Are you looking to form a new limited liability company (LLC), but you’re not sure which of the many formation services can best assist you? Companies like ZenBusiness and Filenow can do the heavy lifting for you, but how do you know which one you should use? In this ZenBusiness vs. Filenow LLC service comparison, we’ll walk through these companies’ main commonalities and differences.

ZenBusiness vs. Filenow key differences

ZenBusiness and Filenow are both reliable LLC formation services, and either can form a compliant entity. However, we have a few advantages, starting with our free (+ state fee) LLC formation service package. Filenow charges at least $49 for LLC formations.

Another important difference is that we have a much higher volume of positive customer reviews, with 12,000+ of them compared to around 600 for Filenow. If you’d like to learn more about these two service providers, read on to discover all the relevant details.

6 Things They Have in Common

  1. Affordable: Filenow and ZenBusiness can save you hundreds of dollars over hiring a traditional business attorney to draft and file your Articles of Organization.
  2. Customer Support: Even though you’ll be saving a considerable amount of money, you still won’t be going it alone. With ZenBusiness and Filenow, you have access to helpful customer service reps who can answer your questions. No need to waste time trying to find the answers for yourself.
  3. Experience: If you prefer to conduct business with experienced companies, look no further. ZenBusiness and Filenow have each formed thousands of businesses over the years. These are legitimate operations that know how to get the job done right.
  4. Additional Services: If you want other business services like ongoing compliance assistance or an operating agreement template, Filenow and ZenBusiness can help you with much more than just your formation itself. There’s no need to shop around at multiple companies when you can get everything you need under one roof.
  5. Educational: Looking for more info about business services before you buy? Still thinking about the do-it-yourself route? Whether or not you end up using ZenBusiness or Filenow for LLC service, these companies have online blogs and learning centers that are packed with free information about tons of business topics.
  6. Positive Customer Reviews: While we have a much higher volume of feedback, both of these companies receive mostly positive reviews from their customers.

ZenBusiness vs. Filenow Comparisons

Pricing

ZenBusiness: We offer LLC service for free (just pay your state’s fee). If you’re looking for some advanced features, our $199 Pro package adds ongoing compliance assistance, an operating agreement template, an employer identification number (EIN), and faster processing. You also might like our $299 Premium plan, as it adds a business website builder, a domain name, a business email address, and 25+ business document templates.

Filenow: At $49, Filenow’s baseline price point for LLC formation service isn’t bad. Filenow’s Premium package costs $199 but it might be a better deal than its Starter package, as it adds several valuable features like registered agent service and EIN acquisition.

Experience

ZenBusiness: We were founded in 2017 in Austin, Texas. Since then, we’ve served 500,000+ customers. We’re a public benefit corporation that provides $5,000 grants to help our customers kickstart their businesses.

Filenow: We were unable to glean much information about Filenow’s background or experience level. However, the company does have 600+ mostly positive reviews available on Trustpilot.

Customer Support

ZenBusiness: We provide access to our customer service team by phone, email, or web chat. We have expanded availability that even includes Sundays — very few competitors have any weekend availability. We pride ourselves in continuously improving the quality and responsiveness of our customer support, and we believe we compare favorably to the vast majority of competitors in this area.

Filenow: Filenow offers customer support via phone or email. You can also use its web-based chat application or fill out the contact form on its website. Their representatives are knowledgeable and courteous, and they’re available from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on weekdays.

Turnaround Times

ZenBusiness: With us at ZenBusiness, all formation speeds vary based on state capabilities. Also, if you’re in a hurry, you can choose one of our premium packages to speed things up a bit. When compared to other formation services, we’re usually either just as fast or slightly faster. To find out your turnaround time, simply plug in your state and immediately see your estimated processing speed.

Filenow: With Filenow, turnaround times depend on two things. First, each state has its own timelines for processing LLC formation paperwork. Secondly, Filenow processes LLC formations a bit quicker if you order the Premium package instead of the Starter.

Customer Reviews

ZenBusiness: We excel when it comes to customer feedback, as we have more than 12,000 reviews available online, and nearly all of them are positive. Our clients are clearly satisfied with our services, and they frequently praise our efficiency, along with the general ease of use provided by our platform.

Filenow: We found 600+ reviews of Filenow’s services on reputable third-party review websites, and the majority of them are positive. Overall, most customers seem pleased with the service they receive from this company.

Ease of Use

ZenBusiness: Forming a new business entity is simple with ZenBusiness. You’ll start by selecting your formation package, then you’ll provide us with some basic information about yourself and your business. After that, we’ll take care of the rest. It doesn’t get much easier than this.

Filenow: The first step with Filenow is to choose your entity type (LLC, corporation, S corp) and state. Then, you’ll choose which of Filenow’s two business formation packages you’d like to purchase. From there, you’ll walk through a couple of screens that ask for your personal details and basic business info, followed by a very long series of 11 upsell attempts. Once you finally make your way through Filenow’s exhaustive upsells, you can pay for your order.

