The 14 Best LegalZoom Alternatives

LegalZoom is a one-stop-shop to get legal guidance on a variety of issues, from starting a business to property distribution. Services like LegalZoom have made it easier for startup owners to register their businesses. The company was a pioneer of online legal consultation, but times have changed. Nowadays, there’s a myriad of LegalZoom alternatives.

Some of these new digital legal service companies are very affordable, easy to navigate, and have many features. But it’s important to do proper research before going for a new legal service to make sure it’s licensed and has expertise.

To make things easier for you, we’ve reviewed sites like LegalZoom and compiled a list of the best alternatives.

Buyer’s Guide to LegalZoom

Before we can start discussing LegalZoom competitors, we should first talk about the pioneer itself. LegalZoom was known as one of the best LLC services online for the longest time—it was founded in 2001. Small businesses found it easier to get legal consultations online. The company charged fixed and affordable rates to provide legal advice to customers.

LegalZoom Services

The LegalZoom business has assisted 4 million companies and individuals worldwide. Here are some of its main services:

• Filing for business formation paperwork
• Creating customized legal documentation with e-sign features
• Registering trademarks
• Applying for copyright or patent protection
• Consultation and review services by a legal expert
• Business tax consultation and advice

Its client base comprises mostly small businesses that don’t have the need or budget for an in-house legal department.

LegalZoom Pricing

The LegalZoom pricing structure depends on which package you choose. Since its most popular service is assisting with LLC formation, we’ll breakdown the pricing for that.

You get to choose between three plans: Economy, Standard, and Express Gold. The Economy bundle costs $79, excluding state fees. With this option, you get business filing, articles for organization, operating agreements, financial banking account authorization letters, and name availability checks. This is enough to get you started with your new business. There’s even a ‘Next Steps’ guide with advice on the documents you need to submit.

The Standard package costs $329, excluding state fees. You get all the services in the Economy package plus official company seals, 20 personalized business membership certificates, and a deluxe organizer with the business name embossed on it. You can also take advantage of VIP processing.

The Express Gold package costs $349. You get everything from the Standard Package, but for just $20 more, you also receive express shipping with a rushed filing through the Secretary of State. The entire process takes only 7 to 10 days, so if you want quicker services, this should be your go-to. You’ll have everything you need for business formation, along with access to legal experts and legal services.

To learn more about the LegalZoom LLC pricing, check out its products page.

Additional LegalZoom Features

As one of the oldest online legal service platforms, LegalZoom has helped millions of consumers. It even offers a money-back guarantee of 60 days. You can also cancel your membership whenever you like and receive a pro-rated refund.

LegalZoom offers a comprehensive legal plan for businesses to keep new companies on the right track. You get access to lawyers that provide documentation review, phone consultations, and tax advice. The company also offers annual business evaluations to ensure that your company is compliant with all relevant laws. If you need copyright registration, that’s also available for one month—perfect for musicians and artists.

LegalZoom Customer Service

LegalZoom’s customer service availability depends on where you live. For the US, support is available from 5 AM to 7 PM PT, Monday to Friday, and 7 AM to 4 PM PT on Saturdays. You can also contact representatives by email.

But some customers online complain about LegalZoom’s service. Users say they had to wait for a long time on hold before getting in touch with an agent or that their formation papers were not filed on time.

LegalZoom Reviews

It’s helpful to go through LegalZoom ratings to get an idea of what existing customers and other review experts think. Here are some reviews we found:

• Trustpilot with 536 reviews: 4 out 5 stars
• ConsumerAffairs with 413 reviews: 4.2 out of 5 stars
• SiteJabber with over 900 reviews: 4.2 out of 5 stars
• LegalZoom BBB Rating: A+

Is LegalZoom Legit?

LegalZoom is definitely a legitimate venture. It was the first company in the world to provide online legal services. It has one of the largest customer bases, consisting of millions of businesses and individuals. Thousands of online testimonials from customers vouch for the usefulness of the company’s business and LLC services.

LegalZoom Pros

• 60-day money-back guarantee
• Unmatched experience in the business
• Tax consultations and annual evaluation for businesses
• Copyright registration for a month
• Cheaper than most online legal services

LegalZoom Cons

• Unreliable customer service
• Complaints about delayed business filings
• Pricey legal consultations
• Not suitable for one-time service needs

Best LegalZoom Alternatives

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness launched in 2015 and has assisted thousands of consumers. It has plenty of positive reviews online. The service’s Premium plan costs less than LegalZoom’s Standard and Express Gold packages, making it overall cheaper than LegalZoom. Trustpilot has 5,300 reviews for ZenBusiness with 4.8 out of 5 stars. It has an A+ rating on BBB.

