Legal Zoom Review

Friday, February 26th

2021 Company Incorporation Service Reviews

Legal Zoom

• Cost: Packages range from $149 to $369

First created in 1999, LegalZoom has served nearly four million customers across a broad spectrum of industries, through their self-guided legal services. Documents are available for topics like Intellectual Property, Wills & Trusts, and, of course, Business Formation.

We like LegalZoom's Satisfaction Guarantee: within 60 days of your purchase, you can contact this provider to request a full refund of any fees paid directly to them (in other words, you can't get a refund of any fees paid for filing with local governments or to any other third parties).

But, with respect to incorporating your company, you're probably going to find costs are substantially higher with LegalZoom. Let's take a look at their three packages:

• Economy: the most basic package costs $149 (compared with other reputable services that cost $100 or less). In this package, you'll get a preliminary business name check, the filing of your Articles of Incorporation, personalized bylaws, resolutions of the first Board of Directors meeting, and LegalZoom's $50,000 Peace of Mind Guarantee.
• Standard: the middle-tier package costs $239. In addition to the Economy package features, you'll also get a Corporate Kit (stock certificates, binder, official seal). You may not think that one feature is worth the extra $90.
• Express Gold: LegalZoom's top package is priced at $369. You'll get all of the features of the first two levels, along with priority rush service, two-day delivery on your final package, and discounted/expedited Federal Tax ID and S-Corp elections. This is the only package that includes a 30-day trial of LegalZoom's Business Advisory plan (regularly $39.99/month) that gives you 30-minute attorney consultations for new legal issues, contract/document reviews up to 10 pages, and an annual business evaluation.

For all three packages, you can choose among a number of optional services. One of the most common - and important - is the Registered Agent Service. Many of the company incorporation services we reviewed include it for free during the first year, while others may charge $99 per year. LegalZoom's fees are $159 per year, and they are not included even with the highest package level.

On the one hand, clients report fairly fast turnaround times with LegalZoom's filing process and receiving your company incorporation documents at the end of the process. They also like how easy it is to complete the process from start to finish; even the least computer-savvy individuals report being able to get their business created easily with help from LegalZoom.

On the other hand, LegalZoom's company incorporation is significantly higher than many of the services we reviewed. And, because they're a company that serves thousands of customers, some people have commented that getting someone to help them has taken longer than they anticipated.

In general, LegalZoom is trustworthy, accurate, and quick when it comes to processing your company incorporation - just be prepared that you'll pay more for the packages they offer and for the add-ons that are often included at no extra cost with other services.