LegalZoom LLC formation review (2026)

Why does LegalZoom rate where it does?

LegalZoom's rating of 8.1 comes from customer satisfaction at 9.2, services and dashboard at 9.2, and plan value at 3.8. Only Tailor Brands rates higher, at 8.7.

Trustpilot: 4.6/5 33,485 reviews

See LegalZoom plans

The satisfaction part rests on a Trustpilot score of 4.6 from 33,485 reviews. Breadth is level with the highest we record: LegalZoom sells 9 of the 10 business service types we track and gives customers an online dashboard.²

Plan value is where it loses ground. We score the Managed Service plan, which keeps 4 of the services our method counts once the trial ends. Its stated handling time is 5 to 14 business days (standard processing), which earns few speed points. Cost helps a little, since the fee is charged once and the plan's cost across the first and second year stays at $249 before state fees, on the assumption that the monthly plan is cancelled in time. The weights and scoring bands are on the rating method page.

LegalZoom's pricing page may have changed since our facts were last checked, so the plans on this page are as LegalZoom listed them at that check.

Who are LegalZoom's LLC plans a good fit for?

LegalZoom suits a founder who wants advisor or attorney help in the first month and will decide on purpose whether to keep paying monthly. It fits less well if you want an agent or report filing in one price.

Matching each tier to a reader, by what it lists, gives a rough guide.

1. Basic fits an owner who only needs the state filing and a name check, and who will get an EIN from the IRS and draft an operating agreement without help.
2. Managed Service fits someone who wants the EIN, an operating agreement, a licenses and permits report and a Wix-built website, and who might use an advisor for setup, compliance, and coaching for the trial month.¹
3. Expert Service fits an owner expecting early legal or tax questions. During the trial it adds unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations, a filing review by a licensed attorney, tax return help and one copyright filing a month.¹

Founders who plan to keep the monthly service should price it as a recurring bill. A year of either monthly plan is more than the formation fee that started it, which the LegalZoom pricing page lays out month by month.

Readers outside the U.S. have one LegalZoom page to go on. A country page says it can form an LLC "with no Social Security number, residency, or travel required", that "We file SS-4 with the IRS and deliver your EIN" without a Social Security number, and that "We help open your account with providers within days of formation." That page is LegalZoom's Australia-targeted country page, so a founder elsewhere should confirm it applies to them. The non-U.S. founders list compares providers on this point.³

For a first-time founder, LegalZoom includes none of the three supports we count for good (an annual report filed for you, coaching from a person and AI guidance), and sells 1 of them at any price. The advisor's coaching ends with the trial unless the monthly plan continues, and annual report filing is a separate purchase. The first-time founders list sets this against other services.

What does each LegalZoom plan include?

Basic is the state filing plus a few referrals. Managed Service adds four items it keeps and four it lends for the trial. Expert Service adds attorney, accountant and copyright items, all of them trial-only.

Full LegalZoom pricing, plan by plan · LegalZoom alternatives

Basic

Along with the Articles of Organization and a name check, Basic lists a Tax consult from 1-800Accountant, a digital welcome packet and a personalized business insurance quote. None of these are services our method counts. Adding an EIN later costs $79, and operating agreements start at $99.^{1, 4, 5}

Managed Service

This is the plan our rating compares. It keeps the EIN, the operating agreement, the licenses and permits report and the website. For the trial it also gives a library of 150+ downloadable, customizable legal forms, unlimited eSignature, a dedicated advisor and an advisor's look at your filing, which LegalZoom marks "not an attorney review".¹

Expert Service

Expert Service keeps the Managed Service items that last, plus the forms library and eSignature for the trial, and swaps the single advisor for a team of advisor, attorney and accountant. On the tax side LegalZoom writes "We'll prepare your business tax returns", fulfilled by the same tax partner named in Basic, and it adds bookkeeping and a copyright filing each month. All of this sits inside the trial. A buyer who cancels the monthly plan keeps the same four lasting items as Managed Service, for $299 instead of $249.¹

LegalZoom also lists a Free AI-powered Grant Search tool that is not tied to any package. Our package contents guide explains each service we count.⁶

What renews, and how do refunds and cancelling work?

