LegalZoom vs Swyft Filings 2024
Which Is the Best LLC Service for You?
Wondering which of LLC formation service is the best to start your business? We used LegalZoom and Swyft Filings to form LLCs, then compared their features.
In this LegalZoom vs. Swyft Filings review, we’ll let you know if either is worth your time and money. We also recommend checking out our list of the top LLC formation services.
Recommended: Use LegalZoom to launch your LLC. Packages start at $0 + State Fees.
Recommended Step Before Using LegalZoom or Swyft Filings
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.
Swyft Filings vs LegalZoom: Which Is Best for Your Business?
Our Approach:
When we started researching Swyft Filings and LegalZoom, we focused on three main questions for our comparison review:
- Is it a good deal?
- Is there a better deal?
- Who uses this LLC service and how did they review their experience?
We analyzed the LLC formation services’ overall value, customer reviews, customer service, included features, and ease of use to determine which company is best for you and your business.
Quick Comparison:
1.Choose Swyft Filings or LegalZoom if you want reliable, but expensive LLC services: Swyft Filings and LegalZoom are both expensive services for LLC formation. Swyft Filings has an edge for their price because the overall service is cheaper than LegalZoom. However, both services do not offer a free registered agent service for the first year, like other companies.
Also, while both companies do mention that their registered agent service will begin after the filing has been submitted to the state, this price does not get added to the checkout process. This may cause confusion to new users, who will see a second $149-159 charge come later on top of the original total.
2. Choose Northwest Registered Agent if you want to save money and still receive high-quality services:
Northwest Registered Agent offers an LLC package starting at just $29 plus state fees, and they are known for their personalized, knowledgeable customer support. Not to mention, they provide a quick and simple online ordering process, data privacy protection, free mail forwarding, a full year of registered agent services, and more.
3. Choose Tailor Brands if you want to build your brand:
In addition to LLC formation, Tailor Brands offers a variety of powerful AI tools to help you establish an online presence. These include a logo maker, website builder, digital business cards, and more.
4. Choose Rocket Lawyer if you want ongoing legal services past formation: If you are specifically looking for a company that offers ongoing legal services past LLC formation, we recommend checking out our Rocket Lawyer New Business Bundle. The New Business Bundle includes affordable LLC services, along with a full year of premium legal services.
5. Explore your options: All things considered, there are better options to start your business in a fast, affordable, and reliable way.
Need more details? Read on for a more in-depth breakdown of our Swyft Filings vs LegalZoom LLC services comparison.
LLC Packages: Swyft Filings vs. LegalZoom
Swyft Filings and LegalZoom 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
Swyft Filings vs LegalZoom Side by Side Comparison
Middle Plan Comparison
Swyft Filings vs LegalZoom Side by Side Comparison
Top Plan Comparison
Swyft Filings vs LegalZoom Side by Side Comparison
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)
Swyft Filings vs. LegalZoom: Customer Reviews
Swyft Filings has a great customer satisfaction rating on sites like Sitejabber—see the Customer Service section of our Rating Highlights for more information—and has been used by many people to create LLCs.
LegalZoom is one of the most established brands in LLC formation and other online legal services. It’s also rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. While their customer service is not the highest rated of all, they’ve helped over one million LLCs get started and their customers have trust in the brand.
Here are some verified reviews (pulled from the services’ websites) by people who used Swyft Filings or LegalZoom to help launch their businesses:
"I had never started a business before, so LegalZoom was a perfect place to go. It let me take my vision for the company and make it a reality, legally."
"Their [Swyft Filings] service was quick, easy, and reliable. Everyone was very knowledgeable and guided me through the entire process."
Swyft Filings vs. LegalZoom Review Ratings
After conducting a quick comparison, we completed a more comprehensive review of LegalZoom and Swyft Filings LLC services based on:
- Cost Value
- Customer Service
- Ease of Use
- Included Features
Cost Value
Both Swyft Filings and LegalZoom are reliable companies for LLC formation; however, neither of these services are inexpensive.
Swyft Filings has a cost advantage over LegalZoom at all package and service levels, but neither of these companies offers their registered agent service for free, unlike companies such as Incfile, which offers basic LLC formation and a year of registered agent service for $0 plus state fees.
Both companies are also slow at processing orders, where other companies will process your order next-day, Swyft filings can be expedited for $50 to do it within 7 days, and LegalZoom starts at 20-35 days, and goes to 15 days or 7 days with its higher tier plans.
But, if you prefer to use an established brand name, and don’t mind paying a premium, form your LLC with LegalZoom.
Customer Service
Neither company rates well for customer service.
LegalZoom consistently rates poorly on third-party customer review sites such as only getting a 3.3/5 on Sitejabber.com out of more than 680 reviews.
Swyft Filings, while having a rating of 4.5/5 on Sitejabber.com out of more than 20,609 reviews, has many mixed reviews, including complaints of trouble reaching actual members of Swyft’s support team, and the many upsells presented in the checkout process. We also experienced inconsistencies in the support we received when testing out their service, leading us to our conclusion.
Ease of Use
Both companies have a slightly above average formation experience.
Where Swyft Filings wins with their dashboard after forming, LegalZoom wins with a better checkout process.
Swyft Filings’ user dashboard that customers gain access to after forming, stands out in this comparison. All of the resources—such as your filing status or compliance alerts—are streamlined in a user-friendly format. However, the same cannot be said about its ordering and checkout experience. It took more than 12 pages to accomplish our goal of completing the order and beginning the LLC formation process, along with many pricey upsells along the way.
On LegalZoom, the entire ordering process should take no longer than 15-20 minutes. If for any reason you are unable to complete an order in one sitting, they will email a link to your saved answers, giving you the option of completing your order at a later time.
Included Features
While both companies will form your LLC at the prices advertised on their sites, neither offer an operating agreement or an EIN number with the basic pricing package.
Swyft Filings and LegalZoom let you add these a la carte to the Basic package if you need it, and includes them at the Standard and Premium levels.
Want a free operating agreement and EIN? Sign up for a free business center account and use our operating agreement template for free and learn how to obtain an EIN from the IRS, also free.
FORM AN LLC FOR FREE USING OUR GUIDE
Best LLC Formation Services
Northwest ($29 + State Fees) LegalZoom ($0 + State Fees) Tailor Brands ($0 + State Fees) ZenBusiness ($0 + State Fees) Incfile ($0 + State Fees) Swyft Filings ($0 + State Fees) Rocket Lawyer ($99 + State Fees)
Summary
After thoroughly researching Swyft Filings and LegalZoom, we determined that there are many other options to form your LLC in a cheaper, faster, and similarly reliable way. You can begin by checking out our top-rated LLC formation service, Northwest Registered Agent, and also read our list of the best LLC services.
FAQ
You can learn everything about starting an LLC — and form one on your own — by following the steps outlined in our comprehensive state-based guides!
Neither. All in all, we recommend choosing Northwest Registered Agent for their high-quality, affordable LLC formation services and excellent customer support.
LegalZoom offers ongoing legal services past business formation; however, we recommend exploring Rocket Lawyer’s legal services for more features and an exclusive deal.
You can find Swyft Filings and LegalZoom alternatives by checking out our list of the top LLC services and the best LegalZoom alternatives.
