Comparison · 19 providers
Compare LLC formation services for humans and AI agents
Formation fees, recurring costs, registered-agent renewal pricing, AI capability, APIs, MCP support and Agentic Readiness — each verified against the provider’s own primary sources on 2026-09-04.
Corpus publishes this table and is one of the providers in it. Read it accordingly. Corpus is scored with the same rubric as every competitor, including its gaps, and its own unresolved issues are printed in its own row below — not in a footnote.
There are no affiliate links on this page and we earn nothing if you click through to anyone here. That is the difference between this and most “best LLC services” pages, which are paid placements in ranked order.
Scores are evidence-based and reproducible. If you think your score is wrong, send the public URL that shows it and we will re-verify and correct it — the scoring method is published so you can check our arithmetic.
The table
There is no single “best” here, so this page does not name one. Different founders are optimising for different things; each view below sorts the same verified data by one of them, and each is its own URL you can link to or cite.
Ordered by pricing-transparency score: how much of what you will actually pay, including renewals, is published before you buy.
How to read it: chips summarise a verdict and each company's full sourced wording is in its section below, with prices quoted verbatim and never abbreviated. "No public evidence" means we could not verify the capability as of 2026-09-04 — it does not mean the capability is absent; "Undisclosed" in a price column means the provider does not publish the figure. There is no "AI formation" column, because what each provider's AI actually does is a sentence rather than a verdict, and sorting those sentences into invented tiers would be exactly the guessing this table refuses everywhere else — each one is quoted in full below instead. Prices exclude state filing fees unless the cell says otherwise.
| Company | Formation fee | Est. first-year min. | Registered agent renewal | MCP | API | Agent can submit | Agentic Readiness | All 50 states | Human review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corpus | itemized live quote (no headline price) | ~$250 est. incl. RA yr 1 (cheapest states; NY $325, MA $640) | $99/yr | Yes | Yes | Partial | 86/100 L4 | Yes | Yes |
| Doola | $297/yr Starter (+ state fees); Total Compliance $1,999/yr; Business-in-a-Box $2,999/yr | ~$397 est. ($297 + $100 WY) | Undisclosed standalone (plan renews $297/yr) | Yes | Yes | Yes | 85/100 L4 | Yes | Partial |
| Stripe Atlas | $500 one-time flat - INCLUDES government fees | ~$800 est. = $500 + $300 DE annual LLC tax (due June 1, disclosed in Atlas docs) | $100/yr (auto; >=30 days email notice to cancel; no RA refunds; fulfilled by Legalinc) | No | Partial | No | 13/100 L1 | No | Partial |
| Northwest Registered Agent | $39 + state fees | $139-$339+ est. ($39 + state fee $100-$300; +$100 AR service when first report due) | $125/yr | Yes | No public evidence | Partial | 63/100 L3 | Yes | No public evidence |
| LegalZoom | $0 Basic / $249 Pro / $299 Premium + state filing fees | ~$319 est. (Basic $0 + RA $249 + CA $70); $0 + state fee if self-RA | Undisclosed (rate contractually changeable) | Yes | Partial | No | 48/100 L3 | Yes | No public evidence |
| Harbor Compliance | starting at $99 + state fees (single package) | ~$300-$450 est. (with their RA at $99 yr 1); $99 + state fee floor if self-agent | $149/yr (auto; 90-day non-renewal notice) | No | Partial | No | 28/100 L1 | Yes | Yes |
| MyCompanyWorks | $79 + state fees (own compare table says $59 - conflict) | ~$198 est. + state (with RA $119) | Undisclosed ($99/yr self-reported in own table, unconfirmed) | No | Partial | Partial | 24/100 L3 (gated; consumer side L0) | Yes | Yes |
| Firstbase | $99 promo (std $399) + state fee; mandatory RA + Mailroom subscriptions | ~$653 est. (DE base); ~$953 with DE franchise tax; ~$803-$1,103 Agent Autopilot variant | Undisclosed (subscription) | No | Partial | No | 9/100 L1 | No | Partial |
| Jupid | $0 service fee + state fee (50-state table published) | UNRESOLVED: ~$70 (CA) if free without subscription; ~$670 if $50/mo plan required - site self-contradicts | Undisclosed | Yes | No | Partial | 50/100 L3 | Yes | No public evidence |
