7 Best LegalZoom Alternatives & Competitors

Founded in 2001, LegalZoom is a legal services provider that offers business formation as well as a range of other services that fall outside of the business realm. 

With their network of experienced attorneys, they provide personalized help for both entrepreneurs and individuals.

However, this personalized service comes at a price, and it may not make sense to invest if you’re simply looking for business formation assistance.

Interested in exploring alternatives? We’ve extensively researched dozens of incorporation services using SMB Guide’s detailed evaluation criteria.

Here are some of the best LegalZoom alternatives, their pros and cons, and how they shape up against LegalZoom.

1. ZenBusiness

Best for: ZenBusiness is ideal for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to form an LLC or corporation quickly at an affordable price.

Pricing: $0 – $349/year

ZenBusiness is a popular business formation company that aims to simplify the legal and administrative aspects that plague many entrepreneurs when they first start a business.

In addition to formation, they also offer a range of other features, including annual report filing and compliance management, trademark registration, EIN obtainment, and more.

Features

• LLC and corporation formation services
• Registered agent service
• Compliance management
• Trademark registration

ZenBusiness Vs LegalZoom

Criteria	ZenBusiness	LegalZoom
Best For	Entrepreneurs and small business	Entrepreneurs, SMBs
Standout Feature	Expedited filing	Comprehensive suite of legal offerings
Pricing	$0 – $349/yr	$149 – $349

Conclusion

ZenBusiness is one of the most well-known business formation services. With it, you can form an LLC or corporation.

If you select ZenBusiness’ Pro or Premium plan, you’ll get expedited filing, whereas with LegalZoom, expedited filing comes at an additional cost.

ZenBusiness’ registered agent service is also less than half the price of LegalZoom’s.

Start your business with ZenBusiness today!

Get started with ZenBusiness

2. Bizee

Best for: Bizee is ideal for entrepreneurs seeking a low-cost solution for filing an LLC, corporation, or nonprofit.

Pricing: $0 – $299 + any state filing fees

Bizee, previously known as Incfile, is an online service that helps entrepreneurs with LLC filing and business formation.

Bizee aims to process filing paperwork within 24 hours and offers 100% free formation on their basic plan. They also provide free compliance reminders and a free 1 year registered agent.

Features

• Free formation of LLC, corporation, or nonprofit
• 24-hour processing time
• Business contract templates
• Trademark registration

Bizee Vs LegalZoom

Criteria	Bizee	LegalZoom
Best For	SMBs on a budget	Entrepreneurs, SMBs
Standout Feature	Free business formation	Comprehensive suite of legal offerings
Pricing	$0 – $299 + any state filing fees	$149 – $349

Conclusion

Bizee, previously Incfile, is a good choice for pretty much anyone who wants to form a business. They offer free formation as well as a 24-hour processing window.

Bizee also offers a free registered agent service your first year with them, which isn’t something LegalZoom offers.

Start your business today with Bizee

Get started with Bizee

3. Northwest Registered Agent

Best suited for: Northwest Registered Agent is ideal for individuals looking to start or expand their businesses.

Pricing: $39 + state filing fees

Northwest Registered Agent currently maintains more than 3 million companies. They provide business formation, but in addition to that, they place a special emphasis on registered agent and compliance services.

They offer five different “umbrellas” of services you can choose from: Core services, Starting a business, Expand a business, and International corporate services.

Features

• Registered agent
• Annual report filing
• Mail forwarding and scanning
• Virtual office and office leasing

Northwest Registered Agent Vs LegalZoom

Criteria	Northwest Registered Agent	LegalZoom
Best For	Entrepreneurs	Entrepreneurs, SMBs
Standout Feature	Virtual offices	Comprehensive suite of legal offerings
Pricing	$39 + state filing fees	$149 – $349

Conclusion

Northwest Registered Agent and LegalZoom are both fine choices for business formation. They also both offer virtual office addresses.

However, Northwest Registered Agent uses simplified flat-rate pricing and places more of an emphasis on their registered agent and compliance services than LegalZoom does.

Start your business with Northwest Registered Agent

Get started with Northwest Registered Agent

4. Doola

Best suited for: Doola is ideal for startups, e-commerce brands, and entrepreneurs looking to break into the U.S. market.

Pricing: $297/yr – $2,397/yr

Doola is a global business platform that assists entrepreneurs with creating, managing, and scaling their U.S. business ventures worldwide.

In addition to business formation, it provides document storage, compliance monitoring, e-signature features, and more.

They also provide a guide for first-time founders to prep them on business formation procedures.

