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ZenBusiness reviews and compares Inc Authority and Incorporate.com. Both companies can help you start and maintain a business, but Inc Authority’s poor ratings from the Better Business Bureau and Incorporate.com’s lack of third-party reviews might have you seeking alternatives.
Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes“Inc Authority” is the registered trademark of Inc Authority, LLC “Incorporate.com” is a registered trademark of Corporation Service Company
Last Updated: September 24, 2025
*Mr. Cuban may receive financial compensation for his support.
If you’re looking to start a registered business, then you might be considering using a business formation service like Inc Authority or Incorporate.com. These business formation companies (and other companies like them) can be very helpful if you feel overwhelmed by all the business paperwork you’re facing.
But in the Inc Authority vs. Incorporate.com matchup, who comes out on top? Are there any alternatives you should consider instead? In this guide, we’ll review both Inc Authority and Incorporate.com, comparing how these two options compete in terms of value, customer service, customer reviews, and more.
Let’s get started.
At first glance, Incorporate.com and Inc Authority appear quite similar — both provide services to help entrepreneurs start and manage businesses. However, their backgrounds and focus areas highlight some key differences.
According to its website, Inc Authority brings more than 30 years of experience to the business formation industry. Still, it’s important to note that “Inc Authority, LLC” itself was formally incorporated in Nevada in 2015, so some of that 30 years’ experience stems from their affiliated entities. Since launching, the company reports having helped form more than 250,000 businesses.
Incorporate.com has a far longer history, tracing its origins back to 1899 in Wilmington, Delaware. Now a registered trademark of the Corporation Service Company (CSC), the brand has been through multiple rebrands, previously operating as the Company Corporation. Over its extensive history, Incorporate.com has supported the creation of more than 750,000 businesses.
Incorporate.com and Inc Authority have a fair bit of common ground as two reputable companies in the business formation services sector. We’ll dive into the distinctions between them throughout this guide, but here’s a quick glance at these companies.
In our assessment of Incorporate.com and Inc Authority, we evaluated each company based on several different categories: business formation services, registered agent service, additional service offerings, customer feedback, and customer support.
Let’s take a closer look at those categories.
Both Inc Authority and Incorporate.com can help you form a limited liability company, corporation, or nonprofit. But how much will it cost you, and what other perks will you receive with your order? For many small business owners, that’s an important question to answer.
In this section, we’ll compare how much it costs to start an LLC with either of these brands. While an LLC isn’t the best business entity structure for every new company, it is a popular choice for a lot of new companies. That makes it a very practical point of comparison for a guide like this. So if you’re interested in forming something besides an LLC, keep in mind that those prices may be a little different.
To start, Incorporate.com offers a few different LLC formation service packages to choose from, each with a different combination of services. Here are their current offerings:
Meanwhile, Inc Authority takes a slightly different approach, as they have only one LLC package, their “free LLC package.” Technically, like our free LLC package, it isn’t completely free; you’ll still be required to pay your state filing fees. But they will file your Articles of Organization on your behalf. Inc Authority’s package includes one year of registered agent service and EIN acquisition at no additional cost. You could also choose to get free expedited processing instead of EIN acquisition if you prefer speedy turnaround times.
The way the package is presented can be a little misleading, though. The main page suggests that you’ll receive multiple extras for free — such as both expedited processing and an EIN, plus a website. In reality, you’ll need to choose between the EIN and expedited filing, with the unselected option costing an additional $49 if you want it. The website-related perks are also limited; instead of a full service, you’ll get temporary access to domain registration and a website builder, which are trial-based tools rather than permanent features. If you want to continue using them, you’ll end up paying for subscriptions.
All registered business entities, such as LLCs and corporations, are required to appoint a registered agent. This role involves accepting service of process and other official state correspondence on behalf of the company.