ZenBusiness has three packages: Starter, Pro, and Premium. The Starter plan costs $49 (excluding state fees) and features name availability checks, articles for organization, LLC operating agreements, registered agent services, and worry-free assessment of accounts.

The Pro bundle costs $199 (excluding state fees) and provides everything in the Starter package plus EIN registration, worry-free compliance, and a banking resolution template.

The Premium plan costs $299 (excluding state fees) and comes with everything in the Pro package plus domain name registration and privacy, quicker filing, a business website, and business email addresses.

Pros

• Affordable
• Easy to navigate
• No forced add-on services
• Positive customer reviews
• Worry-free compliance in Pro and Premium plans
• Lending options for businesses owned by women and minorities

Cons

• Frequent upsells
• Limited knowledge base

IncFile

IncFile services can help small businesses with simple legal issues that don’t require hiring a full-time attorney. While LegalZoom and IncFile are both in the business of online legal assistance, they have different services. IncFile focuses on helping with the entire initial company setup as well as continued compliance with relevant laws.

You can choose the legal services you need at an affordable fee instead of paying attorneys steep hourly rates. The company provides quick solutions for simple situations, so if you have a lawsuit or some other major issue to deal with, you might be better off going for a different service.

IncFile provides company formation assistance like document filing, name availability checks, register service agents, and business name filing. IncFile also offers help in keeping your business compliant with things like annual report filing, changing the business name, and getting good standing certificates. The company also has tax filing services that are part of the monthly plan.

IncFile is among the cheapest services and offers Platinum, Gold, and Silver plans. The Silver tier is free (excluding state fees) and provides name availability checks, filing formation documents, and phone or email support.

The Gold package costs $149 and offers form 2553 filing, meeting minutes, operating agreement for LLCs, and corporate bylaws. The Platinum tier costs $299 and includes domain and business website names.

Pros

• Free plan available
• Lifetime company alerts
• Great customer service
• Secure online formation
• Free registered agent services in the first year

Cons

• Best features come at an extra cost

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent launched in 1998 and provides excellent online legal services. The company has pricey packages, but its no-nonsense approach and premium consumer support services are worth the cost. It charges $255 for LLC filings, excluding state fees, with services that include name availability checks, articles for organization, a year of registered agent services, operation agreements, and quick LLC filings.

You can add additional services if you need to, including:

• EIN registration for $50
• Filing for compliance for $100/year
• S Corp filing through the IRS for $50
• The second business number for $9/month
• Corporate supplies

Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t have many reviews online, but we did go through the 100 or so customer testimonials on Yelp and Google. Most of these are positive with few complaints, but since the volume is so low, it may not be the whole picture.

The company’s customer support has great reviews with a well-trained team working in-house. Agents provide detailed information to complicated questions.

Pros

• Excellent customer support
• Registered agent services
• Robust privacy and security measures

Cons

• Pricey
• Not many reviews

Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer provides legal assistance that bridges the gap between lawyers and customers. All services come at a low fixed price. Rocket Lawyer launched in 2008 but grew quickly. It has helped over 20 million individuals and businesses with its expert services, which include the following:

• Creating customized legal documents
• Review of contracts and documents
• Forming a corporation, nonprofit, or LLC
• Legal advice sessions on the phone with an attorney

The best part is that you only need to pay a one-time fee for most of these services. But you can also get monthly membership plans if you need regular support.

If you get the premium member plan, you’ll have access to document defense assistance, legal documents creation, contact with a lawyer, 30-minute consultations for new legal matters, and incorporation filing. You also get discounts for agent service registrations and hiring on-call lawyers. It costs only $39.99 a month. For the non-member plan, you have to a pay one-time fee for the legal services you need.

Rocket Lawyer has excellent customer service. You can reach representatives by email, phone, or live chat.

Pros

• Online Q&A sessions
• On-call lawyers
• Comprehensive bundle of services
• Intuitive form for creating customized legal documents
• Document defense to ensure contract compliance
• Excellent customer service
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• One-time services available

Cons

• Relatively expensive

The Company Corporation

The Company Corporation is now called Incorporate.com and provides formation services for LLC, S Corps, and traditional corporations. It has helped entrepreneurs, real estate investors, and business owners from all over the world. Additional services include EIN registration, tax formation, check for name availability, and compliance requirements.

