Incfile vs ZenBusiness Comparison

Business entity formation is a crucial element of launching a business, and because it’s often complex and tedious many entrepreneurs hire a professional to do the job right. 

Two of the leading online services to consider are Incfile and ZenBusiness. And to help you determine which is best, and which might be best for you and your business, we have thoroughly reviewed their services by putting ourselves in the shoes of an entrepreneur. Read on to make the choice that will put your business on the highway to success. 

Both ZenBusiness and Incfile offer a robust and comprehensive suite of offerings and a la carte options. However, we give a small advantage to ZenBusiness, because of its great industry reputation, reliable customer support and good value for the money.

Features and Services Overview

IncFile offers three business formation packages: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The Silver package is free, plus state fees, and includes free registered agent services for one year. Incfile also gives customers access to an online dashboard and unlimited phone and email support.

ZenBusiness also has three plans to choose from, with annual fees ranging from $0 to $299. They have a great track record with BBB, competitive pricing, and a seamless formation process. ZenBusiness offers a great value for your money compared to competitors and more services are offered.

Plans Pricing

Incfile’s Silver plan is free except for state fees and includes the preparation and filing of the articles of organization and unlimited name searches. It also includes free registered agent services for a year, making it a great value.

The IncFile $149 Gold plan provides the added services of an operating agreement, business tax consultation, and lifetime company alerts. It has a few other benefits as well, so it’s an overall good value.

The IncFile $299 Platinum plan offers the additional benefit of expedited filing as well as a domain name and business formation. You’ll also receive access to business contract templates. However, if you have either the “base” or “middle” plans, you can gain access to the entire document library for $150.

Incfile also offers a number of a la carte services. For a fee, Incfile can handle tasks like filing your annual report and changing your registered agent.

The ZenBusiness Starter Plan costs $0 per year plus state fees and provides you with a business name availability search in your state’s database and the business formation service, with full customer support. It also offers a few extras, including an accounting consultation to help you get started with your finances. You’ll also have access to your formation documents online at any time.

The Pro Plan costs $199 annually plus state fees and offers all the services above plus an operating agreement template and annual compliance service, which means ZenBusiness will remind you of reporting due dates based on your state requirements. The plan also includes expedited filing so that your LLC is approved and ready to go faster.

The Premium Plan costs $299 annually plus state fees and contains everything within the Pro Plan with the added advantage of rush filing, as well as a business domain name, website, and email. Note that none of these plans include registered agent services. They are available for an additional $99 fee. ZenBusiness also has a document library that customers can access for $99. 

Silver Plan vs Starter Plan

Incfile’s basic Silver plan is free of charge, all you need to pay for is state fees. They also offer free registered agent services for the first year. The ZenBusiness Starter Plan is at $0 plus state fees and includes a free accounting consultation, but you’ll need to pay an additional fee to add a registered agent.

Gold Plan vs Pro Plan

Incfile’s Gold plan is a bit more affordable than the ZenBusiness Pro Plan. However, with the middle-tier package from ZenBusiness, you get everything from the basic plan with expedited turnaround times. The Incfile Gold Plan includes everything from the Silver Plan plus banking resolution and a business bank account. These options are also available with ZenBusiness, but you’ll need to pay extra.

Platinum vs Premium 

Both the Incfile Platinum plan and the ZenBusiness Premium Plan cost $299 plus state fees. You’ll get expedited filing with both, along with some website services. With Incfile Platinum, you’ll get access to a template library. ZenBusiness also has this feature, but you’ll pay extra.

Customer Service

We tested the customer experience of both services from every angle. Here’s what we found. 

Incfile

User Experience – What to Expect 

When you first go to the Incfile site, clicking on the “Start My Business” button will open up a new window. You’ll then see a couple of drop down menus: one for your business type (choose LLC) and one for the state in which you are filing. Once you choose your state, you’ll see specific pricing.

Each of the three available plans will appear, along with an outline of what’s included in each. The price displayed will include both the package fee and the fees for your particular state. Once you’ve made your decision, click the “Get the Silver/Gold/Platinum package”. You will then be prompted to enter your contact information and mailing address.

Next, you’ll be asked to choose standard or expedited filing. Incfile also includes the typical processing time in your chosen state so you can make a more informed decision. 

Enter your company information, including information on your members or owners, business purpose, industry, and address. After entering these details, you’ll be offered a chance to upgrade to a higher level package before continuing. 

The next series of screens prompt you to enter the information that will ultimately appear on your articles of organization document. Then you’ll be asked if you’d like to use Incfile as your registered agent or act as your own (if allowed in that state). 

If you choose the Silver package, the service is free for a year and $119 annually afterwards. The service is included in the price of both the Gold and Platinum packages.

From this point onward, depending which package you choose, you’ll be prompted to provide all the applicable information for each included service. If you choose Silver or Gold, you’ll have opportunities to add various a la carte services.

Once you’re finished making your choices, you’ll have a chance to review your information before you submit payment.

