LegalZoom is a one-stop solution that helps you create and file legal documents from LLC formation documents to wills without needing to hire a lawyer. LegalZoom has quickly established itself as one of the biggest giants in the world of legal technology.
Although hiring LegalZoom’s services is undoubtedly cheaper than hiring a lawyer, LegalZoom might be out of your price range. Or you might find their services to be too wide-ranging and not specific to your particular needs.
Here are ten alternatives and competitors to LegalZoom that you might consider.
Top 10 Best Alternatives & Competitors
- RocketLawyer – Most Long-Term Alternative
- Zenbusiness – Most Straightforward Alternative
- Northwest Registered Agent – Most Transparent Alternative
- CorpNet – Most Robust Alternative
- IncFile – Most Free Alternative
- Nationwide Incorporators – Most Attentive Alternative
- Swyft Filings – Most Flexible Alternative
- Incorporate – Most Long-Running Alternative
- LawDepot – Most DIY Alternative
- MyCorporation – Most Rounded Alternative
1. Rocket Lawyer – Most Long-Term Alternative
PRICING: starts at $39.99 per month
With a highly intuitive interface, access to a wide variety of legal document templates, and more direct contact with lawyers, Rocket Lawyer is a highly attractive alternative to LegalZoom. Expanding on the last point, Rocket Lawyer offers online Q&As with attorneys, while other services offer only limited services. Moreover, Rocket Lawyer offers a free seven-day trial, a rarity for many online legal solutions.
On the downside, Rocket Lawyer’s services are costly when purchased individually. The basic LLC filing costs $99, for instance.
KEY FEATURES:
- “On-call” attorneys
- Intuitive form builders
- Registered agent services
- LLC, corporation, or non-profit
REASONS TO BUY:
- Free LLC for members
- Seven-day free trial
- Email and live chat for customer support
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Individual services are pricey
- Does not offer basic LLC package
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2. Zenbusiness – Most Straightforward Alternative
PRICING: $49 annual cost
ZenBusiness offers a plethora of services your growing business will need from business formation to DBA registration to amendment filing. As far as prices go, ZenBusiness has one of the lowest price, basic tiers on the market. Navigating the solution and getting your documents filed is also incredibly easy and straightforward
While ZenBusiness can offer you a registered agent even in its basic package, it will cost an additional $99 per year. Also, while ZenBusiness offers your business a variety of tools, several of them might be entirely unnecessary like web hosting, which you might prefer to get from a different service.
KEY FEATURES:
- LLC and corporation
- DBA registration
- Annual business reports
- Amendment filing
- Banking resolutions
REASONS TO BUY:
- Highly integrative
- Reasonable pricing structure
- Business alerts
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Registered agent service is pricey
- Some services might be unnecessary
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3. Northwest Registered Agent – Most Transparent Alternative
PRICING: $39 to file LLC
Northwest Registered Agent is an established registered agent and business formation service with offices around the country. Their basic package is fairly robust and will file your LLC, though you will need to purchase add-ons like EIN filing and compliance filing.
One of Northwest’s most praised traits is its transparency. While companies like LegalZoom will charge hidden fees, Northwest is very up-front about costs. Add-ons can be pricy, but you know what you will be getting and for how much.
KEY FEATURES:
- LLC filing
- Registered agent service
- Annual reports
- Dashboard
- EIN (for an additional fee)
REASONS TO BUY:
- Affordable LLC
- Keeps your address off public record
- Does not sell your data
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Add-ons are pricey
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4. CorpNet – Most Robust Alternative
PRICING: starts at $79
CorpNet’s basic package is not too bad price-wise, but EIN filing requires an additional fee. You’ll also get a registered agent service, but only for 60 days. The “complete package” truly is complete, including EIN plus a one-year registered agent service, and it’s only this package that includes a customized LLC kit and seal too.
CorpNet operates quickly, the deluxe and complete packages, preparing documents within 24 hours. Further, customer service has received universal praise. The downside is just the basic and deluxe packages don’t offer all of the core services your business will need, so you would probably need to opt for the complete package.
KEY FEATURES:
- LLC filing
- EIN
- 24-hour document preparation
- Registered agent service
REASONS TO BUY:
- Complete package is robust enough
- Great customer service
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Complete package is pricey
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5. IncFile – Most Free Alternative
PRICING: $0
Incfile’s claim-to-fame is its zero-fee LLC creation, though you will still have to pay the state fees yourself. What’s the catch? The add-ons cost money. As you might expect, EIN registration is neither included nor free, costing $70. However, your registered agent service will be free for the first year.
IncFile’s reviews have been mixed. What’s more, customer services are limited, only 9 AM to 6 PM on weekdays. IncFile also refrains from offering legal advice to your business whereas other services do.
