Fact Checked by Editorial Staff
ZenBusiness is a top-rated business formation service that offers LLC formation at $0. From offering business name searches to filing formation documents, ZenBusiness offers a whole bunch of required services to establish your company. In this ZenBusiness Review, we pointed out the facts and features of this company.
As you continue reading the review, you can explore more about their services and packages and whether you should buy or bypass them. Among many of the best LLC services, ZenBusiness stands out to be the best for its “100% accuracy and transparency”.
ZenBusiness Review: A Quick Summary
The Good👍
- Standard processing speed (7-10 business days**)
- Low-cost formation services ($0 + state filing fee)
- 100% accuracy in forming an LLC
- Finest, trustworthy & dedicated customer service
- Exceptional Customer Reviews (Trustpilot)
- More than 2,00,000 new businesses formed
- Customizable Dashboard
- BBB accredited since 2019, with an “A+ rating”
The Bad👎
- No Non-profit formation
- EIN is included in the Pro and Premium packages but not in the Starter Pack
- Service Quality: 5/5
- Turnaround Time: 4.5/5
- Pricing: 5/5
- Customer Feedback: 5/5
- User Friendly: 4.5/5
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
ZenBusiness: About The Company
Ross Buhrdorf founded ZenBusiness in 2015 in Austin, Texas. In November 2017, the company declared that it had raised $200 million. Even if the company is fairly new in the market, it still stands out with its consistency & services.
ZenBusiness specializes in business formation at an affordable price. For a Limited Liability Company formation, ZenBusiness offers it at $0 plus mandatory state filing fees. The company’s core values are “Transparency, Protection, & paying it forward.” ZenBusiness has formed over 5,00,000 businesses and gained a 4.5+ rating in TrustPilot.
ZenBusiness offers three plans for LLC formation: Starter, Pro, & Premium Plan. It is perhaps the only formation service company that offers the three important features in all its Plans. Those three important features included in every Plan are LLC (Limited Liability Company) formation, email, and phone support.
Note: The credit for ZenBusiness being in the top position can be attributed to its 100% accuracy in forming an LLC & its best budget service.
Packages Offered by ZenBusiness
As mentioned above, ZenBusiness offers three Plans: Starter Plan, Pro Plan, & Premium Plan. Even the starter Plan has essential services like free registered agents & free operating agreement templates.
Starter Plan
$0 + Additional State Fees (Tax deduction may apply)
Turnaround Time: Processes in 7-10 business days**
- Worry-free compliance
- Name Availability Search
- Prepare and File LLC
- Phone and Email Support
- Online Document Access
- Statement of Organizer
- Free Accounting Consultation
- Virtual Business Guide
- Google Ads Credit
- Standard Filing Speed
Starter Plan Beneficiaries
The ZenBusiness starter plan is beneficial for small businesses & startups with comparatively tight budgets. It is cost-effective & offers all the essential services, e.g., formation document filing and operating agreement draft. With the Starter Plan, you must pay an additional cost to get an Employer Identification Number.
Pro Plan
$199 + Additional State Fees (Tax deduction may apply)
Turnaround Time: Processes in 1 business day**
- All the services included in the Standard Plan
- Operating Agreement
- Employer ID Number (EIN)
- Advertising Consultant LLC filing – ZenBusiness does everything needed to file your application to become an advertising consultant business and communicates with the state until your LLC is formalized.
- Advertising Consultant Operating Agreement
- Advertising consultant Annual Compliance service – ZenBusiness takes care of everything needed each year in your state to operate legally within your industry
Pro Plan Beneficiaries
The Pro Plan is suitable for mid-sized businesses looking for an expedited process & filing of an Employer ID Number. It is the best fit for companies; that may not be able to handle the compliance part on their own. Startups or Small business owners may regret choosing this plan because they may be paying extra for services that are not required for their businesses.
Premium Plan
$299 + Additional State Fees (Tax deduction may apply)
Turnaround Time: Processes in 1 business day**
- All services included in the Pro plan
- Fastest /Rush Filing Speed
- Business Website
- Business Domain Name
- Business Email address
Premium Plan Beneficiaries
The premium plan is all-inclusive; hence, it is suitable for bigger businesses. These companies would require an agency to manage almost everything related to the formation, Banking Procedures, Websites, Email Addresses, etc. So, the LLCs who do not want these additional services should not opt for this plan.
**Processing times are based on receiving complete information. ZenBusiness processing times do not include Secretary of State processing times, which can vary.
Add-ons Offered by ZenBusiness
Along with the standard services offered within each plan, ZenBusiness offers several other a-la-carte services. While some of these services are offered within the plans (at an additional cost), some services must be bought individually. In short, for the services offered individually, you don’t have to buy any plans. For further assistance on pricing & services, you can mail them or chat with the customer associate.