It’s possible to serve as your own registered agent, but the criteria are strict: you must reside in the state, maintain a physical street address there, and remain available at that address during standard business hours. For most business owners, those requirements are difficult (if not impossible) to maintain. That’s why many opt to use a professional registered agent service instead. Both Inc Authority and Incorporate.com offer this service to their customers.
Incorporate.com charges $235 per year for this service. Inc Authority will give you one year of free registered agent service if you hire them to form your business. They don’t publish the renewal fee for registered agent services on their website, so we contacted customer support and asked. They told us that, at present, the renewal fee is “around $199” per year, but that pricing is subject to change.
Incorporate.com and Inc Authority effectively form limited liability companies and help you maintain a registered agent, but they don’t stop there. Both companies also provide a variety of other services for entrepreneurs who want to streamline multiple business tasks through a single provider. We won’t list every detail in this Inc Authority and Incorporate.com comparison guide (this guide would be intolerably long if we did), but here’s an overview of what each brand brings to the table.
Inc Authority’s catalog is geared toward business essentials. Their services include obtaining an EIN, drafting bylaws or an LLC operating agreement, creating ownership certificates, and preparing minutes or resolutions. They also offer Compliance360, an annual subscription that provides compliance reminders, customized alerts about state deadlines, and two free amendments per year. Beyond compliance, Inc Authority offers website-building tools (either do-it-yourself or professional design), plus a handful of personal services such as revocable living trusts and tax preparation for both individuals and businesses.
Incorporate.com offers a smaller but still useful range of services. These include corporate kits and company seals, LLC operating agreements, EIN acquisition, S corporation elections, entity conversions, annual report filing service, mail forwarding services, and more. They also provide a business licensing research package to help business owners identify which licenses or permits may be required for their operations. While their overall library is lean compared to some competitors, Incorporate.com still provides a fair number of options to cover many early-stage business needs.
When reviewing incorporation services, we turn to independent platforms like Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau to get a clearer picture of how customers actually feel. With that in mind, we examined reviews for both Incorporate.com and Inc Authority.
Inc Authority has a strong presence on Trustpilot, with over 43,000 reviews and an impressive 4.9 out of 5-star average (at the time of this writing). Many customers highlighted how straightforward the formation process was and praised the support team for being helpful. Still, not all feedback is positive. Some users report frustration with aggressive upselling, duplicate charges, or being billed more than expected.
One notable drawback is Inc Authority’s Better Business Bureau profile. The company is not accredited and currently carries an F rating due to unresolved complaints. All of their BBB reviews are one-star clunkers, too. Initially, this was tricky to verify because this particular BBB profile is listed under the name “Inc for Free.” However, the BBB also lists “Inc Authority, LLC” as an alternate name, and company representatives have replied to customer reviews under the Inc Authority name, confirming the connection.
Inc Authority has a few issues among thousands of customer reviews, while Incorporate.com has very few reviews to begin with. We couldn’t find any BBB feedback for them, and their Trustpilot profile has just two reviews — both one-star ratings. For a provider with such a long history in incorporation services, the lack of customer feedback is surprising. The limited reviews that are available for Incorporate.com cite rude or unhelpful customer service as the main concern.
If you value positive customer feedback, then Inc Authority might be worth a look. But if you place a lot of value on BBB ratings, then you won’t find good ones with Incorporate.com or Inc Authority. In contrast, ZenBusiness is BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and we’ve got a 4.8/5 score on Trustpilot across 24,867 reviews.
At some stage, you’ll likely have questions — whether they’re about your business itself or a service you’ve purchased. In those moments, having dependable customer support matters. That’s why we examined the support options offered by Incorporate.com and Inc Authority.
Inc Authority provides assistance by phone, email, and live chat. Their support team is U.S.-based and available on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT, though they don’t offer weekend availability. In our most recent test, we received a helpful response through the chat feature within a few minutes, and the interaction was smooth and informative. Customer reviews tend to mirror this, with many praising the support staff for being attentive during the formation process. On the flip side, some users report issues with duplicate charges, occasionally tied to corrections handled by support reps.
