Incorporating your business can be a tedious process, which is why hiring an incorporation service provider can help.

When it comes to providing incorporation services to businesses, ZenBusiness and BizFilings are among the industry’s top providers. However, each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. 

So, how do you choose the service that best suits your business’s needs? With that said, this quick guide provides you with all the necessary information about ZenBusiness and BizFilings. 

By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to determine which service provider offers the most features and which one meets your requirements. 

 

Key Comparison Points

This review will be comparing each service in the following points:

• Pricing and value for money
• Track record and overall user experience
• Customer support
• Ease of the process
• Turnaround times

Each section will highlight what each service has to offer in those categories and which one has the advantage in each one.

 

Overall Pricing and Value

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness is widely renowned for offering several exceptional service packages at favorable price points. The company currently offers three packages that come in different prices and features. 

• Starter Plan

ZenBusiness’s Starter Plan is probably their clients’ top favorite service package that they offer. This plan costs $39 and comes with the full preparation and filing of your incorporation articles, a registered agent’s service, and a consultation with one of ZenBusiness’s in-house CPAs. 

• Pro Plan

Priced at $149 per year, ZenBusiness’s Pro Plan comes with everything in the Starter Plan plus a managed yearly report. This package also includes compliance management services, banking resolution, and EIN (employee identification number). 

• Premium Package

ZenBusiness’s Premium Package, on the other hand, is the company’s highest-tier and most expensive service package, which is priced at $249 a year. This package comes with everything the Starter and Pro Plan offers and many additional features. 

BizFilings

BizFilings’s service package is on the more expensive side when it comes to pricing and value. However, the company provides an exclusive tool that helps clients who have little to no knowledge about formation services determine the best package for them. 

• Basic Package

BizFilings’s lowest-tier package, which is the Basic plans, is priced at $99 per month, excluding state filing costs. This package includes a 6-month service of a registered agent. 

• Standard Package

Priced at $229 a month, the Standard Package offered by BizFilings excludes state filing costs. However, this package comes with business compliance tools, LLC kit and seal, operating agreements sample, and other custom LLC Forms. 

• Complete Package

The Complete Package is BizFilings’ highest-tier package, which comes with everything their Standard Package offers plus a fulfillment service for additional federal and state requirements. 

Other features included are EIN obtainment service and a compliance DVD once your business is formed. 

Moreover, just like with the company’s other service packages, the Complete Package also does not include the state filing service fees. 

• Winner: ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness hits the ball out of the park when it comes to pricing. The formation service offers feature-rich packages for reasonable price points. 

Hence, they are among the most popular incorporation service providers among entrepreneurs looking for quality services at competitive costs. 

 

ZenBusiness’s Official Website

Company Track Record and Experience

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness is a Texas-based formation service that was established in 2015. Although it has not been in the business for long, it has made a name in the formation industry. One big part of that is ZenBusiness’s integration of technology in their services. 

The formation service utilizes automation to carry out a wide array of tasks, enabling them to offer top-notch services for reasonable costs. 

Moreover, despite ZenBusiness’s young age, the company has already helped form thousands of businesses. The formation service aims to form over a million businesses in the forthcoming five years. 

Furthermore, ZenBusiness’s online client reviews were mostly positive. The company has over 4000 reviews on the web, and most of its customers were satisfied with their service. 

 

BizFilings

Established in 1996, BizFilings has been in the business for quite a while. Two business people started the formation service who later sold the business to Wolters Kluwer. This global compliance company provides a wide array of business services. 

To this date, BizFilings has already helped form over 500,000 businesses, which is undeniably an impressive number. However, the company doesn’t have as many customer reviews online. 

You will have a hard time finding reviews for this company from third-party review websites. Thus, when it comes to customer satisfaction, this company’s performance is not really proven to be good or bad. 

• Winner: 50/50

Although ZenBusiness has thousands of favorable reviews online, BizFilings has been in the business for over two decades. Thus, you can clearly say the company has more experience in the formation industry. 

Therefore, if you have a strong priority for reputation and experience, you essentially cannot go wrong with either of the two formation services. It is a tie for them in this category. 

 

Customer Service

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness offers customer support via web chat, email, and phone. The company provides speedy responses with detailed information based on customers’ reviews online. 

Many customers said that the formation service’s reps could reply to their email queries within one day. Others also stated that they never waited for over a few minutes to talk to one of the company’s agents through their web chat and phone support service. 

In terms of support quality, most of their customers said that the company’s representatives were polite and knowledgeable. Thus, if you have any questions about ZenBusiness and the services they offer, you can get accurate answers when you reach out to their customer support. 

BizFilings

BizFilings provides customer support service via email, phone, and they also allow clients to leave a message on their website. Based on multiple customer reviews, people who reached out to the company via phone could get a hold of one of the company’s reps quickly. 

On the other hand, when it comes to their email support, many customers said they could get a reply the same day they sent their email queries. 

Both the company’s email and phone support were excellent. Their customer service agents were knowledgeable and professional when responding to customers’ questions and concerns. 

 

• Winner: 50/50

These companies’ customer support was stellar based on several reviews from their clients. Both formation services offer various support mediums and deliver timely and detailed responses to their customers’ questions and concerns. 

Suppose you are looking for a formation service that can deliver dependable support. In that case, you can choose either of the two companies as they both offer excellent customer service. 

