Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. The largest vendors in business formation services
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 11 tools, reviewed
#1 Northwest Registered Agent
LLC filing and registered agent service at a flat, published price · United States · northwestregisteredagent.com
LLC formation registered agent privacy
Northwest does the unglamorous part of this category well. The LLC page states the fee, $39 plus whatever your state charges, and the agent page states $125 a year with no per-document charges, a price the company says it has held for twenty years. Your own name and home address stay off public records because Northwest's address is used instead, and scanned mail arrives without a fee.
- Pricing: Flat fee + yearly agent. Published LLC formation fee of $39 plus state fees, and registered agent service at $125 a year (or $100 per state for five or more states). Free plan: none.
- Best for: Owners who want a plain LLC and a reliable agent
- Strengths: LLC and corporation formation; Registered agent in every state; Same-day order processing.
Where it falls short
It is a filer and an agent, not a startup stack. There is no equity paperwork, no bookkeeping product and no banking route for non-US founders, and the site sells many add-ons from domains to phone numbers that you can ignore.
Wrong for
A venture-backed founder who needs stock issuance and an 83(b) election in the same flow, or a non-US owner who needs EIN and bank help bundled.
Visit Northwest Registered Agent →
#2 Stripe Atlas
Delaware C corp or LLC for startups, with banking and SAFEs · United States · stripe.com
Delaware startup equity
Atlas packages the first week of a venture-style startup into one dashboard: the Delaware incorporation with expedited processing, the tax ID, issued shares, the 83(b) election and a SAFE you can generate from the Stripe dashboard. The $500 price is stated on the product page with state filing costs inside it, which makes it unusually easy to budget.
- Pricing: One-time fee. One-time fee of $500 for a Delaware company, with state filing costs and expedited next-day processing included, per the vendor's pricing section. Free plan: none.
- Best for: First-time founders raising venture money
- Strengths: Delaware C corp or LLC formation; Expedited processing; EIN application.
Where it falls short
The product is a funnel into the Stripe ecosystem, and the agent, ongoing franchise tax and annual compliance are separate matters after the first year. Support is a help centre and chat rather than a named adviser.
Wrong for
An owner of a local shop or a consultant who just needs a cheap home-state LLC, or a founder who wants a human at the end of the phone.
Visit Stripe Atlas →
#3 Clerky
Delaware incorporation and startup legal documents · United States · clerky.com
Delaware C corp legal documents startup
Clerky treats incorporation as the start of a paper trail, not the end of a filing. Its $427 incorporation product is followed by a $299 post-incorporation step that elects directors, appoints officers, adopts bylaws and issues founder stock with vesting, and further products cover stock plans and hiring documents. It states that it is not a law firm, but startup attorneys send clients there, which is a decent signal.
- Pricing: One-time fees. Incorporation is a one-time $427, the formation package $819, post-incorporation setup $299, and foreign qualification $125 plus third-party fees in California and New York. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Founders with a startup lawyer
- Strengths: Delaware certificate of incorporation; Electronic filing; Post-incorporation setup.
Where it falls short
It is built for Delaware C corporations only. An LLC owner has no reason to be here, and the package price is higher than a flat filer's.
Wrong for
A solo consultant forming a simple LLC or a founder who wants to stay cheap and skip equity documents.
Visit Clerky →
#4 Doola
US company, tax and books for non-US founders · United States · doola.com
non-US founders LLC bookkeeping
Doola targets the person in Lisbon or Singapore who wants a US entity and no ladder of paperwork. The site states that no US residency or SSN is required, gives a one to two business day timeline for the LLC filing, quotes three to six weeks for a non-US EIN, and routes the bank application through Mercury.
- Pricing: Yearly plan. Starter plan from $297 a year plus state fees; Tax and Compliance $1,999 a year and Business-in-a-Box $2,999 a year, per the pricing page. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Non-US founders starting a US company
- Strengths: LLC or C-Corp formation; EIN application; Business address.
Where it falls short
The Starter plan renews at about the same price each year, and the real spend arrives when you need tax or bookkeeping at $1,999 or more. Weeks-long EIN timelines for foreign applicants delay banking.
Wrong for
A US resident who wants a plain domestic LLC and nothing else.
Visit Doola →
#5 Firstbase
Startup operating system: formation, agent, mail, books · United States · firstbase.io
Delaware non-US founders compliance
Firstbase is a bundle seller. The Start plan forms an LLC or C-Corp in Delaware or Wyoming with an expedited EIN, then Firstbase One layers a registered agent, a premium physical address and virtual mailbox, accounting and tax filing under one login. The pricing page prices each module on its own, such as agent service at $299 and tax filing at $1,799, so you can buy pieces.
