INCORPORATE.COM VS. BIZFILINGS

Which Is Better for LLC Formation?

Looking for the best service to start your LLC? We used Incorporate.com and BizFilings to form LLCs, then compared their features.

In this Incorporate.com vs. BizFilings review, we’ll let you know if either is worth your time and money. We also recommend checking out our list of the top 5 LLC formation services.

Recommended Step Before Using Incorporate or BizFilings

It’s important to name your business before going through the LLC formation process with a service provider. TRUiC’s Free LLC Name Generator will help you to do the following:

• Discover the perfect business name for your company.
• Conduct a business name search to make sure your desired name is available in your state and not already taken.
• Help verify the availability and secure a domain name for your LLC.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS: INCORPORATE.COM VS. BIZFILINGS

When we started researching Incorporate.com and BizFilings, we focused on three main questions:

• Is it a good deal?
• Is there a better deal?
• Who uses this service and how was their experience?

Answering these questions will boost your confidence so you can choose the best service to get your business up and running.

Which One is the Best Deal?

BizFilings and Incorporate.com are both established services in their market. Their prices are middling compared to their competitors and they both receive decent reviews from their customers online.

BizFilings gives you more for your money. While not as low-cost as some other formation services, BizFilings still provides six months of registered agent service for all packages as well as EIN registration and operating agreement templates on higher-tier packages. Their website can sometimes be vague in its service descriptions, but this is supplemented by a solid customer service base.

Incorporate.com offers a bunch of useful services to their customers as well for a similar base package price. Additionally, those looking for added personal asset protection will benefit from the Incorporate.com Corporate Compliance Guarantee. This service adds an extra layer of protection in the event that your business is sued.

The issue that keeps Incorporate.com from being a better overall deal is the lack of included registered agent service: customers must pay the $235 fee outright. Additionally, though not a part of the basic package, the middle and high tier packages offered by Incorporate.com require the registered agent service in order to complete the included annual report filing service.

Is There a Better Deal Out There?

Incorporate.com and BizFilings are both good services, but there definitely are other formation companies that offer more for less. A good example is ZenBusiness, which offers LLC formation starting at $39 (plus state fees) and includes a year of registered agent service as well as web domain services.

Who Uses Each Service and What Was Their Experience?

BizFilings

Despite being a long-running company, BizFilings does not have many online customer reviews. The ones that exist are a mix of positive and negative. Their established presence on the market is frequently mentioned as a reason for their customers’ choice.

“I've registered multiple businesses with BizFilings over the years and have experienced nothing but success with them. They're quickly available to help answer any questions I have along the way. Reading the other review, it's clear the individual doesn't understand that BizFilings offers a service to streamline registration and compliance activities. Of course, this is a service you pay for and personally, I'd rather let the experts do it so I may focus on the core of my business. Keep up the great work. -EB”

“I used this service to create my LLC 10 years ago. I was happy with this service until I relized [sic] I could update the status of my LLC using the State of Virginia's online server for 1/3 the cost. I canceld [sic] my service with BizFilings and serveral [sic] months later got an email from a collection agency (********) demanding that I pay BizFilings for services I had canceled. I contacted BizFilings and they confirmed that I had canceled the service.”

Incorporate.com

The verified reviews on the Incorporate.com site are extremely positive. Other review sites, however, offer a more mixed response. Customers that had a good experience enjoyed the company’s customer support and personal asset protection.

“I chose incorporate.com because it was a fast and easy way to protect myself and my business. Making the decision to become an LLC was the turning point in the legitimacy and profitability of my company. Incorporate.com sends me reminder emails when payments are due so it is easy to remain in good standing with the state.”

“Avoid this company at all cost [sic]. They automatically opt you in to registered agent services (without a way to opt out) then will bill you for yearly services. When you don't pay, they send to [sic] a collection agency and it will mess up your credit.”

Takeaway

Incorporate.com offers a lot of excellent services for businesses that are willing to pay a little more for them. Businesses looking for an extra tier of personal asset protection may also find their Corporate Compliance Guarantee to be an essential service. But, none of the packages offer free registered agent service for any duration of time, and the middle and high tier packages require businesses to pay for their $235 registered agent service to use certain benefits.

BizFilings offers middle-of-the-road prices as well as a solid assortment of additional services as well as a good customer support system. However, as previously mentioned, many of their competitors offer just as much or more for less money.

