2015
Undisclosed
10-24
Undisclosed
United States , Texas, Austin
Despite being one of the youngest companies in the industry, ZenBusiness has managed to rise to the top by embracing technology. Its Starter plan costs just $39 (plus state fees) for online incorporation, a registered agent, and consultation with one of its in-house CPAs. More services and features are also available at reasonable prices.
Company Formation
Registered Agent Service
Business Services
Thanks to the clever use of technology, ZenBusiness offers fast, customizable, and affordable business formation services. For only $49, the firm seems to provide everything you need to form a company and run it properly. On top of that, it’s a socially conscious organization that supports aspiring entrepreneurs. Is there a trick, or is it all treat? For this unbiased ZenBusiness review, we investigated the firm’s services, prices, and customer feedback and compared them against alternatives.
ZenBusiness, LLC, entered the competitive entity formation industry in 2015. With some of the oldest alternatives boasting over two decades of experience, it may seem that the firm was late to the party. But ZenBusiness came prepared and revolutionized the market. It keeps costs down thanks to the advanced technological capabilities and efficient automated processes. Although it has been around less than its competitors, there are thousands of positive ZenBusiness reviews, making it one of the LLC formation providers with the highest customer satisfaction rates in the industry.
ZenBusiness has created possibly the most customized online business formation experience. Backed by friendly and knowledgeable customer success agents, the company makes forming and growing a business easy, fast, and affordable.
ZenBusiness further offers an all-encompassing platform to meet the ever-growing demand for affordable small business services. Whether you need a professional team to keep you compliant all year round or a business website to boost your image on the web, these experts can deliver. In this Zenbusiness review, we provide a detailed look at the company’s catalog of services.
ZenBusiness is chasing an ambitious goal to form over 1 million businesses in the next five years. But the company is not only about chasing profits — it’s also a Public Benefit Corporation that gives back through its Pay-it-Forward project in partnership with Kiva.org. The firm loans money to US women-owned and minority-owned businesses, helping them bring visions to life and boost the national economy.
ZenBusiness can do more than merely incorporate your business. Going through ZenBusiness LLC reviews, we discovered that entrepreneurs on a tight schedule and budget appreciate the firm’s additional offerings. The team provides a myriad of services to start, run, and grow your business. Although it doesn’t offer as much legal support as some popular alternatives, here you can find all the essentials and extras to start and manage your business seamlessly.
Let’s take a look at the full list of ZenBusiness services and compare them to what similar firms offer.
Business name reservation is not required by law, except in some states. If you’re not ready to form your business yet, you might want to reserve the name first. Researching for this ZenBusiness review, we found out that it’s one of the rare LLC service providers that offer to handle this step for you for $50 (excluding state fees), a price that matches industry standards. Taking this action will secure your business name for a specific period, in most cases, 120 days.
This feature is included in every package, meaning that you can’t order it separately. Its overall budget-friendly prices are possibly the most praised thing in the online ZenBusiness reviews. Although everyone can perform this search for free, the team checks if the chosen name is available before submitting the documents to the state. If the name is taken, ZenBusiness gets back to you to discuss acceptable alternatives.
ZenBusiness, LLC collects and submits the Articles of Organization and any other required paperwork to the state based on the plan and the speed time you’ve selected. The company doesn’t offer filing services separately but charges less for an entire package than what some rivals charge only to file documents with the state. If we do a ZenBusiness vs IncFile comparison, however, this firm doesn’t charge at all to prepare and submit your documents.
The ZenBusiness registered agent service is free for a year even in the most basic package. For only $49, clients receive business formation service, free registered agent for a year, and a few other features. After that, the price goes to $99/year. While the service is pretty basic and doesn’t include any additional features, ZenBusiness offers the most affordable price in the industry and the best overall deal.
Getting an EIN from the IRS is free, but applying yourself means adding another layer of the complex state bureaucracy to your schedule. ZenBusiness offers to obtain the tax ID number on your behalf for $70, a price that stands somewhere in the middle compared to alternatives.
