Incfile vs ZenBusiness Review 2023: Which One to Choose?
If you’re wondering which business formation service to use between Incfile vs ZenBusiness, you’ve come to the right spot.
You may have decided on a Limited Liability Company as your business entity. Using an LLC formation company allows you to get up and running without worrying about completing the necessary paperwork.
So, how do you decide on the right one for your new business?
Both ZenBusiness and Incfile can complete your formation documents and submit them to the appropriate state agencies. Which one is right for you? We took a close look at Incfile vs ZenBusiness, so you don’t have to.
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Incfile vs ZenBusiness: Key Points
If you want the long and short of the LLC provider comparison between Incfile and ZenBusiness all wrapped up neatly with a bow, then you have come to the right place.
In our opinion, Incfile is a great budget-friendly option if you do not mind constant sales messages trying to get you to upgrade. After all, it lets you file for your new LLC without any fees except the state filing fees.
Very few companies can think of competing with such a model. However, if excellent customer service and quick turnaround are higher priorities for you at this time, then you may be better off going with ZenBusiness. That’s because ZenBusiness offers quick turnarounds at a higher price point. Additionally, their customer support team is available throughout the week.
Comparing ZenBusiness vs Incfile, both companies have excellent track records and offer reliable and affordable services. In addition, they both offer registered agent services and will alert you about the required filings that you are responsible for. Here are the highlights for each to help you make a more informed decision for your new business:
Incfile
If you are looking for the basics from an LLC formation company at bargain-basement prices, then Incfile is a great choice. They offer:
- Free LLC formation. You only pay the state filing fees to start your LLC (This is a great deal compared to other companies that charge for the service.)
- One free year of registered agent service with filing
- Reminder emails for filing and business licensing deadlines
- A user-friendly website
- Order status tracking
While those are great features, there are also a few negatives you may encounter when using Incfile. These include:
- A lot of sales pitches for upgraded services and products
- Somewhat slow response time from the customer service team
- Operating agreement isn’t included in the package, but articles of organization are.
For more detailed information about our impressions of Incfile, check out our full review of their services.
ZenBusiness
Excellent customer service and fast response times are the key features that ZenBusiness brings to the table. Here is a quick rundown of what you get in their Starter package costing $0 + state fees:
- One- to two-week standard turnaround on paperwork
- Worry-free compliance services for one year
- Name availability search
- Preparation and filing of articles of organization
- Expense and deduction tracking features
- Order tracking on your personalized business dashboard
ZenBusiness also offers a few really nice perks that would cost you extra with other providers, such as a free operating agreement and accounting assessment. Additionally, it offers numerous ancillary services from which you can choose the ones you deem fit. Click here to see our full review of their service and compare packages.
Full Comparison of Incfile vs ZenBusiness
Now that you’ve got a basic overview of what Incfile and ZenBusiness have to offer, it’s time to dive deeper into comparing each service based on various parameters. We’ve broken down each feature for a head-to-head comparison for you.
You do not have to take our word for it. Instead, we want you to delve deeper into what each service offers before making an informed choice. And that’s exactly why we’ve broken down the key features of each provider’s base package here. A caveat here — the comparison doesn’t include their higher-tier packages, though.
Pricing: It's Hard To Beat Free
You will have plenty of places to devote your financial resources when you’re starting your business and even once you get up and running, which is why it is hard to beat a free LLC formation provider like Incfile. That’s because other providers charge fees for what they offer for free, leading to great cost savings. However, cost and value are not necessarily the same thing.
This chart offers a breakdown of the costs when comparing Incfile vs ZenBusiness and what you get with each one.
Incfile
- Free base package + state fees
- Free registered agent service for one year
- Gold package ($149 + state fees) includes extras like an operating agreement, express shipping, and EIN service
- Speed of filing remains the same for all plans
ZenBusiness
- $49.00 + state fees for their basic package
- Free registered agent service for one year
- Pro package ($199 + state fees) includes annual reports, EIN service, and a banking resolution template
- Premium package ($299 + state fees) provides filing in 1-2 days, a domain name, and a customizable website.
While the comparison between pricing on Incfile vs ZenBusiness is close, we think that you get a slightly better value with the latter. You will get a few more features that make the $49 price tag feel like the great bargain it is. For that reason, we give this category to ZenBusiness. This is especially true given its great customer service, which leads to a better experience.
Of course, if you want just the essential services and saving money is at the top of your mind, you cannot go wrong with Incfile’s free offering. It’s also faster when it comes to filing speed, as ZenBusiness offers faster services only with higher-tier plans.
