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 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 Nationwide Incorporators. Which one is the better choice to form your new LLC and provide registered agent service?
30-Second Summary Of Rocket Lawyer VS. Nationwide Incorporators
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.
Nationwide Incorporators’ claim to fame is that every document they prepare is either drafted or reviewed by an experienced business attorney. While their prices may be a bit higher than some competitors for LLC formation service, their “Attorney-Powered” slogan is more than just a catchphrase.
This is a tough competition, as each company has its advantages over the other. If the attorney review provided by Nationwide Incorporators appeals to you, they’re a solid choice. Otherwise, you might as well save some money with Rocket Lawyer.
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 Nationwide Incorporators, we ranked them ninth for LLC formations and 14th for registered agent service.
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 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.
Nationwide Incorporators:
- LLC formation (starts at $145) – This package includes the essential elements of LLC formation, including a name availability check, and the drafting and filing of your articles of organization. Additionally, you’ll receive a sample operating agreement and organizational minutes.
- Registered agent (call for price) – Nationwide Incorporators does not offer registered agent service online, and you’ll need to call them to acquire a pricing estimate.
Who should use their services? We think Nationwide Incorporators is a great option for any entrepreneur who wants the additional peace of mind that comes with having an attorney review your filings. The main reason they don’t score higher in our overall rankings is because some businesses are quite simple, and therefore not everyone needs this layer of expertise.
Total Price for LLC Formation + 1 Year Registered Agent
Rocket Lawyer: $249.98 (plus state fee)
Nationwide Incorporators: Call for quote
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.
Nationwide Incorporators: We were only able to track down five reviews for Nationwide Incorporators, with four on Yelp and another one on Google. While that’s obviously not a large volume of reviews, all of them are positive, with customers commenting on how easy they make the business formation process. Their clients also discuss the excellent peace of mind they receive from having a qualified business attorney handling their 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.
Nationwide Incorporators: Nationwide Incorporators provides access to their customer support team through email and phone. We have experience with both options, and are pleased to report that we received strong support through both email and phone. In fact, when we called Nationwide Incorporators, we actually got to speak to company founder Mike Ross ― a business attorney with 40 years of experience ― directly.
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.
Nationwide Incorporators: Nationwide Incorporators opened in 1997, and company founder Mike Ross has four decades of experience as a business lawyer. They don’t handle the same volume of clients that some competitors do, but as they say on their website, “Don’t confuse volume with quality.”
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.
Nationwide Incorporators (4.2/5): We’re impressed by their attorney-reviewed document filing process, but especially with their registered agent service pricing operating on a variable basis, we understand that they’re not the right choice for everyone. If your company could benefit from their attorney-powered services, they could be the right choice for you.
Our Favorite Service – Zen Business (4.9/5): While we really appreciate both Nationwide Incorporators and Rocket Lawyer, 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.