BizFilings vs. Incfile/Bizee key differences

BizFilings and Incfile/Bizee are two reliable and trustworthy LLC formation service providers. Both companies have their own advantages.

Most importantly, Incfile/Bizee offers LLC formations for free (as long as you pay your own state fee), while BizFilings charges $99. Furthermore, Incfile has thousands of positive customer reviews available online, while BizFilings barely has any reviews at all. However, BizFilings is a good alternative to Incfile/Bizee, especially if you’re looking for a company that handles state-specific compliance requirements.

Would you like to know more before making your decision? Read on to discover all the relevant details that set these service providers apart.

6 Things They Have in Common

1) Affordable: If you’re trying to save money, Incfile/Bizee and BizFilings can help. These companies can both save you hundreds of dollars over hiring a business attorney to draft and file your formation documents.

2) Customer Support: Even though you’re saving a significant sum by going with BizFilings or Incfile/Bizee instead of a lawyer, you still won’t be going it alone. These providers both offer convenient customer service solutions that can get your questions answered in an efficient manner.

3) Experience: Is experience a priority for you? Incfile/Bizee and BizFilings have each helped form thousands of businesses over the years, meaning they have the expertise and know-how necessary to efficiently form your compliant LLC.

4) Registered Agent Service: Every LLC will require a registered agent to receive and forward your government documents. Incfile/Bizee offers a year of registered agent service with any formation package, and BizFilings supplies six months. (What is a registered agent?)

5) Additional Services: LLC service is just the beginning when it comes to what these companies have to offer. BizFilings and Incfile/Bizee both have dozens of business solutions that can help your new LLC remain compliant down the road, from federal tax ID numbers (EIN) to foreign qualifications and much more.

6) Efficiency: Do you need to form your LLC in a hurry? Both BizFilings and Incfile/Bizee offer expedited processing (for an additional fee, of course) that can speed up your turnaround times from a matter of weeks down to just a few days in many states.

BizFilings vs. Incfile/Bizee Comparisons

Pricing

Incfile/Bizee: Incfile/Bizee will help you form your business for free while also providing a year of registered agent service. Once the first year is over, the registered agent service will renew for $119 per year. In addition, their $199 Gold package and $299 Platinum package both include valuable features that make them options as well, even at their higher price points.

BizFilings: Starting with their $99 Basic package, which includes six months of registered agent (which costs $220/year after that), their packages are all more expensive overall than some competing formation services. The Standard and Complete packages vary in price by state but generally don’t have enough valuable features to justify their price points.

Experience

Incfile/Bizee: Incfile/Bizee has more than 1 million business formations under its belt, and it was formed in 2004.

BizFilings: BizFilings has formed more than 500,000 businesses since it opened back in 1996.

Customer Support

Incfile/Bizee: Incfile/Bizee offers phone and email support, which we tested. Incfile/Bizee’s phone support is typically responsive and helpful. However, its email support is much less responsive. Some of our emails have gone unanswered, and several of the responses we have received are just form emails that don’t directly address our questions.

BizFilings: BizFilings provides phone and email support, and there is also a “leave a message” feature on the left side of each page on their website. We called the listed phone number, and we were quickly able to navigate through their phone tree. When we emailed, we received a response the same day after sending it early in the morning.

Both their phone and email responses were professional, and they answered our questions thoroughly, providing additional details that were applicable based on what we asked. You can reach BizFilings representatives from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET every weekday.

Turnaround Times

Incfile/Bizee: With Incfile/Bizee, turnaround times vary based on each individual state’s formation speeds. This can be as quick as a few days in some states or could take several weeks in others. You can also add expedited processing to speed it up, although the price will vary by state.

BizFilings: BizFilings’ cheapest package takes 4-6 weeks, and their most expensive package takes 7-10 days. Their expedited processing has a $60 in-house upcharge to “prioritize your order above non-expedited orders,” but this doesn’t speed anything up with the state. They have official state expediting fees on top of that, but there’s no indication of how much this option will speed up your turnaround time.

Customer Reviews

Incfile/Bizee: Incfile/Bizee doesn’t just have hundreds of customer reviews available online, they have 75,000+ of them. Furthermore, their feedback is mostly positive, with critical reviews in short supply.

BizFilings: BizFilings essentially does not have customer feedback. We found just a couple dozen customer reviews anywhere online, which is unusual for a company with more than half a million clients.

Ease of Use

Incfile/Bizee: As you walk through the process of signing up for IncFfle, your steps are personalized based on the state you live in and the type of business you wish to establish. There are hyperlinks throughout the application to learn more about a specific question or entry on the form. There are a few upsells and third-party offers to navigate through, but if you opt into any of them, your total price is immediately updated on the screen. There are never any surprises with Incfile/Bizee.

