Cheapest LLC formation services (2026)

How is this list of cheap LLC services ordered?

Each service is placed by the price of its lowest published LLC plan, before state fees. When two plans cost the same, the service with the higher score on our rating method comes first.

1. Tailor Brands

   Lite at $0

   Our rating 8.7/10 · Trustpilot 4.8/5

   Sources: Tailor Brands website; Trustpilot

   See Tailor Brands plans

2. LegalZoom

   Basic at $0

   Our rating 8.1/10 · Trustpilot 4.6/5

   Sources: LegalZoom website; Trustpilot

   See LegalZoom plans

3. Bizee (formerly Incfile)

   Basic at $0

   Our rating 8.0/10 · Trustpilot 4.8/5

   Sources: Bizee (formerly Incfile) website; Trustpilot

   See Bizee (formerly Incfile) plans

4. ZenBusiness

   Starter at $0

   Our rating 8.0/10 · Trustpilot 4.8/5

   Sources: ZenBusiness website; Trustpilot

   See ZenBusiness plans

5. Swyft Filings

   Basic at $0

   Our rating 7.7/10 · Trustpilot 4.7/5

   Sources: Swyft Filings website; Trustpilot

   See Swyft Filings plans

6. Inc Authority

   Free LLC at $0

   Our rating 7.1/10 · Trustpilot 4.9/5

   Sources: Inc Authority website; Trustpilot

   See Inc Authority plans

7. Northwest Registered Agent

   Northwest LLC formation at $39 + state fees

   Our rating 6.9/10 · Trustpilot 4.1/5

   Sources: Northwest Registered Agent website; Trustpilot

   See Northwest Registered Agent plans

8. InCorp Services

   LLC Formation Service at $99

   Our rating 7.0/10 · Trustpilot 4.7/5

   Sources: InCorp Services website; Trustpilot

   See InCorp Services plans

9. BizFilings

   Basic at $99

   Our rating 6.8/10 · Trustpilot 4.5/5

   Sources: Information provided by BizFilings; Trustpilot

   See BizFilings plans

10. Harbor Compliance

    Standard Formation at $99

    Our rating 5.1/10 · Trustpilot 3.1/5

    Sources: Harbor Compliance website; Trustpilot

    See Harbor Compliance plans

11. Rocket Lawyer

    Standard membership at $149/year ($12.41/month, billed yearly)

    Our rating 6.8/10 · Trustpilot 4.5/5

    Sources: Rocket Lawyer website; Trustpilot

    See Rocket Lawyer plans

12. doola

    Starter at $297/yr

    Our rating 7.2/10 · Trustpilot 4.5/5

    Sources: doola website; Trustpilot

    See doola plans

Plan price is used because each provider publishes one for its entry plan. It says nothing about what the plan includes, how fast it files or what it bills later. Those points are covered further down.

Two tie rules apply. The six free plans share one price, so they follow our rating, from Tailor Brands at 8.7 down to Inc Authority at 7.1. Bizee (formerly Incfile) and ZenBusiness both rate 8.0, so they follow our editorial tie order.

Price wins over rating everywhere else. Northwest Registered Agent sits above InCorp Services because its plan costs $39 + state fees against $99, even though InCorp Services rates 7.0 and Northwest Registered Agent rates 6.9.^{2, 3}

Rocket Lawyer sells a membership rather than a one-off formation fee. Its Standard plan costs $149/year ($12.41/month, billed yearly), and its LLC filing is listed as "first one free, then $99 + state fees". doola comes last at $297/yr, a yearly plan that auto-renews annually at rates then in effect, with no renewal price stated.^{4, 5, 6}

What does "cheapest" mean for an LLC service?

There are three fair ways to call a service cheapest, and they can name different providers. This page sorts by the first one.

