The limited liability company is an increasingly popular business structure in America, with thousands of new LLCs being formed every day. The LLC is effectually a hybrid business type, occupying the space between the rigid formalities of a corporation, and the casual nature of a general partnership or sole proprietorship.
If you want to form an LLC in the United States, you will need to designate a registered agent. The role of the registered agent involves the usage of their address as your official business address, which means they’ll receive important document deliveries on your behalf, including court summons and other official correspondence from your state government.
There are many companies that offer online business formation services and registered agent services online, and it’s sometimes difficult to determine which one has your best interests in mind. In this comparison, we’ll take a close look at Incorporate.com and BizFilings. Which one is the better choice to form your new LLC and provide registered agent service?
30-Second Summary Of BizFilings VS. Incorporate.com
BizFilings’ entry-level LLC formation price is reasonable, and all of their formation packages include six months of registered agent service. However, their registered agent service is a bit overpriced, and their top two packages vary in price considerably depending on which state you’re forming in.
As for Incorporate.com, they’re one of the oldest companies in the business services industry, but they have poor customer reviews, high prices, and threadbare feature packages. Overall, we prefer BizFilings, and it’s not a close competition.
We Recommend Zen Business
These LLC Services vs Other Options
BizFilings came in at the #6 spot on our LLC guide, and they rank 12th on the registered agent list. As for Incorporate.com, they rank #14 in our LLC service guide, and they earned the #15 spot in our registered agent guide.
There are plenty of competing services in this industry though. If you want more information about two of the most popular options, check out our Zen Business vs. LegalZoom comparison guide. To see our entire comprehensive guide to LLC formation services, this article comparison runs down our top 14 options, including a spotlight on Zen Business, our top pick.
Pricing & Additional Features
Incorporate.com:
- LLC formation (starts at $79) – Their base formation package includes only the preparation and filing of your articles of organization. We’ll note that while this price isn’t terrible, their top two formation packages cost $574 and $654.
- Registered agent ($235/year) – Incorporate.com charges $235 per year for registered agent service, with no volume discounts available. In addition, if you want them to file your Change of Registered Agent form with your state, you will also need to pay the state fee, and Incorporate.com also requires you to pay the state expediting fee. As for additional features, they do include access to their CSCNavigator online compliance dashboard that helps you keep track of important filing due dates.
Who should use their services? We would only ever recommend Incorporate.com to people who prioritize longevity above all else. Even then, there are other highly experienced options that provide more bang for your buck than Incorporate.com does.
BizFilings:
- LLC formation (starts at $99) – BizFilings’ Basic package includes a business name availability check, the preparation and filing of your articles of organization, and six months of registered agent service.
- Registered agent ($164/year) – BizFilings provides registered agent service for $164 per year, and they also offer six months for free if you purchase any of their LLC formation packages. They also include their BizComply online compliance monitoring tool, as well as franchise tax and annual report filing alerts.
Who should use their services? We like their LLC formation service because it includes everything you need to get your company up and running, without costing an arm and a leg. Their registered agent service is a bit frustrating though, because we appreciate the additional features included, but feel that their price point is too high.
Total Price for LLC Formation + 1 Year Registered Agent
Incorporate.com: $334 (plus state fee)
BizFilings: $181 (plus state fee)
Customer Satisfaction
Incorporate.com: We found just 19 reviews on third-party sites, with 14 on the FitSmallBusiness website and another five from the Better Business Bureau. Only one of those 19 reviews is positive. Their unsatisfied clients often discuss how high Incorporate.com’s prices are, and also complain that registered agent service is sometimes added onto their formation service orders without the client’s consent.
BizFilings: While BizFilings has been around for decades, and they’ve served hundreds of thousands of customers, we were only able to find four customer reviews online. With such a tiny quantity of reviews to work with, it’s impossible to analyze that feedback in any way.
Quality of Customer Service
Incorporate.com: Overall, we were pleased with the quality of Incorporate.com’s customer support department. They offer support over the phone, via email, or using their online chat function. With all three options, we received efficient responses. Their representatives were pleasant to talk to, while also seeming quite knowledgeable, and expanding upon their answers as necessary.
BizFilings: BizFilings provides customer support via phone and email. With either option, you’ll receive prompt service from knowledgeable professionals, and their hours of operation are longer than the vast majority of their competitors. You can reach BizFilings support reps from 7am-8pm ET Monday through Friday.
Company Stats and Track Record
Incorporate.com: Incorporate.com opened in 1899, and they’ve served 750,000+ clients since then. Over the years, their name has changed several times ― from Corporation Service Company to The Company Corporation to Incorporate.com ― but the core business has stayed the same.
BizFilings: BizFilings has been around since 1996, and they’ve formed over half a million businesses in that time. The company is a subsidiary of the massive global information services company Wolters Kluwer.
Final Scores and Our Recommendation
We Recommend Zen Business
Incorporate.com (3.6/5): We’re not impressed with what Incorporate.com has to offer their LLC formation or registered agent clients. Their prices are too high, their customer satisfaction is too low, and they just don’t stand out in any positive way.
BizFilings (4.1/5): BizFilings doesn’t really excel in any specific way. Their pricing and features are all acceptable, but not overly impressive. We like the way their formation service packages include six months of registered agent, which is just one of the many advantages they have over Incorporate.com.
Our Favorite – Zen Business (4.9/5): While we appreciate some aspects of what BizFilings and Incorporate.com have to offer, Zen Business is actually our favorite LLC formation service. For just $39, they’ll provide the full formation process of your LLC, while also including a year of registered agent service. It’s one of the lowest price points in the industry for this combination of services, and you won’t have to sacrifice anything when it comes to features.