Three companies selling the same service at almost the same prices, which is what makes the choice look like a coin flip from the outside. The prices are not the difference and neither is the paperwork: all three file the same form with the same state and return the same LLC.
The difference is a single line about what happens after the first year, and it is printed by all three. Everything below was read from their own pages on September 27, 2026, and the sources are listed at the end.
Three Ladders, Nearly Identical Numbers
| Free tier | Middle tier | Top tier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | $0 plus state fee | $249 plus state fee | $299 plus state fee |
| Bizee | $0 plus state fee | $199 plus state fee, one-time payment | $299 plus state fee, one-time payment |
| ZenBusiness | $0 plus state fees, does not renew | $199 plus state fees, renews at $199 a year | $299 plus state fees, renews at $299 a year |
Read across the middle line and the three companies are within $50 of each other. Read the fine print in each cell and they are not selling the same thing at all.
The Line That Changes the Total
ZenBusiness is the most explicit of the three about it, and it does itself credit by printing the whole contrast on one page: its free Starter tier is labelled "does not renew", its Pro package is labelled "renews at $199/yr" and its Premium "renews at $299/yr". Bizee prints that its packages are one-time payments. LegalZoom's formation fees are one-time as well, and two features inside its paid tiers convert into subscriptions once their included period ends: attorney consultations at $49 a month and bookkeeping tools at $9.99 a month, both cancellable.
Put three years on it. ZenBusiness's middle tier is $597 across three years at the printed renewal price, before any state fee. Bizee's middle tier is $199 once. That is the whole difference between the two $199 signs in the table above, and it is the reason a comparison that reads only the headline prices gets this decision wrong.
None of that makes the ZenBusiness renewal a trick. A compliance subscription that files your annual report every year is a real service, and their page says what it covers: state-required annual report filings and up to two amendments a year. The trap is only for the person who reads $199, plans for $199, and meets $199 again next spring.
What the $0 Tier Includes
At all three, the free tier does the filing. LegalZoom's Basic prepares and files the articles of organization with a business name check. Bizee's Basic is described as its core features for the lowest price. ZenBusiness's Starter includes standard 7 to 10 day processing, with its paid tiers promising one business day.
None of the free tiers includes an operating agreement, an EIN or a registered agent, which are the three things a new LLC is usually told it needs. Two of them are cheaper elsewhere: the EIN is free from the IRS, and an operating agreement is a document with widely available templates. The registered agent is the one with an ongoing cost, and it is priced separately at all three.
What All Three Charge Extra For
The line items are nearly the same menu at every company, which is evidence of how the category makes its money:
- ZenBusiness publishes the most prices: $199 a year for registered agent service, $99 one time for an EIN, and $99 one time for an operating agreement.
- LegalZoom lists registered agent, annual report, EIN, operating agreement, virtual mail and dissolution as compliance services sold alongside the formation rather than inside it.
- Bizee lists the same shape in its service menu: annual report, registered agent service, articles of amendment, foreign qualification, certificate of good standing, reinstatement and dissolution.
The monthly cost of an LLC lives in that list, not in the formation price. A registered agent at $199 a year plus an annual report filing is the recurring part, and it lands on every provider in the category.
The DIY Baseline
Every state publishes the articles of organization and takes the filing directly. Bizee states that the fee ranges from about $10 to $500 depending on the state, and that keeping an LLC alive usually costs at least $100 a year and rarely more than $1,000.
Against that, the $199 to $299 tiers are a fee for a guided flow, a name check, and someone to call. That is worth paying once, for a first LLC, in a state whose portal fights back. It is not worth paying three times, which is what happens when the tier is a subscription and nobody noticed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do LegalZoom, Bizee and ZenBusiness charge the same prices?
Almost line for line. All three sell a $0 tier plus the state filing fee. Bizee and ZenBusiness both price their middle tier at $199 and their top tier at $299, and LegalZoom prices its middle tier at $249 and its top at $299. The numbers are close enough that the price is not the decision.
What is the difference between them then?
What happens in year two. ZenBusiness prints that its Pro and Premium packages renew at $199 and $299 a year. Bizee prints that its packages are one-time payments. LegalZoom’s formation tiers are one-time as well, with two features inside them that turn into subscriptions afterwards: attorney consultations renew at $49 a month and bookkeeping tools at $9.99 a month.
What does the $0 tier include at each?
The filing that creates the LLC, at all three. LegalZoom’s Basic adds a business name check, and Bizee describes its Basic as the core features for the lowest price. ZenBusiness’s Starter includes standard 7 to 10 day processing. None of the three includes an operating agreement, an EIN or a registered agent on the free tier.
What do they charge extra for?
A registered agent and the annual report, at all three. ZenBusiness publishes $199 a year for registered agent service, $99 one time for an EIN and $99 one time for an operating agreement. LegalZoom lists registered agent, annual report, EIN, operating agreement, virtual mail and dissolution among its compliance services rather than in the formation tiers. Bizee’s service menu lists the same shape: annual report, registered agent, amendments, foreign qualification, reinstatement and dissolution.
Should I just file the LLC myself?
For a simple single-member LLC in a state with a working portal, yes. The form is short, the fee is the state’s, and Bizee states that the fee ranges from about $10 to $500 depending on the state. What you buy from any of the three is a guided flow and a support line, not a different legal result.
Sources
Prices, renewal terms and quoted wording were checked against these pages on September 27, 2026.
- LegalZoom LLC pricing, for the $0, $249 and $299 tiers, the included features, and the $49 a month and $9.99 a month renewal terms
- Bizee pricing, for the $0, $199 and $299 packages, the one-time payment terms, the service menu, and the stated range of state fees
- ZenBusiness LLC packages, for the $0, $199 and $299 tiers with their $199 a year and $299 a year renewals, and the $199 a year registered agent, $99 EIN and $99 operating agreement prices
For one of these three on its own, see the LegalZoom LLC review. For the pair, see Incfile, now Bizee, vs LegalZoom. For whether to form one at all, see Do you need an LLC for a side hustle.
