Founded by serial entrepreneur Brian Wiegand and his partner Rick Oster in 1996, BizFilings is a pioneer of the online incorporation space. Since then, it has reached many milestones, but the most notable one is successfully completing its 500,000th filing in 2018, making it one of the leading brands in the industry.
If you want to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of the company, make sure to read our in-depth and detailed BizFilings review.
Pros & Cons
Pricing Plans
Basic
Standard
Complete
$99 + state fee
$159 + state fees
$359* + state fees
*most countries
Everything You Need to Know About BizFilings
Starting a new business is not an easy task. In fact, it might be one of the most overwhelming tasks you have ever had in your life. This is why companies like BizFilings exist. They are here to help you start your business with ease and confidence.
Many BizFillings reviews show that, since serial entrepreneurs founded the company, it can predict everything on your way to creating your business before it happens. Their experience is priceless, and that’s what makes BizFilings one of the most reliable LLC formation services online. Let’s take a closer look at what the company offers, at what price, some BizFillings ratings, and how it compares to some of its fiercest competitors.
Features, Courses, and Materials
Founded in 1996, BizFilings had a head start in the online LLC formation services industry. It has been perfecting its services for 25 years and today is proud to offer a comprehensive and well-rounded service to everyone who contacts it.
Regardless of the type of business you plan to start (LLC, C Corp, S Corp, Nonprofit, or DBA), BizFilings is ready to help. However, before explaining how its services work, let’s go through the free BizFilings features and resources it offers.
Incorporation Wizard
LLC or Corporation? If you are not sure which business type is right for you, take the free Incorporation Wizard offered by BizFilings. Since the wizard is free for everyone, you don’t need to be their paying customer to use it. All you need to do is click on the link and answer several questions. Based on your answers, you will get a result with the type of business best suited for your needs and its advantages.
This will also help you calculate the approximate BizFilings incorporation fees for your business. Note that the result should not substitute the advice of an attorney and/or accountant familiar with your unique circumstances.
Business Name Check
Among its most popular free tools is the Business Name Check that will help you determine whether your desired business name is available in the state where you plan to start your business. Most BizFilings LLC alternatives charge for this service.
The State Name Check tool requires both personal and company information to check the potential name without filing with the state. Same as with the Incorporation Wizard, this tool is free for everyone — you don’t need to be a BizFilings customer to use it.
Business Type Comparison Chart
We are moving on to one of the very popular BizFilings features — the Comparison Chart. With the help of this business structure reference chart, you will compare the most common business types and better understand your options and what would be the most suitable type for your business.
All it takes is choosing up to four business types from the drop-down menu and familiarizing yourself with their most crucial features. Then, combined with the Incorporation Wizard, you will be able to paint a better picture of your upcoming business’ foundations and how much BizFilings cost.
Business License Wizard
Last but not least is the Business License Wizard, one of the best and most comprehensive free tools available in the online LLC formation services industry. The Business License Research Service, available to everyone who might need it, will tell you everything you need to know about the types of business licenses and permits your future company will need.
We are continuing our BizFilings review with some of the most popular paid features the company offers. From registered agent services and business license research to foreign qualification and name amendment, here is everything you need to know about BizFilings services and how they compare to its alternatives.
Start Your Business
If you are reading our BizFilings review, the chances are you are thinking about or planning to start a Limited Liability Company or LLC. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since BizFilings is one of the leading LLC formation services. But did you know that it can also help you with starting an S Corp, C Corp, or a Nonprofit?
It is also an expert in launching Limited Partnership, Limited Liability Partnership, Professional Corporation, or Doing Business As. Unfortunately, not many BizFilings alternatives offer all these options.
BizFilings Registered Agent Services
One of the most crucial benefits of having a registered agent is helping your business stay in compliance and good standing. BizFilings has perfected this service with a shared experience of more than 100 years.
Its team of attorneys continuously monitors corporate registration requirements in all 50 states. It can help you with regulations, conditions, and deadlines specific to the states you want to start your business in. Not many BizFilings alternatives can offer the same.
Moreover, there are no BizFilings registered agent fees for the first six months with all the available plans.
