LegalZoom vs. ZenBusiness: Differences, pros & cons in 2024

Sarah Brady

BLUEPRINT

Updated 3:58 p.m. UTC April 17, 2024

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Via LegalZoom's website

Pros

Offers a free LLC service.
Free package includes a Wix website.
60-day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Cons

Free package has limited services.
Add-ons are costly.
Pricing can be confusing.

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Via ZenBusiness' website

Pros

Free plan available.
Each plan includes 30 minutes of tax advising.
Free iOS and Android apps.
Free worry-free compliance service for one year.

Cons

No free year of registered agent services with company formation.
Registered agent services are expensive ($199 per year).
Add-ons can get pricey.

Featured LLC service offers

ZenBusiness

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Via ZenBusiness’ website

Free version available

Yes

Lowest published package price

$199

Live chat

Yes: Human

LegalZoom

Learn More

Via LegalZoom’s website

Free version available

Yes

Lowest published package price

$249

Live chat

Yes

Northwest Registered Agent

Learn More

Via Northwest’s website

Free version available

Lowest published package price

$39

Live chat

Yes

Whether you choose LegalZoom or ZenBusiness for your LLC formation needs, you’ll get a name check service, articles of organization and state business filing with every plan. Unlike ZenBusiness, LegalZoom includes a complimentary business website with its free plan, but only ZenBusiness offers complimentary tax advice and worry-free compliance service for free for one year. Registered agent services can be purchased as add-ons through either company.

LegalZoom vs. ZenBusiness: LLC services

LegalZoom and ZenBusiness both offer LLC formation services. Each company has plans that start at $0, not including state fees. No matter which company you go with or which plan you choose, you’ll get:

Articles of organization.
Name check service.
State business filing.

Other services, including registered agent services, are included in the higher-tiered plans, or they can be purchased separately.

LegalZoom vs. ZenBusiness: Registered agent services

Not all states require you to have a registered agent on file for your LLC. Even if your state does have the requirement, you may be able to serve as your own registered agent. But, if you do need to go through a third party and are just forming your business, neither LegalZoom nor ZenBusiness are great options since neither company includes the service in their formation plans.

However, if you have already formed your business and are, for example, looking to change your registered agent service or to outsource the service after serving as your own registered agent, both would be good options. Both offer stand-alone registered agent services.

When it comes to add-ons, LegalZoom’s registered agent services are pricier — at $249 a year versus just $99 through ZenBusiness (renews at $199 per year). But LegalZoom includes $1 million in identity theft protection with its registered agent service, along with Experian credit monitoring. According to LegalZoom, those two features have a combined value of $239.

LegalZoom vs. ZenBusiness: Cost

	BASE PLAN	MID-TIER PLAN	HIGH-TIER PLAN	REGISTERED AGENT SERVICE*
LegalZoom	$0	$249	$299	$249
ZenBusiness	$0	$199	$349	$99

^{*The registered agent is an annual recurring fee. In some cases, companies waive it for the first year or other specified period of time. It’s also included in some companies’ plans. Upon renewal, prices may rise.}

ZenBusiness and LegalZoom both offer three unique LLC formation plans. Regardless of which company you choose, you’ll pay between $0 and $349 for a plan. Outside of cost, the best company depends on your business needs.

With LegalZoom, you get a complimentary business website with every plan (which costs $129 a year through ZenBusiness), but ZenBusiness includes a 30-minute certified public accountant (CPA) consultation with each plan via ZenBusiness’s partner, 1-800 Accountant and free worry-free compliance service (with a free annual report and filing alerts) for one year.

LegalZoom vs. ZenBusiness: Features

	NAME AVAILABILITY SEARCH	ONLINE DOCUMENT ACCESS	MOBILE APP	LEGAL SERVICES	60-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
LegalZoom	Yes	Some	No	Included – Premium plan	Yes
ZenBusiness	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Another difference between the two companies is in their mid-tier plans. The mid-tier option from ZenBusiness, the Pro plan, costs $50 more than LegalZoom’s Pro plan. For the extra cost, you get some features that ZenBusiness’s plan doesn’t offer, including a tax consultation with a small business specialist. However, ZenBusiness’s Pro plan, even at the lower cost, offers free rush filing, which legalizes your business formation within one to five business days.