Although not mandatory, it’s highly recommended to make an Operating Agreement as this document outlines the ownership, sets the rules that govern your LLC, and protects your assets. The outfit makes it available in every plan, without allowing clients to order it separately. Despite the lack of flexibility in the ZenBusiness pricing, the company offers a good deal. In our ZenBusiness vs LegalZoom comparison, we discovered that the second firm charges between $99 — $199 for a personalized Operating Agreement. The ZenBusiness team provides this document tailored to your specific LLC and state of operation with every business formation order.
This is included in the highest-tier packages. For $110/year, you can either upgrade your basic package or purchase the service separately. ZenBusiness ensures that your organization is in good standing with the state by handling your annual report and up to two yearly amendments. The company also sends alerts for important deadlines and keeps an eye on your status to ensure compliance with all state requirements. ZenBusiness LLC reviews show that even if you fail to fulfill a state requirement or miss a deadline, the team will outline an action plan to help you regain your good standing.
Missing compliance events can result in costly fines, penalties, and even losing the right to do business. ZenBusiness helps you keep track of the state’s requirements by sending notifications and offering professional help with annual filing. While this service is included in the worry-free guarantee, you can purchase it separately for a competitive price of $75 (excluding state fees).
In this detailed ZenBusiness review, it’s worth mentioning that the firm is among the few that offer to handle the confusing New York Publication for you. If you are forming a business in NY, the company can help you obtain a certificate for $200 (excluding state fees) and navigate the entire process through the county clerk, attorneys, newspapers, and the state to meet all the requirements on time. Due to its automated processes and relationships with counties and publications, the firm offers this service at a significantly lower price.
ZenBusiness offers fewer legal services than rivals. The company doesn’t provide commonly requested things like Foreign Qualification and Apostille. But the team can assist you with getting a banking resolution, business bank account, Worry-Free CPA Assessment, bookkeeping services, or setting up a business website and domain name privacy.
Aside from reading ZenBusiness reviews, we tested the ordering process ourselves to rate its functionality. As a young company that embraces technology, ZenBusiness has one of the most attractive and user-friendly websites in the industry. The firm offers seamless navigation throughout the online ordering process. In just a few minutes, you can leave the required details and select the plan and add-ons you'd like to purchase.
There are upsells and third-party offers that you have to accept or refuse along the way, but nothing too annoying. The company also provides access to a personalized dashboard with your business formation certificate and other documents, in case you purchased a higher-tier package or additional services.
We compared the company’s speed against alternatives. ZenBusiness LLC provides different processing speeds depending on the level of service you purchase. The Starter plan offers standard formation speed, meaning that the company will process your order within 3-5 business days and form your LLC within 3-4 weeks. These requests are processed in the order they are received through the website, so times may vary depending on the company’s workload.
ZenBusiness LLC reviews suggest that the Pro package is the most popular option. It comes with an expedited filing speed that entitles you to 72-hour processing time and 1-2 weeks of business formation turnaround. The Premium package provides rush filing service, which cuts down the company’s processing time to 24 hours and the overall turnaround time to 3-5 days.
ZenBusiness provides experience-based turnaround estimates for each state but has no control over how fast the state will form your business.
You can speed things up even if you purchase the most basic plan by upgrading to an Expedited or Rush Filing Speed for $50 and $100, respectively. With competitors like MyCompanyWorks providing the same-day filings for everyone at no additional charge, ZenBusiness falls a bit behind when it comes to formation speed. Going through ZenBusiness reviews though we noticed the business formation timeline tends to be faster than the company’s estimates.
When someone offers the lowest prices in the industry, you’d think they cut corners with things like customer service. That’s not the case with ZenBusiness. The company offers support through phone, email, and webchat. Its business hours are from 8 AM to 8 PM CT, Monday through Friday, and Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm CT. The company’s phone number is 844-493-6249, and the ZenBusiness email is [email protected].
