ZenBusiness LLC Service Review

ZenBusiness Review Summary

• • ZenBusiness is based in Austin, Texas. 

  • It does most of the heavy lifting when forming an LLC or corporation. 

  • ZenBusiness helps in LLCs, Corporations, and DBA formations in all 50 U.S. states (plus Washington, D.C). 

  • ZenBusiness has three LLC formation plans with costs ranging from $0 to $299 (plus state fees). 

  • Our ZenBusiness review found it a reliable service provider, mainly for starters and busy small business owners who want help handling legal matters.

  • Most people choose ZenBusiness because of its easy, step-by-step process, affordable rates, and excellent customer service.

  • ZenBusiness also pays it forward through grants to underserved and needy startups.  

ZenBusiness at a Glance

ZenBusiness is an online platform that helps business starters with all the registration, compliance, and renewal aspects. It makes it easy and fast to prepare and file business formation documents.

Whether a veteran or first-time business owner, ZenBusiness saves you from the potentially costly, demanding, and time-consuming process of handling the many legal steps of starting a business from scratch. It also provides you with key tools necessary to create and maintain a professional online presence, including a business website, domain name, and security certificate. 

ZenBusiness was founded in 2015 by Ross Burhdorf. Its headquarters is in Austin, Texas. Although a relatively new entrant in the industry, ZenBusiness currently tops most lists of the best LLC services, partly because of its fast and straightforward services.

Our team spent days analyzing their service in this ZenBusiness review. We'll help you understand how ZenBusiness works, its plans and costs, and why you may want to go with them. 

ZenBusiness Services and Features

ZenBusiness currently offers four major business formation services:

• Limited Liability Company (LLC)

• C Corp

• S Corp 

• Doing Business As

The products and features you get depend on the type of business in mind and plan. But ZenBusiness is among a few other LLC firms that offer most of the essential features across all plans. 

We'll review ZenBusiness plans and pricing in a minute. Before that, though, here is a glimpse of their most notable features and services:

• Limited Liability Company (LLC), Corporations business formation

• Doing Business As (DBA) registration 

• Filing amendments 

• Business name reservations

• Certificates of good standing

• Federal EIN

• Worry-free compliance

• Registered agent services

• Business name availability checker 

• Domain registration 

• Business website designing

• Operating agreement 

• New York publication

• Annual business reports

• Banking resolutions

• Business insurance quotes 

ZenBusiness has a business name availability checker on their website. They also offer business name reservation services. Business name reservation is crucial if you already have the perfect name for your business but haven't completed other logistics. 

ZenBusiness Review- Plans and Cost

ZenBusiness pricing is divided into three tiers: Starter ($0), Pro ($199), and Premium ($299). The price of the package does not include any state fees. Of course, you need to dig deeper to enjoy more features and services.

Our ZenBusiness review team appreciates that you can opt for a less expensive package and upgrade later if necessary. There's also an option to pay for specific features in the next tier without upgrading. This customizability means that you won't be paying more for unnecessary features. You can remain on a cheap ZenBusiness plan while enjoying all the services you need for your business. 

Starter Plan

The ZenBusiness Starter tier normally costs $49 plus state filing fees. However, it's currently on offer and will cost you 0$ + state filing fees. With the Starter plan, ZenBusiness offers to file all your LLC formation documents for free. However, this tier doesn't come with expedited or rushed filing, so it's typically slower. It takes 2-3 weeks, depending on state delays. 

ZenBusiness starter package includes the following features:

• Standard filing speed (2-3 weeks)

• Unlimited business name availability search

• Expenses and deduction tracking

• Operating agreements

• CPA assessment

• Phone and email support

• Worry-free compliance free first year (optional)
  * If customers accept WFC, it renews at $199/yr
   

Despite its affordability, the Starter plan comes with ZenBusiness's 100% accuracy guarantee. You can also opt-in for other products, such as employer identification number (EIN), website hosting, and even expedited or rushed filing at an extra cost per feature.

The ZenBusiness Starter plan is best for people on a tight budget and those who want a little help with the formation process. It's also ideal for new and veteran business starters who prefer incorporating additional features when the need arises. Also, considering its lengthy turnaround, we'd recommend it to individuals who are not in such a hurry. 

Pro Plan 

The ZenBusiness Pro plan costs $199 (billed annually) plus state filing fees. This is the most popular tier because it's a sweet spot between affordability, features, and a faster turnaround. With ZenBusiness Pro, you'll complete your LLC formation process in 4-6 days.

The ZenBusiness Pro plan includes all the features of the Starter tier plus the following:

• Fastest “rush” filing speed (1-2 business days avg)

• Operating agreement 

• Compliance checks and reminders 

• Worry-free compliance

• Employer ID Number (EIN)

The plan's expedited filing speed makes it attractive to individuals wanting to get their businesses up and running quickly. The worry-free compliance service is another incredible perk here. ZenBusiness performs a yearly audit of your licenses and permits to determine every compliant detail. They also make all the necessary filings, so you can complete all deadlines and avoid unnecessary penalties. Plus, ZenBusiness offers two filing amendments in case you want to make changes to your documents.

