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Advertiser disclosure
You’re our top priority. We want our users to have access to affordable and reliable incorporation and business services. While our site doesn’t feature every brand available on the market, we take pride at the guidance we offer and the information we provide to our readers. Our editorial reviews are based on our own independent assessment of the products and services that we review and our own opinions, straightforward and provided free of charge to our readers. So how do we make money? We receive compensation from some of the brands listed on our site. This influences which products and/or services we write about, their ‘comparison score’ and their position on our pages. We DO NOT accept compensation for writing a review or for writing a favorable review. The referral fee that some of the brans pay us does not impact the review of the brand.

ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom

keren Dinkin By keren Dinkin updated on May 18, 2023

ZenBusiness and LegalZoom are two of the top LLC filling services. We explain what's great about each of these services as well as any downsides, and reveal our top pick.

logo of Legalzoom to the left and logo of ZenBusiness to the right of the word vs

ZenBusiness and LegalZoom are two of the top LLC filing services. We explain what’s great about each of these services as well as any downsides, and reveal our top pick. Whether you need assistance for LLC formation or legal compliance for your business, having reliable service providers on your side makes all the difference. If you’ve been debating between ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom and can’t figure out which one will better suit your needs, we’re here to help.

Too busy for the full read? Here’s our top choice

ZenBusiness focuses on business filing and Registered Agent services, while LegalZoom focuses on online legal assistance. ZenBusiness is our top choice for LLC and business filing services. Visit zenbusiness.com

ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom: Ease of use

ZenBusiness has an easy-to-understand user dashboard, with a website that’s easy to navigate. The sign-up process takes some extra time, but overall, the process is simple and easy. ZenBusiness does upsell a couple of its products during sign-up, but it also shows you the total costs throughout the process. The best part is you can also choose to save your progress and come back later — this you can’t do with LegalZoom. LegalZoom’s interface is also fairly easy to navigate. Overall, ZenBusiness offers a more informative sign-up process with a user-friendly interface.

ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom: Pricing

Both ZenBusiness and LegalZoom offer three LLC filing packages in a similar pricing range, starting at $0 plus state filing fees. ZenBusiness’ mid-tier Pro plan is available at $199 plus state filing fees, whereas the same from LegalZoom will cost you $249 plus state filing fees. On the other hand, LegalZoom’s top-tier LLC formation plan costs you only $279 plus state filing fees, while ZenBusiness’ top-tier LLC formation offering costs you $299 plus state filing fees. ZenBusiness Corporation packages (C-corp) as well as Nonprofit packages start at $0. while LegalZoom C-corp packages start at $149 and their Nonprofit packages at $99.

ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom: Services offered

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness is a one-stop business formation solution if you need assistance registering and running your business.Here are all ZenBusiness and LegalZoom LLC plans and services on offer:

ZenBusiness Starter

The starter plan is one of the most cost-effective packages you can find in the industry. It includes:
  • Standard business filing
  • Name availability search tools
  • Standard filing speed (2 to 3 weeks)
  • Tax deduction tagging
  • Online dashboard to access business documents
  • Free tax-saving consultations
  • Phone and email support
  • Statement of organizer

ZenBusiness Pro

The mid-tier plan includes:
  • All features from the Starter plan
  • Expedited filing (4 to 6 days)
  • Operating agreement
  • Worry-free compliance
Worry-free compliance includes annual filing alerts, document submission, and two free amendments per year. Your business is also covered for any costs needed to regain good standing in case of a missed deadline or state requirement.

ZenBusiness Premium

The Premium package comes with:
  • All features of the Starter and Pro plan
  • Rush filing (1 to 2 days)
  • A business domain name, website, and email address
  • Customizable business website

LegalZoom

LegalZoom is a popular business formation and legal assistance service. Their business formation offerings include three package options and additional features.

