ZenBusiness vs. Incorporate.com key differences

ZenBusiness and Incorporate.com are both popular and reputable LLC formation services. Either can easily form your compliant LLC, and both have reasonable rates, especially compared to hiring a lawyer. However, each has its advantages.

We offer LLC formations starting at $0 (+ state fee), while Incorporate.com charges at least $99. Furthermore, we receive strong customer feedback with 18013 reviews, whereas Incorporate.com has a much smaller collection of mixed feedback.

Would you like to get some more info before making your decision? Read on to find out everything you need to know about these two LLC formation service providers.

5 Things They Have in Common

1) Affordable: With either ZenBusiness or Incorporate.com, you’ll save a significant amount of money on your LLC formation compared to hiring a business attorney to handle your formation process.

2) Customer Support: These two services both have customer support networks that can answer your tough questions. Why go it alone when you can get help from ZenBusiness or Incorporate.com?

3) Additional Services: Both Incorporate.com and ZenBusiness have many other services for your business, from registered agent service to annual reports and much more.

4) Efficiency: These companies both work quickly, and both can get your formation processed with the state in a matter of weeks or even days.

5) Informative: Incorporate.com has a helpful Learning Center on its website that includes information on startup tasks, comparison guides on different types of business entities, and much more. As for ZenBusiness, we have a blog where we share business tips and tricks. Both are very helpful educational resources whether you’re a customer or not.

ZenBusiness vs. Incorporate.com Comparisons

Pricing

ZenBusiness: We offer LLC service for free (just pay your state’s fee). If you’re looking for some advanced features, our $199 Pro package adds ongoing compliance assistance, an operating agreement template, an employer identification number (EIN), and faster processing. You also might like our $299 Premium plan, as it adds a business website builder, a domain name, a business email address, and 25+ business document templates.

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.

Experience

ZenBusiness: We were founded in 2017 in Austin, Texas. Since then, we’ve served over 700,000 customers. We’re a public benefit corporation that provides $5,000 grants to help our customers kickstart their businesses.

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.

Customer Support

ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness provides access to our customer service team by phone, email, or web chat. We have expanded availability that even includes Sundays — very few competitors have any weekend availability. We pride ourselves in continuously improving the quality and responsiveness of our customer support, and we believe we compare favorably to the vast majority of competitors in this area.

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.

Turnaround Times

ZenBusiness: With ZenBusiness, all formation speeds vary based on state capabilities. Also, if you’re in a hurry, you can choose one of our premium packages to speed things up a bit. When compared to other formation services, we are usually either just as fast or slightly faster. To find out your turnaround time, simply plug in your state and immediately see your estimated processing speed.

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.

Customer Reviews

ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness excels when it comes to customer feedback, as we have 18013 reviews available online, and nearly all of them are positive. Our clients are clearly satisfied with our services, and they frequently praise our efficiency, along with the general ease of use provided by our platform.

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.

Ease of Use

ZenBusiness: It’s important to us to make the LLC formation process as simple as possible. All you have to do is choose your LLC package from our three options, provide us with some information about yourself and your business, select which add-on services you’d like, and pay for the order. It doesn’t get much easier than this.

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.

Additional Services

Both of these companies offer quite a few business services in addition to LLC formation service. There is a large amount of overlap here, as both companies offer many of the same common services, like registered agent service, annual reports, and operating agreement templates.

There are some services that these companies don’t share in common, though. For example, ZenBusiness offers a publication service if you form a business in a state that requires it (such as New York), while Incorporate.com doesn’t. Incorporate.com has a few services that aren’t available from ZenBusiness as well, like their written consent form service.

Related Reading: Direct Incorporation vs. ZenBusiness

Which is the right service for you?

ZenBusiness and Incorporate.com are two popular online LLC formation services, and both can efficiently and effectively register an LLC. If you’re still undecided between these companies, let’s look at a couple of scenarios that might help you determine which one to choose.

➦ Choose Incorporate.com if:

Does longevity matter to you? Incorporate.com has been around since the 19th century, so they might be worth a look.

