I'm about to pull the trigger on forming an LLC and Inc Authority keeps popping up in my search results. Their free filing offer seems too good to be true, but I also know nothing is really free. If you've actually used them to form your LLC, I want the unfiltered version: what was the process like, what did they upsell you on, and would you use them again? No theoretical answers please, I'm looking for people who have actually gone through it.
LLC Formation
I want to hear from people who actually formed an LLC with Inc Authority
Used them back in 2021. The free filing is legit in the sense that you don't pay a filing fee to Inc Authority but they will absolutely try to sell you a bunch of add-ons during checkout. I declined everything and still got my LLC approved. Took about 3 weeks in my state.
Three weeks? I paid for the expedited processing and got mine in like 5 days. Cost extra but I was in a hurry. The upsells are annoying but you can click through them.
Yeah I wasn't in a rush. But I should mention that after formation they kept calling me about their registered agent service and some compliance package. I ignored it and just use my own address for now. Haven't had issues yet.
I went with them and honestly regretted it. Not because the formation itself was bad, but the sales calls got old fast. They called me like 4 times in the first month trying to get me to buy their registered agent and compliance stuff. Switched to a different registered agent after the first year
The free filing is only "free" if you count your time dealing with their phone calls as worthless. I'd rather pay a little more upfront and not get hounded.
To be fair, I just stopped answering. They gave up after a while. But I get why people find it annoying ngl.
I used them last year for a side gig LLC. Process was straightforward: filled out the form, they filed it, I got my articles back. I paid for the registered agent service for the first year because I didn't want my home address on public record. It was like $119 or something. No major complaints.
Did they charge you a separate state filing fee on top of their fee? That's the part that akways confuses me.
Yeah, state fee is separate. Inc Authority's "free" just means they don't charge their own service fee for the basic formation. You still pay your state's filing fee directly or through them. In my case it was $50.
And that's the trick. People see "free" and assume it's totally free. The state fee is unavoidable, but at least you know it's going to the government. The upsells are where they make their money.
So the consensus seems to be that the basic formation is fine but the upselling is aggressive. For those who declined the registered agent service, what did you use instead? I'm trying to figure out if I should just pay for a separate RA from the start.
I used Northwest Registered Agent. A bit more expensive but they don't bug you. Some people just use their own address, but I didn't want that.
I used my home address for the first year. Nothing bad happened, but I switched to a virtual office latter. If you're worried about privacy, get a proper RA.