LegalZoom Pro LLC sits at $249 plus state fee, and ongoing registered agent renewal is the most expensive in the category. For a single-state LLC, the filing itself is paperwork rather than legal advice, and three of the four picks below land that paperwork for less than the year-one LegalZoom bill before you even count year-two renewals.
Where alternatives win
Bizee Silver files an LLC for state fee only and includes a year of registered agent free, which is the cheapest credible path in the category for first-time founders forming a single-state LLC.
Northwest Registered Agent charges a flat $39 plus state fee and uses their own address on the public filing by default, which keeps your home address off public records and skips the upsell-heavy checkout.
Rocket Lawyer Premium matches LegalZoom's Legal Plan rate while including unlimited document creation and Ask a Lawyer attorney sessions, and members get LLC formation at a discount.
ZenBusiness Pro bundles formation, EIN, faster filing, and a year of Worry-Free Compliance reminders in a polished workflow for less than LegalZoom Pro.
By Subrupt EditorialPublished Reviewed
LegalZoom built the category and earned the trust of two decades of small-business owners. The brand is recognized by banks, accountants, and lenders, and the in-house attorney plan is a real product. The friction is the year-one bill: Pro LLC opens at $249 plus state fee, and the ongoing registered agent renewal is the highest in the category.
For most owners forming a single-state LLC, the actual work is paperwork rather than legal advice. Bizee files for state fee only and includes a year of registered agent. Northwest charges a flat fee plus state and keeps your home address off public records by default. ZenBusiness Pro bundles compliance reminders into the same workflow. Rocket Lawyer skips formation as the wedge and sells ongoing document creation plus attorney access.
Where LegalZoom Pro stops being worth it is the second year. Bizee's three-year cost runs roughly a third of LegalZoom's once registered agent renewals stack up. Northwest comes in less expensive than LegalZoom Pro on day one even before the privacy default. The brand premium pays for itself only if you actually use the included attorney consult or move into multi-state operations.
Pick by the actual job. Just want the cheapest filing means Bizee Silver. Want privacy by default and no upsell calls means Northwest. Want monthly attorney access at LegalZoom's Legal Plan rate but with broader unlimited documents means Rocket Lawyer. Want compliance reminders bundled into a polished onboarding means ZenBusiness Pro. Want unlimited document templates without the formation overlap means LawDepot.
Affiliate disclosure: Subrupt earns a commission when you switch to a service through our recommendation links. This never changes the price you pay. We only recommend services where there's a real cost or feature advantage for you, and our picks are based on the data on this page, not on which programs pay the most.
Quick pick by use case
If you only have thirty seconds, find your situation below and skip to that pick.
Unlimited templates on the annual plan for roughly a fifth of Rocket Lawyer Premium.
Skip these picks if: Stay with LegalZoom if you have a multi-state filing, want the in-house attorney consult on a single brand, or rely on bank or lender brand recognition that specifically asks for LegalZoom paperwork.
At a glance: LegalZoom alternatives
Quick comparison across pricing floor, best fit, and switching effort. Tap a row to jump to the full pick.
Best for unlimited legal document templates without formation overlap
$107.88/yr ($8.99/mo equiv)
Low
Feature comparison
Feature
Bizee (formerly Incfile)
Northwest Registered Agent
Rocket Lawyer
ZenBusiness
Year-one formation cost (excl. state fee)
$0
$39
$99.99 + sub
$0-$199
First-year registered agent
Free
Free
Not bundled
Free on Pro
Privacy by default on filing
✗
✓
✗
✗
EIN included
Gold tier
DIY at IRS
With Premium
Pro tier
Ongoing attorney Q&A
✗
✗
✓
✗
Compliance reminders
~
~
✗
✓
Upsell pressure at checkoutLower is better; reflects buyer reports
high
none
moderate
low
Year-2 registered agent renewal
$119/yr
$125/yr
Separate
$199/yr
Cost at your volume
Approximate cost per pick at typical year of LLC ownership.