Business License Research
All you need to do is provide basic information about your business, and the BizFilings team will do the rest. Since researching all business licenses and permits required for your business is time-consuming, BizFilings offers to do it instead of you and allows you to focus on more pressing matters. According to many BizFilings customer reviews, this is the area where the company excels compared to its competitors.
Filing Services
BizFilings works with many filling services such as incorporation, foreign qualification, dissolution, name amendment, and reinstatement. All these features may seem like an easy task, but we can assure you they are as time-consuming as the rest.
Since the company does all the mundane paperwork instead of you, you will have a lot of free time to focus on more pressing matters and have the ease of mind that all documents will be appropriately prepped, filled, and shipped.
Ease of Use
When it comes to the ease of use, most BizFilings ratings say it’s among the best. This is because BizFilings aims to simplify the formation process and allow its founder(s) to save much-needed time for other tasks.
Unlike some of its biggest competitors that might make you feel like you are still doing the filing on your own, the process is seamless and streamlined with BizFilings. All you have to do is choose the type of company you want to launch, fill out an easy-to-click-through form about seven pages long, and that’s it.
BizFilings Customer Service
BizFilings offers email, phone, and live chat support for all its users. The customer support team is one of the highest-ranked in the LLC formation industry due to lighting-fast response times and high customer satisfaction. In addition, many user reviews confirm that the team is very knowledgeable and solves all problems with ease.
The team is one call or chat away from 7 AM to 9 PM ET every workday, which is much longer than most competitors offer. If you contact them by email, they respond in less than a day, especially if you send the email during their off-hours.
BizFilings Payment Options
BizFilings pricing plans are a bit complicated. The good thing is that the pricing is publicly available and published on their official website, but the bad thing is that it depends on the state you are launching your business in. This type of pricing also makes it tricky for a detailed comparison to other formation services. In general, based on many user BizFilings reviews, BizFilings is more expensive than its competitors for the same features.
Let’s take a closer look at the three available LLC and corporation formation plans and what you get with each of them.
Basic
Priced at $99 (without the state filing fee), the basic plan is recommended for cost-conscious entrepreneurs who want to launch an LLC or a corporation with a bit of help from a formation service. As the name suggests, the Basic plan offers limited BizFilings features, and even though the company will guide you through the entire process, you’ll have to do a lot of work.
Its most popular services are:
- A free registered agent for the first six months
- A free BizComply online compliance dashboard tool for the first six months
- Preparation and filing of formation documents
- Access to a document library with LLC forms, operating agreements, bylaws, and more
Standard
Starting from $159 (without the state filing fee), the Standard plan is the most popular choice among users. The price for starting an LLC or a corporation can get as high as $244, but in most states, it’s priced at $229 plus the state fee. Many BizFilings reviews show that the Standard plan offers the best value for money, and it’s recommended for all entrepreneurs who want additional services and a seamless experience during the formation process.
The most popular services included in the Standard plan are:
- LLC kit and seal tools
- A sample operating agreement and other customizable LLC forms
- An expedited processing service
Complete
Starting from $199 (without the state filing fee), Complete may be one of the best formation services for entrepreneurs with higher budgets who want to receive an EIN and additional bonus features that are not often included in the alternatives’ offers. Many BizFilings reviews confirm this. Depending on your business location, the Complete plan price can reach up to $434, but in most states is $359. Without a state fee, of course.
The most popular services included in the Complete plan are:
- EIN or a federal tax ID number
- A certified copy of all your documents (with overnight shipping)
- A “Now That You’re Formed” compliance DVD
BizFilings Refund Policy
BizFilings has a rather unusual refund policy for the industry. Depending on when the refund is requested, significant processing fees will occur. For example, if you decide to cancel your order before the company starts working on your LLC or corporation services, you will be charged a fee of $50.
On the other hand, if you do it after they complete some of the preliminary work, the BizFilings LLC cost can reach $75. Note that any money paid to the state for filing fees or suppliers is not refundable.
We also discovered a BizFilings warranty for its services that is not often mentioned in reviews. The company warrants its services against any filing defects they cause. This warranty lasts for the life of your business, and it’s not often seen in BizFillings alternatives’ offers.
BizFilings Customer Reviews
For a company that’s been in the industry since the nineties, BizFilings has a deficient number of customer reviews. A simple Google search will lead you to a dozen positive reviews and even less negative ones. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It might mean that users haven’t had a bad experience, got what they wanted, and never even thought of posting a review. However, on the other hand, it might also mean that something is happening behind the scenes.
