ZenBusiness vs doola: LLC formation compared (2026)

Who is each one built for?

The split mostly follows where you live and what you want handled each year. Every line below rests on one published fact.

1. You live outside the U.S. and have no Social Security Number: doola, which says it can help a non-resident without a US SSN and lists guidance to open US bank account in Starter. ZenBusiness doesn't publish a position.^{1, 4}
2. You want a registered agent and a U.S. address in the plan price: doola Starter, where both are listed. No ZenBusiness plan lists an agent; it sells one with 50% off the first year ($99) when you form with it.⁵
3. You want the annual report filed for you without a large bill: ZenBusiness Pro at $199, renewing at $199/yr. doola's report filing starts with Tax and Compliance at $1,999/yr.^{2, 3}
4. You want to pay nothing up front for the service: ZenBusiness Starter at $0. Every doola plan bills yearly.³
5. You want fast filing: ZenBusiness Pro or Premium at 1 business day. doola states 1 to 2 business days.
6. First-time founder help: ZenBusiness, whose plans include all three supports we track. doola includes two of the three supports; it doesn't publish business coaching from a person.
7. Tax filing and bookkeeping from the same company: doola Business-in-a-Box, which adds monthly financial statements, synced bookkeeping and taxes, and estimated quarterly taxes on top of the tax filing in Tax and Compliance. ZenBusiness sells bookkeeping (Money Pro Bookkeeping, $30/month) but doesn't publish a tax return filing service.^{2, 6}

The ZenBusiness review and doola review cover each company alone.

How do the plans line up?

The table compares the plan our rating uses for each company: ZenBusiness Premium and doola Starter, the fullest plan each sells at or under our price cap. Every other tier is listed too.

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

ZenBusiness prices exclude the state's filing fee, and doola doesn't publish whether its plan prices cover it. The state fee table has each state's charge, and the LLC cost calculator adds it to a plan. All plans side by side puts every provider in one view.

Where do ZenBusiness and doola differ?

By the end of year two the compared plans come out close, $598 against $594, though doola's figure assumes Starter renews at a price doola doesn't state.

They also buy different things: ZenBusiness adds yearly report filing, doola adds the agent and address.

• Lower two-year plan cost: doola: $594 vs $598
• Faster stated processing: ZenBusiness: 1 business day vs 1 to 2 business days
• More services included for good: ZenBusiness: 6 vs 4
• Higher Trustpilot score: ZenBusiness: 4.8/5 vs 4.5/5
• First-time founders: ZenBusiness: 3 of 3 supports included (annual report filed for you, business coaching, AI guidance) vs 2 for doola
• All-in-one platform: ZenBusiness: sells 7 of 10 business service types we track vs 6
• Founders outside the U.S.: doola states it serves non-U.S. founders; ZenBusiness doesn't say

Price ladders that barely overlap

ZenBusiness tops out at $299 for Premium. doola starts near that level and climbs steeply: Starter is $297/yr, Tax and Compliance $1,999/yr and Business-in-a-Box $2,999/yr. doola says all plans are billed annually and renew at the rates then in effect; it doesn't state a renewal price. ZenBusiness publishes its renewal figures, $199/yr for Pro and $299/yr for Premium.^{2, 3, 7}

What sits inside each starting plan

doola Starter lists an EIN, an operating agreement, the agent and a Virtual Mailing/Business Address. Its pricing grid marks annual state report filing on Tax and Compliance and Business-in-a-Box only, so Starter does not include ongoing compliance filings.^{2, 8}

ZenBusiness Starter lists a name search, Personal Velo AI guidance, compliance alerts and one optional free year of Worry-Free Compliance. Pro adds the EIN, an operating agreement template, a logo builder and report filing with up to 2 amendments per year. Bought alone, ZenBusiness sells the EIN for $99 one-time and report filing for $100 per report.^{3, 9, 10}

Speed and rush

doola describes Starter as US LLC or C Corp formation filed in 1 to 2 business days, EIN and a US business address. ZenBusiness states 1 business day on Pro and Premium, 7 to 10 business days on Starter, and sells rush for $79.^{2, 3}

doola doesn't publish a rush option for the state filing. It does sell a faster EIN application for $300, which it says takes about 5 to 8 weeks. Either way, the state's review comes after the provider's step, as our LLC timeline guide explains.¹¹

How do the first-time founder supports compare?

Both include an AI assistant on every plan, but ZenBusiness also includes a person to talk to on Premium and report filing on Pro, while doola reserves report filing for its pricier tiers.

ZenBusiness offers Personal Velo AI guidance throughout and a one-on-one consultation on Premium. doola's assistant is the AI Co-Founder, and doola notes that Starter gets AI Co-Founder with 25 credits, with more on higher plans. doola's Tax and Compliance plan includes federal (IRS) and state tax filing and a 1:1 tax consultation, which is tax help rather than general business coaching. The first-time founders list ranks every provider on the same supports.^{2, 3, 12}

What about the registered agent, address and mail?

doola puts its agent in every plan; ZenBusiness sells one separately at $199/year, discounted in the first year.¹⁰

A registered agent receives lawsuits and state notices for your LLC at an in-state address. doola says its agent is free with Formation Service. Its agent page also shows $297 per year, the same as Starter, and it's unclear whether this is a standalone RA price or the Starter plan. ZenBusiness's agent renews at $199/yr, and its terms say ZenBusiness may increase its fees for RA Services.^{5, 13, 14}

Mail works differently. doola offers same-day scans, but physical mail forwarding is not included in your base registered agent subscription; it forwards physical mail for an additional fee. ZenBusiness scans documents, with originals forwarded only if they can't be copied, and offers overnight delivery for urgent notices.^{7, 13, 14}

doola presents its business address as a way to shield your personal information from public databases. The agent field of any filing shows the agent's address either way; other fields, such as the principal office, follow your state's rules. ZenBusiness doesn't include an address product in its plans.¹³

How do cancelling, refunds and support compare?

doola lets you close your account yourself or by email; ZenBusiness asks for a phone call to cancel its agent. Refunds are limited at both.

• doola says you may delete your account at any time. ZenBusiness cancels its agent service by contacting customer support by phone.^{7, 14}
• doola's terms say all payments are nonrefundable, and also "We may deny any refund at our discretion." One opening they describe: "If you cancel your application before we send your application to a state or government agency, then you may be able to receive a refund." Its homepage separately advertises Flawless Formation or Your Money Back.⁷
• ZenBusiness refunds its agent service only if the service has not yet been used; for yearly subscriptions cancelled after 30 days, no prorated refunds will be issued.¹⁴

For help, doola says the best route is to create a ticket, and its support page lists no phone line. ZenBusiness offers phone and live chat but has no email support. Both renew automatically, so a reminder before the anniversary date is worth setting.^{15, 16}