ZenBusiness reviews its own products and services and compares them to others in the industry.
Read the ZenBusiness vs. BizFilings LLC review below or form your LLC with ZenBusiness today.
Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes
ZenBusiness and BizFilings are both popular and reputable LLC formation services. Either can easily form your compliant LLC, and both have reasonable rates, especially compared to hiring a lawyer. However, each has its advantages.
We offer LLC formations starting at $0 (+ state fee), while BizFilings charges at least $99. Furthermore, we receive strong customer feedback, whereas BizFilings has very few reviews available at all.
Would you like to get some more info before making your decision? Read on to find out everything you need to know about these two LLC formation service providers.
ZenBusiness: We offer LLC service for free (just pay your state’s fee). If you’re looking for some advanced features, our $199 Pro package adds ongoing compliance assistance, an operating agreement template, an employer identification number (EIN), and faster processing. You also might like our $299 Premium plan, as it adds a business website builder, a domain name, a business email address, and 25+ business document templates.
BizFilings: Starting with their $99 Basic package, which includes six months of registered agent service (which costs $220/year after that), their packages are all a bit on the expensive side compared to some competing formation services. The Standard and Complete packages vary in price by state but generally don’t have enough valuable features to justify their price points.
ZenBusiness: We were founded in 2017 in Austin, Texas. Since then, we’ve served 800,000+ customers. We’re a public benefit corporation that provides $5,000 grants to help our customers kickstart their businesses.
BizFilings: BizFilings is an experienced company with more than 500,000 business formations since it opened in 1996.
ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness provides access to our customer service team by phone, email, or web chat. We have expanded availability that even includes Sundays — very few competitors have any weekend availability. We pride ourselves in continuously improving the quality and responsiveness of our customer support, and we believe we compare favorably to the vast majority of competitors in this area.
BizFilings: BizFilings provides phone and email support, and there is also a “leave a message” feature on the left side of each page on their website. We called the listed phone number, and we were quickly able to navigate through their phone tree. When we emailed, we received a response the same day after sending it early in the morning. Both their phone and email responses were professional, and they answered our questions thoroughly, providing additional details that were applicable based on what we asked.
ZenBusiness: With ZenBusiness, all formation speeds vary based on state capabilities. Also, if you’re in a hurry, you can choose one of our premium packages to speed things up a bit. When compared to other formation services, we are usually either just as fast or slightly faster. To find out your turnaround time, simply plug in your state and immediately see your estimated processing speed.
BizFilings: BizFilings structures their processing speeds to vary depending on how much money you spend on their services. Their cheapest package has a 4-6 week turnaround, which you can cut to 7-10 days with their more expensive plans. They do also offer expedited processing, which is a $60 upcharge for them to “prioritize your order above non-expedited orders,” plus the state’s expediting fee.
ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness excels when it comes to customer feedback, as we have 21490 customer reviews available online, and nearly all of them are positive. Our clients are clearly satisfied with our services, and they frequently praise our efficiency, along with the general ease of use provided by our platform.
BizFilings: BizFilings has very few reviews available online ― in fact, we were only able to find a couple dozen reviews on any third-party review websites.
Whether you choose ZenBusiness or BizFilings, you’ll have access to a wide variety of additional business services. For example, either of these companies can provide registered agent service, EIN acquisitions, annual reports, Certificates of Good Standing, and more. Both even offer publication services in states that require this step.
However, there are also some services that you can only get from one company or the other. Only BizFilings will help you with sales tax registrations, while only ZenBusiness offers accounting and bookkeeping services.
Comparing more companies? Check out: Direct Incorporation vs. ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness and BizFilings are two popular online LLC formation services, and both can efficiently and effectively register an LLC. If you’re still undecided between these companies, let’s look at a couple of scenarios that might help you determine which one to choose.
Is longevity an important characteristic for you in a service provider? Do you want six free months of registered agent service? BizFilings could be worth a look.
If you’d like to form your LLC with ZenBusiness, we’re here to help. We offer LLC formations starting at $0 (+ state fee), and we have 21490 positive customer reviews available online. Form your LLC quickly and get more tools to start your dream business.
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Identify the package that's right for your business and then get started.
Starter
Pro
Premium
Processes in 7 to 10 business days*
PLUS STATE FEES
Processes in 1 business day*
Top Features
**SPECIAL OFFER – Starter is $0 plus state fees with one optional free year of Worry-Free Compliance (renews at $199/yr).† ZenBusiness is a financial technology company and is not a bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
If I decide to use ZenBusiness, which package should I choose?
It’s hard to not be a fan of our Starter plan because it’s free as long as you pay your state’s required fee. If you’re looking for some more advanced features, our Pro package ($199 + state fee) adds ongoing compliance assistance, EIN acquisition, an operating agreement template, and faster filing. Meanwhile, our Premium package ($299 + state fee) adds a business website builder, a business email address, a domain name, and 25+ business document templates to the Pro package.
Does either of these services have a refund policy?
BizFilings has a strict refund policy with significant processing fees attached. Any order canceled before any work is done on your formation carries a $50 fee, while any order canceled after they complete your preliminary name check has a $75 fee.
Meanwhile, our refund policy is one of the most reasonable in the industry. While many competitors have vague refund policies or even refuse refunds outright, we offer a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Are there other good LLC services out there?
While ZenBusiness and BizFilings both have plenty of positives, Incfile and Northwest Registered Agent are two other popular options. Both of these service providers include a year of registered agent service with all of their LLC formation packages, which for Incfile start at $0 and for Northwest start at $225. (See more: ZenBusiness vs. IncFile/Bizee: More Value. Less Worry.)
Other than that, Incfile’s best attribute is its strong customer feedback reputation, with thousands of positive reviews all over the web. As for Northwest, they were the first major national service provider that locally scans every document they receive as your registered agent, whereas most competitors only scan the government docs that they’re legally required to.
Can I form an LLC on my own, without a service?
You can, and many entrepreneurs do form their own LLCs every day. However, we appreciate the peace of mind we receive from using a reputable formation service. In addition, each state has its own rules and regulations for LLC formations, so there can often be more legwork than people might expect.
What is the biggest advantage of each service?
Our biggest advantages start with our offering of a $0 (+ state fee) LLC formation service. We also receive outstanding customer feedback, with 21490 positive customer reviews available online and very few negative ones. BizFilings’ advantage is its longevity, as this company has been around since 1996.
Which company offers more help with ongoing compliance requirements?
Both ZenBusiness and BizFilings provide ongoing assistance to help your business remain in good standing with your state. With us, registered agent service costs $199 per year, and we also have annual report service available for a rate of $100.
BizFilings charges $220 per year for registered agent service, and their annual report service has a variable pricing model, so you’ll need to contact them if you’d like to receive a pricing quote.
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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