Tailor Brands alternatives for forming an LLC (2026)

Why would someone look past Tailor Brands?

The published reasons are yearly billing on the plans that include report filing, a registered agent sold apart from every plan, a no-refund default in its terms and few published details for founders abroad.

A plan fee every year

Essential ($199/yr) and Elite ($249/yr) are subscriptions. Annual report filing comes with them, so the plan fee repeats for as long as you want the reports filed. Lite is the one plan billed once. It costs $0, states 14 business days, and leaves out report filing and the operating agreement. Readers who would rather pay once and handle later filings themselves will find several providers built that way.¹

The agent costs extra

A registered agent is the person or company listed with the state to accept lawsuits and official notices for the LLC. Tailor Brands sells one on top of any plan, at $199/year according to a price it provided that isn't on a public page. Several alternatives put the first year inside the formation price, which lowers the first-year bill.²

Refund terms

Tailor Brands' terms say "all fees are non-refundable", and a refund that is issued has a $29 service fee taken out. Some other providers publish a refund window.³

Gaps in what is published

Tailor Brands sells an EIN service, but with the price not published. Its LLC page links a sign-up flow for non-US citizens, but that page gives no eligibility rules or prices for founders abroad, so there is nothing to compare against providers that list them. Every plan also carries a bookkeeping trial that moves to $39/month unless cancelled. The Tailor Brands pricing page shows each of these charges by tier.^{4, 5, 6}

How do Tailor Brands and its alternatives compare?

Tailor Brands is listed first, then every alternative by our rating, with ties in our editorial order. Each row shows the provider's fullest plan at or under the price cap from how we rate.

The cost column adds the plan's own fees for the first and second year and leaves out state fees and items that bill after a free period. The LLC cost calculator adds the state fee for your state.

Which alternative fits each reason?

Most alternatives differ from Tailor Brands on cost; a few differ on speed, reviews or support for founders abroad. The list shows each difference, and the sections below group alternatives by the reason a reader has.

• LegalZoom: lower two-year plan cost ($249 vs $498). Full comparison
• Bizee (formerly Incfile): lower two-year plan cost ($299 vs $498). Full comparison
• Swyft Filings: lower two-year plan cost ($199 vs $498).
• Inc Authority: lower two-year plan cost ($0 vs $498); higher Trustpilot score (4.9 vs 4.8). Full comparison
• InCorp Services: lower two-year plan cost ($99 vs $498).
• Northwest Registered Agent: lower two-year plan cost ($39 vs $498). Full comparison
• BizFilings: lower two-year plan cost ($199 vs $498).
• Rocket Lawyer: lower two-year plan cost ($298 vs $498).
• Harbor Compliance: lower two-year plan cost ($99 vs $498).

A one-time fee instead of a yearly one

Inc Authority's Free LLC costs $0 for the plan, and its terms say "We'll be your registered agent for the first year". The agent then renews at $249/year, so year two has a cost if you keep it. Northwest charges $39 + state fees and lists its agent as "Free for first year, just $125/yr after". Swyft Filings Standard is a one-time charge of $199. The lowest-cost list for the first and second year and the Inc Authority and Tailor Brands comparison give the full figures.^{7, 8, 9, 10, 11}

A registered agent inside the price

Bizee says that with any package "you get one year of Registered Agent Service for free", and the service then costs $149/year. doola states "Registered Agent is free with doola’s Formation Service", without saying for how long. ZenBusiness lists no free year but offers 50% off the first year ($99) when you form with it. The registered agent included list and Tailor Brands vs Bizee compare the terms.^{12, 13, 14, 15}

Different refund terms

Inc Authority publishes a 60-day money-back guarantee on initial online purchase, less state and third-party fees. Bizee orders are "generally refundable until payment is forwarded to any government entity", and Rocket Lawyer accepts "Refund requests within 30 days of purchase". Tailor Brands' terms, as recorded here, state no refund window at all, and the guide to cancelling or switching a service covers the steps for leaving any of these providers.^{16, 17, 18}

Founders outside the United States

doola says it can help a "non-resident without a US SSN", and its Starter plan at $297/yr lists an Employer Identification Number (EIN). LegalZoom lists LLC formation "with no Social Security number, residency, or travel required" and an EIN "without the need for a Social Security Number" on a country page aimed at Australia. Northwest sells a foreign EIN service at $200, and BizFilings has a dedicated Foreign Business U.S. Incorporation package. The non-U.S. founders list orders them.^{19, 20, 21, 22, 23}

Faster stated filing

Tailor Brands already states 1 business day on Essential and Elite. Inc Authority states 24 hours, and ZenBusiness states 1 business day on Premium. These are handling times before the state's own review; the fastest filing list has every plan.

Higher Trustpilot score

Against Tailor Brands' 4.8 / 5, Inc Authority shows 4.9 / 5. It rates 7.1 overall because its services and dashboard part is 3.2, against 9.2 for Tailor Brands.^{24, 25}

Where alternatives only match

On first-time founder support, Tailor Brands Elite includes all three supports we count, and ZenBusiness Premium matches it with all three supports, including Personal Velo AI guidance. ZenBusiness costs $598 across the first and second years, since Premium renews at $299/yr. On breadth, LegalZoom sells 9 of the 10 business service types we track, level with Tailor Brands. See Tailor Brands vs ZenBusiness, Tailor Brands vs LegalZoom, the first-time founders list and the all-in-one list.²⁶

What carries over if you leave Tailor Brands?

The LLC stays formed with the state whichever provider filed it. What continues are subscriptions: Essential or Elite renews yearly, bookkeeping bills monthly if kept, and the agent service renews at $199/year, a price Tailor Brands provided.²

Changing registered agents usually means filing the state's change form; doing that before cancelling the old service keeps the LLC from being left without one. The Tailor Brands review covers its cancellation terms, and Tailor Brands vs Northwest shows the cost of a switch to an agent with a lower yearly price.