| Swyft Filings | $0 Basic / $169 Standard / $269 Premium + state fees | ~$100-$150 est. (state fee only, trials cancelled); +$199 if ComplianceGuard trial lapses; +$596 if using their RA | Undisclosed (subscription renews; automatic renewal confirmed in terms) | No | Partial | Partial | 38/100 L3 (gated) | Yes | Yes |
| Formations | $500 Business-in-a-Box + state fees; or formation included in $199/mo (annual) LLC Management subscription | ~$625-$1,000 est. formation-only; ~$2,388+ as marketed (subscription) | Undisclosed | No | No | No | 11/100 L1 | No public evidence | Yes |
| BetterLegal | $299 + state filing fee (single package; $199 figure footnoted as promotional) | ~$299 est. + state; ~$539 + state if RA + Compliance kept | $120/yr (renewal = original price; hikes allowed on 30d notice) | No | No | No | 10/100 L1 | Yes | Partial |
| LLC Attorney | $49 Starter / $199 Professional / $399 International+ + state fees (amounts unpublished) | ~$149 est. (Starter + ~$100 WY fee; RA included yr 1) | Undisclosed (only path = $14.99-$49.99/mo membership = $179.88-$599.88/yr) | No | No | No | 8/100 L0 | Yes | No |
| ZenBusiness | $0 Starter / $199 Pro / $399 Premium + state fees | state fee only if all add-ons declined (self-RA); ~$199+state typical (RA add-on) | $199/yr (auto at then-current rate) | No | No | Partial | 20/100 L2 | Yes | No public evidence |
| Rocket Lawyer | $0 first formation with membership / $99 + state fees (members) | ~$149 est. + state (Standard membership, first formation incl.); ~$374 + state with RA (Plus $249) | auto-renews annually; price may rise 'without notification' | No | Partial | No | 17/100 L1 | Partial | Yes |
| Bizee (formerly Incfile) | $0 Basic / $199 Standard / $299 Premium + state fees (one-time) | state fee only est. (Basic: $0 formation + $0 RA yr 1); +$29/mo from month 2 if virtual address kept | $149/yr (billed by partner LegalInc to card on file, non-refundable after charge) | No | No | No | 10/100 L0 | Yes | Partial |
| Tailor Brands | $0 Lite / Essential $199/yr / Elite $249/yr (+ state fees) | ~$50 est. (Lite + cheapest state fee, self-RA) | Undisclosed official (~$220-$249 per third party, conflicting) | Partial | Partial | Partial | 48/100 L3 (gated) | Yes | No public evidence |
| Inc Authority | $0 + state fees | state filing fee only (~$50-$500 by state) if RA cancelled before month 12; +$249 auto-charge at ~month 12 otherwise | $249/yr (checkout fine print only) | No | No | No public evidence | 7/100 L0 | Yes | Partial |
Adjacent: startup incorporation tools
Clerky is held out of the main table rather than ranked in it, because it does not sell LLC formation at all — ranking it against LLC services would be scoring it on a job it does not claim to do. Its full record is below.
What the data says, including where we lose
Corpus (86) and Doola (85) are a statistical tie at the top of the rubric, and the tie breaks against us on the criterion that matters most to anyone building on top of a formation service: Doola is the only provider in this dataset with verified external filing execution in production — an outside agent caused a real filing with the Wyoming Secretary of State (Ramp for Agents, July 2026). Its self-serve MCP is Wyoming-only and its 50-state API needs a signed partner agreement, but the execution is proven and ours is not.
Corpus leads on openness: an anonymous public MCP server with no agreement to sign, itemized live pricing, machine-readable state requirements, and a human review gate before anything reaches a state. What Corpus cannot do, as of 2026-09-04, is let an agent create an order or pay — the founder completes the transaction. That is a deliberate safety design and it is still a capability gap; both things are true, and the rubric awards points for capability, not for intent.
Corpus’s own price grid for all 50 states and DC is at /formation/pricing, so the row we wrote about ourselves is checkable against the number our checkout charges.
Every provider, in full
The complete verified record for each company — the wording behind every chip above, the gaps we found, and the sources. Ordered as the table is.