Once you start looking at higher-tiered plans, both companies offer comparable services, and the price will likely not be the deciding factor.
Customer Service: Quick Responses
ZenBusiness is the clear winner in this category. Although they are a younger company than Incfile, their customer reviews are stellar, and they have an A rating with the Better Business Bureau. The best part here is that their customer support team is available every day of the week, including Sunday. Check out this side-by-side comparison of the two:
Incfile
- No BBB accreditation or rating is available
- Lagging response times of up to a week
- Phone and email support options
- Slow customer service reviews by customers
ZenBusiness
- BBB accredited and A-rated, with excellent reviews across the board
- Outstanding customer feedback regarding response times and customer satisfaction
- Phone, email, and chat support options
- Quick responses and availability of the customer service team
If customer service and quick response times matter to you, you may want to look more closely at ZenBusiness. Incfile isn’t the best option in this comparison.
Filing Speed: Start Your Business Faster
Some things are worth waiting for, but your new business paperwork should not have to be one of them. That is why efficient document preparation can make or break a company’s reputation when it comes to LLC formation.
Additionally, it can help you save up on the time that you need to get your business up and running. If you end up taking too long to get started, it could also impact your startup budget.
So, are you in a hurry to get your business up and running? Then filing speeds and response times may be the most important features you consider as they can make all the difference in starting your business. Here is how Incfile and ZenBusiness compare on this front:
Incfile
- Most formation paperwork is completed and submitted within one business day
- Turnaround times depend on state wait times, which you can see on the company website
- You can opt for expedited service for an additional fee
- The filing speed remains the same irrespective of the package you choose, including the free package
ZenBusiness
- Priority preparation available for higher-tiered plans but is generally very quick compared to other companies
- Total turnaround times will vary depending on your state's estimated wait times
- You will have to upgrade to the $299 premium package to get priority rush document preparation with ZenBusiness
- The basic $49 package offers 1-2 week turnaround time for business filing, as compared to a couple of days for the premium package
We like that Incfile does not prioritize its higher-tiered packages over the free ones and that they offer a one-day turnaround for preparation. On the other hand, ZenBusiness is quite slow in this regard, and you would have to leverage the premium package to match Incfile’s speed. These features make Incfile the clear winner in this category. However, if the filing speed isn’t the most important factor for you, ZenBusiness would still be a good choice.
Ease of Filing Process: Formation Simplified
When comparing Incfile vs ZenBusiness, you want to be sure to look at how easy each one is to use. After all, one of the reasons you are using a formation service is to make the process as simple as possible. Else, the tasks could become complicated quite quickly. Luckily, both companies shine in this area. This chart offers a breakdown of the features that make them frontrunners when it comes to LLC provider comparison for ease of the filing process.
Incfile
- An intuitive and easy-to-use web portal
- Full-featured customer dashboard personalized for your state
- Digital copies of all prepared and filed documents for ease of access
ZenBusiness
- They handle everything once you fill out the provided information form
- Comprehensive customer dashboard which improves the transparency
- Access to digital documents through the dashboard
Incfile comes out as the winner in this category, too. Both companies offer easy-to-use web portals and comprehensive customer dashboards, but we think that Incfile is just a bit more intuitive and user-friendly. That gives it a slight edge over ZenBusiness, especially given the fact that you get access to these features even with a free plan.
Company Track Record: Which One’s Older?
Incfile holds the upper hand in this area. They have been around since 2004 and have helped over half a million businesses file their initial paperwork. This experience of 18+ years easily makes them one of the most experienced companies in the US when it comes to business formation. In the process, they have earned thousands of positive reviews. That level of experience is hard to compete with.
ZenBusiness is up to the task, though. Even though it’s a relative newcomer to the industry and only started off in 2015, it’s made some quick strides during these seven years of operation. In fact, in the relatively brief period they have been up and running, ZenBusiness has consistently ranked high in customer satisfaction surveys. In addition, they have earned an excellent score of 4.7 (out of 5) on Trustpilot with an overwhelming number of five-star reviews. Their superior customer service has also helped them win loads of new customers. It’s not surprising then that they’ve helped over 300K businesses to date within such a short period.
If you want an experienced provider, Incfile is the clear winner here. However, if you are willing to give a newer company a chance, the ZenBusiness reviews speak for themselves.
Registered Agent Service: Who’s More Affordable?
