LegalZoom has helped over 3,000,000 customers since they started business in 2001.
How Much Is LegalZoom?
If you ask a friend or colleague how to start an LLC online, the first suggestion you hear is likely to be LegalZoom.com. As one of the largest legal form providers in the nation, LegalZoom is a big player with a strong reputation. However, its online LLC formation services also come with a bigger price tag. LegalZoom’s online LLC packages start at $149 + state fees, and can be as expensive as $359 + fees for the Express Gold Package.
What You Get
For this LegalZoom review, we compared the top three LLC packages. LegalZoom’s $149 Economy Package includes filing of LLC state documents, a personalized operating agreement, name availability check and business filing, and a financial account authorization letter. For $289, you can get all of the above, plus 15-day turnaround time (as opposed to 30 days), a company seal and binder, and 20 customized membership certificates. The Express Gold package costs $359 and includes discounted and expedited Federal Tax ID (EIN) Number service, and a 30-day trial of LegalZoom’s attorney advice service. Turnaround time is expedited to 7-10 days with this package, which includes two-day shipping.
Sometimes it’s not what’s included, but what’s left out that makes a big difference. We noticed that Registered Agent Service and Compliance Calendar services were not included in any of the plans mentioned above, but can be purchased separately. In most competing sites, these services were included in top-tier or medium-tier plans.
Expand For Pricing Details
How Fast Is LegalZoom?
As noted above, the shipping times vary depending on which package you choose — but you’ll find faster shipping from one of our top three providers. Our #1 choice, InFile.com, offers next-day business processing with any plan you choose, and a la carte upgrades to FedEx.
Bonus Features
When researching features for this LegalZoom.com review, one of our favorites was Attorney Advice. This feature gives you unlimited consultations on new legal matters, an attorney-drafted letter on your behalf, legal document review of up to 10 pages, and many more features for $29.99 per month. This is certainly cheaper than most retainers; and you get 30 days free with the Express Gold package. (Just remember to cancel it before the end of the trial period if you don’t want to be billed the next month.) Another nice feature is the Peace of Mind ReviewTM. This personal review comes with any package, and ensures completeness and consistency after you create your legal documents. Real reviewers check for spelling, punctuation, missing information, correct capitalization and lowercasing, and more.
The Trust Factor
There’s a reason people recommend LegalZoom: they trust it. Founded in 2001, LegalZoom was one of the earliest legal form websites, and it holds an A+ Better Business Bureau ranking. Of course, bigger doesn’t always mean better. A Google search on “LegalZoom reviews” revealed 300,000 results, including many positive LegalZoom reviews, and a few negative ones. At the time of this writing, there were 268 LegalZoom complaints closed with the BBB over the last three years. Even for a company of this size, that is too many complaints.
Customer Service
LegalZoom gives you many choices in customer service, and offers a Satisfaction Guarantee. Customers can get support by phone or email, read Legal Help Articles, browse the Knowledge Center, and speak to an attorney, with an attorney plan.
The Big Picture
LegalZoom is a trusted national company, and generally a safe choice to start an LLC online. However, for savvy business owners, better values can be found. Check out our #1 choice for LLC websites, IncFile.com.