You can view and store all your LLC documents and files on Incorporate.com’s portal. What’s more, the company is known for its excellent customer service via live chat, email, and phone.

The Starter package costs $99 (excluding state fees) and includes services like filing for businesses and name availability checks. The CSC Navigator is a great feature too, where you can track all the due dates for document filings coming up.

The Essentials plan costs $199 (excluding state fees) and comes with all the Starter package services along with corporate kits, annual reports, filing services, and EIN registration.

The Works package costs $279 (excluding state fees) with everything in the Essentials bundle as well as research services for business licenses and drafting of an operating agreement.

What’s more, the company offers what it calls Corporate Compliance Guarantee. This is basically insurance of up to $75,000 in legal fees in case you get sued for failing to comply with any requirements because Incorporate.com missed a filing deadline or caused any other compliance issue.

Pros

• Corporate Compliance Guarantee
• Reliable services
• Great customer support
• Online portal for tracking documents
• Comprehensive guides on legal matters

Cons

• No registered agent services with LLC formation
• Frequent upselling
• Relatively expensive

Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings launched in 2012 and has served thousands of customers who need legal assistance. You have a choice between three packages: Basic, Standard, and Premium.

The Basic package costs $49, excluding state fees. It offers filing for articles of organization, name availability checks, lifetime customer support, 30-minute tax consultations, a free domain name for a year, and compliance protocols.

The Standard plan costs $149 (excluding state fees) and features everything in the Basic package. It has additional services including EIN registration, LLC operating agreement, banking resolutions, and organizational minutes for the first business meeting.

The Premium package costs $299, excluding state fees. It has everything from the Standard package and a few additional features, such as a corporate digital kit, three-month website hosting, and domain name.

Even the cheapest plans come with great services, including lifetime alerts for your company and 30-minute tax consultations. But registered agent assistance isn’t part of any package. The company charges $149 for it, which is on the expensive side.

Pros

• One of the most affordable options
• 100% satisfaction guarantee
• Thousands of positive reviews
• Option to pay in installments
• Lifetime alerts
• Tax consultations

Cons

• Registered agent services available only separately

Inc Authority

Inc Authority launched in 1989 and has served 130,000 businesses across the US. It’s perfect for small to mid-sized companies that need basic legal help. The company has a 100% free service for entity formation (excluding state fees).

The sign-up process is pretty easy—you go through only four steps. Inc Authority is known for its great customer service team. Reviews online say that agents reply to emails in less than two hours. The support reps are well trained and knowledgeable.

Inc Authority offers four packages that you can choose from—Free, Starter, Executive, and Tycoon. The Free plan offers a wide range of services such as expert support, name availability verification, tax planning consultancy, digital storage for documents, registered agent service, filing for businesses, and more.

You can get the Starter package for a one-time payment of $660. It features plenty of services that can help you launch your business and maintain legal compliance—from tax consultation and funding evaluations to filing articles of organization.

The Executive package costs $789 and provides unique services such as company seals, record books, web domains, and more. The Tycoon package is the most advanced, costing $1,286. You get a host of services that can truly take your business to the next level.

Pros

• Wide range of services
• Free services for a year
• Reliable multi-channel customer support
• Transparent pricing
• Straightforward sign-up process

Cons

• No advanced compliance services
• Pricey add-ons
• Premium plans costly for small businesses

CorpNet

CorpNet is a family-owned business and provides a range of services starting from the low price of $79. There are more extensive packages called Deluxe ($199) and Complete ($249) that ensure you get document preparation in just 24 hours. This kind of express process can be great for new businesses on a tight schedule.

CorpNet’s website is easy to navigate and intuitive. It includes straightforward instructions on signing up. The company protects users’ information with Norton—the popular security solution. Customer support reps are polite and knowledgeable, and customers get a 100% money-back guarantee.

Customers and experts give the service high ratings, although there aren’t that many online reviews to go by.

Pros

• Easy to navigate
• High ratings
• Great customer support
• Robust security
• 100% money-back guarantee

Cons

• Few customer reviews
• No legal advice available

Filenow

Filenow helps you register as an LLC, S Corp, or corporation. The quick four-step process to sign up is one of the easiest on this list—it won’t take more than 15 minutes. The Starter package costs $49, excluding state fees. It consists of EIN registration, a year of registered agent services, error-free guarantees, 24-hour processing, electronic delivery, tracking orders, and FedEx shipping.

The Premium plan costs $149 excluding state fees and features everything in the Starter package and more. You get a made-to-order high-quality company kit with a seal and binder. This package also includes banking resolution documents to help you open a banking account under your company name.

