as Online (paper filing not confirmed for LLC articles), so the web is the route this page can confirm.³⁵

Doing it yourself means picking an agent too. An individual who resides in this state, such as an owner living in Tennessee, can act as agent at the registered office, which may be the same as any of its places of business. You also track the annual report yourself, due on or before the first day of the fourth month following the company's fiscal year closing. The Tennessee formation guide covers each filing, and the cost calculator shows what a plan adds.^{19, 34}