I'm finally taking the plunge and forming an LLC for my little side gig. There are about a million services out there (ZenBusiness, Northwest, LegalZoom, etc.) and my head is spinning. I don't need anything fancy, just reliable and not going to quietly charge me $200 a year for nothing. Anyone have a service they actually trust? Or ones to run from?
LLC filing
Which LLC formation service would you trust with your paperwork?
I used Northwest for my first LLC. They were fine, no complaints. But honestly now I just file directly with my state's website and pay a registered agent service separately. Cheaper and I know exactly what's happening.
Do NOT use LegalZoom unless you like surprise fees. Filed my annual report through them once not realizing I could do it myself for $25 tbh.
Seconding the DIY state filing. My state has a pretty simple online portal.
I'll go against the grain and say ZenBusiness was easy for me. $0 plus state fee, theay didn't upsell me hard. But I'm a solo owner with no complicated structure, so YMMV.
LegalZoom is predatory. They charge you for things that are free, like getting an EIN, and then try to sell you a subscription to 'maintain compliance.' No thanks.
What state are you in? That matters a lot. Some states have $50 filing fees and simple forms, others are a nightmare. If you're in a simple state, just DIY. If not, a service can be worth the convenience.
I had a good experience with Incfile (now Bizee). $0 plus state fee and they included a year of registered agent. The catch is they they auto-renew the agent at a higher rate after year one, so just set a reminder.
Thanks all. I should've mentioned I'm in Colorado. State filing fee is $50 and the form is online. I'm leaning toward just doing it myself and hiring a registered agent separately. Seems like the consensus is these services mostly charge for stuff you can do yourself. Appreciate the warnings about LegalZoom and the auto-renewal traps.
Colorado? Easy. Just go to the Secretary of State site. Don't pay a middleman for that.
One more thing—if you're not comfortable being your own registered agent (address privacy, etc.), there are services like Harbor Compliance that just do that one thing and don't try to sell you a whole package. Might be worth a look.
Also, don't forget to check if your county or city needs a separate business license. That's the kind of thing these formation services don't always tell you.
This thread is why I love this forum. Learned more here in 10 minutes than from an hour of Googling.
Happy filing! Let us know how it goes.