You can view and store all documents on Filenow’s secure cloud. The company also has a 100% money-back guarantee.

One downside is that Filenow doesn’t offer some standard services such as tax and annual reporting.

Pros

• Free registered agent services for a year
• Easy sign-up
• Secure database
• Excellent customer support
• Short processing time
• 100% money-back guarantee

Cons

• A small variety of services

LawDepot

LawDepot is one of the best online sources to get legal documents. It launched in 2001 and offers over 150 templates for documents, such as power of attorney (both medical and financial), living wills, living trusts, last testaments, and last wills. You can get a free trial for seven days with all the templates available for free.

You can also purchase a subscription for $33 a month that gives you access to all LawDepot services, but there’s also the option to pay a one-time fee for a specific service. Below are the prices for each one:

• Last will and testament: $49.95
• Living will: $29
• Living trust: $39
• Financial power of attorney: $29
• Will codicil: $29
• Affidavit: $29

LawDepot offers document templates tailored to each state’s laws, so you can rest assured that you comply with local regulations. The interface of the website is easy to navigate. Users don’t need a law background to create a last will and testament through LawDepot.

One downside is that there are some complaints by customers online about rude and unhelpful customer service representatives.

Pros

• State-specific document templates
• Intuitive interface
• One-stop-shop for legal documents
• Free seven-day trial

Cons

• Charges you if you don’t cancel trial on time
• Subpar customer support
• Pricey

My Company Works

My Company Works provides legal services that have helped over 60,000 businesses so far. The company’s prices start as low as $79, excluding state fees. The Complete package costs $279 and has a full year of registered agent services. You also get things like an LLC kit, EIN registration, and compliance package for businesses.

You can also take advantage of its business tax consultations that can help you learn about how your business will be taxed, the different processes, staff taxes, and more. You get access to name checks, online scanned documents, a 22-page guide, and other useful features.

My Company Works has very positive customer feedback online with high ratings from over 3,000 client reviews. Some testimonials praise the company’s customer support citing email response times as low as 20 minutes.

Pros

• Positive customers reviews
• Proven track record
• Affordable
• Excellent customer support

Cons

• Registered agent services come only with the Complete plan

BizFilings

BizFilings has helped thousands of customer process their legal formation documents from the time it launched in 1996. The company offers three packages.

The Basic LLC plan ($99) provides filing of articles of organization, but you can always add more services for additional fees.

The Standard LLC package ($229) processes the articles of the organization and the operating agreement within a day. This plan also includes a nice LLC binder to help keep the documents organized.

The Complete LLC package ($359) includes everything in the Standard one along with a compliance information DVD and EIN registration.

BizFilings can take care of any additional state-specific requirements for LLC formation. All packages include six months of registered agent services. The Business Owner’s Toolkit contains helpful resources with all the details you might need as a new company owner.

Pros

• Tailored solutions
• Registered agent services with all packages
• Business Owner’s Toolkit
• Name availability check

Cons

• Pricey
• No extras in the Basic plan

Firstbase.io

Firstbase.io is one of the newest companies on our list—it was founded in 2018. It boasts giving you access to the “greatest startup ecosystem on the planet.” The company stands out in that it has just one package with a comprehensive set of services. The plan costs $399 and includes the following:

• LLC or C Corp company formation
• EIN registration
• Business account
• Phone consultancy with legal and tax experts
• Business address setup
• Secure dashboard
• Lifetime expert support
• Registered agent services
• Post-formation documents

Firstbase.io offers startups exclusive rewards of up to $20,000, including things like $5,000 of free credits for Amazon Web Services, $2,000 in Airtable credits, and more.

The company has 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot from over 150 reviews, which is impressive. Clients often praise Firstbase.io’s customer support and ease of use.

Pros

• Full package of services
• Excellent customer support
• Easy to use

Cons

• No Basic plan option

Better Legal

Better Legal is known for its excellent LLC formation assistance and fast turnaround times. It was founded in 2016 and has helped hundreds of businesses with their documentation.

Like Firstbase.io, Better Legal offers only one type of package for $299, excluding state fees. Whether you need LLC or corporation formation, the price is the same. The plan includes filing the certificate for formation, operating agreements, banking resolution, EIN registration, and several other helpful documents.

Better Legal is known for the speed of its service; it’s perfect for new businesses on a tight schedule. The sign-up process is also quick and easy.

Pros

• Wide range of legal services
• Simple sign-up process
• Quick turnaround time

Cons

• Limited customer service channels (only chat support)
• No refund options