Starting a business requires a lot of paperwork, especially when forming a limited liability company (LLC) or starting a corporation. Fortunately, business filing services are available to help make this process simple and fast. Two popular options are ZenBusiness and Bizee (formerly Incfile). Read our in-depth comparison of ZenBusiness vs. Bizee to see how the two online legal service providers stack up in terms of price, services and support.
Note: Incfile changed its name to Bizee in December 2023.
Featured Partners
1
ZenBusiness
$0 + State Fees
Varies By State & Package
2
LegalZoom
$0 + State Fees
Varies By State & Package
3
Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + State Fees
Varies By State & Package
ZenBusiness vs. Bizee At a Glance
If you are looking to establish a business entity, both ZenBusiness and Bizee can help you do so quickly and for a low price. While ZenBusiness has some of the lowest prices in the industry, Bizee is known for its zero fee LLC creation. With it, you only pay the state fees associated with your formation. If you want extra amenities with the formation, you’ll pay an additional fee for them. Whereas ZenBusiness offers a money-back guarantee, Bizee only offers a refund, less a $30 cancellation fee. Therefore, be sure you know what you are getting before you pay for the filing.
Starting price for LLC $0 plus state fees EIN fee $99
Money-back guarantee Yes
$0 plus state fees
$99
Yes
ZenBusiness has a lot of experience helping thousands of people form their businesses. It was founded in 2015 in Austin, Texas, and has a reputation for being one of the least expensive business formation filing services on the market. Formation costs are free, but you still have to pay the state filing fee. You can add a registered agent so that you have a legal address on record in the state for another $199 per year. Operating agreements and bylaws are sent in a binder for an additional fee of $49 and get ongoing compliance support for $199 per year. ZenBusiness has a Pro and Premium plan available as well that gives you the binder and compliance services as part of the package. ZenBusiness walks you through the registration process with a guided chat that is like an interview. While this may be something some consumers like, we found it to slow the process down and a bit aggravating compared to picking from a menu of options and entering our company data. ZenBusiness
Bizee
Starting price for LLC
$0
plus state fees
EIN fee
$70
Money-back guarantee
No
$0
plus state fees
$70
No
Incfile was founded in 2004 with headquarters located in Houston. It is said to have helped more than 250,000 entrepreneurs establish their business entities and launch their companies.
Incfile is home to the zero-fee LLC formation, which means that it only charges the state filing fees. This is found in the Silver package, which comes with preparing and filing the articles of organization, name search, statement of organizer and a free registered agent for a year. However, this is not a popular option.
Its Gold package is available with a $149 package fee plus the state filing charge. This package adds the employer identification number (EIN) registration, banking resolution and offers lifetime company alerts. There is also a business banking account formation and business tax consultation included. For expedited filing, domain name registration and business contract templates, choose the Platinum package for $299 plus the state filing fee.
Ultimately, the zero-fee touted in the Silver package is enough to get you started with your business but can feel like a bait and switch when the other options are added on.
- Free business registration service
- More affordable EIN than ZenBusiness
- Unlimited name searches
- Registered agent included for your first year
- Can feel like a bait and switch
- Higher-tiered plans are expensive
- Does not offer a guarantee
- Unhelpful customer service
How ZenBusiness and Bizee Stack Up
| ZenBusiness | Bizee | |
|---|---|---|
|
Rating
|
4.9 out of 5-stars
|
2.4 out of 5-stars
|
|
Business Formation Starting Price
|
$0 plus state filing fees
|
$0 plus state filing fees
|
|
Legal Advice
|
No
|
No
|
|
Registered Agent
|
Yes, for fee
|
Yes, free for your first year
|
|
Filing Binder
|
Included
|
Included
|
|
EIN Registration
|
Yes, $99
|
Yes, $70
|
|
Customer Support
|
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
|
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
|
ZenBusiness and Bizee are two company formation companies. Neither will offer you legal advice, even for an added option as LegalZoom can. But both check all the boxes when it comes to standard services needed to establish a new business entity. You can get a registered agent for an additional fee, receive a company binder to store all pertinent documents and get your EIN for a bit extra. ZenBusiness gets the edge with customer service hours that extend to the weekend for business owners trying to maximize their workweek and take care of things at slower times.
Bottom Line
You can’t go wrong with either of these business entity filing companies. We like ZenBusiness for entrepreneurs looking to keep costs down and get the most for their fees. If you just need a bare-bones LLC with the articles of organization, it’s hard to beat Bizee’s zero-cost option, but its other packages may be a bit pricey compared to ZenBusiness.