Corpus
- Advertised priceitemized live quote (no headline price)
- State feespass-through, itemized, live-quoted pre-purchase
- Est. first-year minimum~$250 est. incl. RA yr 1 (cheapest states; NY $325, MA $640)
- Registered agent, year 1$100 (included, itemized)
- Registered agent renewal$99/yr
- Auto-renews?NO - no subscription and no automatic charge; renewal is opt-in, prompted by reminder emails (~60/30/7 days and day-of). Documented in public Terms (section 'Renewals and recurring charges') as of 2026-09-04
- Annual report servicevia agent surfaces / date rules
- EINPARTIAL - $75 add-on published; live pricing flag reports einAvailable:false on 2026-09-04, and every surface guards on that flag
- Refundsfull refund before processing begins; state fees non-refundable after submission
- All 50 statesYES (50+DC)
- AI formationexternal agent runs full intake + validation via MCP/intake.md, hands founder one prefilled link; founder reviews and pays
- MCPYES (public, anonymous, 8 tools + 2 prompts, server-card, WebMCP, Smithery)
- APIYES (REST /api/v1 + OpenAPI 3.1; formation endpoints status-only, no order-create)
- Can an agent submit?PARTIAL (agent executes intake+validation; founder pays/reviews)
- Programmatic statusYES (status endpoint returns state + confirmation no. + certificate URL; no webhooks)
- Human reviewYES (hash-locked payload, pre-submission)
Watch for
- EIN add-on published at $75 but not currently purchasable (live einAvailable:false); every surface guards on availability as of 2026-09-04
- no agent-executable order creation/payment
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://corpuslaw.us · https://corpuslaw.us/llms.txt · https://corpuslaw.us/agents/intake.md · live /api/formation/pricing (2026-09-04)
Doola
- Advertised price$297/yr Starter (+ state fees); Total Compliance $1,999/yr; Business-in-a-Box $2,999/yr
- State feesexcluded, passed through at cost
- Est. first-year minimum~$397 est. ($297 + $100 WY)
- Registered agent, year 1included in plan
- Registered agent renewalUNKNOWN standalone (plan renews $297/yr)
- Auto-renews?YES (ToS s.5, then-current rates)
- Annual report serviceincluded TC/BiB only
- EINYES (included; expedited extra)
- Refundsdiscretionary if pre-submission; 'Money Back' = credit/gift card <= $297, doola-error-only, 14 days
- All 50 statesYES (50+DC; MCP is Wyoming-only)
- AI formationAI Co-Founder advises only; agent execution lives in MCP
- MCPYES (public self-serve mcp.doola.com, 6 tools/15 actions, OAuth+PKCE, Wyoming LLC Starter only)
- APIYES (Partner REST, 50 states+DC, LLC/C-Corp, webhooks, sandbox, OpenAPI; signed-agreement gated)
- Can an agent submit?YES (submit_for_review files with WY SoS; production-proven via Ramp for Agents, Jul 2026)
- Programmatic statusYES (webhooks + polling + resumable MCP status)
- Human reviewPARTIAL (implied by submit_for_review + team-handled steps)
Watch for
- auto-renewing subscription; discretionary/nonrefundable terms; guarantee payout capped at $297 credit/gift card
- $1,500/tax-year minimum for tax prep buried in ToS
- agent-facing MCP scope (Wyoming only) vs 50-state marketing
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.doola.com · https://www.doola.com/pricing/ · https://docs.doola.com/mcp/introduction.md · https://docs.doola.com/api/faq.md · https://www.doola.com/terms-of-service/ · https://www.doola.com/blog/doola-powers-incorporation-inside-ramp-for-agents/
Stripe Atlas
- Advertised price$500 one-time flat - INCLUDES government fees
- State feesINCLUDED in $500 (the only major provider to do so besides Clerky)
- Est. first-year minimum~$800 est. = $500 + $300 DE annual LLC tax (due June 1, disclosed in Atlas docs)
- Registered agent, year 1included ($0)
- Registered agent renewal$100/yr (auto; >=30 days email notice to cancel; no RA refunds; fulfilled by Legalinc)
- Auto-renews?YES
- Annual report serviceNO - self-serve guidance + discounted tax partners
- EINYES (included, auto-filed SS-4)
- Refundsrefund only 'if we're unable to support your business'; ToS otherwise 'no recourse'
- All 50 statesNO - Delaware only (DE C-corp, DE LLC, C-corp subsidiary; no nonprofit)
- AI formationnone - 'automated' = internal document/filing automation in human Dashboard flow
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APIPARTIAL (documented Carta partner-API integration, gated; no public Atlas API)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusNO (email + human Dashboard only)
- Human reviewPARTIAL (restricted-category + identity verification; explicitly not a law firm)
Watch for
- Delaware-only with no state choice
- RA auto-charges card on file; fees continue until replacement agent appointed
- refund promise in docs narrower than it reads - ToS gives 'no recourse' if declined
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://stripe.com/atlas · https://stripe.com/atlas · https://docs.stripe.com/atlas/signup.md · https://docs.stripe.com/atlas/business-taxes.md · https://stripe.com/atlas/legal
Northwest Registered Agent
- Advertised price$39 + state fees
- State feesexcluded, passed through at cost
- Est. first-year minimum$139-$339+ est. ($39 + state fee $100-$300; +$100 AR service when first report due)
