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Last Updated: May 8, 2025
Trying to find the top LLC service providers in Illinois for your business? Whether you’re a first-time entrepreneur or an experienced business owner, choosing the right LLC formation service can save you time, money, and stress. In this comparison guide, we break down top providers like ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Bizee (formerly Incfile), and Northwest Registered Agent. You’ll see how they stack up in terms of pricing, features, and customer support — plus what each service is best known for. If you’re looking for great value and reliable service, ZenBusiness is a standout option for forming an LLC in Illinois.
If you’re looking for an overall, excellent LLC formation service in Illinois, go with us at ZenBusiness. We’ve already formed 800,000+ businesses since 2017!
✔ Free LLC formation (only pay Illinois state fees)✔ $5,000 grant program for customers✔ 60-day money-back guarantee✔ 21952+ reviews with a 4.8 average rating✔ Award-winning customer support✔ Extended customer service hours, including Saturdays and Sundays✔ Socially conscious company (Public Benefit Corporation)
✘ Registered agent service costs extra after the first year✘ Some advanced features require higher-tier plans
If you want socially conscious Illinois LLC formation services with a service discount, choose ZenBusiness.
Another LLC service is Bizee (formerly known as Infile), with a basic formation service that would only require you to pay Illinois’s state filing fee. Bizee is a well-known choice, with more than one million businesses formed since they opened in 2004. They also have a variety of features to suit a business owner’s needs.
✔ Free LLC formation (only pay Illinois state fees)✔ Includes one year of registered agent service ($119/yr afterward)✔ Large customer base with 20,932+ reviews (as of April 2025)✔ Phone and email support
✘ Lots of upsells can increase overall costs✘ Customer support can be slow during peak times✘ No weekend phone support available
Keep in Mind: Even though their Illinois LLC formation service is free, you’re going to deal with more upsells and potentially higher overall prices as a result.
Want to learn more? See our Bizee review.
LegalZoom is the most well-known service in this industry, handling millions of LLC formations since 1999. They handle huge volumes of entity formations in Illinois and offer legal services beyond formations.
✔ Established brand with 4 million+ LLCs formed✔ Extended customer service hours, including Saturdays✔ Offers legal services beyond Illinois LLC formation
✘ Aggressive upsells during the ordering process✘ Registered agent service is expensive ($249/yr)✘ Not the best value compared to other services available in Illinois
Want to learn more? See our LegalZoom review.
Northwest Registered Agent also offers a good business formation service in Illinois, with personalized customer support as their standout feature. They’ve been forming businesses since 1998.
✔ Personalized customer support✔ Includes one year of registered agent service ($125/yr afterward)✔ Industry experience since 1998
✘ Higher starting price than competitors who offer free Illinois LLC formation✘ No customer service hours on Saturday or Sunday and no chat support✘ Limited brand recognition compared to larger competitors
Want to learn more? See our Northwest Registered Agent review.
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In addition to the costs of a business formation service or hiring an attorney (which are optional, as we’ve discussed), there are other required and optional expenses when forming and maintaining an Illinois business. You cannot form an LLC in Illinois without filing the Articles of Organization, the document that officially registers your business within the state. Illinois charges a $153 filing fee for paper forms or $250 for expedited paper forms and online submissions.
No matter what entity type you form, your business will need to file the annual report each year. This is a simple filing, but it keeps the state up to date about certain vital but basic information about your business, like your address and registered agent. This filing will cost you $75 annually. Read more about Illinois LLC costs.
We invite you to take a look at our guide to forming a limited liability company in Illinois. This article walks you through the LLC formation process in this state step by step, helping ensure that you don’t miss any crucial elements.
One of the most important steps in forming an Illinois LLC is choosing a business name. Once you come up with ideas for your name, you should search through the Secretary of State’s corporation and LLC search to make sure your desired name is available. For more information on conducting a business name search in Illinois, check out our Illinois business search article.
You can fill out the Illinois Articles of Organization on the Secretary of State’s website.
All LLCs operating in the state of Illinois are required to submit an annual report to the Secretary of State. It’s due by the first day of your anniversary month each year, and there is a $75 filing fee.
Chances are, you’ll require at least one license or permit to operate your LLC in compliance with Illinois state law. Unfortunately, Illinois does a poor job of explaining its business licensing requirements, as the state’s official Registrations, Licenses, and Permits webpage includes little valuable info. We recommend checking with any relevant state agencies, along with your municipal and county governments, to find out what licenses you might need.
Online submissions are typically processed within 10 business days; hard copies take longer.
If you want more details about what these companies can offer in this state, or you’d like to take a look at some other options, check out our complete guide to the best Illinois registered agent services.
Unfortunately, not all businesses last forever. If the time comes when you need to close your LLC’s doors, you’ll need to do so in a manner consistent with the state’s regulations. That’s why we wrote our guide to Illinois LLC dissolutions, so you can complete the process in a compliant manner.
If your LLC already exists in another state, you don’t actually need to “form” it in Illinois. Instead, you’ll need to foreign-qualify the business in this state. This process is somewhat similar to LLC formation, but there are some crucial differences as well. Take a look at our guide to foreign qualifications in Illinois for more information.
Illinois Business Resources
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Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
Written by Team ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 800,000 dream companies. The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.
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