The formation fee never renews. What renews is the monthly plan that starts after the trial, plus any registered agent or compliance service you add.

After 30 days, LegalZoom charges the card on file $49/mo on Managed Service or $99/mo on Expert Service. Keeping it means the trial items stay. Cancelling ends them, and the lasting items (EIN, operating agreement, permits report, website) remain.¹

Annual reports are outside every plan. LegalZoom sells a single filing at $99 plus the state fee, or a Compliance Filings subscription that starts at $199/year and covers initial and annual reports. Its automatic filing works only where a state requires a report, and it leaves out Indiana, Maryland and Wyoming. The LLC cost guide shows how recurring state fees add to these.^{7, 8}

Refunds come in two parts. LegalZoom's general guarantee allows subscription refunds within 30 days of initial subscription purchase. The registered agent terms are narrower: if LegalZoom ends the service, its sole promise is to "refund you any prepaid fees specifically related to the current RA Service Term", and the guarantee page doesn't say whether the general window covers the agent.⁹

Phone, chat, email are the support channels LegalZoom lists. Published hours are Mon to Fri 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT; weekends 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT. LegalZoom has sold online LLC formation since 2001.^{10, 11}

How long does LegalZoom take to file an LLC?

LegalZoom gives a standard window of 5 to 14 business days, a figure from one of its comparison pages that still uses the old Pro/Premium plan names.¹²

That page doesn't tie the time to Basic, Managed Service or Expert Service, and our records hold no rush price that LegalZoom publishes for its current plans.

LegalZoom adds that these are service times, "not state approval times." The state reviews the filing after LegalZoom submits it, and some states sell a faster review for their own fee. The LLC timeline guide covers state review times, and state guides such as forming an LLC in Texas give one state's options. Providers that state shorter handling are on the fastest filing list.¹²

What does the LegalZoom registered agent cost?

The LegalZoom registered agent is a separate service at $249/year, a price LegalZoom limits to first time registered agent customers. It renews automatically at the purchase rate, and LegalZoom notes "The renewal rate is subject to change."¹³

LegalZoom lists its registered agent service at $249/year (first-time registered agent customers), renewing at Renews at the purchase rate each year; rate subject to change. Every LLC needs a registered agent in its state; plans that include one say so above.

A registered agent receives lawsuits and state notices for the LLC at an address in the state. For service of process, LegalZoom says "Documents scanned and uploaded for digital access from anywhere", and its terms add, "For all other mail, we will upload the documents to your account and email you." The terms also say "You may not list the Registered Address in your company's public media," so the agent address can't double as the address on your website or marketing.¹³

LegalZoom's address goes in the agent field of the state record, as any agent's would. Other fields, such as the principal office or the organizer, may still show your details, depending on the state.

To stop the service, LegalZoom's terms allow cancelling online through My Account or by phone at (888) 310-0151. Naming a new agent with the state comes first, since LegalZoom may ask for proof of the change. The registered agent included list shows which providers put an agent inside a plan.⁹

How does LegalZoom compare with other services?

Head-to-head pages set LegalZoom against one provider at a time. The ZenBusiness and LegalZoom comparison and the Tailor Brands and LegalZoom comparison are two of them.

For a broader view, the LegalZoom alternatives page groups providers by the reason someone switches, and the every-plan table lists all tiers side by side.

• ZenBusiness vs LegalZoom
• LegalZoom vs Northwest Registered Agent
• LegalZoom vs Bizee (formerly Incfile)
• LegalZoom vs Rocket Lawyer
• Tailor Brands vs LegalZoom
• LegalZoom vs Swyft Filings
• LegalZoom vs doola
• Inc Authority vs LegalZoom
• BizFilings vs LegalZoom
• Tailor Brands review
• Bizee (formerly Incfile) review
• ZenBusiness review
• Swyft Filings review