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Direct Incorporation LLC Service Review
ZenBusiness reviews its own products and services and compares them to others in the industry.
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Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes
Last Updated: February 18, 2026
*Mr. Cuban may receive financial compensation for his support.
Active Filings was founded in Miami, Florida, in 2001 by an Argentinian immigrant. On its website, Active Filings says that it has served more than 100,000 customers with business services over the years.
✔ Like us at ZenBusiness, Active Filings offers an LLC formation service package that’s free of service charges — all you need to pay is your state’s fee.
✔ Active Filings includes one year of its annual report compliance service with every LLC service package. This feature includes the filing of your annual report and notifications of upcoming filing deadlines.
✔ Each Active Filings LLC formation plan also includes one year of registered agent service, even the free (+ state fee) option.
✘ Unlike some competitors (like us at ZenBusiness) that have thousands of positive reviews online, we were unable to find more than just a small handful of customer feedback for Active Filings. No reviews were listed on Trustpilot, and Active Filings is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
✘ Active Filings’ top-tier LLC formation package (The Finisher) costs $150 more than its mid-tier package (The Sprinter) but adds no valuable features. All you’ll get with The Finisher that you don’t get with The Sprinter is a three-ring binder and a decorative seal.
✘ You can only reach Active Filings’ customer support team from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on weekdays. These are among the shortest hours of operation in this industry.
Active Filings offers three different LLC formation service packages, each with its own set of features. Take a look at the details below.
➢ Preparation and Filing of the Articles of Organization: This document includes some basic information about you and your business. It officially forms your LLC with the state. Active Filings will draft and file this document with your state.
➢ Ongoing Compliance Assistance: If your state requires annual reports, Active Filings will track your filing deadlines and submit the reports on your behalf.
➢ Registered Agent Service: Every LLC needs a registered agent to receive service of process and other important document deliveries from process servers and the state government. After the included year of service, you can renew this feature for $99 per year.
Everything from The Starter package, plus…
➢ Business Address: In states where it’s allowed, you can use Active Filings’ business address as your own address on your LLC formation documents. You can also use this address for your members’ addresses. Especially for home-based businesses, this could help you maintain your privacy.
➢ Tax ID Number (EIN): An employer identification number (EIN) is essentially a Social Security number for businesses. It allows you to hire employees, open business bank accounts, file taxes, and more. Active Filings will acquire your company’s EIN from the IRS.
➢ Faster Processing: Active Filings will prioritize the filing of your Articles of Organization over customers who choose the Starter package.
Everything from The Sprinter package, plus…
➢ LLC Kit and Seal: You’ll receive a three-ring binder and a decorative seal with your LLC’s name, state, and date of formation on it.
It’s hard to complain about the value in Active Filings’ baseline Starter package, as it includes one year each of registered agent service and ongoing compliance assistance. That said, we’re less impressed by their premium packages, as the price points don’t seem to align with the value of the added features.
Active Filings has been around since 2001 and has served more than 100,000 customers since then. It claims to be the “third-oldest incorporation service” in America and the only one of those three services that’s still independent. However, we were unable to find many reviews of Active Filings’ services, as we only dug up a few dozen reviews on any given site. Active Filings is listed on Trustpilot, but, at the time of this writing, there were no reviews listed for it.
You can reach Active Filings’ support representatives by phone at 800-609-2521, or you can fill out the contact form on their website, and they’ll respond via email. Overall, we have no complaints about the quality of their support, as we’ve received prompt, courteous, and knowledgeable assistance from their reps. However, their hours of operation are very short (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on weekdays).
The process of ordering LLC formation services from Active Filings is pretty simple. You’ll start by selecting your state and your business entity type (LLC, corporation, or nonprofit). Then, you choose which of Active Filings’ three LLC formation packages you’d like to purchase. From there, you only have one screen left to complete, where you’ll enter some basic information about yourself and your business and pay for the order.
When it comes down to making a choice, Active Filings has both advantages and disadvantages. Here are some scenarios where you should or shouldn’t use Active Filings for LLC formation service.
If you’re looking for a free (plus state fees) LLC formation service package that doesn’t skimp on included features, Active Filings could be a good fit.
