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Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes
With Incorporate.com and LegalZoom, we’re talking about two of the most popular LLC formation service providers available. Each company has a couple of advantages over the other.
First off, LegalZoom has lower pricing than Incorporate.com for LLC formation services. Additionally, their thousands of customer reviews are almost all positive, while Incorporate.com has just a small handful of mixed feedback. On the other hand, Incorporate.com has more longevity than any competitor.
Would you like some more info before making your decision? Read on as we break down the major factors that set these two companies apart.
1) Affordable: Whether you choose Incorporate.com or LegalZoom, you can save lots of money over enlisting the services of a traditional business attorney. Many LLC formations aren’t complex enough to necessitate a lawyer, so these providers can fit your needs nicely.
2) Customer Support: One of the best selling points for these companies is customer service. Instead of spending hours digging around on your own whenever you have a question or concern, you can simply email or call them to get your issues resolved quickly.
3) Guaranteed Services: Both of these providers offer strong guarantees to back up their services. LegalZoom has a satisfaction guarantee which states that if you’re unhappy for any reason, they’ll refund the fees you paid them. Incorporate.com has a Corporate Compliance Guarantee which says they’ll pay you up to $75,000 if they make a mistake while filing your formation documents.
4) Experience: If experience matters to you, both of these companies have plenty of it. LegalZoom has served millions of customers, while Incorporate.com has been open since the 19th century.
5) Additional Services: LegalZoom and Incorporate.com both offer many additional services. Whether you need registered agent service or EIN obtainment, they can provide these and many more services.
6) Educational: Incorporate.com and LegalZoom have free learning tools on their websites. If you want to know more about taxation issues, compliance requirements, etc., the information you’re looking for is right at your fingertips.
LegalZoom: While LegalZoom does offer a $0 (+ state fee) package for LLCs, the number of upsells can get overwhelming — and expensive. They charge $199 per year for registered agent service.
Incorporate.com: Their pricing starts at $99 (+ state fee) for a package that only includes the basics. Even though they have some valuable features, Incorporate.com’s two premium packages, priced at $634 and $734, are too expensive for what you get.
LegalZoom: LegalZoom has served more than 2 million business customers since it started offering business services online in 2001.
Incorporate.com: Incorporate.com opened in 1899, and they’ve served 750,000+ clients since then. Over the years, their name has changed several times ― from Corporation Service Company to The Company Corporation to Incorporate.com ― but the core business has stayed the same.
LegalZoom: LegalZoom offers phone and email support. We reached out twice via the email form on their site, but it took them a full week to respond. The response we received was generic, thanking us for reaching out but not answering our question.
When we contacted them via phone, our question was answered thoroughly. The representative went into detail about our different options and then sent us an email with their direct extension so that we could reach out directly with questions. Overall, while their customer service via phone is good, their online support could be improved.
Incorporate.com: They provide support by phone, email, or chat. We tried all three options and had similar experiences with all of them. Incorporate.com’s representatives responded in a relatively efficient manner and accurately answered our questions. We couldn’t find any info about their hours of operation, however.
LegalZoom: Their turnarounds are based on which package you order rather than which state you’re forming in. With their most expensive package, you could receive your finalized business formation documents in 7-10 business days, but their cheaper packages take as long as 30 business days (six weeks).
Incorporate.com: When you reach the bottom of your order form, Incorporate.com gives you turnaround time estimates for both standard and expedited processing. Incorporate.com bases its turnaround times on each state’s processing speeds.
LegalZoom: We found 6,000+ reviews for LegalZoom, and while they do have some negative reviews mixed in, a majority of this feedback is positive. Their satisfied customers often talk about how convenient and easy it is to use LegalZoom’s services.
Incorporate.com: Despite being in business since the 19th century and boasting nearly a million customers, there is little customer feedback available online for Incorporate.com. We found just a small handful of reviews on third-party review sites, and a large percentage of them were negative.
LegalZoom: First, you’ll pick your business entity type (LLC, corporation, nonprofit) and which of LegalZoom’s three packages you’d like to purchase. From there, you fill out your business information and payment details over a series of screens that also include upsells for registered agent service, an operating agreement, an EIN, a license research package, ongoing compliance assistance, a tax consultation, ongoing legal guidance, standard or complex tax returns, a legal protection plan, two options for business bank accounts, expedited processing, and an LLC kit and seal.
