Swyft Filings review 2024: Cost, plans, features and more

Swyft Filings has a solid reputation for its incorporation service, and it has a mid-tier plan that stands out from the competition. However, there’s a hidden fee to watch out for at registration and a few customer support kinks.

Overall, Swyft Filings is a good option for forming your LLC. It offers a free plan that comes with:

• A comprehensive name check.
• Your formation paperwork and its filing with your state’s secretary of state.
• Lifetime customer support by phone and email.

If you need additional services, some plans add features such as: 

• A federal tax ID number.
• Organizational minutes. 
• Same-day LLC filing. 
• Legal and business documents. 
• A business domain and website
• Tools to help you stay compliant (such as annual report filing). 

Swyft Filings overview and facts

Founded in 2015, Swyft Filings is an incorporation service company headquartered in Houston, Texas that’s served over 250,000 businesses since opening. It aims to make business compliance easy by helping owners form companies and get all their paperwork in order. While not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), it earned 4.42 stars after 347 customer reviews with the BBB and a 4.8 star rating after 5,866 Trustpilot reviews.

While not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), it earned a 4.8-star rating after over 6,400 Trustpilot reviews and a 4.21-star rating after over 330 customer reviews with the BBB.

Swyft Filings LLC plans and pricing

Swyft Filings offers three packages for new LLCs: the Basic, Standard and Premium plans. When compared with other providers, the mid-tier $199 Standard plan comes in a bit low and the top-tier $299 Premium Plan is average. Here’s a closer look at the services included with each plan. 

Basic

Swyft Filing’s Basic plan costs $0, plus the state filing fee. It includes:

• A business name availability check. 
• Preparation of your articles of organization. 
• Document filing with your state’s secretary of state.
• Lifetime customer support (email and phone).

Standard

Swyft Filing’s Standard plan costs $199, plus the initial state filing fee. With it, you get everything the Basic plan offers, plus:

• Employer identification number (EIN): An EIN is a number that’s used to identify your business with the Internal Revenue Service, business lenders and other third parties.
• Express filing: Swyft Filings will file your LLC paperwork within 5 days and include expedited shipping. 
• Operating agreement: An operating agreement is a legal document that outlines an LLC’s rules and regulations. When one’s not in place, the LLC will be subject to the default rules of its state. 
• Banking resolution: A banking resolution is a document that authorizes someone to open a business bank account on behalf of the LLC. 
• Custom organizational minutes: A document that covers the most commonly needed options for an LLC’s first meeting and customizes them for your company. 
• Document delivery: Instant electronic delivery of state documents once your LLC is formed.

Premium

Swyft Filings’ Premium plan costs $299 plus the initial state filing fee. It includes: 

• Same-day processing and expedited shipping. 
• Over 250 customizable legal and business documents. 
• A business website and domain. 
• ComplianceGuard free trial, including a free annual report, amendment and meeting minutes. 
• 24/7 online access dashboard.

Swyft Filings add-ons and optional features

If you’re looking for help beyond forming your LLC, Swyft Filings offers a variety of add-ons. That said, they tend to be on the more expensive side when compared to competitors. 

Annual reports

Many states require LLCs to file annual reports. Swyft Filings will file yours for $99 per year, plus the state filing fee. Annual reports cover the name and address of executive members of your business, as well as your company’s location. However, if you choose the Premium LLC formation package, an annual report is included.

Business licenses and permit

It can be confusing to figure out which licenses and permits you need to legally operate your LLC. For $99 plus state fees, Swyft Filings helps you figure out what you need to do on the federal, state and local levels. This is a one-time expense.

Initial report

If your state requires the filing of an initial report within the first few months of operation, Swyft Filings will take care of it for you for a one-time fee of $55, plus the state filing fee. 

Federal tax ID/EIN

If your plan doesn’t include an EIN and you want Swyft Filings to file one for you, it will cost a one-time fee of $79, plus any applicable state fees. However, you can get an EIN for free online directly from the IRS website. 

LLC operating agreement

If you opt for the Basic plan but want an operating agreement, you can order one through Swyft Filings for $35, plus state fees. 

Registered agent services 

Businesses are required to have a physical address in their state with someone present during normal business hours. If you can’t currently meet those requirements or don’t want official communications being delivered to your primary place of business, you can hire a registered agent. 

“Registered agents are important for any corporate entity because they act as an official point of contact for a state government, lawsuits, etc.,” said Wayne Cohen, founding partner of the Cohen & Cohen law firm in Washington, D.C. 

Swyft Filings charges $199 per year for its registered agent services. You will have a 60-day money-back guarantee, along with complimentary check-ups to ensure you are on top of required state filings. If you take advantage of the money-back guarantee, you can be refunded to your card or given credit for future Swyft Filings services.

However, the provider reserves the right to keep a processing fee if the requested refund wasn’t due to an error on the company’s side. Also, all third-party fees, such as state filing fees, will not be refunded.

The fee for a registered agent through Swyft Filings is on the more expensive side. For instance, BetterLegal only charges $90 per year and Harbor Compliance only charges $99 per year. But other companies do charge more, like LegalZoom’s $249 per year fee. 

