ZenBusiness reviews its own products and services and compares them to others in the industry.
ZenBusiness reviews and compares Inc Authority and Swyft Filings for LLC formation. Both offer free formation (plus state fees), but neither brand is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes“Inc Authority” is the registered trademark of Inc Authority, LLC “Swyft Filings” is the registered trademark of Swyft Filings, LLC
Last Updated: September 29, 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 Swyft Filings or Inc Authority. 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. Swyft Filings matchup, who comes out on top? Are there any alternatives you should consider instead? In this guide, we’ll review both Swyft Filings and Inc Authority, comparing how these two options compete in terms of value, customer service, customer reviews, and more.
Let’s get started.
At first glance, Inc Authority and Swyft Filings look very similar — both companies provide services to help entrepreneurs start and manage their businesses. However, each one has its own background, advantages, and drawbacks.
The Inc Authority website boasts that they have more than 30 years of experience in the business formation space. That said, it’s worth noting that the specific entity “Inc Authority, LLC” was only incorporated in Nevada in 2015, so part of that experience stems from Inc Authority’s affiliated brands and companies. Since its launch, Inc Authority has helped create over 250,000 businesses.
Swyft Filings also opened its doors in 2015, establishing its headquarters in Houston, Texas. Although newer to the market, the company has already supported more than 600,000 entrepreneurs with business formation, amendments, S corporation elections, and other filing needs.
Swyft Filings and Inc Authority have a fair bit of common ground as two reputable companies in the business formation and legal services sector. We’ll dive into the key distinctions between these brands throughout this guide, but here’s a quick glance at these companies.
In our assessment of Swyft Filings 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 Swyft Filings and Inc Authority can help you form a limited liability company, nonprofit, or corporation. But how much will these services cost you? For most small business owners, that’s a very important question to answer.
In this section, we’ll compare how much it costs to start an LLC with these companies. LLCs aren’t the right structure for every single new business, but they are a popular choice, so it makes for a good comparison point for a guide like this.
Swyft Filings offers a few different LLC formation packages to choose from:
We’ve seen Swyft Filings run a sale for $50 off their Standard and Premium packages (at the time of this writing, one such sale is about to expire). It’s possible to get a deal on these higher-tier packages, but it’s unclear how often they run these sales. You’ll want to check their website to see the most up-to-date pricing. In our opinion, there isn’t a lot of value added with their premium package; a digital corporate kit isn’t all that helpful for most small business owners. That said, the Standard package gives you a fair number of features for the price.
Inc Authority takes a slightly different approach, as they don’t offer LLC formation packages to choose from. Instead, Inc Authority promotes a single offering: their free LLC filing service (state fees still apply). With this package, customers receive one year of registered agent service at no additional cost. You also get to select one “premium service” for free — at the time of this writing, that meant choosing either an EIN or expedited processing.
At first glance, the product page might make it seem as though several extras are included for free, such as both expedited processing and an EIN, plus a website. However, that’s not quite the case. You must pick between free expedited processing or an EIN (you’ll pay $49 or forgo the option you don’t choose). Plus, the website service isn’t truly free. Instead, you’ll receive free short-term access to domain registration and website builder tools, which are limited trial offers rather than full, ongoing services.
It’s intriguing that both of these brands offer a free LLC formation service (plus state filing fees). That’s why ZenBusiness offers the same perk, too. We’ll form your LLC for you at no extra cost; you just pay state filing fees.
Every formal business entity, like an LLC or corporation, is required to designate a registered agent. This individual or company is responsible for receiving service of process and other official notices from the state on the business’s behalf.
While you can technically serve as your own registered agent, the requirements are strict: you must live in the state, maintain a physical street address there, and be available at that address during all regular business hours. For most entrepreneurs, meeting those conditions consistently isn’t realistic. That’s why many choose to hire a national registered agent service instead. Both Swyft Filings and Inc Authority provide this type of service.
Inc Authority provides one year of free registered agent service if you use them to form an LLC or other business structure. They don’t publish their renewal fees on their website, but when we asked customer service about it, we were told that the renewal fee would be “around $199” per year. Meanwhile, Swyft Filings charges a hefty price tag for registered agent service: $149 per quarter. That comes to almost $600 annually.
Both Swyft Filings and Inc Authority provide more than just formation services, giving business owners the chance to manage multiple needs through one provider. That said, each company has its own service lineup. We won’t list every single option available to you — this Inc Authority vs. Swyft Filings guide would be far too long if we did — but here’s an overview of what you can expect.
Inc Authority’s offerings center heavily on business-related services. They can help you obtain an EIN, draft bylaws or an LLC operating agreement, create ownership certificates, prepare minutes and resolutions, and even build business plans. They also provide Compliance360, an annual subscription that includes compliance reminders, customized alerts about state deadlines, and two free amendments each year. Beyond that, Inc Authority offers website-building tools (either DIY or professional design options) and a handful of personal services such as revocable living trusts and tax preparation for both businesses and individuals.
Swyft Filings, by contrast, focuses specifically on business filings and compliance tasks. In addition to LLC and corporation formations and registered agent services, they offer business license research, annual report filings (including initial reports in states that require them), EIN acquisition, and assistance with conversions or dissolutions. They definitely have a smaller service library than many of their competitors, but they do provide the basics necessary to help you start and maintain your business.
