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 LLC setup 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 Rocket Lawyer and Harvard Business Services. Which one is the better choice to form your new LLC and provide registered agent service?
30-Second Summary Of Rocket Lawyer VS. Harvard Business Services
LLC formation and registered agent are just two of many services provided by Rocket Lawyer ― the centerpiece of their offerings is their legal services subscription, which provides access to qualified business attorneys and several other perks. Rocket Lawyer also receives strong customer feedback, indicating that most of their clients are pleased with their service.
Harvard Business Services is an excellent provider of LLC formation and registered agent services in the state of Delaware, although they do not provide service in any other state. They provide a full year of registered agent service with all of their formation packages, and they receive great customer reviews.
Overall, Harvard Business Services is our preferred option for Delaware businesses, but Rocket Lawyer is quite capable when it comes to business services in other states.
We Recommend Zen Business
These LLC Services vs Other Options
Rocket Lawyer checked into the #11 spot in our top LLC services guide, while their registered agent service came in at #5. As for Harvard Business Services, they rank #7 on our top formation services list, and they came in at #10 for registered agents.
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 LLC guide runs down our top 14 options, including a spotlight on Zen Business, our top pick.
Pricing & Additional Features
Rocket Lawyer:
- LLC formation ($99.99) – Rocket Lawyer has just one LLC formation package, and it includes no extra features beyond a business name check, and the drafting and filing your articles of organization. We will note that if you subscribe to Rocket Lawyer’s legal services plan for $39.99/month, they include LLC formation for free, as long as you’re a new client.
- Registered agent ($149.99/year) – They charge an annual fee of $149.99, although customers who subscribe to their legal services plan receive 25% off that rate. Rocket Lawyer’s registered agent is quite basic, providing the essentials but little else.
Who should use their services? For the most part, we recommend Rocket Lawyer to entrepreneurs who want their legal services subscription. Without subscribing to this plan, Rocket Lawyer’s prices are a bit too expensive to recommend. If you do think you’ll find value in the subscription, their offer of free LLC formation is a welcome one.
Harvard Business Services:
- LLC formation (starts at $89) – Harvard Business Services includes a business name check, the full preparation and filing of your articles of organization, one year of registered agent service, a digital seal customized with your business info, and compliance coaching.
- Registered agent ($50/year) – Their annual fee of $50 per year is highly impressive, especially when you consider that they guarantee this rate will never increase throughout the entire life cycle of your company. Their registered agent service does not include any additional features, but at this price point, it doesn’t need to.
Who should use their services? If you operate a business in Delaware, their registered agent service is your best option. Their business formation service is a strong offering as well, although it isn’t as obvious of a pick than their registered agent service is. There are still some competitors that can beat their pricing for LLC service.
Total Price for LLC Formation + 1 Year Registered Agent
Rocket Lawyer: $249.98 (plus state fee)
Harvard Business Services: $89 (plus state fee)
Customer Satisfaction
Rocket Lawyer: We found nearly 2,800 customer reviews for Rocket Lawyer on Trustpilot, Sitejabber, and Consumer Affairs. They receive far more positive feedback than negative, and above all else, their clients frequently discuss how easy their services are to use. In addition, customers seem quite pleased by the wide variety of services offered by Rocket Lawyer.
Harvard Business Services: Harvard Business Services has thousands of reviews available online, with most of them appearing on Trustpilot, where they have a sparkling reputation. With nearly 3,000 reviews, they maintain an incredible 99% rate of 4- or 5-star reviews. Their clients often discuss their low prices, excellent customer support, and high ease of use. Customer feedback is definitely a major selling point for Harvard Business Services.
Quality of Customer Service
Rocket Lawyer: With Rocket Lawyer, you can access customer support via phone, web chat, or email. Our favorite aspect of this service is their extended operating hours, which run from 9am to 9pm ET every weekday. Aside from that, their representatives are easy to get in touch with, and they offer knowledgeable and professional service regardless of which medium you choose to reach out.
Harvard Business Services: Harvard Business Services offers customer support through a variety of different mediums, including phone, email, web chat, and Skype. Both in our own experience and according to their customer reviews, Harvard Business Services representatives are helpful and professional no matter how you contact them. Their response times are also quite quick, meaning you won’t have to sit around waiting to hear back from them. We also like how they list their staff members’ direct phone extensions on their website.
Company Stats and Track Record
Rocket Lawyer: Rocket Lawyer has been in business since 2008, and they’ve served an impressive 20 million customers since then, although it’s unclear how many of those are business clients as opposed to individual customers. Overall, they’re the largest company in the legal services industry.
Harvard Business Services: Harvard Business Services has formed 190,000+ businesses in the state of Delaware since they opened back in 1981. For their first several years in business, the founder operated the company out of his own home, until the workload became too much to handle, and he expanded the business into a more typical office space.
Final Scores and Our Recommendation
We Recommend Zen Business
Rocket Lawyer (4.1/5): Rocket Lawyer provides decent value, although it’s clear that they would rather have customers sign up for their legal services subscription than purchase LLC formation and registered agent services a la carte. They have lots of experience and good reviews, so if you’re interested in their subscription plan they’re worth a look. Also, unlike Harvard Business Services, they do operate in all 50 states.
Harvard Business Services (4.0/5): The only real drawback for Harvard Business Services is that they only deal with Delaware businesses. They have excellent prices and a great reputation, and they’re a top-notch service for any Delaware-based business.
Our Favorite – Zen Business (4.9/5): While we appreciate some aspects of what Rocket Lawyer and Harvard Business Services 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.