Incorporate.com also provides three methods of contact: phone, live chat, and an online form. Our own experience with their support was mixed. The live chat function left us waiting more than 40 minutes without being connected to anyone, but when we submitted a question through the contact form, we received an email reply within the hour. We’ve also had an okay experience when we called Incorporate.com’s customer support. They don’t publish official support hours, though the site promises responses within one business day, making it unclear whether weekend assistance is available.
The limited third-party feedback for Incorporate.com reinforces the inconsistent support experiences. Several customers mention challenges in getting timely, effective support, and based on our own test, those frustrations don’t appear to be isolated cases.
Both Incorporate.com and Inc Authority are legitimate operations that can help you efficiently and effectively form and maintain a business like an LLC or corporation. Maybe you’re drawn to the fact that Inc Authority offers LLC formation service for free (plus state fees) and a year of free registered agent service. Or perhaps you like that Incorporate.com includes a business license compliance package in their top-tier package.
But Incorporate.com’s lack of customer review history or Inc Authority’s poor BBB rating might have you looking for alternatives. If that’s you, If that’s you, check out ZenBusiness. We’re proud to offer our customers the best value and service. Like Inc Authority, we’ll form your LLC for free (plus state filing fees). But we can also provide you with registered agent service at a great value ($99 for your first year and $199/year afterwards). Plus, we’re BBB accredited, and our customer feedback is fantastic: out of 24,867 Trustpilot reviews, we’ve got a 4.8/5 average score. We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer support whenever you need it.
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Technically, Inc Authority only promotes one package on their website: their free LLC formation package. However, as you complete the free LLC formation plan, you’ll be prompted to select a variety of extra services, so in a way, you’ll build your own package as you go.
It doesn’t appear as though these brands offer help with publication requirements. ZenBusiness does, though. If you need help with NY publication requirements, check out our New York publication service for more information.
Inc Authority presents a decent number of upsells throughout the ordering process. On one hand, we understand why they do it; they’re a free LLC formation service, and they need to make money somehow. But it can be easy to spend more than you expect because of how some of their upsells are presented. For example, they say you can get a free EIN and free expedited processing on the main page (plus free website tools). But as you check out, you’ll discover that you have to choose between expedited processing or an EIN. Additionally, the “free” website tools are actually just free trials to paid subscriptions.
Incorporate.com also includes some upsells throughout the ordering process. With either brand, take the time to read and understand the terms, conditions, and renewal periods for any services you opt into so you have a good idea of what you’ll spend. That way, you won’t be surprised by unexpected costs.
Incorporate.com’s website does acknowledge that they sometimes offer refunds. You can cancel an order and get a refund (minus a service fee) if you request the cancellation before Incorporate.com has submitted your paperwork to a government agency. If you request a refund after the forms are filed, Incorporate.com will decide whether or not to give you one. The wording of their refund policy sounds like these refunds are uncommon, however.
Inc Authority used to have a stricter refund policy, but as of this writing, they do offer a 60-day money-back guarantee (this is pretty similar to our refund policy at ZenBusiness, so we have to tip our hat to them in this regard).
Both Incorporate.com and Inc Authority base their turnaround times on state processing speeds. That said, Inc Authority does offer expedited processing (24-hour turnaround) if you need it.
You absolutely can form an LLC on your own. Using LLC services can be really helpful, though. Services like ZenBusiness, Inc Authority, and Incorporate.com can all take some of the paperwork off your plate. These services can also help you navigate your state’s business compliance rules and regulations, which might be trickier than you expect.
Inc Authority Comparisons
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 ZenBusiness Editorial Team
The ZenBusiness Editorial Team has more than 20 years of combined small business publishing experience and has helped over 850,000 entrepreneurs launch and grow their companies. Our writers and business formation experts are dedicated to providing accurate, practical, and trustworthy guidance so business owners can make confident decisions.
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