- Registered agent, year 1$0 with formation
- Registered agent renewal$125/yr
- Auto-renews?UNKNOWN (undocumented on official pages)
- Annual report service$100 + state fees, auto-added by default
- EINYES; price published on its own page as of 2026-09-04: $50 with SSN, $200 without SSN (non-US founders)
- Refunds90-day only per third-party reports; absent from official terms (UNRESOLVED)
- All 50 statesYES (50+DC+PR)
- AI formationPARTIAL - Bigfoot portal AI + MCP act on accounts (pay, add products, docs); formation not in public tool catalog
- MCPYES (public OAuth MCP, 41 tools, published 2026-08-26)
- APIUNKNOWN (wholesale partner channel, not documented publicly)
- Can an agent submit?PARTIAL (internal formation add-to-cart referenced, not public)
- Programmatic statusYES (filing/annual-report/action-item tools)
- Human reviewUNKNOWN pre-submission (human Corporate Guides support: YES)
Watch for
- $100/yr annual-report service auto-added by default
- refund + auto-renewal terms absent from official pages as of 2026-09-04
- formation tools excluded from public MCP catalog
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com · https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/incorporation-service/ · https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/ai/mcp/connect · https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/ai/mcp/tools · https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent/
LegalZoom
- Advertised price$0 Basic / $249 Pro / $299 Premium + state filing fees
- State feesexcluded from advertised price, added at checkout
- Est. first-year minimum~$319 est. (Basic $0 + RA $249 + CA $70); $0 + state fee if self-RA
- Registered agent, year 1$249 (first-time customers)
- Registered agent renewalUNDISCLOSED (rate contractually changeable)
- Auto-renews?YES
- Annual report servicecompliance subscription; paid filing offered, price UNKNOWN
- EINincluded in Pro tier
- Refunds60 days if not yet submitted; NO refund once submitted incl. state fees
- All 50 statesYES
- AI formationAI/MCP tools collect + display formation info and fees; cannot execute
- MCPYES (public 24-tool catalog, /mcp, channels incl. ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Perplexity, Gemini, GoDaddy)
- APIPARTIAL (tool catalog with JSON Schema; no formation API found)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusUNKNOWN (no formation status tool; account reads only)
- Human reviewUNKNOWN (staff-processed implied; no explicit pre-submission review claim)
Watch for
- Pro/Premium trials auto-charge $49/mo BAP + $9.99/mo LZ Books after 30/180 days
- RA renewal price hidden, rate changeable; third-party reports of large renewal jumps unconfirmed on primary pages
- $0 headline vs realistic $300+ first year with RA
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.legalzoom.com · https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-formation/llc-overview.html · https://www.legalzoom.com/mcp/catalog.json · https://www.legalzoom.com/legal/general-terms/lz-guarantee · https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html
Harbor Compliance
- Advertised pricestarting at $99 + state fees (single package)
- State feesadded on top; specialist may invoice additional fees post-order
- Est. first-year minimum~$300-$450 est. (with their RA at $99 yr 1); $99 + state fee floor if self-agent
- Registered agent, year 1$99
- Registered agent renewal$149/yr (auto; 90-day non-renewal notice)
- Auto-renews?YES
- Annual report service$199/state/yr + filing fees (Managed Annual Report Service)
- EINYES offered, price unpublished
- RefundsNO - all fees non-refundable except credit balances (by check, written request)
- All 50 statesYES (50+DC+PR)
- AI formationNO - Compliance Navigator AI does research reports only
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APIPARTIAL (partner REST API, key + test env, service ordering + RA doc delivery; contact-gated, formation never named)
- Can an agent submit?NO public path
- Programmatic statusPARTIAL (RA doc delivery + entity-status APIs; formation order status undocumented)
- Human reviewYES (specialist-managed filings)
Watch for
- post-order fee invoicing + unpublished add-on prices
- auto-renew with 90-day notice; late cancel = full year due; contact-only cancellation
- ToS allows up to 10% discretionary annual fee escalation + blanket non-refund
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.harborcompliance.com · https://www.harborcompliance.com/limited-liability-company · https://www.harborcompliance.com/registered-agent-service · https://www.harborcompliance.com/terms-of-service · https://developers.harborcompliance.com/
MyCompanyWorks
- Advertised price$79 + state fees (own compare table says $59 - conflict)
- State feespassed through, separated; per-state totals only in order form
- Est. first-year minimum~$198 est. + state (with RA $119)
- Registered agent, year 1$119 'starting at'
- Registered agent renewalUNKNOWN ($99/yr self-reported in own table, unconfirmed)
- Auto-renews?PARTIAL (Terms publish auto-billing with 60/30/7-day notices)
- Annual report service$59 (single-sourced) or included in Premium $139/yr
- EINYES ($59, single-sourced)
- Refunds90 days, service fees only, gov fees excluded
