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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young has over 25 years of experience in business in various roles, including bank management, marketing management, and business education.
Published on September 8, 2022
Updated on December 25, 2022
If you’re starting a business, the business entity formation process is one of the first and most important hurdles. This step can be terribly complex and time-consuming, which is why many entrepreneurs turn to a professional formation service.
One of the top options is Rocket Lawyer. But is it the best service? And is it the right choice for you? This review takes a closer look — putting ourselves in the shoes of an entrepreneur — to help you choose the formation service that will put your business on the road to success.
Pricing
Turnaround Time
Help and Support
Customer Satisfaction
Ease of Use
Overall Score: 4/5
Rocket Lawyer handles the business formation process for you, making it nearly seamless while offering additional services that can make life easier for a new business owner. Whether you’re forming a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation, Rocket Lawyer takes care of all the red tape so you don’t have to.
Unlike most other LLC formation services, Rocket Lawyer does not offer packages of services, just a la carte service options. They also offer a $39.99 per month subscription service on their site with which you can get legal services, documents, and advice. The subscription has a seven-day free trial.
We explored all of the options and have broken down the services and pricing here.
| Service | Price | Price with membership |
|---|---|---|
| Business formation | $99 plus state fee | $0 plus state fee |
| Expedited filing | $100 plus state fee | $100 plus state fee |
| EIN | $59 | $59 |
| Personalized corporate kit and seal | $104.99 | $104.99 |
| Corporate seal only | $64.99 | $64.99 |
| Registered agent service | $149.99 annually | $111.99 annually |
*Expedited filing often incurs additional state costs. Initial state filing fees and expedited filing fees are detailed below.
**Registered agent service price may vary depending on your state
Overall, their services are good value. However, they do not offer as many services as other business formation services unless you get a membership. With a membership, you can get documents such as an operating agreement, for which other services charge a flat fee.
Your LLC must be formed with your state by filing articles of organization, sometimes called a certificate of organization or a certificate of formation. This can be done online or by mail. Rocket Lawyer handles the filing for you online, and the LLC approval time varies by state.
This can be a time-consuming and difficult process for an entrepreneur and getting customer support from your state government office is often a challenge. With Rocket Lawyer, you have access to customer support during normal business hours.
Once your LLC is approved and official, you can access your formation documents on the Rocket Lawyer website at any time.
When you form your LLC, depending on the state where you want to register your business, there will likely be an added state fee. Below we have listed the fees for each state so you can calculate the overall expenses for creating your LLC.
Please note that the state fees are costs that you will pay in addition to the Rocket Lawyer formation service costs, or any other formation service you choose.
Use our dropdown calculator to check how much LLC formation will cost using Rocket Lawyer. Simply choose your a la carte services and the state where you want to form an LLC to calculate the exact cost based on your needs and preferences.
In most states, when you form an LLC, you need a registered agent. A registered agent is a person or business authorized to accept and respond to legal, tax, and financial documents on behalf of your business.
For $149.99 per year or $111.99 with a membership, Rocket Lawyer can act as your registered agent and handle official correspondence and documents for your business.
Registered agents ensure that all official correspondence is handled on time and properly filed. They also keep track of deadlines and send reminders of things you need to file, such as tax forms and annual reports. A registered agent service will help keep you in compliance with the law and save you time by keeping track of key documents and filing deadlines. The agency will also provide support if any issues arise.
Rocket Lawyer’s registered agent services will enable you to have flexible hours. If you are your own registered agent, you must be personally available from 8 AM to 5 PM at your registered agent address. If you use an agency, they are available during those hours so you can focus on growing your business.
If you use a national agency like Rocket Lawyer, you can also form an LLC or corporation in another state or multiple states where you do not have residency.
Using Rocket Lawyer also offers you a level of privacy, as you would never be served with a summons at your business in front of customers or employees.
