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 LLC formation help 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 MyCorporation and Zen Business. Which one is the better choice to form your new LLC and provide registered agent service?
30-Second Summary Of MyCorporation vs Zen Business
Zen Business wins!
MyCorporation receives solid customer reviews, and they also offer good support. However, the issues with MyCorporation start with their $34 shipping fee, which is not added into the advertised price of their packages. This is a rather lofty fee considering all it covers is mailing a few pieces of paper. In addition, they offer “rush processing” for $100 or more, but they don’t indicate how much this speeds up your turnaround time.
Zen Business automates several different parts of the business formation process in order to offer their customers the lowest possible price points. Zen Business has only been around for a few years, but they’ve steadily increased their foothold in the online business services industry, with thousands of customers served to date.
Overall, we think Zen Business is the more widely appealing option between these companies, thanks in large part to their superior pricing. We would only recommend MyCorporation over Zen Business if experience is your top priority.
Pricing & Additional Features
MyCorporation:
- LLC formation (starts at $133) – MyCorporation’s Basic package includes only the necessary features to form an LLC, like a business name availability check, and the preparation and filing of your articles of organization. However, for an additional $25, they’ll add one year of managed annual report service.
- Registered agent ($120/year) – MyCorporation charges an annual fee of $120 for registered agent service, which does not include any additional features beyond the basics of registered agent.
Who should use their services? MyCorporation really doesn’t stand out from the pack in any specific way. There’s certainly nothing wrong with purchasing LLC formation or registered agent services from them, but there’s also no real reason to recommend them.
Zen Business:
- LLC formation (starts at $39) – Zen Business will form your LLC for just $39 (except for your state fee) with the following features: a business name availability search, the preparation and filing of your articles of organization, registered agent service, and a sample operating agreement.
- Registered agent ($99/year) – Registered agent service from Zen Business costs $99 per year, although you can get your first year for free if you purchase business formation service from them. Aside from the basics of serving as your registered agent, this service does not include any additional features.
Who should use their services? Zen Business is our #1 overall pick for LLC formation service, and they came in second in our registered agent list as well. With that in mind, we strongly recommend them for anyone looking to form a business and/or acquire registered agent service. Especially considering that low $39 price point to combine both services, how can you go wrong?
Total Price for LLC Formation + 1 Year Registered Agent
MyCorporation: $253 (plus state fee)
Zen Business: $39 (plus state fee)
Customer Satisfaction
MyCorporation: MyCorporation doesn’t have a ton of online customer feedback, but what they do have is mostly positive. Their largest collections of reviews are on Google, where they have 148 reviews and a perfect 5-star rating, and on Trustpilot, where they have 200 reviews and a 3.5 out of 5 star score. Their customers typically discuss how pleased they are with MyCorporation’s customer service department, and they also appreciate how simple they make the formation process.
Zen Business: We found 1,145 Zen Business reviews on Trustpilot, and 97% of them are positive in nature. Their reviewers clearly enjoy their affordable business entity formation service, and they also frequently comment on the ease of use provided by Zen Business.
Quality of Customer Service
MyCorporation: With MyCorporation, you can access their customer support team via either phone or email. Either way, their support reps are quite responsive, as we’ve never had to wait on hold for long, and they also reply to emails quickly. Their representatives are highly trained, and they’re capable of answering difficult questions. We’re pleased with the quality of their support overall.
Zen Business: You can reach the Zen Business customer support team by phone, email, or web chat. Their hours of operation are a relatively typical 9am to 8pm ET, Monday through Friday. In general, Zen Business has a service department that can compete with most of the other companies in this industry. Their representatives always reply quickly, and they seem to be knowledgeable as well, in our experience.
Company Stats and Track Record
MyCorporation: Since they opened in 1998, MyCorporation has served over a million clients. They’re based in California, but they provide business services in all 50 states. They offer a wide variety of business services, and we appreciate their level of transparency. You can actually contact their CEO directly on Twitter @deborahsweeney if you have any questions or comments about their service.
Zen Business: Zen Business is a recent addition to the business formation industry, as they just opened in 2015. The Texas-based company is trying to flip the online business services market on its head by offering highly affordable services that still include everything you need to maintain a compliant business entity.
Final Scores and Our Recommendation
Zen Business wins!
MyCorporation (3.8/5): MyCorporation has some aspects we appreciate, and they stack up favorably against some competitors due to their solid customer reviews. We’re not fans of all their additional fees, but that doesn’t mean they’re a bad choice for your business.
Zen Business (4.9/5): While we really appreciate MyCorporation, 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 tough to beat the affordability of Zen Business’ services.