I spent a few weeks researching these three for my wife's consulting LLC. Wanted to share what I found and hear if others had similar or different experiences. ZenBusiness: The dashboard is nice, but they push add-ons hard. The $0 formation is real, but you end up needing the registered agent service unless you want your address public. Total came to around $200 first year for the basic package plus agent. Bizee: Their pricing felt more transparent. The free version has no registered agent, but the paid tier at $99 seems like a decent middle ground. I didn't like that the processing times were longer. Inc Authority: Free LLC formation, but they immediately called me and tried to sell me on a $1,500 back-office package. Felt a little aggressive. Only good if you're confident you'll never need anything else. We ended up going with Bizee, mostly for the middle-ground price and because the state fees were clear upfront. Curious what others think.
My experience comparing zenbusiness, bizee, and inc authority
Bizee was fine for me until they tried to charge me to get a certified copy of my articles. That should be a basic feature. I ended up just requuesting it from the state directly.
Interesting write-up. I used ZenBusiness for two different businesses and both times they tried to upsell me on their compliance package. Their free formation saved me money upfront, but I paid for it in email spam.
How long did Bizee take to process your filing? I've been waiting eight days and still no confirmation. Their site says 10-15 business days now.
I did DIY through my state's website. Cost me $125 and about 20 minutes. Not sure why anyone pays these companies unless they really need the hand-holding.
Not trying to be condescending, I just realized after using one of these services that the state portal was easier for me.
Inc Authority's free formation is essentially a lead magnet. They call you within minutes. I told them I wasn't interested in the package and the rep got short with me. Not a fan.
I've heard that about Inc Authority. They're a pay-for-leads setup, so the the formation is always going to be followed by a hard sell. Not necessarily unethical, just something to know going in.
We used Bizee for our nonprofit. It took about 14 days and there were no surprise fees. Customer service was decent when I called about a typo. I have no complaints, but I also didn't try to get anything extra out of them.
Does anyone know if Bizee's registered agent service is worth it long-term? I'm at the renewal point and trying to decide whether to switch to a cheaper option.
You can do a lot of this yourself by just paying a local registered agent $50-100 per year. The bigger services are fine, but you're paying for convenience, not a necessity.
I switched to a smaller registered agent after my first year. Bizee's renewal was almost $150. My new one is $75 and nswers the phone.
Any experience with ZenBusiness's customer support? I've read mixed reviews on Trustpilot.
I filed a ticket once about my agent address being wrong. Took three days to get a response. It got fixed, but but I wouldn't call it fast.
What state did you file in? That might be why your Bizee timeline is different. Some states just take longer regardless of the service.
Ohio. I checked the state's status site and it still shows as pending. So it might be the state, not Bizee
Thanks for the comments on the agent. I think I'll look for a cheaper registered agent and just keep Bizee for the initial filing. No reason to pay for two services when one will do.