ZenBusiness vs Rocket Lawyer: LLC formation compared (2026)

How does a membership differ from a formation plan?

A Rocket Lawyer membership is a yearly legal subscription, and the LLC filing is a perk inside it. ZenBusiness plans exist to form the company, with Pro and Premium renewing each year for compliance work.

Rocket Lawyer lists Standard, Plus and Pro memberships at $149/year, $249/year and $349/year. Each is billed yearly after a free 7-day trial. Its business registration row says the first filing is free and the next costs $99 + state fees, and the offer requires a current membership. So the first LLC filing costs nothing beyond the membership and the state fee.²

ZenBusiness Starter costs $0 and doesn't renew. Pro costs $199 and Premium $299, each renewing at the same price yearly. Both companies add the state fee on top, which the state fee table shows for every state.¹

How do ZenBusiness and Rocket Lawyer line up plan by plan?

The table compares ZenBusiness Premium with the Rocket Lawyer Standard membership, the plans our rating uses. It also lists every tier, items kept for good, agent terms, cancelling and refunds.

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

The total over both years is $298 for Rocket Lawyer and $598 for ZenBusiness, before state fees. Neither figure includes a registered agent, and the Rocket Lawyer one has no EIN either, for reasons set out in the next section. The LLC cost calculator adds your state's fee to either plan.

Which add-ons depend on the Rocket Lawyer tier?

The agent, the EIN and annual report filing all sit behind higher Rocket Lawyer tiers. The agent and the EIN need Plus or Pro, and annual report filing needs Pro.

• Registered agent: $125 a year with a Plus or Pro membership. Standard members and non-members can't buy it.³
• EIN, the federal tax ID a bank asks for: $70 with Plus or Pro. Standard members can't add it.⁴
• Annual report filing: $100 with Pro membership, excluding state fees. Standard and Plus show it as not included.⁵

ZenBusiness has no gate of this kind. Its agent costs $99 in the first year with any formation plan, then $199/yr. The EIN is included on Pro and Premium and costs $99 one-time on Starter. Pro and Premium file the annual report as part of the renewal, and anyone can buy the filing for $100 per report.^{6, 7}

So a founder who wants a Rocket Lawyer agent and EIN starts at the Plus membership and pays for each on top. Our registered agent guide and EIN guide explain what each one does.

Where do the two actually differ?

They differ on billing model, on what is included for good, and on legal help. The list below is computed from each company's published facts.

• Lower two-year plan cost: Rocket Lawyer: $298 vs $598
• 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 1 for Rocket Lawyer
• All-in-one platform: ZenBusiness: sells 7 of 10 business service types we track vs 5

Attorney access and legal documents

Rocket Lawyer includes lawyer contact in every membership. Standard allows Ask an Attorney questions (Limit 12), each with a written response within 1 business day. Plus raises the cap (Limit 36) and adds live calls, listed as Consult an Attorney Live (Limit 12). Pro lists both with no limit listed. All tiers include document making, e-signatures and contract review, where you upload a contract and see a list of key terms and red flags.²

ZenBusiness doesn't publish attorney access in any plan. Premium includes a document templates library and a one-on-one consultation with a business advisor. Its stated aim is to check you have the services you need to start and grow.¹

Speed

ZenBusiness states 1 business day on Pro and Premium and 7-10 business days on Starter, with rush at $79. Rocket Lawyer's filing time is not published and it doesn't publish a rush option. The LLC timeline guide separates the service's step from the state's review.¹

How do agent renewal, cancelling and refunds compare?

Both agent services renew automatically. Rocket Lawyer says its agent must be canceled prior to the renewal date to stop the next charge, and ZenBusiness asks you to cancel by contacting customer support by phone.^{8, 9}

Rocket Lawyer adds a step: you file change-of-agent paperwork with the state when you drop its agent. Its refund window is within 30 days of purchase, with none on annual plans after 30 days. ZenBusiness takes refund requests on the agent only if the service has not yet been used.^{8, 9}

On mail, Rocket Lawyer says it will forward all state legal documents directly to you and uploads scans to your account. On privacy, ZenBusiness says its agent address goes on filings in place of yours, while Rocket Lawyer mentions privacy but doesn't say outright that its address replaces yours. Either way, other fields on the state filing follow your state's rules.³

Which reader does each one fit?

Rocket Lawyer fits readers who want ongoing legal help, and ZenBusiness fits those who want the agent, EIN and report filing without a membership tier. Each line below rests on a published fact.

• You want legal help after forming, such as contract review and written answers from a lawyer: Rocket Lawyer, whose memberships include attorney questions.
• You want the agent, EIN and report filing from one company without a membership tier: ZenBusiness.
• You care most about a stated processing time: ZenBusiness, at 1 business day on Pro and Premium.
• You want the lower total over both years for the compared plan: Rocket Lawyer Standard membership at $298, keeping in mind that neither total includes an agent and Standard members can't add Rocket Lawyer's.
• For first-time founders, ZenBusiness includes all three supports: report filing on Pro and Premium, Personal Velo AI guidance on every plan and a business advisor call on Premium. Rocket Lawyer includes one of the three supports, its AI legal assistant with AI answers to unlimited questions, and offers 2 of the three at any price.^{1, 2}
• For one company selling many business services, ZenBusiness sells 7 of the 10 types we track and Rocket Lawyer 5.
• Weekend support: ZenBusiness answers Sat-Sun 9am-6pm CT. Rocket Lawyer's hours are Monday-Friday, 6 am-6 pm PT.^{10, 11}

Neither publishes whether it serves founders outside the U.S.; our non-U.S. founders list shows providers that do. More detail is on the ZenBusiness review, the Rocket Lawyer review, Rocket Lawyer pricing and ZenBusiness pricing. Other options are on Rocket Lawyer alternatives.