Rocket Lawyer offers an operating agreement template with a membership that is customized for your state. An operating agreement for an LLC is an important legal document that details who owns the business and also provides essential information pertaining to member duties.
An LLC operating agreement establishes the financial relationship between business owners (“members”) and the basics of the working relationships between those owners and the managers who oversee daily operations.
By using the Rocket Lawyer template, you can just fill in the blanks, rather than having an attorney draw up the agreement for you from scratch. Getting this for only the membership fee is a great value compared to the fee you would pay an attorney to draw it up for you.
It’s only offered with a membership. Only a handful of states require an operating agreement, but having one is highly recommended.
With a Rocket Lawyer membership, you’ll have access to the following document templates:
For a $39.99 per month membership with Rocket Lawyer, which you can cancel at any time, you get these additional benefits:
We tested the Rocket Lawyer customer service experience from every angle. Here’s what we found.
In order to find the pricing and products related to business formation, you have to go through the process of forming your LLC. The first information you have to enter is your contact information, including your phone number, which we found a bit intrusive.
Then you’ll enter all the required information about your business. Not unlike other business service formation sites, information about what you’re looking for is hard to come by until you give them information.
The questions for the business formation were simple and quick, but most people might find it preferable to be able to see the service options before going through the process. Once you enter your business information, you’re offered all of their other products including the registered agent service.
When we went through this process the first time, we received an email within minutes, saying that our information had been saved. After you make all your product selections, you’re offered the member price with the member discounts, with the option to choose the non-member price.
The site tells you that you can cancel the membership at any time for no fee, but you’ll begin to be charged the regular price for recurring fees for registered agent services if you don’t cancel within the seven-day trial period.
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. The site aggressively tries to sell you the membership option, but that’s to be expected.
To cancel your registered agent service, you may cancel at any time by contacting Rocket Lawyer at (877) 881-0947 during normal business hours. In addition to cancelling the Registered Agent Service, to comply with your state’s regulations, you will also need to submit appropriate change of agent paperwork with the applicable state agencies. Any fees associated with completing such a change of agent are your sole responsibility.
To cancel your membership, you can also call the number above during normal business hours.
We tested all three forms of Rocket Lawyer customer support.
Rocket Lawyer does not have a live chat support feature.
We called Rocket Lawyer with the following question:
“If I form my LLC with you as a non-member, will I have unlimited online access to my LLC documents?”
The rep answered immediately and was very polite. The answer was that yes, we would always have access to our documents online.
Phone Support Rating:
Response time:
Immediate
We asked the same question by email:
After three hours, we had not received a response. But we had received a sales email, since we had entered all our information, so we emailed back with the question. The answer was that yes, we would always have access to our business documents on the site.
Email Support Rating:
Response time:
Reasonable
We wanted to know how real Rocket Lawyer customers feel about the service, so we thoroughly explored customer reviews at the Better Business Bureau and Trust Pilot.
Rocket Lawyer has an A+ rating on BBB.
Rocket Lawyer has an A+ rating from the BBB with 4.58/5 stars in customer reviews. They have been an accredited BBB business since 2006. They have received 128 complaints in three years, all of which have a closed status.
Many positive reviews at BBB revolve around exceptional customer service when cancelling the seven-day free trial. People apparently use the service, get what they want, and seem to have no trouble cancelling their membership.
Some customers did say that they use Rocket Lawyer for all their legal needs and that they’re very satisfied with their services.
The majority of the negative reviews were from people who were not aware that they were being charged after the seven-day trial period. This seems to be more of an issue with the customers not understanding how it works – however, we found that the site makes it quite clear. Also, Rocket Lawyer responded to all these reviews and offered refunds.
You can read reviews on the BBB website.
RocketLawyer has a high trust score rating on Trustpilot.
The Trustpilot score for Rocket Lawyer is 4.7/5 stars.
Rocket Lawyer reviews at Trustpilot break down as follows:
Some reviews, like this one, were positive about the documents Rocket Lawyer provides.