KEY FEATURES:
- Customer support
- Business tax consultation
- Good customer support
- Online tracking
REASONS TO BUY:
- Free LLC filing
- Free company name availability analysis
- Free registered agent services for a year
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Fee for EIN
- Limited support hours
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6. Nationwide Incorporators – Most Attentive Alternative
PRICING: starts at $200
Unlike their competitors, Nationwide Incorporators’ business attorneys will draft or review your LLC papers, a very big sign of commitment to their customers. This is why the company describes itself as “attorney-powered.” They’ll also offer state-specific compliances which many other services do not do.
Nationwide’s $200 basic tier is very high for an LLC formation company. Nationwide Incorporators also does not offer many add-ons. They don’t offer registered agents, for instance. You can get an EIN, but this will require priority premium membership, which costs $475.
KEY FEATURES:
- LLC filing
- State-specific compliance
- Name availability check
- Sample operating agreement
REASONS TO BUY:
- “Attorney-powered:” Attorney will review LLC documents
- Education center with information on licensing and more
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Does not include registered agency service
- Not many additional features
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7. Swyft Filings – Most Flexible Alternative
PRICING: starts at $49
Swyft Filings’ plans include LLC filing, annual compliance, and tax advisory services. Their basic package is on the cheap side as far as LLC formation services are concerned. Do note that many users consider Swyft Filings very flexible, allowing you to add products to your tier without having to opt for a more expensive tier.
On the downside, Swyft Filings will charge you additionally for EIN registration and your registered agent. Plus, Swyft Filings is on the slower side of processing orders, orders on the basic package taking approximately 7 days.
KEY FEATURES:
- LLC filing
- Registered agent ($149 extra per year)
- EIN registration ($70 extra)
- Name availability verification
REASONS TO BUY:
- Free 30-minute tax consultation
- LLC can be paid in two installments
- Lifetime customer support
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Slow at processing orders
- Expensive add-ons
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8. Incorporate – Most Long-Running Alternative
PRICING: starts at $99
Incorporate, owned by the Corporation Service Company (CSC), has been in the business formation game since 1899. Their starter package is $99, including a compliance guarantee and access to online company documents. EIN and annual reporting are not included in this package
The biggest drawback of Incorporate is that not only will the business not give you a free registered agent for a year, Incorporate does not let you use anyone else registered agent, not even yourself. The registered agent service fees you must pay are a whopping $235.
KEY FEATURES:
- LLC filing
- $75k corporate compliance guarantee
- Completion and filing of formation documents
- EIN (included in higher packages)
REASONS TO BUY:
- Good amount of upsells
- Can keep home address off public records
- Good customer service
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Can only use their $235 registered agent service
- $99 charge for operating agreement
- Generally expensive
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9. LawDepot – Most DIY Alternative
PRICING: Quote-based
LawDepot is a library of different legal documents you might need for starting your small business. Their prices are very flexible, though you might choose their yearly subscription of only $7.99 per month.
LawDepot’s function is to hand you the documents, so they won’t file your LLC or anything else for you, nor will they point you in any direction. If you’re only looking for the forms, LawDepot might be perfect for you, but if you’d prefer someone professional to file the documents, you’ll definitely want someone else.
KEY FEATURES:
- More than 150 documents
- Customer support through phone, live chat, and email
REASONS TO BUY:
- Highly flexible prices
- One-week free trial
- Navigable interface
REASONS TO AVOID:
- They won’t file your LLC
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10. MyCoporation – Most Rounded Alternative
PRICING: starts at $99
MyCorporation’s services are highly rounded and tailored for C, S, and B corporations and nonprofits, plus entity incorporation for licensed professionals like doctors.
MyCorporation’s basics tier is rather lacking. If you want a registered agent and annual report services, you’ll have to choose the deluxe package, which jumps up to $224.
KEY FEATURES:
- LLC filing
- Articles of incorporation
- Name availability search
- Annual report (standard tier)
- Registered agent services (deluxe tier)
REASONS TO BUY:
- Very user-friendly
- Robust services offered for varying types of business
- Customer support
REASONS TO AVOID:
- No estimated turnaround time
- You’ll probably need the deluxe package
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References and Links
- https://www.rocketlawyer.com/
- https://smartasset.com/estate-planning/rocket-lawyer-review
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/rocket-lawyer-review/
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/zenbusiness-review
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/zenbusiness-review/
- https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/services/northwest-registered-agent-review/
- https://www.llcuniversity.com/reviews/northwest-registered-agent-llc/
- https://www.incfile.com/
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/zenbusiness-vs-incfile/
- https://wealthartisan.com/incfile-review/
- https://www.fundera.com/blog/incfile-review
- https://www.swyftfilings.com/
- https://bestllcservices.com/swyft-filings-llc-service-review/
- https://howtostartanllc.com/reviews/legalzoom-vs-swyftfile
- https://www.incandgo.com/swyft-filings-review/
- https://www.incorporate.com/
- https://bestllcservices.com/incorporate-llc-service-review/
- https://www.lawdepot.com/
- https://www.charlottelaw.org/legalzoom-vs-lawdepot/
- https://www.mycorporation.com/
- https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/mycorporation-review/
- https://bestllcservices.com/nationwide-incorporators-llc-service-review/