Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on a link. Learn more about our process.

Nolo Review

Tuesday, March 19th

2024 LLC Formation Service Reviews

Nolo Review 3.5 Star Rating

Nolo

3.5 Star Rating
  • Basic: $49 (not including state filing fees)
  • Standard: $149 (not including state filing fees)
  • Express: $299 (not including state filing fees)
  • "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB

Nolo provides a wide range of legal resources and do-it-yourself legal solutions for individuals and small businesses. Their products and services include books, online articles, software, and legal forms covering various legal topics such as estate planning, small business, personal finance, and more. They aim to make legal information and services accessible and affordable to everyone.

Hooray for improvements and upgrades

It seems like every time we revisit Nolo to evaluate their LLC formation services, we see vast improvements over the previous review. The company started out only offering books and forms, then later upgraded to serve as an online platform for creating an LLC - but their prices were much higher than many rival services. This time around, we were happy to see that Nolo compares quite favorably with a starting price of just $49.

Three options for pricing and services

You'll follow a three-step process to use Nolo. First, enter your preferred LLC name and choose the state in which you want to form it. Then answer a few more questions about the desired structure of your LLC and choose which of Nolo's three packages is best suited to your business needs.

  • The Basic package is at that $49 price point we mentioned. It comes with LLC Name Validation, Articles of Organization Filing, Automated Error Checking, a Guide to Formalizing Your LLC, and customer service support via phone. You can expect it to take 2-3 weeks to file your paperwork.
  • Upgrade to the Standard package at $149 and your services will also include the IRS Application for EIN and access to 30+ business forms like Independent Contractor Agreements, NDAs, Minutes of LLC Meetings, and so on. The filing timeframe will be the same: about 2-3 weeks.
  • When you jump up to the Express package at $299, you'll get priority rush filing (7-10 business days) along with a Personalized LLC Records Kit & Seal.

Take a few minutes to fill out the questions

Next, you'll complete the step-by-step guide that walks you through the process of filling out your LLC formation documents online. For a Basic filing, Nolo estimates that you could be done and dusted within just a few minutes - but take your time, because your progress will be saved as you go and you can file whenever you're ready.

Best LLC Formation Services

Time to submit and file

Finally, when you've submitted all of the required answers to Nolo's questions, they'll take over from there and get your LLC formation documents filed in your state. Remember that the package fees don't include any applicable state filing costs, but Nolo tells you upfront what you'll pay in the state you indicated.

Discounts may be offered

When we visited the Nolo site most recently, we got a pop-up offering a 10% discount on any small business formation services (LLC, Corporation, Non-Profit). The only requirement was entering our email address to subscribe to periodic emails from Nolo. Then as we browsed a little longer, we got a separate pop-up giving us a $15 discount; clicking on the "Redeem Now" button put the savings in our checkout automatically, and we didn't even have to sign up for emails.

Not enough feedback specific to LLC formation

We were excited to see that, according to Nolo, their LLC formation service had over 1000 reviews on Google averaging 4.4 out of 5 stars. But when we clicked Nolo's link to see those reviews, all we got was an error - leaving us to rely on the six scrolling ratings on the Nolo site. It would have been helpful to see client feedback specific to LLC formation because it's hard to suss out how this particular service rates against the backdrop of Nolo's many other services. Points to Nolo for having an "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, and for vastly improving its LLC formation offerings over the years, but they could still do more to show us what people are saying about this particular service.

Good but not quite great yet

We give Nolo a bump in our rating since our last review - yay for improved pricing and expansion to three service tiers instead of just two - but we'd still need to see more feedback specific to LLC formation in order to give it a higher spot in our rankings. We can comfortably recommend Nolo as an option, but not above our top picks yet.

Which LLC Formation Service is the Best?

LLC formation is a common way for small business owners to limit their personal liability while operating their company. A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a hybrid business entity that combines the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the liability protection of a corporation. LLCs are a popular structure for many small businesses because they offer many of the benefits of a corporation without the same level of complexity and formality.

Forming an LLC typically involves filing articles of organization with the state in which the business will operate. Your specific process and requirements for forming an LLC may vary depending on the state where you're doing business, but it generally requires selecting a unique business name, designating a registered agent, and paying a fee. Some states may have additional requirements such as issuing an operating agreement or publishing a notice of formation in a local newspaper.

The Best LLC Formation Services Compare LLC Formation Services Compare LLC Formation Service Reviews What are the best LLC Formation Services Best LLC Formation Service Reviews

LLC Formation Service FAQ

LLC stands for "Limited Liability Company". It's one of several legally-recognized business structures in the United States.
When you change your business from a sole proprietorship or partnership to an LLC, it helps protect your personal assets from any legal actions that might be taken against your business. In other words, you won't lose your home, automobile, or savings if your company is sued.
Both incorporation and forming an LLC give you legal protection. LLCs are less complicated to create and maintain, and they're the most common structure for smaller businesses that don't plan to go public or to do business internationally.
Not necessarily. Filing fees vary by state. Also, there are a wide range of services that can help you complete the paperwork and ensure that it's done correctly. These providers' fees range from $39.99 to $799, depending on the level of service you select.
You can complete your LLC paperwork in a matter of minutes! Some providers of LLC formation services can get your application filed that same day. From there, it depends on the turnaround time in your specific state.
Absolutely! Some of the most reputable services take you from start-to-finish without ever having to print out a piece of paper or touch a document. However, other providers only give you access to the applicable forms, and you're on your own both to fill them out and to file them with your state.
You'll find a wide range of options when looking for help in forming your LLC, and most of them have a well-established history and positive reputation. Be sure to look for customer reviews and/or a good rating from the Better Business Bureau, as extra reassurance that the service you've selected is reliable.
Fortunately, most providers of LLC formation services have some kind of satisfaction guarantee. The only caveat is that any fees paid on your behalf to a third party (e.g. state filing fees) will probably not be refunded.
Compare the Best Reviews

Continued from above...