🎉 Choose ZenBusiness if:

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 have 18013 customer reviews available online. Form your LLC quickly and get more tools to start your dream business.

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Compare Packages

Identify the LLC package and
services that fit your needs and
then get started.

Starter

Premium

Starter

$0

Premium

$299/yr

Starter

Process in 7-10 business days*

$0

PLUS STATE FEES

Premium

Processes in 1 business day*

$299/yr

PLUS STATE FEES

Top Features

Make it official
More InfoWe do everything needed to file your application with the state and make your business official. Standard LLC filing
More InfoWe’ll file your paperwork quickly and accurately. If there are any errors with your filing, our team will do what’s needed to make it right. 100% accuracy guarantee
More InfoKeeps you compliant with all state-required annual report and amendment filings to maintain LLC protections and avoid fines. Worry-Free Compliance
More InfoThis essential document is like the constitution for your business. Operating agreement
More InfoOur team will secure your EIN from the IRS so you can open a business bank account, hire employees, and pay taxes. Employer ID Number (EIN)
More InfoOur fastest service puts you to the front of our line of filings. Our fastest filing speed
More InfoIncludes over 25 templates for contracts, service agreements, waivers, and more. Business documents
Get customers
More InfoGet online with a website builder tool optimized for traffic and customers. Business website builder
More InfoBuild and protect your brand by registering a private domain name that matches your business name. Domain name with privacy
More InfoStay organized and give your business more credibility with a business email. Business email address
Manage finances
More InfoGet a business bank account with no minimum balance, opening deposit, or monthly activities required Business banking
More InfoManage finances in one place: maximize tax deductions, send invoices, and get paid fast. Money Pro bookkeeping
More InfoTax prep and filing for your business, and unlimited tax advice year-round. Unlimited tax advice
Guidance and support
More InfoAccess your online dashboard for all-in-one-place convenience. See your business docs, important reminders, and more. Online dashboard access
More InfoOur highly-rated customer support team is here to help. Reach out by chat, phone, or email with your questions. Customer service
More InfoGet personalized guidance from our Premium Support team to set up your new products and services quickly and without a hassle. Premium Support

Process in 7-10 business days*

 
1 year free, then $199/yr**
+$99
+$99
+$79
+$99
 
+$15/mo
+$35/yr
+$25/yr
 
+$5/mo
+$30/mo
+$49/mo
 

Processes in 1 business day*

 
 
 
+$5/mo
+$30/mo
+$49/mo
 

*Processing times are based on receiving complete information. ZenBusiness processing times do not include Secretary of State processing times, which can vary.
**SPECIAL OFFER – Get Starter for $0 plus state fees. Includes one optional free year of Worry-Free Compliance that renews at $199/yr.
† ZenBusiness is a financial technology company and is not a bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.

Frequently Asked Questions About ZenBusiness and Incorporate.com

  • It’s hard to not be a fan of our Starter plan because it’s $0 as long as you pay your state’s required fee. If you’re looking for some more advanced features, our Pro package ($199 + state fee) adds ongoing compliance assistance, EIN acquisition, an operating agreement template, and faster filing. Meanwhile, our Premium package ($299 + state fee) adds a business website builder, a business email address, a domain name, and 25+ business document templates to the Pro package.

  • 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.

  • While some competitors won’t handle state-specific compliance requirements on your behalf, we offer a truly comprehensive LLC formation service. If you’re forming a business in a state that requires publication service to form a compliant LLC, ZenBusiness offers to take care of it for you. Check out our New York publication service offering. For what it’s worth, Incorporate.com provides no assistance with publication requirements.

  • We have a fantastic refund policy that’s among the most reasonable in the business. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee that gives you 60 days to analyze your purchase and decide if you’re satisfied. If you’re not, all you have to do is ask for a refund, and you’ll receive it. We don’t even charge any processing fees.

    As for Incorporate.com, they’re a bit more ambiguous. 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.”

  • We charge $199 as an annual fee for registered agent service in any state, and we also provide annual report service for $100. Incorporate.com charges $235 per year for registered agent service and $150 per year for annual reports.

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.

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Written by Team ZenBusiness

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