Pick
Year 11 year of LLC ownership
Year 2 cumulative2 year of LLC ownership
Year 3 cumulative3 year of LLC ownership
Bizee (formerly Incfile)
Free
$119/mo
$238/mo
Northwest Registered Agent
$39/mo
$164/mo
$289/mo
Rocket Lawyer
$580/mo
$1,060/mo
$1,540/mo
ZenBusiness
$199/mo
$398/mo
$597/mo
Three-year cumulative cost of formation plus registered agent (or equivalent subscription), excluding state filing fees, which are constant across providers (typically $50-$300 depending on state). Rocket Lawyer totals include Premium subscription for the document plus attorney value; the others quote formation plus registered agent only. LegalZoom Pro benchmark: $249 year one, $747 cumulative over three years on the same exclusion basis.
Bizee (formerly Incfile) is what LegalZoom would look like if LegalZoom never charged a service fee for filing. The Silver tier files an LLC for state fee only and includes one year of registered agent service free, which is the cheapest credible entry point in the category for a first-time founder forming a single-state LLC.
The trade: the checkout flow leans hard on upsells (trademark search, tax planning, BOI filing assistance), the Silver-tier preparation window runs three to four weeks before the state filing happens, and customer support is slower than LegalZoom's. None of that affects the legal outcome, but it does affect the experience of getting there.
The upside: at year three, the cumulative cost of formation plus registered agent runs roughly a third of LegalZoom Pro's. The savings are larger than the LegalZoom service charge itself, and the Gold tier remains less expensive than LegalZoom Pro even after adding EIN and operating agreement.
“LegalZoom charges significantly more for essentially the same service, and their ongoing registered agent fee is the highest in the category.”
Strengths
+Silver tier is state fee only
+First-year registered agent free
+Lifetime company alerts included
+Gold tier covers EIN and operating agreement
Trade-offs
−Year-2 registered agent renewal at $119/yr
−Customer support slower than LegalZoom
−Heavy upsell flow during checkout
Silver
$0 + state fee
Gold
$199
Platinum
$299
RA year 2
$119/yr
Pricing verified
2026-05-12
Migration steps
Pull your state's filing fee from the secretary of state website before you start.
Pick Silver if you only need filing, or Gold if you want EIN, operating agreement, and IRS Form 2553 bundled.
Walk through bizee.com and decline the trademark, tax, and accounting upsells on the way to checkout.
If you went Silver, request your EIN free at irs.gov/ein once the LLC is approved.
Calendar the year-two registered agent renewal so the $119 charge does not surprise you.
Not for: Skip Bizee if you want a clean checkout with no upsell pressure; ZenBusiness or Northwest are calmer on that front.
Northwest Registered Agent is the privacy-first lane in the category. The flat $39 formation fee plus state covers the filing, and their own address goes on the public record by default, which keeps your home address out of the secretary of state's database and off the data-broker pipeline that follows.
The trade: the web UI feels older than LegalZoom or ZenBusiness, EIN filing is not bundled in the base price (you self-serve free at irs.gov), and the document library is narrower if you wanted formation plus a template library on one invoice.
The upside: no aggressive upsell calls, no trademark cross-sells, no surprise upgrades during checkout. The attorney and small-accountant referral reputation in this category is among the best, and the registered agent service is the operationally calmest in the segment.
“Northwest really values customers' privacy, so they keep your address off public records and don't sell your data to third parties.”
Strengths
+Flat fee plus state for full filing
+Privacy by default; their address on public filings
+No upsell calls or marketing harassment
+Clean attorney and accountant referral reputation
Trade-offs
−No EIN service in base price (DIY at irs.gov is free)
−Less polished web UI than newer competitors
−Narrower legal-document library
Formation
$39 + state fee
Registered agent
$125/yr (yr 2+)
Privacy
Their address on public filings
Founded
1998
Pricing verified
2026-05-12
Migration steps
Confirm your state's filing fee on the secretary of state website.
File on northwestregisteredagent.com; the flat $39 covers filing and the first year of registered agent service.
Request your EIN free at irs.gov/ein once the LLC is approved.
Save the operating agreement template Northwest provides, sign it, and store it offline with your formation documents.
Set a year-two reminder for the registered agent renewal so the calendar is in your control, not theirs.
Not for: Skip Northwest if you want a modern, design-led web flow or a one-stop bundle that ships formation plus trademark plus copyright on one invoice.