- Pricing: One-time + subscription. Start plan is a one-time fee shown at $99 under a current offer (listed at $399) with state fees extra. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Founders running a US company remotely
- Strengths: Delaware or Wyoming formation; EIN setup; Registered agent.
Where it falls short
The headline offer of $99 sits against a listed $399, and the complete bundle at $2,388 a year is dear beside a flat filer. The registered agent at $299 is more than double Northwest's.
Wrong for
A domestic owner who just needs an LLC and an agent at the lowest running cost. Northwest or InCorp give that for less, and Swyft for the filing alone.
Visit Firstbase →
#6 Bizee
Tiered LLC formation with a free first agent year · United States · bizee.com
LLC formation tiered packages registered agent
Bizee turns the usual formation menu into three one-time packages and states them plainly: Basic at $0 plus state fee, Standard at $199, Premium at $299. The free first year of registered agent service across packages removes the most common second bill, which is a genuine saving against filers who charge for the agent on day one.
- Pricing: Tiered one-time fee. Basic is $0 plus state fee, Standard $199 and Premium $299 as one-time payments, with one free year of registered agent service in each package. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Budget LLC owners wanting a free first year
- Strengths: LLC, S corp and C corp formation; Registered agent year one; EIN filing.
Where it falls short
The $0 package is a basic filing, and EIN, operating agreement and faster processing sit in higher tiers. After the free year the agent renews at a price you must check before ordering. The site pushes add-ons during checkout.
Wrong for
An owner who already has an agent they like, or who wants a startup-grade equity workflow.
Visit Bizee →
#7 ZenBusiness
LLC formation plus compliance, website and bookkeeping · United States · zenbusiness.com
LLC formation compliance small business
ZenBusiness is the all-purpose option for a first-time owner who wants one vendor for filing, agent service, annual compliance and a handful of business tools. The Starter package at $0 plus state fees gets the paperwork filed, and Pro and Premium add the operating agreement, faster handling and ongoing filings. Its S-corp election filing and Velo AI guidance suit someone who does not know the vocabulary.
- Pricing: Tiered + subscriptions. Formation starts at $0 plus state fees in the Starter package, with Pro and Premium tiers above it; Money Pro bookkeeping is $30 a month. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Owners who want formation and a toolbox
- Strengths: LLC formation; S-corp election filing; Registered agent.
Where it falls short
The $0 Starter comes without much of what a new company needs, and the useful items live in higher tiers. Money Pro at $30 a month and a $60 logo kit pile up.
Wrong for
An owner who values low recurring cost over convenience, or a venture-backed founder needing equity paperwork.
Visit ZenBusiness →
#8 InCorp Services
Registered agent and formation since 1998 · United States · incorp.com
registered agent multi-state formation
InCorp is a registered agent first and a filer second, and the pricing page says so: $129 a year in any state, dropping in steps to $87 a year when you prepay five years, with no renewal surprise promised. It has operated since 1998, delivers service of process the same day, and offers a dedicated account representative.
- Pricing: Flat yearly agent fee. Registered agent service is $129 a year in every state, $87 a year on a prepaid five-year term; formation starts at $99. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Multi-state companies needing one agent
- Strengths: All 50 states plus DC; Flat-rate registered agent; Same-day service of process delivery.
Where it falls short
The $99 formation entry is a starting figure, and the polished extras of the newer filers, such as startup stock tools or bookkeeping, are absent. Its design and checkout flow feel dated beside the newest platforms. Multi-year prepayment ties up cash.
Wrong for
A first-time founder who wants equity documents or banking help, or a single-state owner who will not need an agent for five years.
Visit InCorp Services →
#9 Swyft Filings
Three-tier LLC filing with an accuracy guarantee · United States · swyftfilings.com
LLC formation low cost tiered
Swyft is a tidy middle-priced filer. Its Basic tier prepares and files the Articles of Organization with an accuracy guarantee, the Standard at $169 processes in three business days and adds minutes, banking resolutions and an operating agreement, and Premium at $269 promises same-day order processing, consultations and compliance monitoring. The page shows the list price crossed out beside the sale price, which makes the real cost easy to compare.
- Pricing: Tiered one-time fee. Tiered one-time packages: Standard $169 (list $199) and Premium $269 (list $299) plus state fees; Basic is the entry filing without extras. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Owners who want a quick, cheap LLC filing
- Strengths: Articles of Organization filing; Accuracy guarantee; Custom organizational minutes.