Best LLC Formation Services

Northwest ($29 + State Fees)

LegalZoom ($0 + State Fees)

ZenBusiness ($0 + State Fees)

Tailor Brands ($0 + State Fees)

Bizee ($0 + State Fees)

Swyft Filings ($0 + State Fees)

Rocket Lawyer ($99 + State Fees)

RATING DETAILS: INCORPORATE.COM VS. BIZFILINGS

This section takes an in-depth look at Incorporate.com VS. BizFilings, in terms of:

• Value
• Customer service
• Ease of use
• Included features

Value

BizFilings provides formation services for an average cost. Their prices are not the most expensive on the market, but there are more low-cost options out there. Many formation services offer a year of registered agent service as part of their packages, but BizFilings only offers six months. While they offer additional services such as EIN registration and operating agreement templates, they are not the best choice for businesses looking for a low-cost option.

Incorporate.com offers objectively lower package prices. While not the lowest, they are certainly lower than BizFilings’ costs. However, many formation services (like BizFilings) offer some form of registered agent services as part of their packages; Incorporate.com does not, and in fact requires their $235 registered agent service in order to use their annual report service on the higher tiers.

In any case, Incorporate.com stands out from other formation services with its $75,000 Corporate Compliance Guarantee, which is meant to cover costs in the event of a lawsuit against your business.

Customer Service

Online BizFilings reviews commend their customer service. In addition to their dedicated customer service line, they offer an online chat feature. BizFilings also provides a warranty against filing defects on the service’s behalf, and some customer reviews have noted the company’s willingness to offer advice and fix mistakes.

Our previous experiences with Incorporate.com have been helpful. Incorporate.com offers phone, email, and live chat services on their website 8am-8pm during regular business days. Our agent was open to questions and did not try to sell us any additional features. However, your experience may be different, as the available customer reviews are both positive and negative.

Ease of Use

BizFilings’ website can occasionally get confusing. They show each included and optional feature on their package comparison page, but the descriptions can get vague. Some customer reviews have reported needing an additional call to customer service for further clarification on some service descriptions. Other than that, the rest of the website is straightforward. 

Incorporate.com has an understandable design, but close reading is necessary. Some customer reviews have noted that, while their package comparison page is straightforward they needed to read through every optional feature during the checkout process before proceeding. 

For example, it is not until the fourth checkout page that Incorporate.com mentions the $235 required registered agent service for the middle and top tier packages. Removing this feature requires a call to customer service, and some customer reviews note an additional removal charge. We recommend reading carefully.

Included Features

While their basic package is pretty tame, BizFilings’ higher-tier packages offer solid features. As previously mentioned, the thing that really sets them apart from Incorporate.com is their inclusion of registered agent service for six months. Apart from that, BizFilings offers operating agreements starting at its middle tier, and its highest tier includes EIN registration as well as state-certified documents.

Incorporate.com offers important services, but at a premium. For the basic package, Incorporate.com offers businesses the ability to choose the services they want. Applicable services may include EIN registration, operating agreement creation, and business license research. That being said, they do not include registered agent service for any duration of time, and their higher tiers require their $235 registered agent service in order to use the annual report feature.

PRODUCT COMPARISON: BIZFILINGS VS. INCORPORATE.COM

BizFilings and Incorporate.com do more than just form your LLC. They each offer additional services, either included in their formation packages or sold separately. You can view the following chart below for our side-by-side look at each company’s lowest-cost LLC formation package.

Please note that the service costs for each tier do not include the State filing fees.

Basic Plan Comparison

BizFilings vs Incorporate.com Side by Side Comparison

Basic Plan Highlights

Both starter plans are the same price and offer similar services. However, Incorporate.com’s prices for additional services are higher, and only BizFilings offers six months of registered agent services.

Middle Plan Comparison

BizFilings vs Incorporate.com Side by Side Comparison

Middle Plan Highlights

The two tiers differ slightly in service prices, and offer different included features. BizFilings continues to offer six months of registered agent service as well as operating agreement templates. On the other hand, Incorporate.com offers EIN registration and no included registered agent service.

Top Plan Comparison

BizFilings vs Incorporate.com Side by Side Comparison

Top Plan Highlights

Unlike the previous tier, this time BizFilings’ package costs slightly more than the Incorporate.com package. Incorporate.com introduces operating agreements and business license services. BizFilings introduces EIN registration and continues its offer of six months including registered agent service.

Best LLC Formation Services

Northwest ($29 + State Fees)

LegalZoom ($0 + State Fees)

ZenBusiness ($0 + State Fees)

Tailor Brands ($0 + State Fees)

Bizee ($0 + State Fees)

Swyft Filings ($0 + State Fees)

Rocket Lawyer ($99 + State Fees)

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