Registered agents serve to receive mail and legal notices on your business’s behalf. The most important thing here, though, is that they must be available to do this during regular business hours. You can be your own agent; however, that means you will have to be available to receive deliveries and notices at your address. For that reason, many people choose to hire an independent service to act as their registered agent. This ensures that they’ll always be available to accept notices or communication on your behalf.
This may seem like a minor thing, but the law states that every LLC must have a registered agent on file with the state. In our opinion, that moves having an affordable, reliable registered agent up the priority list a bit. Without a registered agent, it becomes pretty much impossible to run your new LLC business.
The good part here is that you don’t need to go out looking for someone to become your registered agent. Instead, you can just head to Incfile or ZenBusiness to do it for you.
Incfile provides free registered agent services to all those who opt for their LLC formation services for the first year. On the other hand, while a registered agent isn’t provided by ZenBusiness, they do give worry-free compliance service free for the first year.
If you wish to continue registered agent services from Incfile, you’ll have to pay $119 per year after the first year. With ZenBusiness, you can get a registered agent for $199 per year right from the first year of operation.
Considering that a separate registered agent service can easily cost upward of $200 per year, you are getting a good value with either company.
We call it a tie between ZenBusiness and Incfile when it comes to their registered agent services. But if you look at it from a purely cost-oriented perspective, Incfile is the better option as you end up spending a lot less on the registered agent services in the long run when you choose to leverage their services.
Extra Features: Where to Find Better Options?
You don’t necessarily need to stick to the pre-designed plans offered by these business formation companies. Instead, you can choose to leverage different services by them as per your requirements.
What’s more?
Even if you have chosen a package offered by them, you can always choose to add more ancillary services to it by choosing from the bouquet of services that these companies offer.
Now here’s the thing — both these companies offer numerous such additional services that you can take advantage of. Let’s compare the two of them.
Incfile
- Helps with company name change, virtual address, EIN, etc.
- Can get your Certificate of Good Standing
- Helps you form C- and S-Corporations
- Can do foreign qualifications for you as well.
ZenBusiness
- Offers special services for EIN, compliances, operating agreement, etc.
- Provides numerous helpful templates related to running a business
- Helps with continuous compliance with annual report filing services
- Special services for businesses starting in New York
- Can get Certificate of Good Standing
So, when it comes to additional services, both ZenBusiness and Incfile have a lot to offer. They both offer services like EIN, which is important for opening your business bank account.
But that’s not all.
While Incfile offers certain services like foreign qualifications, ZenBusiness provides business templates. This makes it a tie between the two, especially given the fact that the pricing remains pretty much the same with ZenBusiness slightly on the higher side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Incfile and ZenBusiness are both reputable business formation services that also offer other ancillary services like registered agent and taxation assistance. However, for a small business, Incfile is the better option as it offers free LLC registration. On the other hand, you’d have to pay $49 if you choose to file for your LLC with ZenBusiness.
When it comes to customer support, ZenBusiness is a clear winner. It offers prompt responses to all your questions. You can reach them through multiple modes like phone, chat, and email, unlike the Incfile customer support team, which can only be reached via phone and email. It’s also BBB-accredited.
Incfile is easily the undisputed winner when it comes to treating all its clients equally and completing their filing processes quickly. Irrespective of the plan you choose — free or paid — they treat your application with the same level of urgency. This means your business filing process will be completed within the earliest possible duration. However, ZenBusiness doesn’t do so. If you opt for their basic plan, your filing process will take longer than it would if you opt for higher-tier packages.
If you’re planning to file for a new LLC business, Incfile is easily the best option for you among the two. The reason for this is simple. It offers its LLC filing services for free, meaning you don’t have to pay anything to start your business except the state filing fees. However, with ZenBusiness, you’d have to shell out $49 for the filing plus state filing fees, making it costlier than Incfile.
When it comes to Registered Agent services, Incfile offers free Registered Agent services for the first year when you opt for their business formation services. Post that, you’ll have to pay $119/year for the same. That’s not the case with ZenBusiness, though. You don’t get free Registered Agent services but can opt for them for $199/year.
Start Your Business Today
When comparing ZenBusiness vs Incfile, you will notice both are well-established and respected companies that offer similar services. While Incfile has more experience in forming companies, ZenBusiness has become immensely popular in the short time of its operation.
Incfile is the best option if you want a budget-friendly business formation company that completes the formation process quickly too. However, it lags behind ZenBusiness when it comes to customer service. For a premium, you’ll get better services and fast business formation services from ZenBusiness. If you are ready to make your new LLC official, choose one of the two based on your requirements and start unleashing your entrepreneurial spirits.