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by Benjamin Aronson
Let’s face it, forming an LLC can be dawning. Fortunately, there are a lot of business formation services that ease the process.
So, Is Inc Authority service worth it?
Well, we’ve formed LLCs with lots of service providers and now it’s Inc Authority’s turn. After thoroughly inspecting their services, we can give you an honest report from a consumer’s point of view.
Let’s begin!
(4.2/5)
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Opening doors in 1989, Inc Authority has managed to obtain the title for offering a “Free” incorporation service.
This is a big claim to make, but they do deliver on their promises. They can set up your LLC free of charge, just sign up with the basic package (more on that below).
But sometimes it’s not just about saving money.
Inc Authority provides additional services that are very helpful throughout the LLC registration. Some services for example are employer identification number (EIN)/federal tax number and registered agent services.
Getting them done can hold you back from frustration and worry throughout the filing process.
Inc Authority has formed more than 130,000 business entities. You can be assured they are more than capable to handle your business formation needs.
Having such a big clientele means that their customer feedback is genuine and you’ll be able to find honest reviews easily.
Inc Authority’s free entity setup is a nice way to attract clients. They aim to do a great job filing your business and gain your trust so that you use them for annual compliances.
Although they do offer incorporation services for free, this doesn’t make them the most affordable option.
Inc Authorities premium packages are quite expensive and we recommend going for them if you absolutely need the features they include.
Inc Authority is certainly most proud of it’s free LLC formation package and rightfully so! They offer a ton of value to clients and it just so happens that it’s one of the most popular business formation packages.
There’s just one thing you need to pay for and that’s the state fee. Regardless of whichever online formation service you go with, there’s no way to avoid the state fee.
If you’re interested, find out which state is best for LLC formation.
For $0 it’s good enough to get your business up and running. On the other hand, it does lack a few key features that most businesses need eventually.
Here are the things that you get to enjoy from this package:
Inc Authority’s free package is truly a bargain.
New business owners often struggle with money. This affordable package helps a lot of new business owners get a head start. Instead of paying for extra features, you can invest your money in growing your business.
If you’re interested in the costs associated with forming an LLC, we go over everything you need to know in our article.
Let’s be honest it’s tough to beat the free LLC formation offer. The starter business bundle has a big price gap. But it’s somewhat justified (we’ll let you be the judge of that).
For $399 plus the state fees, you get to fully set up your business for running successfully.
The starter business bundle includes everything from the free package plus:
Some of the services included in this package are necessary and you’ll likely need them. But you be the judge if you’re willing to pay for them or do it yourself.
For an additional $100, you can upgrade to the executive business bundle. It includes everything from the starter bundle plus:
There are no further complicated filing documents. The price difference is basically for setting up your business domain.
If you go online to find a business site hosting with prebuild templates, you can save yourself a few bucks.
But if you want to spend time growing your business, the executive business bundle could be great for you.
You also get access to Inc Authority’s business license reporting software. It provides you with information on which licenses you’ll need based on location and industry (which can be super helpful!).
Aside from that, there’s not much-added value to this bundle. If you don’t need a business website we don’t recommend going for it.
Premium bundles are known to be expensive. When compared to other premium LLC formation packages, like Incfile or Legalzoom, Inc Authority’s is quite costly.
But the tycoon business bundle has some features that you might find useful.
This package includes everything from the Executive bundle and Starter bundle plus:
Express processing simply lowers the amount of time it takes to process your LLC. This time depends on a lot of things, but they can speed it up to just a few days.
The BizCredit Express consists of a few things. To begin with, you get a 90-day Business Credit Coach program. A dedicated business credit coach will be assigned to you that will teach and guide you through the process.
Your business will undergo a multi-tiered credit development system. This will help your business build credit quickly and efficiently. You will get a step by step overview of your business credit development.
And finally, you will be registered to a top-notch business credit reporting bureau, Dun & Bradstreet.
Overall we feel like paying $800 for business formation a bit too expensive.
There are other premium formation services that offer similar packages for cheaper. But if you feel like you will benefit from the listed features, and don’t mind spending that much, go for it!
Packages are thought over and tend to give you the best value for the price you’re paying.
But if you’d like to construct your own “plan Inc Authority allows you to do so. Simply choose the services that you’d like to purchase.
Here’s a list of the services you can buy separately:
It sounds appealing that you can form your LLC completely free of charge, doesn’t it?
But it’s not just the formation where you end up saving money. Other competitors don’t even include a registered agent service with their basic packages, where Inc Authority does.
You might also come across coupons or discounts if you spend a few minutes on their website.
Besides the cost, their customer support is brought up as being of the best. You can give them a call anytime between 8 am – 5 pm (PST) from Monday to Friday.