- All 50 statesYES (50+DC)
- AI formationnone found
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APIPARTIAL (EntityMachine partner API: real submissions + status + docs; 50-orders/month gate; Google Doc spec, body not bot-readable)
- Can an agent submit?PARTIAL (approved partners only)
- Programmatic statusPARTIAL (partner real-time status)
- Human reviewYES ('Every Order is Audited')
Watch for
- package/per-state pricing gated behind order form blocking automated access (HTTP 520)
- official pages conflict ($79 vs $59; $119 vs $99; $99 vs $139 compliance)
- Premium auto-charges card for AR state fees; SOP forwarding capped 3/yr then $18
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.mycompanyworks.com · https://www.mycompanyworks.com/llc.htm · https://www.mycompanyworks.com/registered-agent-service.htm · https://www.mycompanyworks.com/entitymachine/entity-formation-api · https://www.mycompanyworks.com/legal.htm
Firstbase
- Advertised price$99 promo (std $399) + state fee; mandatory RA + Mailroom subscriptions
- State feescustomer pays state fee through Firstbase; amounts never itemized on site
- Est. first-year minimum~$653 est. (DE base); ~$953 with DE franchise tax; ~$803-$1,103 Agent Autopilot variant
- Registered agent, year 1$299/yr Agent Autopilot (per state) is the only figure published as of 2026-09-04; the help-centre URL formerly cited for a $149 'starts at' figure now serves a different article
- Registered agent renewalUNKNOWN (subscription)
- Auto-renews?UNKNOWN (Mailroom auto-debit confirmed; Agent undocumented)
- Annual report serviceAgent Autopilot $299/yr/state (state fees extra)
- EINYES (included, no SSN needed - non-US focus)
- Refunds7-day window: FULL refund before state submission; 50% after registration but before EIN filing; gov/state fees never refunded
- All 50 statesNO - Delaware & Wyoming only (foreign qualification in all 50 after)
- AI formationnone - GenAI name generator + AI bookkeeping only; 'Agent' = registered-agent product
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APIPARTIAL (footer 'Incorporation API' link 404s; no public docs)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusNO (dashboard-only tracking)
- Human reviewPARTIAL (staff submit filing + EIN specialists + notary call)
Watch for
- mandatory RA+Mailroom subscriptions push real year-1 to ~$650-$1,100 vs $99 headline
- conflicting official prices ($99/$399 Start; $149/$299 RA)
- auto-renewing subs + 7-day-only refund window; dead API link vs live footer claim
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.firstbase.io · https://www.firstbase.io/pricing · https://www.firstbase.io/terms · https://www.firstbase.io/agent · https://help.firstbase.io/hc/en-us/articles/360056689472
Jupid
- Advertised price$0 service fee + state fee (50-state table published)
- State feespaid separately at cost; full 50-state table published
- Est. first-year minimumUNRESOLVED: ~$70 (CA) if free without subscription; ~$670 if $50/mo plan required - site self-contradicts
- Registered agent, year 1UNKNOWN (service confirmed Texas-only, no price published)
- Registered agent renewalUNKNOWN
- Auto-renews?UNKNOWN (ToS silent on RA)
- Annual report servicePARTIAL (deadline tracking in $50/mo plan)
- EINCONTRADICTED on-site (2026-09-04): /terms states EIN and Operating Agreement are free with formation, while /llc-formation still presents them as included with the $50/mo plan
- Refunds'30-day money-back' on marketing pages; ABSENT from Terms of Use
- All 50 statesYES
- AI formationconversational AI agent (WhatsApp/iMessage/web/Claude Code/Cursor) claims end-to-end filing; execution unverified externally
- MCPYES (public, OAuth 2.1, 13 tools - bookkeeping data only; formation NOT exposed)
- APINO public formation API (partner Embed iframe only)
- Can an agent submit?PARTIAL (own agent claims yes; external agents have no programmatic path)
- Programmatic statusPARTIAL (chat tracking only; no formation status endpoint/webhooks)
- Human reviewUNKNOWN
Watch for
- EIN/OA gated behind $50/mo subscription despite 'free, no upsells' marketing - realistic first-year ~$600+state fee
- RA service sold with zero published pricing/terms
- money-back guarantee + 'CPA review' claims weaker or absent in legal ToS
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://jupid.com · https://jupid.com/llc-formation · https://jupid.com/llc-agent · https://jupid.com/pricing · https://jupid.com/terms · https://jupid.com/developers/mcp
Swyft Filings
- Advertised price$0 Basic / $169 Standard / $269 Premium + state fees
- State feesexcluded, passed through separately
- Est. first-year minimum~$100-$150 est. (state fee only, trials cancelled); +$199 if ComplianceGuard trial lapses; +$596 if using their RA
- Registered agent, year 1$149/quarter (~$596/yr)
- Registered agent renewalUNKNOWN (subscription renews; automatic renewal confirmed in terms)
- Auto-renews?YES (per terms of use)
- Annual report serviceComplianceGuard $199/yr (1 filing/yr; state fees extra; 14-day trial auto-charges in ALL packages)
- EINpaid add-on, price not published
- Refunds60-day window per swyftlegal terms-of-use; state/third-party fees non-refundable; scope caveat recorded