 

BizFiling’s Official Website

Ease of Use

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness understands that most of their clients have very little to zero knowledge about incorporating a business. 

Other clients also invest in a formation service because they don’t want to go through the laborious process of business formation. Hence why ZenBusiness strives to streamline the entire process for their valued clients. 

The service form provided by ZenBusiness only takes a few minutes to fill out entirely, and it also comes with instructions that are very easy to follow. Essentially, all you need to do is select your desired package and input some basic personal and business info. After this, you’re pretty much good to go. 

Although you will bump into a few upsells on the later part of the application process, they are not necessarily obtrusive where you would want to cancel your purchase. 

BizFilings

Like ZenBusiness, BizFilings also takes pride in providing a smooth and hassle-free formation for all clients. The company makes sure that their clients will wade through the entire application with so much ease and convenience. 

As you begin navigating the order form, BizFilings will provide you with seven pages. The moment you pick your desired package, you will automatically be given an order number for your application. 

You will stumble upon several upsells on the later part of the application. However, they are not very intrusive where they will put you off pushing through your purchase. 

• Winner: ZenBusiness

Both companies provide a convenient purchasing process. However, given the number of upsells and third-party service offers you will encounter with BizFilings, ZenBusiness is the clear winner when it comes to the ease of placing an order. Moreover, ZenBusiness’s application form also comes with detailed instructions. Thus, customers will find filling out the application form a piece of cake. 

 

Speed of Formation

ZenBusiness

Instead of basing turnaround times on the processing speeds of the state a business owner is filing in, ZenBusiness structures its formation speed according to the client’s service package. Compared with its competitors, ZenBusiness offers almost similar or even better formation speeds. 

However, the company also gives a disclaimer for each package’s estimated turnaround times. They say that they may vary depending on their state. 

For example, you want to know your formation service’s specific estimate. In that case, you can select your state on ZenBusiness’s website, and their system will automatically provide you with a rough estimate. 

BizFilings

BizFilings does not include estimated turnaround times on their website. If clients want to speed up their business formation, they may opt for the company’s expedited service, which is an added cost of $60. 

When you pay for the expedited service, the company will prioritize your application. Still, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee faster formation speeds as they can’t control how your state handles your paperwork. 

• Winner: ZenBusiness

It is an obvious fact that ZenBusiness is the landslide winner for this category. The company provides you with a rough estimate of turnaround times based on the formation service packages they offer. 

Moreover, based on multiple reviews, ZenBusiness’s formation is satisfactory and highly competitive against the industry’s leading formation businesses. 

 

Conclusion

Overall, both companies offer their own advantages and disadvantages. However, ZenBusiness has the edge when it comes to the different categories above due to the winning points. It is easy to say that it is a more cost-efficient formation service to invest in than BizFilings. 

Whether you need help with your business’s formation or you need to hire a Registered Agent, choosing a reliable company such as ZenBusiness or BizFiling is very important. This is so that your money won’t be put to waste. 

 

 

Common Questions

What are the advantages of incorporating a business?

Here is a list of the benefits you can get out of incorporating a business:

• Reduces your personal liabilities and safeguards your personal assets.
• Better flexibility in terms of tax payments.
• Improves credibility of small businesses.
• It helps improve your personal privacy.
• It is a good way of building business credit.
• Safeguards your business brand and name at the state level. 

Are there any downsides when you incorporate a business?

Business owners who got their business incorporated must run their venture with a higher admin level. This can be a massive change since these entrepreneurs started with a sole proprietorship. 

What does LLC mean?

Limited Liability Company or LLC is the hybrid of a sole proprietorship and corporation. LLC is highly popular for small businesses for several good reasons. First, LLC limits the business owner’s personal liability. However, they are not required much of the paperwork and formality of corporations. 

Are there legal documents to prepare when incorporating a business?

All corporations are required to acquire Bylaws as well as Corporate Minutes, while LLCs are required to get an Operating Agreement. These legal documents are essential that you obtain them because you can easily get into legal trouble if you don’t. 

What are the basic requirements needed when incorporating a business?

The first thing you ideally have to do when incorporating your business is seeking professional advice from a CPA or an Enrolled Agent. Each business’s requirements are essentially individual and depend on many various factors. 

How does a non-profit corporation work?

Non-profit corporations pertain to educational, religious, literacy, scientific, or charitable institutions. These institutions essentially do not give any gains to the owners. All of the financial assets above operating costs are utilized to further their non-profit organization goals. 

Non-profit institutions are free from the liability to pay tax. To become a non-profit institution, the Federal (IRS) and State level’s approval is required. 

Can I incorporate my business myself?

Definitely! doing the incorporation process yourself is the cheapest method available. If you are big on saving money and you don’t mind going through the hassle of a lengthy formation process, then the DIY approach is the best option for you. 

Why should I hire a formation service?

On the other hand, if you do not want to go through the laborious process of incorporating your business, then hiring a formation service would be an efficient investment. Formation services streamline the entire process. All you need to do as the client is to provide the necessary information and the payment. 

What does a Registered Agent do?

All LLCs and corporations need a Registered Agent’s service in receiving official memorandums. When choosing a Registered Agent, make sure to hire certified agents, or you can also choose to hire a qualified company.