“Rocket Lawyer provides great templates for use with my business. It is easy to use and a step-by-step process. They provide documents written in a legal way I can only dream of writing.”
Some of the less favorable reviews, again, revolve around charges after the free trial, which seems to be more of a misunderstanding. Some reviews, however, were about poor communication and not being able to get email responses from customer service. A few were about services, like a DBA filing, not being done in the time frame promised.
You can read reviews on the TrustPilot website.
Overall, Rocket Lawyer’s services offer advantages and drawbacks, as detailed below.
Rocket Lawyer was founded in 2008 by an attorney, Charley Moore, who wanted to create an easy to use platform where legal documents could be created and shared by anyone. They have 250 employees and are a private company.
The Rocket Lawyer founder and CEO says “we believe everyone deserves affordable and simple access to legal services.”
We explored several services similar to Rocket Lawyer to see how they stack up.
Rocket Lawyer is different from competitors in that they don’t offer packages of business formation services. They do have a subscription service, however, that’s a good value considering the services provided.
LegalZoom has three packages of services:
None of the LegalZoom plans come with an operating agreement service, which you can get with a Rocket Lawyer membership. It costs $99 extra with LegalZoom for the service. Turnaround times for business formation with LegalZoom are longer.
Swyft Filings charges a one-time fee for business formation services of $49, and other ongoing services can be added. The differentiating factor for Swyft Filings is their speed. Their signup process is quick and they have faster business formation turnaround times.
Incfile has very competitive pricing. Their basic package, called the Silver Package, is free and includes registered agent services for a year. Their Gold Package is only $149 and includes the operating agreement as well as a banking resolution. Their Premium Package is $299 and includes some additional services that Rocket Lawyer does not.
Overall, Rocket Lawyer provides valuable services for aspiring business owners. They can ensure that your new business gets off on the right foot. Their service is easy to use and offers a good customer experience, which we learned from testing their support services and reading customer reviews.
Rocket Lawyer can take the time and hassle out of starting your business. There are some services, however, that other formation services provide but Rocket Lawyer does not.
We feel that the best value that they offer is their membership, as you’ll be able to get assistance for any ongoing legal concerns.
As a leading 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:
Thanks to this full immersion in the actual customer experience, our reviewer and team are able to provide the most complete and insightful review of Rocket Lawyer’s LLC formation services.
A service like Rocket Lawyer can make the business formation process easy for you and ensure that it’s done correctly. They provide customer support and additional services to support your business.
Rocket Lawyer offers business formation services to handle the paperwork and cut through the red tape with your state, so you don’t have to. They also offer additional services, including registered agent services.
The Rocket Lawyer business formation service costs $99. If you sign up for a $39.99 membership, which comes with a seven-day free trial, the business formation is free except for the state fee.
Yes, you can purchase their business formation service for $99.
The Rocket Lawyer registered agent service is a professional service that will handle official correspondence and documents for your business. They will ensure that all correspondence is handled on time and keep copies of documents for you. They will keep track of deadlines for you and send you reminders of things you may have to file, such as tax forms or annual reports.
Registered agent services from Rocket Lawyer cost $149.99 annually. If you sign up for a Rocket Lawyer membership, the registered agent service is $111.99 annually.
Rocket Lawyer has an A+ rating from the BBB with 4.58/5 stars in customer reviews. They have been an accredited BBB business since 2006.
You can cancel your Rocket Lawyer membership by calling (877) 881-0947 during normal business hours.
There are no fees or penalties to cancel your subscription with Rocket Lawyer. You can cancel your Rocket Lawyer membership by calling (877) 881-0947 during normal business hours.
Turnaround times for business formation are 5 to 10 days, depending on the state processing time. You can pay an extra $100 for expedited processing which takes two business days. Additional state fees may apply.
We feel that the best value that they offer is their membership, as you’ll be able to get assistance with any ongoing legal needs for your business and have your business formation handled.
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