Customers, in general, are very satisfied with Inc Authority’s support. They have a personalized program in place, where an Inc Authority representative can help you constantly.
In our experience, they were quite fast to respond and easy to reach. We also felt like their representatives are quite knowledgeable and for the record super friendly.
Their website is also very easy to use. Navigating through the services was a breeze. Everything is laid out perfectly with no confusing elements. We can confidently say that their website is one of the best.
Customer feedback is another strong site for Inc Authority. Customers have an overwhelmingly positive experience with their services.
It’s always good to dig around the comments to see what people have to say. In Inc Authority’s case, most of the feedback they’ve received has been positive.
They’ve managed to obtain a score above 4.5 stars on Trustpilot.com from more than 4400 people. Here are some of the things we felt captured a realistic perspective of the company.
“Chance Nigri was absolutely incredible and a huge help to get my business started and helping me become an LLC. He assisted me in the most cost effective way possible. I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful and stress free he has made this process!”
“thank you so much Christine was perfect in fact everyone there is very polite. She helped me understand paperwork that I don’t ever understand walk me through everything I needed to know step by step I would recommend Inc authority to anybody thank you so much for doing business with me and helping us grow as a company”
“I was speculative initially if my application would be handled at all during this lockdown phase. Two thumbs up for Jeffrey and his team, who are very communicative, convivial, and ultra-efficient!! His team truly understands the essence of time and the value he and his team offers!!
Note that you can also find reviews under the name Inc For Free.
We always encourage our readers to do their own research before making a decision. But to help you do so, here’s how Inc Authority compares to the industry majors.
Many people consider ZenBusiness to be the best online incorporation service. Their prices are affordable and their services are useful.
Their cheapest LLC formation package start’s at $39 where Inc Authority charges nothing. However, ZenBusiness has way better premium packages that are more affordable.
Their turnaround times have a different methodology. Inc Authority bases their turnaround time depending on the state. It can take a few days to a couple of weeks.
ZenBusiness base their turnaround time on which package you purchase. ZenBusiness’s most affordable package has a 3-4 week turnaround time. On the other hand, their premium package speeds it up to 3-5 days.
When it comes to customer support, we feel like ZenBusiness has a slight advantage. Their customer support has longer working hours, and they also have weekend support.
Read our review of ZenBusiness where we go in-depth into their services.
LegalZoom is a name with a lot of brand power. When it comes to forming businesses, they have formed more business entities than any other service we have reviewed.
But being a big company has its strengths and flaws.
Firstly, Inc Authority is far more affordable than LegalZoom. LegalZoom’s economy package starts at $79. If you want registered agent services you’ll need to pay $299. Inc Authority includes a free year of registered agent services even with their free package!
Like ZenBusiness, LegalZoom also bases their turnaround times on which package you have. Their cheapest package takes about 30 business days to process. Their premium package lowers it to 7-10 business days.
We felt like the process of forming an LLC with Inc Authority was easier and quicker. LegalZoom’s website can be a bit confusing if you don’t know what you are looking for.
Customer support is where Inc Authority beats out LegalZoom. Although their hours are quite shorter, their support was easier to reach and faster to respond. And being a much smaller company, their representatives can give a personal touch to the conversation you are having.
We’ve also compared LegalZoom to other services individually if you’re looking for a more in-depth view.
If you are looking for a quick and cheap way to form your LLC, Inc Authority will suit you 100% of the time.
We recommend their free package because you will get a ton of value for a state filling price (that’s it).
One downside is that they do upsell a bit for the Executive bundle.
Overall the mix between the cost, service, and customer support make Inc Authority a great business formation option.
Hopefully, this review provided clarity on Inc Authority and their business formation operations.
So, is Inc Authority service worth it?
All in all, we say yes!
Q: What additional services does Inc Authority provide?
A: There are 6 additional services that Inc Authority provides: Federal trademark; Business Credit; Revocable Living Trust; Website & Marketing Package; Business Funding and Plan. You can see what all these include on their Services Page from their website.
Q: Is Inc Authority’s free formation package, really free?
A: Yes, it’s absolutely free. The only thing you cannot avoid paying no matter which company or package you choose is the state fees. They’re mandatory!
Q: Does Inc Authority provide an S-Election form in their packages?
A: Yes they do have that option. You can choose to add it to the Free and Basic packages, it’s also included in the Traditional and Supreme Plans.
Benjamin is the Co-Founder and CEO of FinancePond. He worked at a private accounting firm before he created FinancePond. Benjamin is an entrepreneur at heart and firmly believes in strong personal finance and investing education. He has a passion for finance and his goal is to cut out the fluff and make personal finance simple for everyone.
