Inc Authority vs Tailor Brands: LLC formation compared (2026)

How do Inc Authority and Tailor Brands compare in one table?

The table lines up the Free LLC plan with Tailor Brands Elite, the two plans our rating scores, then shows what each keeps for good, what runs out, and the agent, renewal and refund terms.

Auto-renewal, cancelling and refunds are as each provider states them for its registered agent and subscription services.

The state's filing fee comes on top of both columns. You can find it in the fees for every state, and the cost calculator adds it to either plan. Every plan we track sits on one page if you want a wider view.

Where do Inc Authority and Tailor Brands differ most?

The biggest gaps are in billing, in first-year founder support and in how many business services each sells. The component below names the deciding fact for each.

• Lower two-year plan cost: Inc Authority: $0 vs $498
• More services included for good: Tailor Brands: 7 vs 1
• Higher Trustpilot score: Inc Authority: 4.9/5 vs 4.8/5
• First-time founders: Tailor Brands: 3 of 3 supports included (annual report filed for you, business coaching, AI guidance) vs 0 for Inc Authority
• All-in-one platform: Tailor Brands: sells 9 of 10 business service types we track vs 4
• Founders outside the U.S.: Tailor Brands states it serves non-U.S. founders; Inc Authority doesn't say

A one-time free plan against yearly plans

Inc Authority publishes one priced plan. Tailor Brands sells Lite at $0, Essential at $199/yr and Elite at $249/yr. The two paid tiers are priced per year, and with no separate renewal price on the pricing page, our records show each renewing at its first-year figure ($199/yr and $249/yr).³

Moving from Lite to Essential adds annual report filing, an operating agreement and a funding search that matches grants, loans and tax credits to location, industry and stage. Elite adds what its plan card calls "Online business & branding tools", plus a domain for the first year. Inc Authority sells its custom operating agreement separately for $89 and lists an EIN (the federal tax ID number) as a standalone service at $49. Tailor Brands offers EIN filing too, with the price not published.^{3, 4, 5, 6, 7}

Stated speed

Tailor Brands states 1 business day on Essential and Elite and 14 business days on Lite. Inc Authority states 24 hours, meaning your order is submitted within 24 hours during business hours. Both figures describe the service's own step; the state's review follows, as our LLC timeline guide explains.^{1, 3}

What does each cost once the first year is over?

Inc Authority's second-year bill is its agent renewal of $249/year, if you keep the agent. At Tailor Brands the yearly plan renews, and an agent is a separate purchase.²

Inc Authority charges your card approximately 1-year from date of incorporation. Cancel before then and the plan has no further cost. Tailor Brands' plan cards list no registered agent. Its agent price, $199/year, was supplied by the company and is not stated on a public page, so treat it as unconfirmed until it appears on Tailor Brands' website.^{2, 8}

Watch one trial on the Tailor Brands side. Every plan includes a bookkeeping and invoicing trial that expires after 30 days, and it then bills $39/month unless cancelled. Our LLC cost guide lists the yearly state charges that come on top of either company.⁹

Which gives a first-time owner more help?

Tailor Brands, on the facts we count. Its Elite plan includes all three supports, while Inc Authority's Free LLC plan includes none of the three supports.

On Tailor Brands, coaching is a 12-week accelerator with a business trainer, which the company says comes included with any plan purchased. Its AI assistant, Navi, tracks filings and deadlines and recommends next steps. Annual report filing is part of Essential and Elite (not in Lite), and Tailor Brands doesn't publish a price for the filing bought on its own.^{3, 10, 11}

Inc Authority sells personal help as an add-on. Its Inc Success Advisor program gives phone and email answers on topics such as licenses, payroll, banking, funding, IRS letters, for $299/year. Its pages mention compliance reminders without describing their scope, and they don't publish an annual report filing service. The first-time founders list ranks every provider on these supports.^{12, 13}

How do refunds, cancelling and the agent address compare?

Inc Authority's refund terms are wider. It offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on the first online purchase, minus state/third-party filing fees. Tailor Brands' terms say all fees are non-refundable as far as the law allows, with a $29 service fee deducted from any refund issued.^{14, 15}

Tailor Brands' agent terms add one exception: if the company ends the service itself, it will refund any prepaid fees specifically related to the Registered Agent Services. Inc Authority's terms say cancelling is not retroactive and give no pro-rated refund of the previous payment. Both agent services renew automatically. You cancel Inc Authority's by phone or email, and Tailor Brands' by notifying Tailor Brands and completing the required steps.^{14, 15, 16}

On addresses, both agents put their own address in the agent field of your state filing. Tailor Brands' terms say you must not designate or otherwise refer to the Registered Address as your business location in public materials. It sells a separate Virtual Address product for that, with the price not published. Inc Authority's agent page says "Keep your home address private", which describes that same agent field; other fields on the filing, such as the principal office, still follow your state's rules.^{16, 17, 18}

Who should pick Inc Authority, and who Tailor Brands?

Each line pairs a reader's need with the published fact that decides it. None of them says one company does its job better.

1. Spending as little as possible in year one: Inc Authority, with a $0 plan and the agent included for the first year.¹
2. Annual report filing, coaching and AI guidance inside the plan: Tailor Brands Essential or Elite.
3. Higher rating on our method: Tailor Brands, at 8.7.
4. One company for more business services after formation: Tailor Brands, which sells 9 of the 10 types we track against 4 for Inc Authority.
5. A written money-back window: Inc Authority.
6. Forming from outside the U.S.: Tailor Brands, which links a separate sign-up flow for non-US citizens from its formation page, though it gives no eligibility or pricing details. Inc Authority says only that there is no limit on where members are located.^{13, 19}
7. Stated speed: close to even. Inc Authority states 24 hours and Tailor Brands 1 business day on its paid plans.

More detail is on the Inc Authority review, the Tailor Brands review, Inc Authority pricing and Tailor Brands pricing. Inc Authority alternatives and Tailor Brands alternatives list other choices in rating order.