That said, most entrepreneurs prefer to research the company by reading as many BizFilings reviews from peers as possible to decide whether they want to invest in its services. For those entrepreneurs, the lack of customer reviews may be a deal-breaker.
The rest probably never read user reviews or don’t care about them and rely only on the impression a vendor makes. Either way, we believe that BizFilings deserves a chance, and you won’t be disappointed if you choose it, regardless of the lack of customer reviews.
How Does BizFilings Compare to Other LLC Services?
BizFilings vs LegalZoom
There are many BizFilings alternatives, but our research showed us that LegalZoom is its fiercest one. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since both companies offer a lot of similar services.
For example, they take care of all the legal aspects of the incorporation, use Norton Web Security protection, offer 100% satisfaction and money-back guarantees, and have more than three decades of combined experience. That said, how do you know which formation service will better fit your needs?
Our BizFilings LLC review confirmed that the most significant advantage of choosing this company is a free registered agent for the first six months offered in all plans. Another area where BizFilings excels is the higher-ranked customer service with longer working hours, more contact options, and faster response times than LegalZoom.
When it comes to LegalZoom, there are many more available user reviews, so you will be able to paint a better picture of the users’ experience with its services. The company also offers a tracking tool for all its clients, allowing them to check their order status in real-time. Many users praise this feature. On the other hand, BizFilings customer reviews claim that BizFilings does this through a series of email updates.
BizFilings Pros and Cons
Pros
- Straightforward placing an order — The ordering process is seamless and self-explanatory, and BizFilings guides you through it. It is also one phone call away if you have any questions or guidance.
- Useful free tools — Unlike most of its alternatives, BizFilings offers the Incorporation Wizard, Business Name Check, and Business Type Comparison Chart for free. The company also offers a free Business License Wizard. Furthermore, BizFilings LLC formation packages include a free registered agent for the first six months.
- Covers any additional steps for forming an LLC — Besides the additional resources it offers for ensuring its customers are educated during the entire process, BizFilings covers all additional steps such as a publication requirement or an initial report, which is rarely seen with competitors.
- Great customer support — The support team does a superb job. According to many BizFilings customer reviews, BizFilings has one of the highest-ranked customer support in the industry by offering email, phone, live chat support options, and lightning-fast response times. In addition, the team is knowledgeable and polite, with longer working hours than most of its competitors.
- No hidden fees — All BizFilings pricing plans are published on its website. It offers transparent and straightforward plans, so you won’t experience any surprises once you pay for its services. It even offers an error-free guarantee for as long as your company exists and is prepared if any additional steps are required for the formation service so that it won’t charge extra in these situations.
Cons
- Expensive — Most BizFilings complaints are about the unusually high prices for its services compared to its alternatives. We agree that it offers quality services, but we feel that some of its prices should be adjusted to fit more according to the industry’s standards.
- Pricing plans depend on the state — Another weakness of the company is that all BizFilings incorporation fees depend on the state you will be launching your business in. For some, the difference in price is barely noticeable, but others must pay hundreds of dollars more for the same services. This can be a deal-breaker for many entrepreneurs, especially those who are more cost-conscious.
- Unclear turnaround times — BizFilings has a comprehensive website where you can read everything you need to know about BizFilings features, what services it offers, and how much it costs. However, the one thing that’s lacking on its website is estimates for its turnaround time.
Furthermore, it offers expedited processing for its potential customers. Still, other than the pricing of $60 and an explanation that it will “prioritize your order above non-expedited orders,” there is nothing more that can give you a clue as to how much this will expedite the whole process and whether it is worth the price.
Final Verdict — Should You Choose BizFilings to Form Your Business?
Our BizFilings review showed that the company has a stellar reputation among its customers, even with the lack of online user reviews. We firmly believe that you will not regret choosing BizFilings to form your business.
The company has a lot of advantages, especially for entrepreneurs who aren’t on a strict budget. It offers the entire basic set of services needed for the formation process and some unique ones that are not seen in its competitors’ offers.
On the other hand, since BizFilings is among the most expensive formation services, entrepreneurs with low budgets might want to check other companies that offer the same services for a lower price.