Best LLC Formation Services of 2026

The best LLC formation service for most new owners in 2026 is Mainstay Filing: $199 a year covers the LLC formation filing, a registered agent for the year, the EIN application, and annual report preparation and filing, with the state fee passed through at cost. The price is the same every year and there is no add-on menu. Northwest Registered Agent ($39 plus state fees) and Bizee ($0 Basic package) cost less upfront, but charge separately for items Mainstay includes. Six services are ranked below using prices from their own websites.

Updated October 2026.

Best LLC formation services compared (October 2026)

Prices are each provider’s published service fees for one LLC. Every provider charges the state filing fee on top, and that fee varies by state.

The best LLC formation services of 2026, ranked

For each service: who it suits, the first-year and ongoing price, what’s included, and the costs that show up after checkout.

1. Mainstay Filing: best overall for all-in-one, predictable pricing

Mainstay Filing’s formation package costs $199 per year and covers four things most new LLCs need: the formation filing with the state, a registered agent for the year, the EIN application, and annual report preparation and filing. The state’s filing fee is passed through at cost.

The $199 price is the same every year. There is no teaser first year, no renewal increase and no add-on menu, so the second year costs what the first did and still includes the registered agent and the annual report.

• Price: $199/year plus the state fee at cost.
• Registered agent: included for each year of the package.
• EIN: application included.
• Annual report: prepared and filed for you (the state’s report fee still applies).
• Existing company? Mainstay’s registered agent service is also sold alone at $149/year.

Caveats: because the price recurs, Mainstay Filing is not the cheapest option in year one. If you are comfortable filing your own annual report and getting your EIN directly from the IRS, Northwest Registered Agent costs less over the first two years.

Start your LLC with Mainstay Filing ($199/year, state fee at cost).

2. Northwest Registered Agent: best for low upfront cost and privacy

Northwest Registered Agent forms an LLC for a $39 service fee plus state fees, and the first year of its registered agent service is included. After that, the registered agent renews at $125 per year.

Northwest bundles business identity tools with the formation: a business address so your own stays off filings, mail scanning, a domain, a website, business email and a phone line, plus legal forms and annual report reminders.

• Price: $39 + state fee; registered agent $125/year from year two.
• Annual report: reminders included; Northwest files it for $100 plus the state fee.
• EIN: Northwest’s LLC page points owners to the free IRS application rather than listing it as included.

Caveats: annual report filing and the EIN are on you unless you pay extra. Northwest’s LLC page doesn’t say whether its free legal forms include an operating agreement, so check before you order.

See Northwest Registered Agent LLC pricing.

3. Bizee (formerly Incfile): best for a free or one-time package

Bizee, formerly Incfile, sells three one-time LLC packages: Basic at $0, Standard at $199 and Premium at $299, each plus the state fee. Bizee says the formation fee is charged once, not every year. Every package includes the first year of Bizee’s registered agent service, which then renews at $149 per year.

• Basic ($0): LLC filing, statement of organizer, banking resolution, first-year registered agent, first month of a virtual address. EIN is a $70 add-on and the operating agreement $99.
• Standard ($199): adds the EIN, operating agreement and faster processing.
• Premium ($299): adds business contract templates, a domain and business email, a business phone and lifetime compliance alerts.
• Annual report: not in any package; Bizee sells filing separately (see site for the fee).

Caveats: the $0 Basic package rarely stays at $0 once you add an EIN and operating agreement. The registered agent ($149/year) and the virtual address ($29/month after the free month) continue unless you cancel them.

Compare Bizee LLC packages.

4. ZenBusiness: best if you want annual reports handled in the plan

ZenBusiness offers Starter ($0 plus state fees), Pro ($199 plus state fees, renews at $199 per year) and Premium ($299 plus state fees, renews at $299 per year). The Pro plan includes the EIN, an operating agreement template and Worry-Free Compliance, which covers state-required annual report filings and up to two amendments a year.

ZenBusiness’s pricing page states that registered agent service is not included in any package. It costs $199 per year, with the first year at 50% off ($99) when you form an LLC.

• Starter ($0): filing only, with an optional free first year of Worry-Free Compliance (then $199/year). EIN $99 and operating agreement $99 as add-ons; rush processing $79.
• Pro ($199/year): EIN, operating agreement template, Worry-Free Compliance.
• Premium ($299/year): adds a domain with privacy, business email and expanded compliance features.

Caveats: a Pro plan plus registered agent costs $298 in year one and $398 a year after that, twice the Mainstay Filing price from year two for a similar set of services.

See ZenBusiness LLC plans.

5. LegalZoom: best for owners who want advisor access

LegalZoom’s LLC packages are Basic ($0 plus state filing fees), Managed Service ($249 plus state fees) and Expert Service ($299 plus state fees). Managed Service adds the EIN, an operating agreement and a business licenses and permits report.

• Managed Service: includes a 30-day advisor subscription that renews at $49/month unless canceled.
• Expert Service: adds annual tax filings prepared and filed, with a 30-day team subscription that renews at $99/month unless canceled.
• Registered agent: not listed in any package; $249/year.
• Annual report: $99 per filing plus state fees, or Compliance Filings at $199/year.

