Before you pay anyone
These are legitimate businesses doing real work. The problem is that almost nobody can tell which line items are genuine services and which are free government steps with a markup. Here is the difference.
We have no relationship with any company named on this page and receive nothing from any of them. We name them because they are large and easy to verify, not because anyone paid to be here.
Done yourself, at the official source.
Every state runs a free searchable database of registered entity names. Search it before you commit to anything, and check the domain and a basic USPTO trademark search at the same time.
Commonly sold as: Bundled as a paid 'name availability check', typically $10–$30.
Official source ↗Articles of Organization for an LLC. You file directly with your Secretary of State or equivalent, online in most states, and it usually takes under half an hour.
Commonly sold as: Services charge a preparation fee on top of the state fee. The state fee is identical either way; you are paying for the form-filling.
Apply directly at irs.gov. The online application takes about ten minutes and issues your number immediately. You need an EIN to open a business bank account or hire anyone.
Commonly sold as: Routinely sold for $50–$300. This is the single clearest example of a free government service resold at a markup.
Official source ↗In your home state you can generally serve as your own registered agent, provided you have a physical street address there (not a PO box) and are available during business hours.
Commonly sold as: $100–$300 per year, often auto-renewing. Genuinely worth paying for if you want your home address off the public record, you are frequently away, or you operate in multiple states — but it is a choice, not a requirement.
Most states do not require one to be filed, but you should have one. Single-member templates are widely available at no cost.
Commonly sold as: $50–$200 for a template. If you have partners, skip the template and pay an actual attorney — this is the document that decides what happens when partners disagree, and a form is poor value at any price.
Do this immediately and never pay a personal expense from it. Commingling funds is the most common reason a court disregards LLC liability protection.
Sales tax permit, employer withholding, unemployment insurance. These are separate from formation and go through your state's revenue department, not the Secretary of State.
Commonly sold as: Sold inside 'business licence packages' that mostly repackage free registrations.
State professional licensing, local business licence, health permits, zoning. This is where industry matters most, and it is genuinely the hardest step to research.
Commonly sold as: 'Business licence research' packages, $100–$200. The research has real value; the permits still cost the same.
Official source ↗Nearly every state requires an ongoing filing to keep your entity in good standing. Miss it and you risk administrative dissolution, which is far more expensive to undo than to avoid.
Commonly sold as: 'Compliance' or 'worry-free' packages, $100–$300/year. The state already emails you a reminder. Put the date in your calendar instead.
Understanding the business model tells you more than any review does.
The biggest and most advertised. Broad legal services beyond formation.
Aggressively priced entry tier, heavy marketing to first-time founders.
Free formation package with paid registered agent after the first year.
Registered agent first, formation secondary. Strong privacy stance.
Aimed at startups intending to raise venture capital.
“Form your LLC for $0”
The state filing fee is never included and is usually the largest single cost. The $0 refers only to the service's own preparation fee, which is recovered through add-ons and renewals.
“Form in Delaware / Nevada / Wyoming to save tax”
If you operate in your home state you must register there as a foreign LLC anyway — two filings, two sets of fees, two annual reports. This advice is right for companies raising venture capital and wrong for nearly everyone else.
“We'll get your EIN fast”
The IRS issues EINs immediately, online, for free. Nobody has a faster channel.
“Stay compliant automatically”
This usually means an email reminder plus filing your annual report for you. Your state already sends the reminder, and the filing takes minutes.
“Registered agent required by law”
Having a registered agent is required. Paying a company to be one is not — in your home state you can usually name yourself.
No. Every state lets you file formation documents directly, online in most cases, and the state fee is identical whether you file yourself or pay a service. What you buy from a service is convenience and form-filling, not access.
The state filing fee is never included, and it is usually the largest single cost. The free part refers only to the service's own preparation fee, which is recovered through add-ons and annual renewals — most commonly a registered agent subscription that renews at full price after the first year.
It is a genuine choice, not a requirement. In your home state you can usually act as your own registered agent if you have a physical street address there and are available during business hours. Paying for one is reasonable if you want your home address off the public record, you travel, or you operate in several states.
Nothing. The IRS issues EINs free at irs.gov, and the online application takes about ten minutes and gives you the number immediately. Formation services commonly charge $50 to $300 for this exact step.
The state filing fee is the one cost you cannot avoid, and it varies from about $35 to $500 depending on where you are.
See all 50 states and territories