Additional Services

With either Filenow or ZenBusiness, you have access to a selection of additional services that can help you grow and maintain your business. As you might expect, these companies offer many of the same services, as either can help you with ongoing compliance assistance, operating agreement templates, registered agent service, and more.

However, there are also some services that are only available from us at ZenBusiness. For instance, we offer New York publication service, which Filenow lacks.

Which is the right service for you?

Filenow and ZenBusiness have many similarities regarding LLC services but also differ in a few key ways. Furthermore, depending on your specific needs and priorities, your preference may vary. If you’re not yet decided between Filenow and ZenBusiness, let’s review a couple of scenarios that may sway you in one direction or the other.

➦ Choose Filenow if:

If you prefer using a smaller company instead of a more experienced option, Filenow could be worth a look.

🎉 Choose ZenBusiness if:

If you’d like to form your LLC for free (plus state fees), we’re an excellent choice. We also have a much higher volume of positive customer reviews than Filenow. Form your LLC quickly and get more tools to start your dream business.

Get Started with ZenBusiness

Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes

Ready to start your LLC?

Compare Packages

Identify the LLC package and services that fit your needs and then get started.

Starter

Premium

Starter

$0

Premium

$349/yr

Starter

File in 2 to 3 weeks **

$0

PLUS STATE FEES

Premium

File in 1 to 5 days **

$349/yr

PLUS STATE FEES

Top Features

More InfoWe do everything needed to file your application with the state and make your business official. Standard LLC Filing
More InfoWe’ll file your paperwork quickly and accurately. If there are any errors with your filing, our team will do what’s needed to make it right. 100% Accuracy Guarantee
More InfoKeeps you compliant with all state-required annual report and amendment filings to maintain LLC protections and avoid fines. Worry-Free Compliance
More InfoThis essential document is like the constitution for your business. Operating Agreement
More InfoOur fastest service puts you to the front of our line of filings. Our Fastest Filing Speed
More InfoOur team will secure your EIN from the IRS so you can open a business bank account, hire employees, and pay taxes. EIN
More InfoIncludes over 25 templates for contracts, service agreements, waivers, and more. Business Documents
More InfoGet online with a website builder tool optimized for traffic and customers. Business Website Builder
More InfoBuild and protect your brand by registering a private domain name that matches your business name. Domain Name with Privacy
More InfoStay organized and give your business more credibility with a business email. Business Email Address

File in 2 to 3 weeks **

1 year free, then $199/yr*
+$99
+$79
+$99
+$99
+$15/mo
+$35/yr
+$25/yr

File in 1 to 5 days **

*SPECIAL OFFER – Get Starter for $0 plus state fees. Includes one optional free year of Worry-Free Compliance that renews at $199/yr.
**These filing times are averages and include our processing times and Secretary of State turnaround times which vary by state.

Frequently Asked Questions About ZenBusiness and Filenow

  • It’s hard not to be a fan of our Starter plan because it’s free as long as you pay your state’s required fee. If you’re looking for some more advanced features, our Pro package ($199 + state fee) adds ongoing compliance assistance, EIN acquisition, an operating agreement template, and faster filing. Meanwhile, our Premium package ($299 + state fee) adds a business website builder, a business email address, a domain name, and 25+ business document templates to the Pro package.

  • Filenow’s refund policy is very strict. They don’t actually offer refunds at all — they only allow exchanges for certain products and services (not including LLC formations), and even then, you have to request one within 30 days.

    We have one of the industry’s most reasonable refund policies. We provide our customers with a satisfaction guarantee that says we’ll grant a refund to anyone requesting one for any reason within 60 days of their purchase.

  • We’re proud to offer New York publication service — see our pricing page for more information about this service. Filenow doesn’t offer assistance with publication requirements.

  • We think we compare favorably to any competitor in this industry. Check out the comparison reviews below if you’d like to see how we stack up to other popular LLC service websites.

  • With ZenBusiness, all formation speeds vary based on state capabilities. Also, if you’re in a hurry, you can choose one of our premium packages to speed things up a bit.

    Filenow’s turnaround times are primarily based on each state’s formation speeds. In addition, Filenow offers faster internal processing for customers who purchase their Premium package rather than the cheapest option.

  • You can. In fact, plenty of people do form their own LLCs without assistance every day. However, we simply like to caution our readers that because every state has its own requirements to form an LLC, it can be a hassle to familiarize yourself with the details of your state’s specific rules and regulations.

    In addition, we appreciate the peace of mind we get from hiring a professional service because we trust their expertise. Services like ours at ZenBusiness can form your LLC for free as long as you cover the state fee.

  • In our opinion, Filenow’s Premium package ($199 + state fee) is an advantage over some competitors, as it bundles a smart collection of features (registered agent service, EIN acquisition, operating agreement template, etc.) at a reasonable price point. As for us at ZenBusiness, we offer a free (+ state fee) LLC formation service package that can save you $49 over Filenow’s cheapest option.

  • We offer registered agent service for $199 per year, and we also provide annual reports for $100 each. Filenow offers registered agent service for $119 per year, and it provides annual report service for $99 per year.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.

Start Your LLC Today