Caveats: LegalZoom is the most expensive option once you add a registered agent, and the monthly subscriptions bundled with the paid tiers keep billing if you forget to cancel them.

6. Inc Authority: best for a $0 filing if you can skip the upsells

Inc Authority advertises LLC formation for $0 plus state fees, including the EIN and the first year of registered agent service. It also lists a website, business bank account setup help, a business name check and a tax consultation as included.

• Price: $0 + state fees.
• Registered agent: first year included; the renewal price is not published (see site).
• Upsells: the operating agreement, legal document packages, S corporation election filing and tax preparation are sold separately.

Caveats: because the renewal price for the registered agent isn’t listed, you can’t see the year-two cost before you sign up. Expect sales offers during and after checkout.

What does an LLC formation service do?

An LLC formation service prepares and files your Articles of Organization (called a Certificate of Formation in some states) with the Secretary of State and pays the state fee on your behalf. Most services also act as your registered agent, and the higher tiers add the EIN application, an operating agreement and help with ongoing filings.

What a formation service cannot do is make the state process your filing faster than the state allows, guarantee your name is available, or replace legal or tax advice. Check name availability first with our business name search guide, and use the business name generator if you need ideas.

DIY vs. formation service: is it worth paying?

You can form an LLC yourself in every state. The core steps are the same everywhere:

1. Choose a name that meets your state’s rules and isn’t taken.
2. Appoint a registered agent with a physical address in the state (you can serve yourself in most states).
3. File the Articles of Organization online with the state and pay the filing fee.
4. Write an operating agreement.
5. Get an EIN from the IRS, which is free.
6. Calendar and file the annual or biennial report, if your state requires one.

Doing it yourself costs only the state fees. Our how to start an LLC guide walks through each step, and the state guides for Texas, Delaware and Wyoming list the current fees and forms.

A formation service is worth paying for when you want:

• A registered agent anyway: if you don’t want your home address on public record, you will pay for an agent regardless, and many formation packages include the first year.
• Ongoing filings handled: annual reports have deadlines and late fees; a service that files them removes that task.
• Fewer errors: a service checks the filing for common mistakes before it reaches the state.

If you only need the filing and are happy to be your own agent, DIY is the cheapest route. If you’d pay for a registered agent and annual report filing anyway, an all-inclusive package such as Mainstay Filing’s $199/year usually costs less than assembling the same pieces from add-ons.

Hidden costs to watch

Headline prices for LLC formation services are often $0 or close to it. The real cost shows up in add-ons and renewals. These are the charges to look for before you check out:

• Registered agent renewal: a “free first year” renews at $125 to $249 a year depending on the provider.
• Annual report filing: usually $99 to $199 a year on top of the state’s own report fee, unless the plan includes it.
• EIN and operating agreement: often add-ons on the cheapest tiers (Bizee Basic charges $70 for the EIN; ZenBusiness Starter charges $99 each for the EIN and operating agreement).
• Rush processing: ZenBusiness Starter charges $79.
• Monthly subscriptions: LegalZoom’s paid tiers include 30-day advisor trials that renew at $49 or $99 a month unless canceled; Bizee’s virtual address is $29 a month after the first month.
• State fees: every service passes these through, and they vary widely by state.

Here is what the first two years cost at each provider’s published prices, service fees only (state fees excluded), for the package closest to Mainstay Filing’s inclusions:

On service fees alone, Northwest Registered Agent and Bizee cost less than Mainstay Filing over two years, provided you file annual reports yourself and get your own EIN. Mainstay Filing is the only option here where one recurring price covers the registered agent and the annual report every year with nothing to add.

What to look for in an LLC formation service

• The year-two price: what you’ll pay after any free first year ends.
• Registered agent: whether it’s included, for how long, and the renewal price.
• Annual report filing: included, available at a published price, or not offered.
• EIN and operating agreement: included or extra.
• State fee handling: passed through at cost and shown before you pay.
• Cancellation terms: which services auto-renew and how to stop them.

Our registered agent guide covers what the agent does and why most owners use a paid one; see the Delaware registered agent guide if you plan to form there.

How we evaluated LLC formation services

This ranking is based on each provider’s published pricing and documentation as of October 2026, taken from their official websites and order pages. We did not place formation orders or measure processing times, and we have left out claims we could not confirm on a provider’s own pages.

We compared services on:

• Total cost over two years, including the registered agent and annual report filing where offered.
• Inclusions: registered agent, EIN, operating agreement and annual report filing.
• Pricing transparency: whether renewal and add-on prices are published before checkout.
• Recurring charges: subscriptions and services that auto-renew.
• Fit: which type of owner each service suits best.

Mainstay Filing is our recommended pick, and we may earn a commission from it and from other services on this page. Where a competitor costs less for some owners, we say so. Prices change; confirm current pricing on each provider’s site before ordering.

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Disclosure: We may earn a commission from services recommended on this page.