1. Lowest plan price. The sticker price of the entry plan, before the state fee. It is easy to compare and easy to misread.
2. Lowest first-year total. The plan, plus the state fee, plus anything you need that the plan leaves out. A registered agent is a common gap: LegalZoom Basic doesn't include one, and the LegalZoom agent costs $249/year for first-time registered agent customers. Bizee (formerly Incfile) Basic includes a registered agent (1st year included). The LLC cost calculator adds these up for any state.^{7, 8}
3. Lowest cost through year two. Year one plus whatever renews. This is where free plans with a bundled agent or a trial start to differ. The list sorted by cost through the second year ranks by this measure.

Our figure for the first and second year together counts only the charges of the plan we compare in the rating. For Inc Authority's Free LLC plan that figure is $0. For Rocket Lawyer's Standard membership it is $298, and for doola Starter it is $594, which assumes the plan renews at the same price. The sum leaves out the state fee, any agent sold separately and any agent that starts billing after a free year, such as the Inc Authority agent at $249/year.⁹

Why does a free LLC plan still cost money?

A free plan waives only the provider's service fee. The state charges its filing fee on every plan, and several free plans include items that start billing later unless you cancel them.

The pricing pages say so in their own words. LegalZoom lists Basic as "$0+ state filing fees" and ZenBusiness lists Starter as "$0 + state fees". Inc Authority's page reads "Pay only state filing fees".^{10, 11, 12}

Each free plan can bill for something after the start, except where noted.

• Tailor Brands Lite includes a bookkeeping trial, which is charged at $39/month once it ends.¹³
• ZenBusiness Starter includes Worry-Free Compliance (one optional free year). After that year the service costs $199/year. Its website builder comes as a 30-day special offer and then renews at $15/mo.^{11, 14, 15}
• Swyft Filings Basic includes a trial of ComplianceGuard, which covers one annual report. ComplianceGuard then costs $199/year, charged automatically after a 14-day free trial.^{16, 17}
• Bizee (formerly Incfile) Basic bundles a registered agent (1st year included), and after that the agent costs $149/year. It also includes a virtual address (1st month included).^{8, 18}
• Inc Authority's Free LLC charges nothing again for the filing, but its registered agent auto-renews at $249/yr after year 1.⁹
• LegalZoom Basic lists no trial items. Its gap is the registered agent, which it doesn't include.

Each of these items, and when it starts to bill, is listed on the provider's own site.

What does sorting by plan price leave out?

Plan price ignores speed, the registered agent, who files the annual report, refunds and support for founders abroad. Each can change which cheap plan suits a given owner.

Speed. At some providers the free plan is the slowest tier. Bizee (formerly Incfile) Basic states processing of 4 to 6 weeks, and Tailor Brands Lite states 14 business days. Inc Authority's Free LLC states 24 hours. The fastest filing list sorts by stated speed instead.^{1, 8, 12}

Registered agent. Northwest Registered Agent says its included registered agent renews at $125/yr after year 1. BizFilings Basic includes 3 months free registered agent services, after which the agent costs $220/yr. Harbor Compliance's agent costs $99 for a new customer's first year and renews at $159 annually. The list of services that include a registered agent covers agent terms in more depth.^{2, 19, 20, 21}

Annual report. Being reminded of a report is not the same as having it filed. ZenBusiness Starter includes compliance reminders and alerts, and filing comes through its Worry-Free Compliance service, free for the first year only. With Tailor Brands, filing is included in Essential and Elite, not Lite. Northwest Registered Agent charges $100 + state fees each time it files.^{1, 14, 22}

Refunds. Terms differ among the low-cost plans.

• Inc Authority: 60-day money-back guarantee on initial online purchase, less state/third-party filing fees.²³
• Northwest Registered Agent: All purchases final and non-refundable after 90 days; state fees non-refundable.²⁴
• Tailor Brands: Fees non-refundable to the maximum extent permitted by law; $29 service fee deducted from any refund issued.²⁵

Founders outside the U.S. An EIN, the federal tax number, can cost more without a Social Security number. Northwest Registered Agent lists its EIN service at $50 (with SSN) and $200 without SSN. BizFilings sells a separate Foreign Business U.S. Incorporation package ($389 + state fees). The list for non-U.S. founders compares this in full.^{26, 27}