Features

• Business formation
• LLC operating agreement
• EIN acquisition
• Compliance monitoring

Doola Vs LegalZoom

Criteria	Doola	LegalZoom
Best For	Startups, e-commerce businesses, and non-U.S. citizens	Entrepreneurs, SMBs
Standout Feature	Assistance for global incorporation	Comprehensive suite of legal offerings
Pricing	$297/yr – $2,397/yr	$149 – $349

Conclusion

Doola is an excellent business formation service for entrepreneurs outside of the United States or those who want to expand their operations globally.

And this is where it really stands out against LegalZoom.

While it’s more expensive, you’ll get more hands-on assistance with running your business worldwide.

Get started with Doola today

Get started with Doola

5. Swyft Filings

Best suited for: Swyft Filings is best for anyone who wants to start their own business or nonprofit.

Pricing: $0 – $299

Swyft Filings is a business formation service that claims to help you launch your business for free in just 9 minutes. With them, you can form an LLC, corporation, or nonprofit.

After your entity is filed, they provide additional services to help you manage your business – including operating agreements, trademark registration, business name changes, and even business dissolution in the event you want to close your company.

Features

• Document preparation and filing
• Registered agent service
• Compliance monitoring
• Business name changes

Swyft Filings Vs LegalZoom

Criteria	Swyft Filings	LegalZoom
Best For	New entrepreneurs looking for a cost-effective formation service	Entrepreneurs, SMBs
Standout Feature	Ease of use and quick turnaround	Comprehensive suite of legal offerings
Pricing	$0 – $299	$149 – $349

Conclusion

Swyft Filings is a cost-effective business filing service for new entrepreneurs. Its plans are more affordable than LegalZoom.

Some add-on services, like Swyft Filings’ business name changes ($99), are also cheaper than LegalZoom’s ($129). Additionally, Swyft Filings offers a free plan, while LegalZoom does not.

Get started with Swyft Filings today

Get started with Swyft Filings

6. CorpNet

Best suited for: CorpNet is a good choice for anyone looking for LLC formation services, compliance services, licenses, and permits.

Pricing: $99 – $419

CorpNet is a personalized business formation service that specializes in LLC formations, compliance filings, and tax and payroll registration. 

Unlike most other formation services, CorpNet offers customized support every step of the way, from selecting the right business structure to filing the paperwork and even handling annual compliance.

Features

• Tailored business incorporation
• Personalized compliance calendar
• Direct access to business consultants
• Online document storage

CorpNet Vs LegalZoom

Criteria	CorpNet	LegalZoom
Best For	Anyone looking for LLC formation services	Entrepreneurs, SMBs
Standout Feature	Tailored business formation	Comprehensive suite of legal offerings
Pricing	$99 – $419	$149 – $349

Conclusion

While CorpNet doesn’t offer as wide of an array of legal services as LegalZoom, it wins when it comes to personalization.

It offers tailored support every step of the way so that you get exactly the kind of service you need when starting a business.

In addition, CorpNet also includes a personalized compliance calendar and direct access to business consultants.

Get started with CorpNet today!

Get started with CorpNet

7. Inc Authority

Best for: Inc Authority is best for aspiring entrepreneurs that want help starting and managing their business venture.

Pricing: $0 business formation + state filing fees

Inc Authority is an online service that assists entrepreneurs with the paperwork involved in forming a business.

While it’s primarily known for its LLC formation service, it also offers additional features that can help you market and manage your business – including website services, domain name registration and custom email addresses, and a free EIN.

Features

• LLC formation
• Registered agent service
• Website domain and email addresses
• Website and marketing services

Inc Authority Vs LegalZoom

Criteria	Inc Authority	LegalZoom
Best For	Aspiring business owners and entrepreneurs	Entrepreneurs, SMBs
Standout Feature	Free LLC formation	Comprehensive suite of legal offerings
Pricing	$0 business formation + state filing fees	$149 – $349

Conclusion

Inc Authority offers business formation as well as other helpful features for online entrepreneurs starting a business.

For instance, they offer website domains, email addresses, and even marketing services – all features that LegalZoom does not.

In addition, Inc Authority has the added benefit of providing free LLC formation on their basic plan.

Get started with Inc Authority

Get started with Inc Authority

Which LegalZoom alternative should I use?

LegalZoom is more than just a business formation service. Think of them as a comprehensive legal services provider, with use cases for both your personal and professional life.

However, if you simply need business formation without all the frills, then one of these LegalZoom alternatives may be a better fit for you.

When evaluating business formation services, make sure they support the entity type you want to create (LLC, corporation, etc), work within your budget, and have all of the specific features you’re looking for.

From there, it’s up to you to make the final decision on which service is the right choice for your startup.

Quick recap of LegalZoom alternatives:

1. ZenBusiness
2. Bizee
3. Northwest Registered Agent
4. Doola
5. Swyft Filings
6. CorpNet
7. Inc Authority