How is the formation process?

The formation process was quick and easy, making for a nearly seamless user experience. Opportunities to upgrade were more informative than intrusive, and it was made very clear what you were getting with each package. 

One downside is that there’s no way to save your progress if you have to leave the page and come back later. However, if you click the back button and move back to the homepage, you will be prompted to either start over or resume.

In Summary

Overall, the site is easy to use if you’re ready to go and just want to complete the process. Otherwise, information can be difficult to find to form an LLC on your own. 

Incfile is great for entrepreneurs on a budget, as their Silver package covers the basics and includes a free year of their registered agent service. Competitors like LegalZoom and ZenBusiness have a more robust suite of services, but at a higher price point. 

Customer Support

We tested all three forms of Incfile customer support. 

Chat support

When we tested the customer service response time through the online chat option, we received a response within two minutes. We asked a question about cancellation policy and how to cancel an order if we change our mind about the filing. The agent was very helpful and explained the process clearly.

Support Rating:

Response time:

Very quick

Phone support

We called Incfile to ask a question about registered agent services. Our call was answered almost immediately, and the question was answered promptly. The question was whether registered agent services are included in any of the plans. 

The answer was that they are included in Gold and Platinum and customers get a free year of registered agent services with the Silver package. The customer service representative was professional and polite and made sure to ask if we had any additional questions.

Support Rating:

Response time:

Immediate

Email support

We asked the same question via email about registered agent services and received the same response in under 24 hours. Our question was answered thoroughly and politely. The person who responded made no sales pitches and asked how else they could be of service. 

Support Rating:

Response time:

Very quick

ZenBusiness

User Experience – What to Expect 

When you first go to the ZenBusiness site, you’re prompted to begin entering information, starting with your proposed company name. There is a menu at the top that you can explore to find some free tools, products and pricing, and more about the company.

However, you can only find a la carte product prices. You cannot immediately see the packages of services and their pricing.

When you enter your company name, you’re then asked a series of automated questions, and the chatbot then makes product and package recommendations, allowing the user to see the service packages and prices.

How is the formation process?

The questions were simple and quick, but most visitors might prefer to see packages and prices right away before starting the process.

Once the product recommendations are made — and they are not described in great detail — you can choose which you prefer and the site takes you immediately to payment. Keep in mind that if you do not pay right away, but instead want to come back to it later, you will have to go through all the questions again.

When we went through this process the first time, we received an email within an hour with an offer to assist. We then went a step further and actually formed an LLC. We chose the starter plan and added registered agent services, the EIN service, and the rush filing service.

The entire process took about 15 minutes and was very simple. Throughout the process, the chatbot recommended other products, and with a simple click, we could purchase or reject. Even though we were clearly being sold to, it did not feel intrusive.

What happens after payment?

Once the signup process and payment were complete, we had immediate access to our dashboard. The dashboard shows everything you have to do, and what ZenBusiness is working on for you. It’s also where you can access your formation documents once the formation process is complete.

The dashboard also shows all the products that are still available to purchase. Shortly after forming the LLC, we received a welcome email about what would happen next.

In Summary

Overall, the site is easy to use if you’re ready to go and just want to complete the process. But information can be difficult to find. You have the option to sign up for a free account on the site, though we had difficulty finding that option. However, signing up for the account doesn’t seem to give you access to anything you can’t access without an account.

Customer Support

We tested all three forms of ZenBusiness’ customer support.

Chat support

When we tested the customer service response time through the online chat option, we received a response within five minutes.

The question we asked was about the annual compliance a la carte service, which costs $199, compared to the registered agent service with annual compliance included, which is $149.

We asked if those two annual compliance services are different, considering the price discrepancy. The customer service agent was polite but could not explain the discrepancy.

**The registered agent + annual compliance service for $149 has since been removed from their a la carte products page.

Support Rating:

Response time:

Very quick

Phone support

We called ZenBusiness to ask a question about registered agent services. Our call was answered almost immediately, and the question was answered promptly. 

The question was whether registered agent services are included in any of the plans, and the answer was no. The customer service representative was professional and polite and made no sales pitches.

Support Rating:

Response time:

Very quick

Email support

We asked the same question via email about registered agent services and received the same response in 45 minutes. Our question was answered thoroughly and politely. The person who responded did not make a sales pitch.

Support Rating:

Response time:

Immediate

Customer Reviews

We wanted to know how real customers feel about both services, so we thoroughly explored customer reviews at the Better Business Bureau and Trust Pilot. Below we’ve summarized our findings. 

Incfile

Better Business Bureau

Incfile does not have a rating on BBB.

• Polite customer service
• Fast response times
• High trust score rating

Incfile is not currently accredited with the BBB. They have 4.67/5 stars out of 1,526 customer reviews and have received 260 complaints in three years. A total of 30 complaints have been resolved over the last 12 months.

