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 creation 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 Swyft Filings and Zen Business. Which one is the better choice to form your new LLC and provide registered agent service?
30-Second Summary of Swyft Filings vs. Zen Business
Zen Business Wins!
Swyft Filings is a recent addition to the business formation services industry, but they serve a high volume of clients. Their best selling point is their excellent customer feedback, with thousands of reviews and high average rating scores.
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. Swyft Filings is a solid company as well, but they just can’t compete with Zen Business’ pricing.
Pricing & Additional Features
Swyft Filings:
- LLC formation ($49) – Swyft Filings’ entry-level formation package includes a business name availability check, as well as the preparation and filing of your articles of organization. In addition, you’ll receive a statement of the organizer, access to a compliance dashboard, and some third-party bonus offers, like a free domain name for a year.
- Registered agent ($149/year) – Swyft Filings charges a flat rate of $149 per year for registered agent service. This rate includes regular compliance reminders so that you never miss an important filing due date.
Who should use their services? We typically recommend Swyft Filings to entrepreneurs that don’t need registered agent service. Their LLC formation package is reasonably priced, but it doesn’t include registered agent service, and their registered agent service is too expensive to recommend as an add-on.
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
Swyft Filings: $198 (plus state fee)
Zen Business: $39 (plus state fee)
Customer Satisfaction
Swyft Filings: Swyft Filings has more than 35,000 customer reviews online, and almost all of them are highly positive. Their satisfied customers often compliment their support reps for the excellent service they receive, and also comment on how easy Swyft Filings makes the business formation process.
Zen Business: We found more than 4,700 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
Swyft Filings: With Swyft Filings, you can access their customer support team via phone, email, or web chat. In our experience, their response times are quite fast, and their representatives are usually able to answer our questions quickly and accurately. They don’t particularly stand out from the crowd in this area, but they certainly hold their own.
Zen Business: You can reach the Zen Business customer support team by phone, email, or web chat. 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
Swyft Filings: Swyft Filings was created in 2012 by a lawyer, but other than the fact that they’ve helped form tens of thousands of businesses, there is little else on their website regarding their track record.
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!
Swyft Filings (4.2/5): Swyft Filings has several advantages when compared to most competitors, like their low LLC service pricing and strong customer reviews. Still, they don’t stack up favorably compared to Zen Business.
Zen Business (4.9/5): While we really appreciate Swyft Filings, 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.