- All 50 statesYES
- AI formationnone found - traditional forms + human specialists
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APIPARTIAL (documented REST formation/partner API, webhooks + sandbox, sales-gated; includes state_requirements_reference schema)
- Can an agent submit?PARTIAL (partner software can; no self-serve agent path)
- Programmatic statusPARTIAL (webhooks + real-time order tracking inside gated API)
- Human reviewYES (specialists review every filing)
Watch for
- ComplianceGuard trial auto-charges $199/yr in ALL packages
- recurring costs hidden behind $0 headline (quarterly RA billing; unpublished EIN/Legal-Suite renewals)
- ToS/Legal Plan Contract not publicly readable (JS shell on direct fetch)
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.swyftfilings.com · https://www.swyftfilings.com/pricing · https://www.swyftfilings.com/registered-agent/ · https://www.swyftfilings.com/compliance-guard/ · https://swyftfilings.com/api-docs/docs/intro
Formations
- Advertised price$500 Business-in-a-Box + state fees; or formation included in $199/mo (annual) LLC Management subscription
- State feesexcluded (+ state fees)
- Est. first-year minimum~$625-$1,000 est. formation-only; ~$2,388+ as marketed (subscription)
- Registered agent, year 1UNKNOWN
- Registered agent renewalUNKNOWN
- Auto-renews?UNKNOWN (subscription auto-renews)
- Annual report serviceincluded in LLC Management (FAQ conflicts)
- EINYES (bundled, unpriced)
- Refundsall fees non-refundable; early exit owes remaining term; 60-day non-renewal notice; up to +7% renewal increase
- All 50 statesUNKNOWN (no state list published; multi-state businesses excluded)
- AI formationNO agent interface (AI only in bookkeeping tiers)
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APINO evidence (api subdomain = undocumented app backend)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusNO evidence
- Human reviewYES (human-executed done-for-you service)
Watch for
- 12-mo auto-renew, non-refundable, 60-day notice, early exit owes full term
- up to 7% renewal increases + promo renews at list price
- current-vs-legacy page conflicts on 1040 inclusion and entity renewal
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://formationscorp.com · https://formationscorp.com/pricing · https://formationscorp.com/terms-of-use · https://formationscorp.com/faq
BetterLegal
- Advertised price$299 + state filing fee (single package; $199 figure footnoted as promotional)
- State feesexplicitly separate, per-state dropdown
- Est. first-year minimum~$299 est. + state; ~$539 + state if RA + Compliance kept
- Registered agent, year 1$120/yr ($12.50/mo)
- Registered agent renewal$120/yr (renewal = original price; hikes allowed on 30d notice)
- Auto-renews?YES (charged 'even if you do not use' until cancel)
- Annual report service'State Compliance Services' $120/yr auto-renewing; standalone ~$199 + state fee
- EINYES (included)
- RefundsNO refunds ('all purchases final')
- All 50 statesYES (50 states, no DC observed)
- AI formation'BetterLegal Assistant' reads contracts (beta); not formation-capable
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APINO public (api subdomain = internal dashboard backend; dev docs dead)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusNO
- Human reviewPARTIAL (clerical check only; terms: cannot review for legal sufficiency)
Watch for
- RA + Compliance both auto-renew by default; charges due even if unused
- all sales final, no refunds
- $299 vs $199 price conflict across own pages; live pricing page returns HTTP 202 (empty)
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://betterlegal.com · https://betterlegal.com/services · https://betterlegal.com/terms · https://betterlegal.com/services/registered-agent
LLC Attorney
- Advertised price$49 Starter / $199 Professional / $399 International+ + state fees (amounts unpublished)
- State feesadded on top; amounts 'communicated upfront' at checkout only
- Est. first-year minimum~$149 est. (Starter + ~$100 WY fee; RA included yr 1)
- Registered agent, year 1included
- Registered agent renewalUNKNOWN (only path = $14.99-$49.99/mo membership = $179.88-$599.88/yr)
- Auto-renews?YES (renews 'without notice until canceled'; reminders only 'where required by law')
- Annual report servicein monthly memberships
- EINYES at $199+ tiers; optional add-on otherwise (price undisclosed)
- Refundseffectively none - nonrefundable once work begun/mail scanned/delivered
- All 50 statesYES
- AI formationno verifiable AI interface
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APINO public API (robots.txt: /api/ internal only; llms.txt 404)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusNO
- Human reviewNO evidence of attorney/advisor review before submission
Watch for
- contracting entity is 'The Things We Do PR, LLC dba Company Sage' (San Juan, PR), not the marketing brand; arbitration + liability cap = greater of 12-mo payments or $100
- /form-llc self-contradicts on price and inclusions ($49 vs $99)
- 'Attorney' name vs documented reality: not a law firm; attorneys documented as unaffiliated
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://llcattorney.com · https://llcattorney.com/pricing · https://llcattorney.com/subscription-billing-terms · https://llcattorney.com/terms · https://llcattorney.com/form-llc