Premium Plan 

The ZenBusiness Premium plan is their highest tier. It costs $349 (billed annually) plus state filing fees. Its key selling feature is the rushed filing speed, which results in a turnaround of 1-2 days. 

With the ZenBusiness Premium plan, you can enjoy all the features and services of the other two tiers plus:

• Fastest “rush” filing speed (1-2 business days avg)

• LLC filing service

• Worry-free compliance

• Operating agreement

• Employer ID Number

• Business Document Templates

• Domain name registration and privacy

• Business website builder

• Business email address

The ZenBusiness Premium tier will be the best option if you want a team of professionals to handle almost all the aspects of starting a business. It’s pricier than other plans but still a bargain if you don’t have the time to deal with the hassle of setting up a business website and professional emails.

ZenBusiness Add-On Products

ZenBusiness is fully customizable and allows you to add extra services to your plan without upgrading. Most of these, for instance, a certificate of good standing and an EIN, are things you can do yourself. But our ZenBusiness review 2023 found the add-ons reasonably priced for the convenience of bundling services. 

These are the most common ZenBusiness add-on products and their prices:

• Rushed filing- $99 (included in Premium package)

• Expedited filing- $49 (included in Pro plan)

• EIN filing- $99

• Registered agent- $199

• Compliance service- $199 (included in Premium and Pro tiers)

• Bank resolution template- $30

• Certificate of good standing- $75

• Worry-free compliance- $199 annually

• Filing amendment- $100 (Premium and Pro plans include two filing amendments)

• Business website- $129 (included in Premium and Pro plans)

• Domain name- $25

• Annual report filing- $75

Getting Started with ZenBusiness

Filing your LLC with ZenBusiness is a straightforward, quick, and secure process. The ZenBusiness interface is chat-based. It also has a question-answer approach that makes it a breeze for anyone. 

The process starts with you typing your preferred business name in the checker box. Next, you state the formation state. ZenBusiness will do a background check and inform you whether your desired business name is available in your state. 

ZenBusiness will also want to know the following; 

• Your level of experience in running a business,

• The number of employees you plan to employ in the first year

• Whether you have a physical address for your business other than your home

• How soon you plan to start the business 

• Whether the business will be your primary source of income

• Your preferred ZenBusiness package

ZenBusiness uses this information to understand your needs and know what services to recommend. 

ZenBusiness Reviews- What Others Say

ZenBusiness has close to 12000 TrustPilot reviews when doing this review. While the reviews range from positive to negative, over 85% of these reviewers rated it 5 out of 5 stars, creating an image of a generally well-accepted LLC service. 

Most of the reviews regard ZenBusiness’s easy-to-use and interactive platform. Their customer service has also received a lot of praise. Most users say that the customer care representatives were friendly, thorough, and responsive- exactly what you want to hear for a firm you plan to entrust with your LLC formation. 

ZenBusiness complaints center around the cost of some of the services. For instance, most people feel that ZenBusiness registered services are significantly more expensive than competitors. Others wish that it was not a subscription-based service. On the upside, it’s possible to buy a specific ZenBusiness service without the annual subscription.

ZenBusiness Review- Refund Policy

Some help getting a new business up and running is welcome. But we’ll all agree that every penny matters, especially if you’re starting the business on a tight budget. ZenBusiness offers a 60-day money-back guarantee. If their services don’t meet your needs, contact ZenBusiness within 60 days, and they will refund your money, excluding the state filing fees. This is a generous offer compared to other LLC services that offer a 30-day refund policy or none. 

Who is ZenBusiness Best For?

ZenBusiness is the go-to LLC service for anyone who wants to start a small business. It’s also ideal for starters and veteran entrepreneurs looking to create and maintain an online presence. Whether interested in online reselling, online teaching, consulting, freelance copywriting or want to set up a cleaning business, ZenBusiness services will fit you.

ZenBusiness services are available in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. It’s important to note that it offers LLC, Corp, and DAS business formations. ZenBusiness does not offer sole proprietorship business formation services at the moment. But they have a detailed guide on how you can register one on their website.

Besides business formations, ZenBusiness also offers registered agent services. ZenBusiness will be your business’s official point of contact and will receive all legal documents on your behalf.

Our Verdict: Is ZenBusiness Worth It?

ZenBusiness is a solid option if you’re starting a new business and could appreciate some help navigating the formation and documentation process. There are cheaper LLC formation services out there. But from naming your LLC to filing your business’s annual reports, ZenBusiness provides almost all the services and help you need when forming your business.

It’s also among a few others that offer a free entry plan. And while its annual subscription loses its value after a year, the good news is that you can unsubscribe from the current plan and still buy the individual services you need. Our ZenBusiness review also found this service worth its weight in gold, considering its quality customer support and the 60-day money-back guarantee.