There are many services that can help with LLC formation for small businesses. Many of these services offer a range of options for businesses at various price points, from basic do-it-yourself kits to more comprehensive packages that may include assistance with obtaining tax identification numbers, preparing and filing annual reports, and ongoing compliance support.

Which of these services should you choose? You want to get it right the first time, and forming an LLC can be complicated. Here are some of the most important criteria you should keep in mind as you choose how to take that next step for your business:

  • Included services. What will you get when you sign up as a client? Does it include concierge-level assistance or will you be doing a lot of the legwork yourself? How personalized are the LLC formation services? Can you get one-on-one help if you need it?
  • Cost. What will you pay to access the LLC formation services? Is it a comprehensive one-time fee, or will you discover extra charges as you move through the process? Does the service offer a solid value for what you're spending to form your LLC?
  • Client feedback. What do other small business owners say about their experiences using the LLC formation service? Is there a lot of feedback to consider, or just a handful of comments (or even complaints)? Has the Better Business Bureau weighed in on the company? If so, is the service highly-rated and accredited?

Because forming an LLC can be an important step to protect your personal assets and limit your liability as a business owner, Top Consumer Reviews has evaluated and ranked today's most popular services. We're confident that our comprehensive reviews will help you choose the right provider to help you navigate the process.

Compare LLC Formation Services

Select any 2 LLC Formation Services to compare them head to head

best-llc-formation-services
  • Incfile
  • Inc Authority
  • My Company Works
  • FileNow
  • Corp Net
  • Swyft Filings
  • Business Rocket
  • My Corporation
  • Nolo
  • Biz Filings
  • Rocket Lawyer
  • Harbor Compliance
  • LegalZoom
  • Find Legal Forms
Incfile vs Inc Authority Incfile vs My Company Works Incfile vs FileNow Incfile vs Corp Net Incfile vs Swyft Filings Incfile vs Business Rocket Incfile vs My Corporation Incfile vs Nolo Incfile vs Biz Filings Incfile vs Rocket Lawyer Incfile vs Harbor Compliance Incfile vs LegalZoom Incfile vs Find Legal Forms Inc Authority vs My Company Works Inc Authority vs FileNow Inc Authority vs Corp Net Inc Authority vs Swyft Filings Inc Authority vs Business Rocket Inc Authority vs My Corporation Inc Authority vs Nolo Inc Authority vs Biz Filings Inc Authority vs Rocket Lawyer Inc Authority vs Harbor Compliance Inc Authority vs LegalZoom Inc Authority vs Find Legal Forms My Company Works vs FileNow My Company Works vs Corp Net My Company Works vs Swyft Filings My Company Works vs Business Rocket My Company Works vs My Corporation My Company Works vs Nolo My Company Works vs Biz Filings My Company Works vs Rocket Lawyer My Company Works vs Harbor Compliance My Company Works vs LegalZoom My Company Works vs Find Legal Forms FileNow vs Corp Net FileNow vs Swyft Filings FileNow vs Business Rocket FileNow vs My Corporation FileNow vs Nolo FileNow vs Biz Filings FileNow vs Rocket Lawyer FileNow vs Harbor Compliance FileNow vs LegalZoom FileNow vs Find Legal Forms Corp Net vs Swyft Filings Corp Net vs Business Rocket Corp Net vs My Corporation Corp Net vs Nolo Corp Net vs Biz Filings Corp Net vs Rocket Lawyer Corp Net vs Harbor Compliance Corp Net vs LegalZoom Corp Net vs Find Legal Forms Swyft Filings vs Business Rocket Swyft Filings vs My Corporation Swyft Filings vs Nolo Swyft Filings vs Biz Filings Swyft Filings vs Rocket Lawyer Swyft Filings vs Harbor Compliance Swyft Filings vs LegalZoom Swyft Filings vs Find Legal Forms Business Rocket vs My Corporation Business Rocket vs Nolo Business Rocket vs Biz Filings Business Rocket vs Rocket Lawyer Business Rocket vs Harbor Compliance Business Rocket vs LegalZoom Business Rocket vs Find Legal Forms My Corporation vs Nolo My Corporation vs Biz Filings My Corporation vs Rocket Lawyer My Corporation vs Harbor Compliance My Corporation vs LegalZoom My Corporation vs Find Legal Forms Nolo vs Biz Filings Nolo vs Rocket Lawyer Nolo vs Harbor Compliance Nolo vs LegalZoom Nolo vs Find Legal Forms Biz Filings vs Rocket Lawyer Biz Filings vs Harbor Compliance Biz Filings vs LegalZoom Biz Filings vs Find Legal Forms Rocket Lawyer vs Harbor Compliance Rocket Lawyer vs LegalZoom Rocket Lawyer vs Find Legal Forms Harbor Compliance vs LegalZoom Harbor Compliance vs Find Legal Forms LegalZoom vs Find Legal Forms
Compare the Best LLC Formation Services
- VS -
Review the Best LLC Formation Services
See the Best LLC Formation Service
The Best Reviews of LLC Formation Services