- Standalone Registered Agent Service – $99
- Business Name Reservation- $50
- Annual Report Filing- $100 + state fees
- New York Publication- $200 + publication cost
- Filing Amendment- $100 + state fees
- Certificate of Good Standing- $100 + state fees
- Business License Report- $99
- Business Document Templates Library- $99
As mentioned above, ZenBusiness offers services you can add to the plan at checkout as an upgrade. Those services are
- Expedite Filing Speed- $50
- Rush Filing Speed- $100
- Banking Resolution Template- $30
- Employer ID Number- $99
- Worry-free Compliance- $199 yearly
- Business Website- $129 yearly
- Business Domain Name- $25 yearly
- Business Domain Name Privacy- $10 yearly
- Business Email Address- $25 yearly
- Google Ads Credit- $150 value
ZenBusiness Service Plans: At a Glance
| Service | Starter | Pro | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC formation | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Name Availability Search | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Phone & Email Support | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Online Document Access | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Virtual Business Guide | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Operating Agreement Template | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Google Ads Credit | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Standard Filing speed | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Accounting Consultation | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Rush Filing speed | $100 | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Banking Resolution Template | $30 | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Employer ID Number | $99 | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Worry-free Compliance | $199/yr (1st Yr free) | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Business Website | $129/yr | $129/yr | ✔️ |
| Business Domain Name | $25/yr | $25/yr | ✔️ |
| Domain Name Privacy | $10/yr | $10/yr | ✔️ |
| Business Email Address | $25/yr | $25/yr | ✔️ |
Verdict: Should You Choose ZenBusiness or Not?
Starting a business involves much more than just filing a formation document. ZenBusiness does everything from top to toe. The biggest advantage ZenBusiness has is the pricing. It offers basic LLC formation at $0. Now, other service providers such as LegalZoom, Inc Authority, and Bizee (powered by Incfile) offer similar pricing. However, ZenBusiness surpassed all others in many ways.
ZenBusiness, unlike other services, has elaborate plans that cover everything you need to start a business. On the other side, it has a bunch of add-on services that can be clubbed with any existing packages. ZenBusiness is an ideal choice for small businesses with tight budgets. The Premium plan has a wider series of services that are suitable for medium- and large-sized companies.
ZenBusiness Registered Agent Service
With some companies, registered agent service seems to be cheaper for the first year as it comes for free. But, after a year, the price goes up sharply. ZenBusiness does not offer free registered agents, but it offers it at a flat rate. The price of the registered agent is comparatively lower than other competitors. ZenBusiness offers Registered Agent service in all 51 states at $99/year.
ZenBusiness New York Publication
As soon as the SOS completes the LLC formation, you must continue with the Publication process if you’re in New York. In New York, once your LLC has been established, you must publish about it in two newspapers mentioned on the SOS website. ZenBusiness helps you through the entire process.
When Should You Choose ZenBusiness?
ZenBusiness is a kind of company anyone can choose over any competitors. Their starter pack is available at $0. Unlike other free services, ZenBusiness has much more facilities. Especially small and mid-sized businesses, start-ups, and businesses with a limited budget can go for ZenBusiness. If you are a large business, then their Premium Plan would be the best choice. As it offers everything, you can form an LLC at a reasonable price.
When Should You Not Choose ZenBusiness?
A very small LLC looking for only the essential services may find it difficult to choose ZenBusiness. The starter plan is a more suitable option for them, but there is an additional cost even for the basic service like getting an EIN. So, one can not rely upon the starter plan alone to cover all the essential services.
ZenBusiness Alternatives
ZenBusiness offers services at a bare minimum price. There are a few service providers that offer basic LLC formation at $0. However, as our team of editors looked deeper into the other services, ZenBusiness, no doubt stood out among other free services. Compared to other available free services, Zen offers much more to the business. Hence, we consider ZenBusiness to be the best in the batch. However, before you jump to any conclusion and buy any service, you must explore the list of best LLC services available.
LLC Service | Our Rating & Pricing | Top Features | Learn More |
#1 TOP PICK
 | $0 + State Fees |
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 | $39 + State Fees |
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F.A.Qs
Yes, ZenBusiness is a trustworthy & legitimate business, formed in 2015. It is BBB accredited since 2019 with an “A+ rating.”
It is not mandatory to have a registered agent for your LLC. But, it is highly advisable to have one for proper & timely filing of various documents & taxes so that you don’t have to bear late fees or penalties.
You can cancel your account with ZenBusiness without any penalties or fees. You can chat with customer service during the prescribed hours.
ZenBusiness offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on its offerings. You get a refund after deducting State fees or any other third-party fees for cancellation.
The ZenBusiness starter plan costs you $0, which includes all the essential services in addition to LLC formation. The other two plans cost $199 and $299, respectively.
In Conclusion
ZenBusiness is one of the best LLC services available today. Even after offering the same price as other services, ZenBusiness surpassed them all by its series of business formation services. For many people, ZenBusiness might be expensive, as ZenBusiness charges a certain amount for EIN, which can be obtained for free from the IRS official site. However, it is included in their add-on services, so you can bypass this and buy their other services.
Overall, ZenBusiness is a wholesome service that provides 360-degree LLC formation services. You can start forming your LLC at $0 and can choose your required add-ons at the time of checkout. There is no close alternative to ZenBusiness, however, depending on the requirement, you can choose other services. For example, LegalZoom also offers LLC formation at $0, but it also focuses on attorney services and legal consultation. If anyone wants complete legal services can opt for LegalZoom.