ZenBusiness
- Advertised price$0 Starter / $199 Pro / $399 Premium + state fees
- State feesalways separate, state-fee checker provided
- Est. first-year minimumstate fee only if all add-ons declined (self-RA); ~$199+state typical (RA add-on)
- Registered agent, year 1$199 add-on (standalone page offers $99 first year)
- Registered agent renewal$199/yr (auto at then-current rate)
- Auto-renews?YES (phone-only cancel; reminder email optional)
- Annual report service$100/report + state fee; Worry-Free Compliance $199/yr (help center says $99-$299 - conflict)
- EIN$99 add-on (included Pro/Premium)
- Refunds60-day money-back less state/third-party fees; after 60 days cancel-no-refund
- All 50 statesYES (50+DC; nonprofits explicitly not served)
- AI formationVelo AI free, approval-gated execution inside ZenBusiness's own app only
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APINO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- Can an agent submit?PARTIAL (internal Velo only; no external agent path)
- Programmatic statusUNKNOWN (dashboard/email tracking only)
- Human reviewUNKNOWN
Watch for
- auto-renew default at 'then-current non-promotional rate', optional reminder notice
- RA/pro-services cancellation phone-only, online prohibited
- 30-day website/domain trial auto-converts with conflicting renewal disclosure ($15/mo vs $149/mo same page)
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.zenbusiness.com · https://www.zenbusiness.com/llc/ · https://www.zenbusiness.com/pricing/ · https://www.zenbusiness.com/registered-agent-terms/ · https://www.zenbusiness.com/velo/
Rocket Lawyer
- Advertised price$0 first formation with membership / $99 + state fees (members)
- State feesexcluded, passed through
- Est. first-year minimum~$149 est. + state (Standard membership, first formation incl.); ~$374 + state with RA (Plus $249)
- Registered agent, year 1$125/yr ($124.99; requires Plus/Pro)
- Registered agent renewalauto-renews annually; price may rise 'without notification'
- Auto-renews?YES (ToS s.7; phone-only cancel; no prorated refunds)
- Annual report service$100 (Pro tier only)
- EINYES ($70, Plus/Pro)
- Refunds30 days (membership); incorporation fees non-refundable
- All 50 statesPARTIAL (RA all 50; formation state list never explicitly stated on fetched pages)
- AI formationRocket Copilot = informational AI (legal information and self-help); no workflow function
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APIPARTIAL (gated API for RocketSign/RocketDocument only; no formation)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusNO
- Human reviewYES ('pros' review filings/name availability)
Watch for
- 7-day trial auto-converts to recurring membership
- incorporation fees non-refundable; RA no prorated refunds, phone-only cancel
- '$0' requires $149-$349/yr membership; RA needs higher tier
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.rocketlawyer.com · https://www.rocketlawyer.com/start-a-business · https://www.rocketlawyer.com/pricing · https://www.rocketlawyer.com/registered-agent · https://www.rocketlawyer.com/terms-of-service
Bizee (formerly Incfile)
- Advertised price$0 Basic / $199 Standard / $299 Premium + state fees (one-time)
- State feesalways separate, clearly labeled
- Est. first-year minimumstate fee only est. (Basic: $0 formation + $0 RA yr 1); +$29/mo from month 2 if virtual address kept
- Registered agent, year 1$0 (all packages)
- Registered agent renewal$149/yr (billed by partner LegalInc to card on file, non-refundable after charge)
- Auto-renews?YES
- Annual report serviceoffered; price 'TBD' until order flow
- EINYES ($70 add-on; free in Standard/Premium)
- Refundsonly until government payment (~24h); auto-renew charges non-refundable
- All 50 statesYES (50+DC)
- AI formationno AI intake/assistant found on any official page
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APINO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusNO (human dashboard/email only)
- Human reviewPARTIAL (order 'Review' status; payment to state typically within ~24h)
Watch for
- RA auto-renews via third-party partner to card on file, non-refundable, price absent from pricing page
- annual-report service sold at TBD pricing with ~24h refund window
- $0 headline vs $149/yr yr-2 RA + trial-to-paid conversions
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://bizee.com · https://orders.bizee.com/form-order-now.php · https://bizee.com/cancellation-policy · https://bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent · https://bizee.com/llc-formation-by-state
Tailor Brands
- Advertised price$0 Lite / Essential $199/yr / Elite $249/yr (+ state fees)
- State feesexcluded, billed separately at filing time
- Est. first-year minimum~$50 est. (Lite + cheapest state fee, self-RA)
- Registered agent, year 1UNKNOWN official (~$199 per third party)
- Registered agent renewalUNKNOWN official (~$220-$249 per third party, conflicting)
- Auto-renews?YES (help doc: renews automatically each year)
- Annual report serviceincluded Essential/Elite only; Lite marketing conflicts with help docs
- EINYES add-on, price unpublished