Many positive reviews at BBB revolve around exceptional customer service. Customers mentioned phone support being very helpful and cordial, as well as proactive in identifying potential problems. Customers also mentioned chat support being excellent at resolving issues. 

One customer highlighted the responsiveness of the representative they were working with and that their issue was resolved quickly. Another had a difficult problem to solve and the representative that was handling the case “took care of the problem immediately”.

Most of the negative reviews were categorized as a “problem with product or service”. A common issue seemed to be a lack of communication between Incfile and customers, especially when it came to expectations regarding turnaround time and refunds. 

But it’s worth noting that at the time of this review, the most recent complaint was several months old. You can read reviews on the BBB website. 

Trustpilot 

Incfile has a high trust score rating on Trustpilot.

• Polite customer service
• Fast response times
• High trust score rating

The Trustpilot score for Incfile is 4.7/5 stars out of 3,386 customer reviews.

Incfile reviews at TrustPilot break down as follows:

• Excellent 82%
• Great 9%
• Average 2%
• Poor <1%
• Bad 6%

Positive reviews mostly involved how easy it was to form an LLC. Some commented on the user-friendliness of the website and appreciated the transparency in pricing and the added features. Some reviews mentioned customer service representatives by name and praised them for being highly responsive and helpful.

Reviews in the “bad” category included confusion over state filing fees, a lack of communication from representatives, and poor customer service over the phone. Other customers complained about long turnaround times and a lack of transparency in terms of how long things would take to process, especially when it came to state filings. 

It does seem like a representative from Incfile is monitoring the negative reviews and the company makes an attempt to resolve issues. 

You can read reviews on the TrustPilot website. 

ZenBusiness

Better Business Bureau

ZenBusiness has an A- rating on BBB.

• Many positive reviews
• Friendly customer support
• Low number of complaints

ZenBusiness has an A- rating from the BBB with 4.35/5 stars based on 166 customer reviews. They have been an accredited BBB business since 2019. They have received 56 complaints in three years, all of which have a closed status.

Many positive reviews highlighted the customer service. Customers mentioned phone support being very helpful and cordial, as well as proactive in identifying potential problems. Customers also discussed the chat support being excellent at resolving issues.

Another person said they received their formation paperwork in “record time”, and one said they were “blown away” by how easy it was to set up their LLC and get questions answered. They also said that customer service agents went “above and beyond” to provide helpful details.

Some of the negative reviews concern errors made in processing and issues canceling accounts. One person said they waited 6 weeks and their LLC still had not been formed; another said they waited over a year for their EIN. But it should be noted that EIN is an add-on service that is not included in the packages, so it may have been a misunderstanding on the customer’s part.

Some reviewers pointed out that ZenBusiness would not cancel their account unless they first dissolved their LLC with the state or filed a change of agent form.

You can read reviews on the BBB website.

Trustpilot

ZenBusiness has a high trust score rating on Trustpilot.

• Many positive reviews
• Friendly customer support
• Low number of complaints

The Trustpilot score for ZenBusiness is 4.7/5 stars based on 10,079 customer reviews.

The ZenBusiness reviews from Trustpilot have the following range:

• Excellent 86%
• Great 8%
• Average 2%
• Poor 1%
• Bad 3%

Many positive reviews, again, pointed toward customer service. One person said they were “shocked” at how easy it was to form their LLC, and that it was finalized within days. Another person liked the ease of answering the questions asked by the chatbot that guided them through the process of formation. Others mentioned the quick and friendly responses from customer service.

Some of the less favorable reviews revolve around fee disclosures and the fees themselves. One person complained that all fees for the products they ordered were not charged immediately so they received surprise charges on their credit card.

Others complained that the site consistently uses “upselling strategies” to get users to buy more products and that $49 for an operating agreement template is “disgustingly absurd”. Another customer complained that there seem to be hidden fees and that they ended up paying double what they expected.

You can read reviews on the Trustpilot website.

Pros and Cons

Incfile

ZenBusiness

Verdict

After a thorough assessment, we have determined that ZenBusiness offers the best value. Both Incfile and ZenBusiness offer free plans, have positive customer ratings and a wide variety of services for new entrepreneurs. But ZenBusiness comes out a nose ahead mainly due to great industry reputation and good customer support.

Our approach

As an entrepreneurial advisory site, we take our responsibilities seriously. We understand that countless entrepreneurs, and potential entrepreneurs, rely on our judgments and insights, particularly when it comes to creating their business.

As a result, our writers do their utmost to gain a comprehensive understanding of the services offered and the actual customer experience. In this case, we:

• Examined every single page of both the Incfile and ZenBusiness websites
• Reviewed all of their offerings, from a la carte products to packages
• Put ourselves in the customer’s shoes, creating accounts
• Communicated with customer service via chat, email and phone
• Gained a full understanding of the customer experience and service value

Thanks to this full immersion in the actual customer experience, our reviewer and team are able to provide the most complete and insightful comparison of Incfile and ZenBusiness LLC formation services.