Rocket Lawyer skips formation as the wedge and sells ongoing legal access instead. Premium membership runs at the same rate as LegalZoom's Legal Plan, includes unlimited document creation, and bundles Ask a Lawyer attorney sessions plus 40 percent off broader legal services. For owners who anticipate a steady drumbeat of contractor agreements, lease reviews, and employment letters without paying for dedicated counsel, this is the right shape.
The trade: cancellation can require phone support, the document library is narrower than LawDepot's, and attorney Q&A is asynchronous one-business-day replies rather than open-ended counsel.
The upside: the seven-day free trial lets you draft documents and cancel without paying, and member LLC formation comes in less expensive than LegalZoom Pro. For ongoing legal work, the monthly subscription pays for itself after two documents.
Strengths
+Premium includes Ask a Lawyer plus unlimited documents
+7-day free trial lets you test before paying
+Member LLC formation cheaper than LegalZoom Pro
+40% off broader legal services for members
Trade-offs
−Membership cancellation can require phone support
−Document library narrower than LawDepot's
−Attorney Q&A is asynchronous one-business-day replies
Premium
$39.99/mo
Annual
$239.88/yr
Member LLC
$99.99 one-time
Free trial
7 days
Pricing verified
2026-05-12
Migration steps
Sign up for the seven-day free trial and draft your first three documents inside the trial window.
Confirm the templates and the Ask a Lawyer response time match your workflow before the trial expires.
Continue on monthly Premium, switch to the discounted annual rate, or downgrade to per-document pricing.
If you have not formed yet, use the member LLC formation while your subscription is active.
Calendar your renewal date so you control the next billing cycle decision.
Not for: Skip Rocket Lawyer if you only need a one-time LLC filing and no ongoing documents; Bizee or Northwest is cheaper for formation alone.
ZenBusiness is the most design-forward shop in the formation segment. The Starter tier matches Bizee Silver at state fee only. Pro at $199 adds EIN, faster filing, and a year of Worry-Free Compliance, which surfaces annual report deadlines and BOI filing reminders before they cost you fees. The onboarding flow is the calmest of the budget filers.
The trade: the Worry-Free Compliance renewal in year two is the same $199 as the Pro tier itself, which means the long-run cost climbs faster than Bizee or Northwest. The Premium tier's bundled website and email are weak compared to dedicated builders, and phone support hours are weekday-only.
The upside: Pro comes in less expensive than LegalZoom Pro while shipping the same core deliverables (formation, EIN, registered agent, compliance reminders), and the onboarding is polished enough that the first-time founder rarely needs to call support at all.
Strengths
+Starter matches Bizee Silver at state fee only
+Pro includes EIN, faster filing, compliance reminders
+Onboarding is the calmest in the segment
+Annual report deadlines surfaced before they cost fees
Trade-offs
−Year-2 Worry-Free Compliance renewal stays at $199/yr
−Premium website tier weaker than dedicated builders
−Phone support is weekday-only
Starter
$0 + state fee
Pro
$199
Premium
$299
Year-2 compliance
$199/yr
Pricing verified
2026-05-12
Migration steps
Confirm your state's filing fee on the secretary of state website.
Pick Starter for cheapest filing, or Pro if you want EIN, faster filing, and compliance reminders bundled.
Walk through zenbusiness.com; the onboarding flow asks the right questions without piling on upsells.
If you went Pro, decide before the year-two renewal whether the compliance reminders are worth $199 or you would rather DIY the annual report.
Not for: Skip ZenBusiness if you want privacy by default on the public filing; Northwest is shaped better for that constraint.
LawDepot Pro is the cheapest annual unlimited template library in the category. The library covers NDAs, contractor agreements, leases, employment letters, wills, and the usual long-tail of small-business documents at roughly $9/mo on the annual plan. For owners whose real LegalZoom usage is the document library plus occasional drafting rather than ongoing legal counsel, LawDepot earns its place.
The trade: no attorney consult, no live legal advice, and the UI feels older than Rocket Lawyer's. Auto-renewal can also catch users who forgot to calendar the cancel date.