If you want an EIN from ZenBusiness, you’ll have to pay $99 if you opt for the free plan. But ZenBusiness’s mid- and top-tier plans include an EIN and rush filing. All of their plans come with a complimentary 30-minute tax consultation with a CPA.

LegalZoom vs. ZenBusiness: Add-ons

	ANNUAL REPORT FILING	DBA	LEGAL SERVICES	EIN	OPERATING AGREEMENT	WEBSITE
LegalZoom	$99	$99	$469 per year	$79	$99	$0
ZenBusiness	$100	$95	N/A	$99	$125	$129 per year

Add-on pricing is similar for LegalZoom and ZenBusiness, but buying add-ons could be more affordable through LegalZoom. To give you an idea of the pricing differences, LegalZoom’s add-on prices range from $0 to $99 each, while ZenBusiness’s add-on prices range from $95 to $199 each. However, some of the most valuable add-ons (such as an operating agreement) are complementary when you buy both providers’ Pro and Premium plans.

With ZenBusiness, however, you can choose from several business banking and website-related add-ons that LegalZoom doesn’t have. For example, you can obtain a business email for $25 per year, open a business bank account for $5 a month or purchase a banking resolution template (to designate who is allowed to sign business bank documents) for $30.

LegalZoom’s legal services might be their most attractive add-on option. This feature includes 30-minute consultations on topics from business formation to estate planning, legal document review and personal and family legal matters. But you may not need the add-on if you buy the Premium package since it includes unlimited access to 30-minute legal advising sessions.

LegalZoom vs. ZenBusiness: Customer support

	24/ CUSTOMER SUPPORT	PHONE SUPPORT	LIVE CHAT	KNOWLEDGE BASE / HELP
LegalZoom	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
ZenBusiness	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Neither LegalZoom nor ZenBusiness offers 24/7 customer support, but both offer live chat and phone support. LegalZoom’s customer service is available Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Time. It also offers weekend support from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time. ZenBusiness offers slightly less customer support, including from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, Sunday support from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time and no Saturday support.

On Trustpilot, both companies are rated “excellent,” but ZenBusiness has more than four times as many customer reviews as LegalZoom. Reviews for ZenBusiness highlight the speed of filing and the professionalism and thoroughness of the live agents while LegalZoom’s reviews stated that customer support offered timely and proactive customer support with friendly representatives.

Which company formation service is right for your business?

Before choosing one of these formation services, you’ll need to decide what your company needs most. If you’re in the market for an operating agreement or an EIN, you’ll need to spring for a paid package or buy them as add-ons, regardless of which company you choose.

For website services or add-ons that are competitively priced, LegalZoom is the better option. But note that some of its features can be accessed at a lower price elsewhere, including registered agent services, Wix websites and Experian credit monitoring.

For both customer support and registered agent prices, ZenBusiness is the better choice.

Featured LLC service offers

ZenBusiness

Learn More

Via ZenBusiness’ website

Free version available

Yes

Lowest published package price

$199

Live chat

Yes: Human

LegalZoom

Learn More

Via LegalZoom’s website

Free version available

Yes

Lowest published package price

$249

Live chat

Yes

Northwest Registered Agent

Learn More

Via Northwest’s website

Free version available

Lowest published package price

$39

Live chat

Yes

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Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Sarah Brady

BLUEPRINT

Sarah Brady is a personal finance writer and educator who's been helping individuals and entrepreneurs improve their financial wellness since 2013. Sarah's other publications include Investopedia, Experian, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), Credit Karma and LendingTree and her work has been syndicated by Yahoo! News and MSN. She is also a former HUD-Certified Housing Counselor and NFCC-Certified Credit Counselor.

Alana Rudder

BLUEPRINT

Alana is the deputy editor for USA Today Blueprint's small business team. She has served as a technology and marketing SME for countless businesses, from startups to leading tech firms — including Adobe and Workfusion. She has zealously shared her expertise with small businesses — including via Forbes Advisor and Fit Small Business — to help them compete for market share. She covers technologies pertaining to payroll and payment processing, online security, customer relationship management, accounting, human resources, marketing, project management, resource planning, customer data management and how small businesses can use process automation, AI and ML to more easily meet their goals. Alana has an MBA from Excelsior University.