Where it falls short
Premium's consultations and privacy support are described with asterisks and conditions. Registered agent service is a separate choice, and the company is smaller and less documented than Northwest or InCorp. The crossed-out list prices are promotional.
Wrong for
A founder wanting stock issuance, a bank route from abroad or a long-running agent relationship.
Visit Swyft Filings →
#10 Tailor Brands
LLC formation bundled with branding and website tools · United States · tailorbrands.com
LLC formation branding website
Tailor Brands approaches formation from the branding side. Its yearly plans include the LLC filing, one-day expedited processing, a bookkeeping trial, and on higher tiers a domain, website and logo set, so the same screen that files the company also produces the name on the shop front. Agent service and EIN filing are priced separately at $199 a year and $99.
- Pricing: Yearly plan. Yearly plans from $199 (Essential) and $249 (Elite) plus state fees; registered agent service $199 a year and EIN filing $99 listed separately. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Solo owners wanting branding with their LLC
- Strengths: LLC formation; 1 day expedited processing; Legal compliance.
Where it falls short
Because formation is bundled into a yearly plan, you pay again at renewal for things you used once. After the free 30-day trial the bookkeeping product charges $39 a month, and agent and EIN are extra. Legal depth is thin compared with specialist filers.
Wrong for
An owner who already has a brand, a domain and an accountant, or any founder who cares about running cost. Northwest or Swyft file the company without the bundle.
Visit Tailor Brands →
#11 LegalZoom
Listed legal-services brand with attorney access · United States · legalzoom.com
LLC formation attorneys listed company
LegalZoom is the name most people already know, and the formation page shows how it earns that: Basic at $0 plus state filing fees, Pro at $249 including unlimited 30-minute attorney consults for 30 days, and Premium at $299 adding bookkeeping tools and invoices. It is the one provider here that is a listed company, with a principal office in Glendale, California per its SEC filings.
- Pricing: Tiered one-time fee. Basic is $0 plus state filing fees, Pro $249 and Premium $299 plus state filing fees, with attorney consults and bookkeeping tools in higher tiers. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Owners who want attorney advice
- Strengths: LLC formation; Name availability check; Attorney consults (Pro).
Where it falls short
The zero-dollar start leads to a ladder of paid tiers, and attorney consults auto-renew at $49 a month after the first 30 days. Bookkeeping auto-renews at $9.99 a month after six months. Cancel each subscription if you do not want it.
Wrong for
A cost-minded owner forming a simple LLC with no questions.
Visit LegalZoom →
Questions and answers
What is the best business formation service in 2026?
Northwest Registered Agent ranks first of 11, best for owners who want a plain LLC and a reliable agent. Stripe Atlas is second (first-time founders raising venture money) and Clerky third (founders with a startup lawyer). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
Do I need a formation service, or can I file with the state myself?
You can file yourself, and many people do. A state form is usually short and the fee is the same whether or not a service submits it.
How much does it cost to form an LLC through a service?
Expect the provider fee plus the state fee.
Which services work for founders who do not live in the United States?
Doola states that no US residency or SSN is required and quotes a three to six week EIN timeline for non-US applicants. Firstbase offers Delaware or Wyoming formation with a mailing address and bank introductions.
What is a registered agent, and do I have to pay for one?
A registered agent is the person or company named to receive legal and state notices at an address in the state of formation. Every state requires one.
LLC or C corporation: which should I form?
An LLC is simpler, has pass-through taxation by default and suits consultancies, shops and property holdings. A C corporation is what venture investors expect, because it issues preferred stock and option pools.
Is a formation service the same as a law firm?
No. These companies prepare and file documents at your direction and are not law firms. Clerky says plainly on its site that it is not an attorney or law firm.
What happens if I miss the annual report?
States charge a late fee first and, after a grace period, can administratively dissolve the company. A dissolved LLC loses its liability protection and its good standing, which blocks bank accounts and contracts until it is reinstated.
Can I switch registered agents later?
Yes. Changing agent is a routine filing with the state, and the new agent usually handles the paperwork. InCorp advertises that it absorbs transfer fees when you move to it.
Should I form in Delaware, Wyoming or my home state?
Form in your home state if you run the company there, because forming elsewhere still requires registering as a foreign company at home and paying both states.
Do these providers handle taxes after formation?
Only some. Doola sells federal and state filings as plans from $1,999 a year, Firstbase lists tax filing at $1,799 and accounting at $1,890, and Tailor Brands and LegalZoom attach bookkeeping tools.