The upside: the cost is roughly a fifth of Rocket Lawyer Premium for the document-only use case, and the pay-per-document option at $39 covers occasional one-off needs without a subscription commitment. Document quality compares well to Rocket Lawyer's library on the most common contract templates.
Strengths
+Cheapest annual unlimited templates in the category
+Save and edit documents later
+Pay-per-document option for occasional users
+BOI filing template included on Pro
Trade-offs
−No attorney consult or live legal advice
−Auto-renewal can catch users who forgot to cancel
−UI feels older than Rocket Lawyer's
Pro annual
$107.88/yr ($8.99/mo equiv)
Per document
$39
Templates
1,000+
Founded
2001
Pricing verified
2026-05-12
Migration steps
List the documents you draft most often (NDA, contractor, lease, employment, BOI filing).
Start the seven-day free trial and draft your top three to five templates inside the window.
Continue on the Pro annual subscription for unlimited drafting, or revert to pay-per-document.
Set a calendar reminder for the renewal date so you control the next billing decision.
Not for: Skip LawDepot if you want any form of attorney access; pair with Rocket Lawyer Premium if you need templates plus live legal Q&A.
When to stay with LegalZoom
Stay with LegalZoom if you want one brand handling formation plus an in-house attorney consult, you have a multi-state filing, or you value the brand recognition with banks and lenders. The picks below address cheaper formation, better registered-agent privacy, and unlimited document libraries.
LegalZoom alternatives are scored on the workload that drives switching: cheapest LLC filing, privacy by default, attorney access at lower monthly, polished compliance bundle, or unlimited document library. Each pick leads on one of those dimensions rather than competing across all of them.
Pricing was pulled from each vendor's site on the review date and re-checked at the May 2026 back-fill. State filing fees vary from roughly $50 to $300 depending on the state and are paid to the secretary of state regardless of provider, so they are excluded from the cost-comparison table.
The three-year usage cost model assumes a single-state LLC kept in good standing with formation plus registered agent across providers. Rocket Lawyer's number includes Premium subscription because that subscription is the actual product Rocket Lawyer sells; subtract it if you are comparing formation only.
Update history2 updates
Initial published version with 5 picks.
Back-fill to Stage 2 schema: structured verdict with deep-links, quick verdict, feature matrix, three-year usage cost table, sourced testimonials, per-pick author ratings. LawDepot Pro updated to current $107.88/yr.
Frequently asked questions about LegalZoom alternatives
Is LegalZoom Pro LLC worth $249?
For owners who want one brand handling formation plus a quick attorney consult, the simplicity has value. For owners just forming a single-state LLC, Bizee on the Silver tier and Northwest on the flat fee both cover the same legal outcome for far less.
What is a registered agent and why does it matter?
A registered agent is the legal point of contact for service of process and state correspondence. Most providers include the first year free, then charge between $99 and $150 per year. Northwest charges $125/yr and uses their own address on public filings by default; LegalZoom is comparable but pricier on the renewal.
Do I need an EIN included with formation?
No. The IRS issues EINs free at irs.gov/ein in about five minutes. Some providers bundle EIN as a paid upsell, but the DIY path is simple, well-documented, and identical in legal outcome.
Is LegalZoom's Legal Plan the same as Rocket Lawyer Premium?
Both run at $39.99/mo for unlimited document creation plus attorney access. LegalZoom's Legal Plan leans more toward individual life events (wills, estate planning); Rocket Lawyer leans business. Both offer 40 percent off broader legal services for members.
What about forming in Delaware versus my home state?
Most owners should form in their home state. Delaware adds out-of-state filing complexity and Delaware franchise tax, which is rarely worth it for a single-state operating business. Form in Delaware only for a specific reason like venture capital expectations or anticipated multi-state operations.
Ready to switch?
Our top LegalZoom alternative: Bizee (formerly Incfile)
Bizee Silver files an LLC for state fee only and includes a year of registered agent free, which is the cheapest credible path in the category for first-time founders forming a single-state LLC.
The team behind subrupt.com. We track subscriptions, surface cheaper alternatives, and publish comparisons where the score formula is on the page so you can recompute it yourself. We do not claim 30,000 hours of testing. What we claim is live pricing from our database, a transparent composite score, and honest savings math against a category baseline.
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