- Refundsfees non-refundable; $29 fee on issued refunds; 7-day trial auto-converts
- All 50 statesYES (no PLLCs)
- AI formationNavi AI guides setup/compliance; no evidence AI executes filings
- MCPPARTIAL (official /mcp beta, application-gated, no tools/URL published)
- APIPARTIAL (Tailor Embedded API launched 2026-01-13: JSON+webhooks+idempotency; early-access gated)
- Can an agent submit?PARTIAL (partners only)
- Programmatic statusPARTIAL (webhooks + idempotency confirmed)
- Human reviewUNKNOWN
Watch for
- default auto-renewal billed up to 30 days early with unpublished renewal prices; discounts renew at full price 'without notice'
- RA price opaque on an auto-renewing service; cancel requires replacement agent/dissolution
- Lite 'annual compliance included' marketing vs help-doc add-on reality
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.tailorbrands.com · https://www.tailorbrands.com/product-pricing · https://www.tailorbrands.com/tos · https://www.tailorbrands.com/mcp · https://support.tailorbrands.com/hc/en-us/articles/4412560004114-What-Is-A-Registered-Agent
Inc Authority
- Advertised price$0 + state fees
- State feescustomer pays SoS directly; Inc Authority publishes no state fee amounts
- Est. first-year minimumstate filing fee only (~$50-$500 by state) if RA cancelled before month 12; +$249 auto-charge at ~month 12 otherwise
- Registered agent, year 1$0 ('$249 value')
- Registered agent renewal$249/yr (checkout fine print only)
- Auto-renews?YES (T&C; reminder email optional; $50 late penalty)
- Annual report servicecompliance notifications bundled; filing-service price UNKNOWN
- EINPARTIAL (table says $0; disclaimer says paid service, price undisclosed - contradiction)
- Refunds60-day money-back less state/third-party fees; no pro-rated subscription refunds; cancel by phone/email
- All 50 statesYES (50+DC)
- AI formationNO user-facing AI (T&C s.D discloses back-office AI-assisted fulfillment)
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APINO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- Can an agent submit?UNKNOWN (human-only web wizard; no machine path found)
- Programmatic statusUNKNOWN
- Human reviewPARTIAL (staff-prepared filings)
Watch for
- $249/yr RA auto-renewal disclosed only in checkout fine print; phone/email cancel; no pro-rata; $50 late penalty
- EIN '$0' vs 'paid service' contradiction, price never published
- zero dollar figures in FAQ/T&C + unpublished state fees
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.incauthority.com · https://www.incauthority.com/start-your-llc · https://www.incauthority.com/terms-and-conditions · https://www.incauthority.com/free-llc
Clerky
- Advertised price$427 one-time all-in (incl. $203 DE expedite + $125 first-year RA); $819 lifetime package
- State feesgovernment fees included in the all-in headline
- Est. first-year minimum~$427 est. (+DE franchise tax paid to state separately; +$299 Post-Inc. Setup optional)
- Registered agent, year 1$125 (included in $427)
- Registered agent renewalUNPUBLISHED
- Auto-renews?UNKNOWN
- Annual report serviceUNKNOWN
- EINYES (IRS fax path)
- RefundsNO refunds per ToS
- All 50 statesNO - Delaware only, corporations only
- AI formationNO evidence (zero AI mentions on official pages)
- MCPNO public evidence (2026-09-04)
- APIPARTIAL (powers Lowenstein Sandler embedded formation; no public docs)
- Can an agent submit?NO
- Programmatic statusNO
- Human reviewNO (self-help bonded CA LDA; not a law firm)
Watch for
- no refunds even on Clerky-side termination
- joining Stripe announced 2026-08-26; several add-on prices + RA renewal unpublished
Verified 2026-09-04, prices re-checked 2026-09-04. Sources: https://www.clerky.com · https://www.clerky.com/pricing · https://www.clerky.com/startups/products · https://www.clerky.com/terms · https://www.clerky.com/blog/clerky-is-joining-stripe
How to check this yourself
Everything on this page comes from one dated dataset. You can read it without asking us for anything:
- The data, as JSON/api/v1/compare/llc-services — keyless, no account, CORS-open. Every field on this page, plus the per-criterion scores.
- The scoring method/compare/agentic-readiness — the 100-point rubric, the maturity levels, and the score matrix.
- From inside an AI assistantThe
formation.comparetool on Corpus’s public MCP server returns this same dataset mid-conversation, with the same disclosure attached. - Our own prices/formation/pricing — every state, read live from the table our checkout charges from.
every company passed an independent adversarial verification pass on 2026-09-04; see '## Verification pass' section in each dossier Conventions: YES = confirmed against a primary source; NO = explicitly confirmed unavailable; PARTIAL = limited or indirect capability; UNKNOWN = insufficient evidence; absence of evidence is not evidence of absence; prices = USD; state filing fees excluded unless noted.
Prices drift. This page states the date it was verified rather than implying it is live, and the dataset carries the same date in machine form. If you are reading this long after 2026-09-04, check the provider’s own page before relying on a figure — theirs is authoritative about theirs, and ours about ours.