LegalZoom Basic

The basic business formation plan from LegalZoom includes:
  • Business name availability search
  • Business entity filing
  • Digital welcome package
  • Articles of organization
  • Lifetime customer support
  • A 30-minute consultation with a tax professional
  • Customizable website powered by WIX

LegalZoom Pro

  • The mid-tier plan includes:
  • All features of the Basic plan
  • Operating Agreement
  • Business licenses & permits guide
  • Personalized consultation with a licensed NEXT insurance agent
  • Financial account authorization letter
  • Tax consultation with a small business specialist

LegalZoom Premium

The premium plan includes:
  • All features from the Pro plan
  • Express shipping for filed documents
  • Unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations
  • Hands-on guidance from an attorney of your choice
  • Attorney review of legal contracts and documents
One drawback of LegalZoom is that it doesn’t offer expedited filing with any of its plans. Expedited processing is only available as a separate add-on for $99. Considering it all, the ZenBusiness Premium plan is a better option for business formation services than LegalZoom. Although LegalZoom’s Premium plan is more comprehensive if you’re looking for expert assistance and legal support.

ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom: Additional services

ZenBusiness and LegalZoom also offer various features that users can purchase separately.

Registered agent

One shared drawback is that neither ZenBusiness nor LegalZoom offers complimentary Registered Agent services with their business formation plans. You need to purchase it separately for an added fee of $299 per year from LegalZoom. We found this to be quite pricey in comparison to the same service from ZenBusiness for $199 per year.

Operating agreement

ZenBusiness offers a free operating agreement with its Pro and Premium plans. You can also avail of it separately for $125. LegalZoom also offers an operating agreement service with its Pro and Premium packages. You can also purchase it separately for $99 (or $199 for expedited filing).

Annual report

Neither ZenBusiness nor LegalZoom offers annual reports with any of their business formation plans. However, you can get them separately as an additional feature. Annual report filing from ZenBusiness costs $100 plus state fees and the same from LegalZoom costs $99 plus state fees. LegalZoom also offers a rush filing for $119 plus state fees.

Web domain

ZenBusiness can help you register your web domain for only $25 per year. The service is also available for free with their Premium plan. In comparison, LegalZoom does not offer web domain services.

ZenBusiness Money

ZenBusiness also offers a new service called ZenBusiness Money that enables users to manage all their finances on one platform. From tracking income/ expenses and sending invoices to maximizing tax deductions and more, ZenBusiness Money does it all.
It is available for a free 1-month trial and a $30 per month plan. ZenBusiness Money is a free money management and invoicing app. Customers with a ZenBusiness account can access the app and its features from the dashboard via mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.

Customizable Website

LegalZoom now also offers a free customizable website via WIX as part of all its plans. The same feature is also available from ZenBusiness, but for a separate fee of $129 per year.

Doing Business As (DBA)

If you want to file a fictitious name for your business, you can do it for free with ZenBusiness when filing your LLC. You also have the option to register a name until you’re ready to file for the cost of $50. With LegalZoom, you’ll have to pay $99 plus state filing fees to file a fictitious name for your business.

Amendments and Dissolutions

LegalZoom offers a range of amendment and dissolution services for businesses looking to amend business details or close shop. ZenBusiness doesn’t offer this service.

ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom: Customer service

ZenBusiness offers customer support via phone, email, and live chat. Their phone and chat support are available from 8 AM to 8 PM Central time Monday through Friday and from 9 AM to 6 PM Central time on Sundays. Email queries can expect a reply within 1 business day.
ZenBusiness also provides educational resources via its help center, blog, and FAQ page. LegalZoom offers customers support via phone and email. Phone support is available Monday through Friday from 5 AM to 7 PM PT and on weekends from 7 AM to 4 PM PT. While there is no chatbot, users can submit questions via their Contact page.
LegalZoom also offers assistance to help you decide what type of business structure is the right fit for you. Overall, ZenBusiness comes out on top. It has consistently high ratings from users and great reviews for its customer service and various support options.

ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom: Verdict

ZenBusiness is our top LLC filing choice for fast filing and worry-free compliance. Their business formation packages are comprehensive and include all the necessary services you may need to start a business. On the other hand, LegalZoom’s packages fare better in areas like expert attorney support but fail to beat the features and prices of ZenBusiness. LegalZoom is thus ideal for businesses with unique structures in need of personalized legal guidance.

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