We tested all three options and received timely responses. The team answers the phone within a few minutes, responds to emails within one business day, and gets back quickly to customers who reach out via live chat. Its representatives are professional and highly knowledgeable.
Out of nearly 2,800 ZenBusiness reviews on Trustpilot, at the time of writing, 86% have left glowing evaluations about the outfit, while only 2% have rated their interaction as bad. While very young, the firm is among the most reviewed in the industry. Due to the high volume of feedback, some negative reviews are unsurprising. But we’ve noticed that ZenBusiness takes the time to respond to almost every unsatisfied customer, offering solutions to remedy the unfortunate experience, which speaks volumes about its customer support quality.
Out of all popular business formation options, ZenBusiness offers the lowest prices in the industry without compromising on features and quality. It’s possibly the only company that packs all of the essential services in every plan. ZenBusiness contact channels are open for everyone, no matter the level of services purchased. Each package includes:
Let’s take a look at ZenBusiness services and how they compare to similar offers:
Filing assistance, registered agent, and custom operating agreement are the three core services for the successful establishment of every new LLC. The Starter Plan packs all the features mentioned above for only $49 (excluding state fees), an unbeatable price in the industry. While most competitors tend to separate these services into different plans, ZenBusiness provides all the essentials at an insanely affordable price.
This plan includes a year of free ZenBusiness registered agent, a sought-after service that some alternatives only include in premium packages. ZenBusiness will save you money in the first year, and charge you $99/year after that, one of the lowest prices on the market. Note that its registered agent service covers only the basics. When comparing ZenBusiness vs Northwest, the second firm offers a more premium experience for $125/year.
ZenBusiness makes this package even more valuable with the worry-free CPA assessment, a free evaluation of your organization's finances along with a recommendation of a CPA that fits your needs. This feature helps you select the right accounting services to keep your finances organized. Given the advantages you get with this package, it's hard to beat ZenBusiness pricing at this basic service level.
This plan, priced at $179 (excluding state fees), has everything from the Starter package plus:
Researching for this ZenBusiness review, we discovered that the Pro Package is excellent for entrepreneurs who want to speed up the formation process and have professionals keep track of their status with the state. If you purchase this offer, ZenBusiness will acquire your federal tax ID number from the IRS on your behalf, and provide a banking resolution. The worry-free guarantee meanwhile takes away the hassle of missing important compliance events. While all these extra features are available for separate purchase, the Pro Plan helps you score a better deal.
This package, at $299 (excluding state fees) includes everything that the Pro Plan does, plus:
The goal with our unbiased ZenBusiness review is to help you make an informed decision. For this reason, we must note that the Premium package includes only third-party partnership offers. There's no doubt that all of these additional features will increase the credibility of your small business. It's a good deal considering that establishing a professional online presence is crucial for business success. This package entitles you to a rush formation speed, an excellent upgrade for entrepreneurs looking to form a business as soon as possible.
The ZenBusiness refund policy is not strictly defined. This is mainly because the firm prefers to review each unsatisfactory situation separately and come up with the best solution for those specific circumstances. Here is what it states on its website:
“Once ZenBusiness has submitted your business for filing with the State under no circumstances can you charge-back or dispute the fees associated with forming your business. If you contact ZenBusiness before your business has been submitted for filing with the State, ZenBusiness may refund the charge, less a $50 cancellation fee, if certain conditions are met.”
Overall, the ZenBusiness pricing is unrivaled in the industry, thanks to the clever use of technology. The firm can save you $50+ on similar services. The combination of low prices, personalized service, and excellent customer care has positioned the company to the top when it comes to business formation. Its offerings are bundled in packages, but the firm allows clients to purchase some features individually, giving them enough flexibility to best suit their needs. As you can see in this ZenBusiness review, it offers far less legal support than some more experienced competitors. That said, it’s difficult to beat the value ZenBusiness provides for money.