Swyft Filings’ registered agent services are available to businesses in all 50 states. If you want to cancel your registered agent service, you must choose a new agent within your state first. Once you have the replacement, you can contact Swyft Filings to give notice about the change and proof that you have another registered agent.

ComplianceGuard company alerts

For $149 per year, the ComplianceGuard Company Alerts service provides you with an annual report (worth $99), deadline notifications, one amendment and unlimited access to create meeting minutes. 

Warning: Swyft Filings automatically includes a free 14-day trial of this service with its LLC plans. If you don’t cancel before the trial ends, it costs $149 per year. If you don’t want this service, remove the free trial when you checkout. 

Swyft Filings customer support and experience

You can reach Swyft Filings’ customer support by calling (877) 777-0450, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST. 

During a test call, a recording said there was less than a 10-minute wait to talk to a representative and provided the option to leave a number to get a callback. After continuing to wait for five minutes, the call was forwarded to an answering machine — which is less than ideal after waiting for a live representative. 

You can also send a message to the support team through email at info@swyftfilings.com or through the company website’s contact page or contact bubble. The bubble looks like a live chat feature but it’s an email form. While the bubble worked as expected, the company’s contact form was non-responsive. 

As for the user experience on the website as a whole, there are some pros and cons. The layout is intuitive and there’s a good amount of information to help customers decide which business structure they need. There’s also an FAQ page with answers to many common questions. 

However, there’s no pricing page to display the different LLC plans and services. To figure them out, you have to go through the registration process and provide your information which can be a bit of a hassle. But if you want to go ahead with Swyft Filings, it’s easy to place your order through the website. 

Swyft Filings vs. LegalZoom

Both Swyft Filings and LegalZoom offer three pricing tiers and have high marks from past customers. That said, LegalZoom’s basic plan will save you $49 if you only need the filing of your articles of organization. It also comes with the added benefit of a free Wix website to build out your company’s online presence. 

For those looking for additional help with an EIN and an operating agreement, Swyft Filings’ Standard plan offers a better deal.

Swyft Filings also comes out ahead when comparing the premium plans. While they come in at a similar price point, Swyft’s includes more for your money. In addition to an EIN, an operating agreement and support, you get:

• A banking resolution.
• Custom organizational minutes.
• A free Squarespace website and business domain. 
• Expedited filing. 
• Over 250 customizable legal and business documents. 
• A free annual report. 
• Free meeting minutes.

However, if you need legal guidance through the formation process, LegalZoom offers these services as a free trial in its Premium plan.

Learn more in our full LegalZoom review.

Swyft Filings vs. Zenbusiness

Both ZenBusiness and Swyft Filings offer comparable pricing. However, ZenBusiness’s free plan is a bit more comprehensive than Swyft Filings’. While Swyft Filings offers to prepare your articles of organization, check for name availability and offer 24/7 support, ZenBusiness’s free plan offers a worry-free compliance trial, which includes a free annual report and compliance alerts. It also offers a 100% accuracy guarantee. 

For more information, check out our full ZenBusiness review.

Is Swyft Filings right for your business?

Swyft Filings is worth considering if you want to form an LLC and take care of other to-dos like registering an EIN, getting a banking resolution, drafting an operating agreement and documenting your initial organizational minutes. The Standard plan provides all of the above for a one-time fee of $199, plus the state filing fee — which is a competitive deal in the market. It also offers a free plan with basic features for forming an LLC. 

However, if you need more guidance while forming your LLC, LegalZoom offers attorney consultations in its Premium plan. And, if you need a more comprehensive free plan that includes, for example, an annual report, consider ZenBusiness. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is Swyft Filings a good way to start an LLC?

Swyft Filings can be a good way to start an LLC. The company offers a free LLC formation plan, complete with a business name check, articles or organization and paperwork filing. However, if you want a more comprehensive free plan that also includes an annual report, consider ZenBusiness. In addition, if you need attorney guidance, consider LegalZoom’s paid plans.

Does Swyft Filings provide worry-free annual compliance?

Swyft Filings offers ComplianceGuard company alerts for $149 per year, which comes with an annual report and one annual amendment to ensure your business’s compliance. Swyft Filings service is similar to ZenBusiness’s annual compliance offering. Both help ensure your LLC’s annual requirements are met and send you alerts about upcoming compliance events.

Are there any hidden fees with Swyft Filings?

One hidden fee to watch out for with Swyft Filings is the ComplianceGuard company alerts service. It’s auto-added to the LLC filing service as a free 14-day trial. If you don’t want the service, be sure to remove it before you check out because it costs $149 per year.

What is Swyft Filings’ refund policy?

Swyft Filings offers refunds but requests must be made within 60 days of purchase. If a filing error was made by the company, it’ll correct it as quickly as possible at no cost to you. 

Conversely, if a filing fails due to any other reason, Swyft Filings reserves the right to keep a processing fee. If you have any issues, the company encourages you to contact the customer support team.

Does Swyft Filings offer any other services?

Yes, Swyft Filings offers a variety of services in addition to incorporation filings including a registered agent service, annual report filing and business name changes. If it has to do with a business and the paperwork required to keep it compliant, the company can likely help.