Do you prioritize using a company with many positive customer reviews? Maybe you want to purchase a premium package with advanced features, or you care about extended customer support hours. These are all good reasons to look elsewhere.
Recommended article: Best Active Filings LLC Service Alternatives
Start your LLC with ZenBusiness
Pricing starts at just $0 + state fee
Frequently Asked Questions About Active Filings
Active Filings has helped more than 100,000 customers since opening its doors back in 2001. However, we were unable to find many reviews of Active Filings’ services, as we only dug up a few dozen reviews on any given site. Active Filings is listed on Trustpilot, but, at the time of this writing, there were no reviews listed for it. It’s also worth noting that Active Filings is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
Active Filings offers a free LLC formation service plus state fees and has some strengths, but several competitors stand out for reviews, features, and customer support.
However, we’ve done countless hours of research on this topic, reviewing and comparing many of the best LLC formation services. Here is how Active Filings stacks up.
ZenBusiness vs. Active Filings: Like Active Filings, ZenBusiness also offers a $0 LLC formation service (you just pay your state’s fee). We think the most important difference is that ZenBusiness has 850K+ online customer reviews, compared to a small handful for Active Filings. ZenBusiness is also a Public Benefit Corporation that donates money to underrepresented entrepreneurs.
Northwest registered agent vs. Active Filings: Northwest charges a separate fee to form an LLC, while Active Filings offers a similar service for $0 plus state fees. However, Northwest’s personalized customer service is typically viewed as a step up from Active Filings’ support, especially given Active Filings’ shorter support hours. Northwest also has a higher volume of positive customer reviews, although not as many as ZenBusiness.
LegalZoom vs. Active Filings: LegalZoom offers a $0 (+ state fee) LLC formation package and is one of the most experienced companies in this industry, with millions of business formations completed. LegalZoom also has thousands of positive customer reviews, which is another key advantage over Active Filings. However, LegalZoom’s $0 package is relatively bare-bones compared to Active Filings’ similarly priced plan.
You can get ahold of Active Filings by phone, or you can fill out the contact form on their website and wait for them to get back to you. Our experiences with their support reps have been pleasant and helpful, although we will say that their hours of operation are disappointingly short (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on weekdays).
Active Filings’ website states, “Unless otherwise stated herein, all purchases are final and non-refundable after 90 days.”
That’s always an option, and some entrepreneurs do just that. The problem with the do-it-yourself route is that it can take quite a bit of time due to state-specific compliance requirements. On the other end of the spectrum, some people hire lawyers to form their LLCs, but that’s usually far more expensive than online LLC services are.
In general, reserving a business name before entering the formation process is unnecessary. The only time you would need to do this is if you’re not ready to form your business yet, but want to make sure that your name is available when you are.
Yes. There are very few restrictions on who can form an LLC in the United States. You don’t need to be physically present in this country to form one, you don’t need to be a U.S. citizen or resident, etc. If you want to own and operate your own LLC, there aren’t many restrictions to doing so.
Active Filings doesn’t list any NY publication services on their website, so if you’re forming an LLC in New York, you may have to handle this step yourself. If you want another option, check out our New York publication service.
You can contact Active Filings by phone at 800-609-2521. If you’d rather communicate via email, fill out the contact form on their website and they’ll get back to you.
With Active Filings, turnaround times depend on two things. First, each state has its own timelines for processing LLC formation paperwork. Secondly, Active Filings processes LLC formations a bit quicker if you order one of their premium packages as opposed to the free version.
We think Active Filings’ biggest advantage is its offer of a free (+ state fee) LLC formation package that also includes valuable features. Its biggest disadvantage is either the lack of value in its premium packages or its short hours of customer support availability. The dearth of online reviews is also a concern.
Upgrading to a pricier package just to get an EIN usually only makes sense if you strongly value convenience, since you can get an EIN from the IRS yourself for free.
If having Active Filings handle the EIN for you saves you time or stress, then paying more for that package might feel worth it. If you are comfortable filling out a short online IRS form, you can skip the upgrade and apply for your EIN directly at no cost.
Yes. Active Filings includes one year of both registered agent service and ongoing compliance assistance with every LLC formation service package.
LLC Services Reviewed
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. For specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
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