BizFilings: Their incorporation wizard is a convenient tool that can help you figure out whether you should form an LLC or a corporation. Once you start filling out your order form, there are opportunities for upsells along the way, but they’re quite unobtrusive and never feel pushy at all. From the moment you start the application process, they automatically assign an order number to your application, so you can reference it with customer service if you need assistance.

Additional Services

With either BizFilings or Incfile/Bizee, you’ll have access to many other services that can help you launch and maintain your business. As you might expect, they offer quite a few of the same services, including foreign qualifications, doing business as (DBA) names, annual reports, business license research, EIN obtainment, and more.

There are also some services that you can only purchase from one or the other of these companies. For instance, BizFilings offers publication services for LLC formations in states that require it (such as New York), but Incfile/Bizee doesn’t. On the other hand, Incfile/Bizee provides its customers with access to business accounting services, which BizFilings doesn’t offer.

Which is the best LLC service for you?

There are many similarities between BizFilings and Incfile/Bizee. They’re both experienced and legitimate operations, and each one has some advantages over the other. If you’re still undecided, let’s close by going over a couple of scenarios that might point you in one direction or the other.

Choose Incfile/Bizee if:

If you want a provider with a free (+ state fee) LLC formation package and strong customer reviews, Incfile/Bizee is worthy of handling your formation process.

Choose BizFilings if:

If you need consistently fast responses to your customer service queries, give BizFilings a look. They’re also an option if you’re starting a business in a state that requires publication service.

🎉 Choose ZenBusiness if:

If you’d like to form your LLC for free (+ state fee) with ZenBusiness, we’re here to help. Form your LLC quickly and get more tools to start your dream business.

ZenBusiness LLC Packages

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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
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More InfoStay organized and give your business more credibility with a business email. Business Email Address

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*SPECIAL OFFER – Get Starter for $0 plus state fees. Includes one optional free year of Worry-Free Compliance that renews at $199/yr.
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Frequently Asked Questions About BizFilings and Incfile/Bizee

  • The most valuable option from Incfile/Bizee’s LLC formation packages is their Silver package, which is free (plus the state’s required fee). Considering the fact that this package includes your LLC formation process and a year of registered agent service, it’s a solid choice.

  • Is Incfile/Bizee the best LLC formation service? That’s one of our most-asked questions. For a close-up look at how they compare to other top-rated LLC services, check out our comparisons below:

  • Unfortunately, they don’t. This is one of the few negatives associated with IncFile/Bizee’s services, in our opinion. We called them to seek some clarification on this issue, and they said that publication requirements “need to be taken care of with the state directly,” and that they don’t provide assistance with these requirements because they technically take place after the LLC itself is formed with the state.

    Of course, we already mentioned that BizFilings does offer publication service. For another option, check out our New York publication service.

  • BizFilings’ refund policy is a bit convoluted. If you make your refund request before they’ve started doing any work on your order, they will refund the purchase price less a $50 fee. If you request a refund after they’ve completed your name availability search, there’s a $75 fee. Once they’ve submitted your formation papers to the state, you will not receive any refunds.

    Incfile/Bizee doesn’t have the best refund policy either. They only provide refunds (less a $30 convenience fee) before they’ve sent your payment to the state. Once they’ve sent money to your state, the refund window is closed. In short, don’t expect to receive a refund from either of these companies.

  • Incfile/Bizee has turnaround times based on each state’s ability to process orders. As such, they have processing speeds as quick as a couple of days in some states, but they can take several weeks in others.

    BizFilings uses an entirely different method for coming up with turnaround time estimates. Instead of basing their times on state requirements, BizFilings instead has processing speeds that depend on which level of LLC formation service you buy from them. Their most affordable Basic package takes 4-6 weeks, while their other two packages (Standard and Complete) take 7-10 business days.

  • You always have the option to DIY your formation, and plenty of entrepreneurs do just that. However, we always appreciate the peace of mind we receive from professional services because we can trust their expertise to get the job done right. In addition, each state sets its own rules and regulations regarding LLC formations, and these companies eliminate the need to track down your specific state’s requirements. Plus, services like us at ZenBusiness can form your LLC for free, as long as you cover the state fee.

  • BizFilings’ biggest advantage is its offering of state-specific compliance requirement assistance. Incfile/Bizee’s biggest advantage is its free LLC or incorporation service package, although its positive customer feedback is also a welcome attribute.

  • Incfile/Bizee and BizFilings both provide several options for entrepreneurs looking to secure their company’s good standing into the future, but Incfile/Bizee generally offers better price points. Incfile/Bizee’s registered agent service costs $119 per year, which is more affordable than the $220 annual fee from BizFilings. Furthermore, Incfile/Bizee’s annual report service is priced at $99, while BizFilings has a variable rate for annual reports.

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.

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Written by Team ZenBusiness

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