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by Benjamin Aronson FinancePond Rating
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 FinancePond Rating
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 FinancePond Rating
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If this is the first time you are hearing about Incfile and Zenbusiness, you’ll want to really pay attention to this section.
Below, we will provide you with a quick introduction to both companies, and we will also highlight their respective Pros and Cons.
Here’s a quick summary of the Pros and Cons of Incfile.
ZenBusiness’s goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to start, run and grow your business.
Before we get into comparisons, here are the major Pros and Cons of ZenBusiness.
If you need some more in-depth information, check out our ZenBusiness review.
Someone who is looking to incorporate their business has three options:
Paying for an attorney or tax agent to set up your business can be quite expensive.
This is a major drawback for most people. But, with this option, you get the most personalized service.
Depending on how complex the situation is, having this personalized service can really help.
Incorporating your own business is always going to be the cheapest option but, how familiar are you with incorporation law?
A lack of familiarity with the rules and regulations of incorporating a business can cause a major problem to someone looking to do everything on their own.
Forming a business is not the kind of information that you can learn over an afternoon.
Professionals study these subjects for years, and with frequent changes in the law, someone incorporating their own business can easily make mistakes.
So, unless you have a background in this type of work, it’s best to seek some form of professional help.
Your last (and in my opinion, best) option is using online incorporation services.
Using an online incorporation service provides the perfect balance for those business owners who are on a tight budget and don’t plan on having complex structures for their business.
Using these online services can save you time, money, and a headache of legal issues.
Online services are much cheaper than traditional attorneys or tax agents. But this doesn’t mean they sacrifice quality.
When using an online incorporation service, your documents will still be completed properly and filed with the right authorities.
Plus, by doing it from home, you save yourself the trouble of having to book appointments and visit law-professionals in person or via Zoom.
Incfile and Zenbusiness offer much more than online LLC formation. Both incorporation services offer three unique packages to choose from (like Incorporate Fast and MyCorporation).
Let’s go over the similarities and differences in the packages below, so you can better understand which services best fit your formation needs.
Note: Some of these services can be purchased independently.
Side by Side: Basic Plan Comparison
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| Price of Package (without state fee) | $0 | $49 |
| Processing Time | Next business day | 6 – 7 business days |
| Registered Agent | 1 full year then $199 each year after | 1 full year then $199 each year after |
| Operating Agreement | $40 | |
| EIN Registration | $70 | $70 |
| Annual Compliance | Free (lifetime company alerts) | Worry-Free Compliance – $119 |
| Additional Advisory Services | Free Accounting consultation |
Incfile
ZenBusiness
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| Price of Package (without state fee) | $149 | $199 |
| Processing Time | Next business day | 4 – 5 business days |
| Registered Agent | 1 full year then $199 each year after | 1 full year then $199 each year after |
| Operating Agreement | ||
| EIN Registration | ||
| Annual Compliance | Free (lifetime company alerts) | Free Worry-Free Compliance |
| Additional Advisory Services | Free Accounting consultation |
Incfile
ZenBusiness
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| Price of Package (without state fee) | $299 | $299 |
| Processing Time | Next business day | 1 – 3 business days |
| Registered Agent | 1 full year then $199 each year after | 1 full year then $199 each year after |
| Operating Agreement | ||
| EIN Registration | ||
| Annual Compliance | Free (lifetime company alerts) | Free Worry-Free Compliance |
| Additional Advisory Services | Free Accounting consultation |
Incfile
ZenBusiness
Now that we have presented a basic overview of the services offered by Incfile and ZenBusiness, let’s take a more in-depth look at what it is that they’re offering.
Incfile’s service is free for their Silver Package, you just have to cover the state fee (each state has a different fee). On the other hand, ZenBusiness’s starter plan comes in at $49 plus your state fee.
Incfile’s premium packages cost $149 and $299, while ZenBusiness’s cost $199 and $299.
Both ZenBusiness and Incfile provide similar features in their basic packages. However, it is important for us to note that there are a few differences between these packages.
One of the major differences between both packages is that ZenBusiness includes a customizable operating agreement, while Incfile has third-party offers for a business bank account and website creation.
Incfile has over 15 years of experience and they have served over 500,000 customers. Although ZenBusiness is still a very new company, they’ve built up a steady stream of happy customers.
Incfile has over 20,000 reviews with Shopper Approved at a 4.8/5 rating.
While ZenBusiness isn’t too popular on Shopper Approved, they do have over 4,700 reviews with Trust Pilot and a 4.8/5 rating.
When it comes to Customer Support, ZenBusiness has been more successful than Incfile.
ZenBusiness’s representatives are available via phone, email, and chat between Monday to Friday, from 8 am – 8 pm CST (Central Time).
But they’ve also begun offering Customer Support on Sundays from 10 am – 7 pm.
Incfile, on the other hand, has phone support available Monday – Friday from 9 am – 6 pm CST. It’s also possible to email them, but they provide hours of operation for responding to emails.
The overall speed that an online incorporation service can incorporate your business depends on your state. Regardless, Incfile provides fast and efficient services, processing your order the next business day, no matter what plan you’re on.
ZenBusiness takes a little longer to incorporate your business, with 6-7 business days on the starter plan.
However, you can speed up the process to 1-3 business days on their premium plan.
Incfile has Lifetime Company Alerts to make sure you never miss an important filing date. They’ll track all your official document deadlines including your Annual Reports and Business Licenses.
ZenBusiness provides a similar service with their Worry-Free Compliance service.
It is important to note, if you want ZenBusiness to provide you with this service, it will cost extra.
Registered Agent services are an integral part of your LLC formation.
Both Incfile and ZenBusiness include free Registered Agent services for the first year. However, they will charge $119 in the following years.
Worry-Free CPA Assessment is an extra service from ZenBusiness. This is essentially all 3 of the packages offered by ZenBusiness brought together.
A Worry-Free CPA Assessment is simply an assessment of your company finances.
ZenBusiness will also suggest the best CPA to fit your business. This could be an important bonus if you’re business’s accounting is out of order.
Both ZenBusiness and Incfile provide similar services like EIN acquisition and amendments. But there are two key differences to consider.
ZenBusiness will provide a publication service if they’re required in your state. On the other hand, Incfile can help you out with trademark name searches.
Whether to incorporate your business with ZenBusiness or Incfile depends on the specific needs of your company.
Both of these online incorporation services provide excellent and affordable options, so you can’t go wrong with either.
We recommend that you consider what you value most in an LLC formation service.
If you’re looking for the cheapest option, your best choice would be to go with Incfile’s Silver Plan. However, if you are looking for a few extra features like the Worry-Free CPA Assessment, ZenBusiness will be the better option.
ZenBusiness and Incfile are some of our favorite LLC formation services.
Regardless of the company you decide to conduct business with, we are confident that you will be satisfied with your experience.
When starting a new business, it’s possible that you won’t know the specific services you will need. The best way to learn about the specific services that will most benefit your business is to read up on the subject and become as informed as possible.
That way you can find the right formation service for your needs.
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.