When evaluating companies, we often look at third-party review sites such as Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau, as these platforms provide a more impartial perspective on customer experiences. With that in mind, we reviewed feedback for both Swyft Filings and Inc Authority.
Swyft Filings, though a newer player in the industry, has developed a solid presence on Trustpilot. As of this writing, the company has accumulated more than 7,000 reviews and holds an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Many customers highlight positive interactions with the support team and share good experiences when seeking assistance. On the flip side, some negative reviews cite frustration with unexpected add-on charges and difficulty canceling subscriptions. Swyft Filings is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and their profile currently does not include a BBB rating.
Inc Authority, meanwhile, performs very well on Trustpilot. At the time of writing, the company has nearly 43,000 reviews with an impressive 4.9 out of 5-star average. Customers often note that the business formation process is simple and that support representatives are helpful. While negative reviews are less common, some customers report concerns about upselling, duplicate charges, or being overbilled for services.
One significant drawback is Inc Authority’s BBB profile. The company is not accredited and currently holds an F rating due to unresolved complaints. At first, this information was a bit difficult to confirm since the BBB profile is listed under the name “Inc for Free.” However, the profile identifies “Inc Authority, LLC” as an alternate name, and company representatives have responded to reviews under the Inc Authority name, which confirms the connection.
At first glance, both of these companies have a strong review history, but it’s clear that there’s still some room for improvement. If you want to work with a BBB accredited brand, you’ll find both Swyft Filings and Inc Authority to be lacking.
At some point, you’re bound to have questions — whether about your business growth or a service you’ve purchased. When that happens, it’s important to know you can reach customer support quickly and speak with someone knowledgeable. With that in mind, we reviewed the support options available from Inc Authority and Swyft Filings.
Inc Authority offers support by phone, email, or live chat. Their U.S.-based team is available on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT, but they do not offer weekend coverage. In our latest test, we received a response through the chat feature within just a few minutes, and the exchange was helpful and efficient. Customer reviews generally echo this experience, with many praising the support staff for being especially helpful during the formation process. On the downside, some reviewers mention problems with duplicate charges, sometimes linked to corrections initiated by support representatives.
Swyft Filings provides customer assistance through phone, email, and a live chat feature on their website. In our most recent test, a live chat reply came in about ten minutes, though it required a few exchanges to get beyond the initial form response and receive a more specific answer. Email inquiries took longer. Customer feedback tends to highlight positive interactions with the support team, but there are also complaints about billing disputes and challenges in canceling unwanted services. Swyft’s current support hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT (but note that their outdated website footer conflicts with this information).
In our opinion, it’s a bit disappointing that neither brand provides weekend support hours. If your business is a weekend side hustle, you’d have trouble getting help from either company.
In contrast, if you want truly ongoing customer support whenever you need it, check out ZenBusiness. Our friendly customer support representatives are ready to assist any day of the week.
Both Swyft Filings and Inc Authority can help you form an LLC, but are they the best choice for you? You might find yourself drawn to the fact that either brand can help you with the LLC formation process at no extra charge (you just pay state fees). Inc Authority even sweetens the deal by giving you a year of free registered agent service.
But perhaps these brands’ lack of BBB accreditation has you looking into alternatives. If that’s you, check out ZenBusiness. We’re proud to offer our customers the best value and service. Like Inc Authority and Swyft Filings, 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 24,971 Trustpilot reviews, we’ve got a 4.8/5 average score. We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer support whenever you need it.
Here at ZenBusiness, we pride ourselves on providing reliable services for a variety of small business needs at a great value. Whether you need registered agent service for a good price, help starting your LLC, a Money Pro app for managing your business finances, or something else, we’ve got your back. We’ll help handle the red tape for you so you can focus on what you love: running your business.
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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.
We couldn’t find a service listing for publication services on Swyft Filings or Inc Authority’s websites, so it doesn’t appear that 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.
Swyft Filings presents upsells for other services throughout the LLC formation process. When we used Swyft Filings’ form, we even found that customers are automatically subscribed to the brand’s annual compliance service without much notice during the business filing process — you have to manually remove it yourself if you don’t want it. It’s pretty sneaky.
Inc Authority also presents a fair number of upsells during the LLC formation process. With either brand, you’ll need to carefully read the terms and conditions to know the prices and renewal fees for any services you opt into.
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).
In contrast, Swyft Filings has a somewhat vague refund policy. They say that they do offer some refunds, but they must be requested within 60 days of purchase; a processing fee might be deducted, too. Additionally, their refund policy states that their obligation ends after they’ve filed paperwork with government agencies, so practically speaking, you’d have to request a refund within a few days.
Swyft Filings offers standard processing, which gives you formation within 7 to 10 days. Their express processing speed cuts that to three to five days, and same-business-day processing will have your LLC formed that day (or the next day, if you file after 3 p.m. CT). Inc Authority bases its processing times on state turnaround times, so their processing speeds vary. They do offer expedited processing (24-hour turnaround) if you need things done faster.
You absolutely can form an LLC on your own. Using LLC services can be really helpful, though. Services like ZenBusiness, Swyft Filings, and Inc Authority 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.
Swyft Filings Comparisons
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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