Incorporate.com: The ordering process is pretty simple with Incorporate.com. After you select your state and entity, you’ll choose from Incorporate.com’s three LLC formation packages. Then, depending on which package you selected, you’ll see a screen with a few upsell attempts. From there, you just need to fill out your personal contact info and business details, then you can review your information and pay for the order.
With either LegalZoom or Incorporate.com, you can access quite a few additional business services, and these two companies offer many of the same services as well. For example, you can purchase registered agent service, annual reports, business licensing packages, operating agreements, EIN acquisition, doing business as (DBA) names, and more from either one of them.
However, only Incorporate.com offers mail forwarding, and only LegalZoom offers assistance with trademarks and patents. In addition, LegalZoom provides its customers with a variety of personal services, like last will and testament, divorce forms, and power of attorney documents.
Related: LegalZoom LLC and Corporate Dissolution Service Review
Incorporate.com and LegalZoom are both capable and trustworthy companies with quality LLC formation services. We understand some of you still might be undecided, so to close, let’s discuss situations where you may prefer one over the other (or one of their top competitors).
If you’re looking for brand power and want to save money, LegalZoom could be a good pick for LLC formation services. Additionally, LegalZoom has solid customer feedback.
If you prefer to use companies that have been around for a long time, they’ve been in business since the 19th century. Overall, Incorporate.com is a decent LegalZoom alternative.
If you’d like to form your LLC with ZenBusiness, we’re here to help. We offer LLC formations starting at $0 (+ state fee), and we also have 12,000+ positive customer reviews. Form your LLC quickly and get more tools to start your dream business.
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Is LegalZoom as good as other LLC formation services?
LegalZoom, one of the most well-known services online, has formed more than 2 million businesses since 2001. Check out the comparison reviews below if you’d like to see how this giant stacks up to other good LLC websites.
LegalZoom compared to:
Does LegalZoom handle extra state requirements like New York publication?
Unfortunately, they don’t. When we called LegalZoom’s customer support team to get clarification on this issue, they told us that they don’t provide publication service because that requirement takes place after the actual formation of the LLC. For what it’s worth, Incorporate.com will also not help you with publication requirements.
If you need help with NY publication requirements, check out our New York publication service for more information.
Which service has fewer upsells?
LegalZoom has an extensive series of upsells throughout its order form, and it would add more than $1,000 to your order if you bought all of them. Incorporate.com gives you several opportunities to add its $235/year registered agent service to your order. In addition, Incorporate.com’s LLC service package selection screen looks like their annual report service and online compliance tool are included features. However, if you read the fine print, you’ll see that you can only access these features if you also purchase registered agent service.
Does either of these services have a refund policy?
LegalZoom has one of the most reasonable refund policies in this entire industry. As long as you request a refund within 60 days of your initial purchase date, they’ll grant it within five business days. They don’t even charge any sort of convenience or processing fee. This policy is nearly identical to the one we offer.
As for Incorporate.com, the language in their refund policy leads us to believe that you shouldn’t be relying on their willingness to provide refunds. Here’s the way they describe it in their own words: “If you cancel your order before we have submitted it to a federal, state, or local office, Incorporate.com will refund the total amount paid for such order less a service fee. If you cancel your order after we have already submitted it, we will use our discretion to determine what portion, if any, we will refund.”
Which LLC formation website is faster?
Incorporate.com bases its turnaround times on the capabilities of each state. In some states, it could take several weeks, while in others, the entire process could be completed in a few days.
As for LegalZoom, their turnaround time estimates are tied to the service package you purchase from them. Their top-tier Express Gold package is the fastest (7-10 business days), the Standard package is in the middle (15), and the Economy package is the slowest (30).
Can I just form an LLC on my own, without a service?
You can, and many entrepreneurs do form their own LLCs every day. However, we appreciate the peace of mind we receive from using a reputable formation service. In addition, each state has its own rules and regulations for LLC formations, so there can often be more legwork than people might expect.
What is the biggest advantage of each service?
The biggest advantage Incorporate.com has is its experience. Incorporate.com has processed 750,000+ business formations, and they’ve also been open for more than a century. As for LegalZoom, its offer of a free (+ state fee) LLC formation service package is a bargain that only a few competitors (including us at ZenBusiness) can match.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
Written by Team ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 700,000 dream companies. The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.
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