ZenBusiness is a trusted partner for business owners who want to start, run, and grow a business. We use technology and automation to provide fast and low-cost services, expert support, and a personalized dashboard that puts everything you need at your fingertips.
Starting a small business can involve a significant amount of red tape. Adoption certificate, sale licenses, publication requirements, annual franchise taxes, the list can go on and on. Worse, each state in America has its own unique requirements.
Non-compliance with state requirements may lead to fees and possible expropriation. And all you get in the end is a simple through essence towards Uber.
Based in Austin (Texas), ZenBusiness hopes to bring zen back into the new business. Founded in 2015, it’s one of the best business LLC formation services on the web, with 3,700+ reviews. They successfully use automation of business services + are able to prepare and file your annual report required for the government, They will also do the prep/filing of two annexes to that report every year, which you can use when/if needed. Moreover, if they miss something, they will pay the fees. Their offered packages are typically ready within one or two weeks, though it depends on your business structure and the state.
ZenBusiness offers a large number of services for businesses. Their main direction is automation of business processes, marketing, and sociological research. For every businessman ( does not matter whether involved in production or services) it’s highly important to find a good supplier and ensure there will be no failures in the future. Working with legal entities and entrepreneurs and being aware of the high level of responsibility in such a partnership, ZenBusiness strives to do the job professionally and on time, as they, as any other service, are interested in the possibility of long-term cooperation.
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ZenBusiness is a venture-funded PBC (Public Benefit Corporation). The main office of the company is located in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of businessmen who faced some challenges in starting a new enterprise. ZenBusiness was created and headed by Ross Buhrdorf, the former Chief Technology Officer at HomeAway.
The mission of the agency is to help Americans realize their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs. ZenBusiness provides LLC formation services, as well as a number of other solutions for a successful business launch.
In November 2021, the company officially announced that it had raised $200 million at a $1.7 billion valuation, making it one of the most successful ventures in Austin. That same year, billionaire investor Mark Cuban joined ZenBusiness as an advocate and spokesperson.
To understand whether ZenBusiness fits you, it’s worth examining its advantages and disadvantages.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great prices + $240 in freebies | Automatic subscription to the company’s services |
| Quick turnaround times | The EIN service is payable |
| An easy start for aspiring business owners | Several upsells during the registration procedure |
| Professionalism | No customer support on Saturdays |
| Good customer reviews | The Premium package includes third-party services that are not always necessary for businesses |
| Extended phone and chat customer support hours | Limited business website functionality |
| Easy registration and handy online client account | |
| A large variety of additional features and products | |
| Regular notices and annual reports | |
| Grants to small businesses |
Now let’s examine everything in more detail, starting with Zen Business’s advantages.
ZenBusiness provides all the services you need to start a venture at the lowest prices, the Starter plan is only $39. The same is true for the Pro bundle, which is one of the cheapest on the market. Some competitors offer lower prices but their packages are often not comprehensive, they do not include some of the basic features, which you will have to order separately.
Therefore, ZenBusiness is the best offer on the market.
Besides, the firm provides bonus freebies that set it apart from the competitors:
ZenBusiness provides all types of assistance in a short time. Even during peak season, it often takes just a few days from the date you turn to them. Their customers frequently mention this in the reviews.
Creating your first LLC can seem like a daunting and tricky process to a first-time business owner. With ZenBusiness, it becomes quick and easy. Specialists will carefully guide you through all the steps. The entire collaboration is online. In many cases, you will only need a few minutes to register and provide the necessary data, and the rest will be covered by the experts.
Over the years, ZenBusiness has registered thousands of LLCs, corporations, numerous DBAs, and legal company names. The agency is known as the №1 filing service in the United States.
LLC creation services are provided by many lawyers, accountants, and consultants at a higher fee. But only some of them consider business registration as their core practice. Lawyers often outsource LLC formation to other companies, including ZenBusiness, without notifying the client. Therefore, it is much better to cooperate with those enterprises that specialize in the services you need.
On one of the leading review portals, Trustpilot, ZenBusiness has had over 8,700 reviews since 2015, most of which are positive.
Besides, ZenBusiness stands out as one of the most popular services in its field. The average rating of the company on Trustpilot and other similar websites is 4.7 out of 5.
The majority of ZenBusiness clients praise the simplicity, the high speed of business registration, and extremely strong customer service, which is especially valuable for those who have no experience in setting up an LLC. All clients enjoy prompt and professional answers and constant help in solving problems.
In the business world, it’s almost impossible to find 24/7 support or services. More often than not, firms are open Monday through Friday during regular operating hours.
However, ZenBusiness offers its customers extended support hours: Monday through Friday, you can reach them by phone or online chat from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time. There are also support services on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time.
At these times, you will receive a swift answer to your questions and will get professional assistance.
You can alternatively send an email, and in this case, you will get a response within 24 hours of receiving the email.
Extended hours will be especially convenient if you work with legal documents or need the help of a registered agent. During regular operating hours, you cannot always be distracted from your work to handle such issues. That said, few competitors provide extended support hours, so it’s a big plus.
The ZenBusiness website offers its customers a simple and intuitive registration process, after which you get access to your own account with a handy dashboard. This is where you can follow the progress of your LLC formation in real time and get notifications and updates throughout the entire process. It is also the place where your documents will be uploaded and stored.
ZenBusiness provides all the required services for business formation both in packages and separately. You can order the Pro plan and get all features you need, or you may choose a Starter bundle and then order additional services separately if you wish.
In addition, an existing business can get a registered agent, accounting assessment, and other useful services.
All their clients receive notifications during every phase of business establishment. In addition, you can receive reminders about annual reports or other important document filing deadlines to keep your venture running in compliance with the law. ZenBusiness also assists in verifying the accuracy of reports and other papers if needed.
ZenBusiness is a Public Benefit Corporation, and therefore, in addition to its traditional commercial purposes, it is also involved in the duties of non-profit organizations aimed at the social, economic, or public good.
Within these activities, ZenBusiness awarded $100,000 grants to small businesses in 2020, which helped them during hard times for the economy. The agency’s goal is to launch more than a million new enterprises by 2025.
At this point, it’s time to talk about the disadvantages of the firm.
When you set up your business, you will have to renew the company’s services after one year. It often causes confusion and bewilderment among customers. The point is that when you sign up for their services, you will automatically agree to obtain them in the future.
In the Starter plan, the subscription includes annual filing services. During the first year, these services are discounted and thereafter, they are $119 per year.
Other packages are renewed at the prices of their first year.
The Pro bundle covers Worry-Free Compliance service in addition to your paperwork filing. It involves an audit and the timely submission of documents to the state agency on your behalf. Meanwhile, the firm will keep track of any changes in state legislation and thus will help you avoid facing hefty fines if you violate the law. ZenBusiness will also monitor your reputation in the state and will notify you if there is a need to take any action.
Both these services are generally very useful for your future business, and most ventures don’t opt out of them.
In addition to the services described above, the annual Premium subscription includes:
One thing you should understand is that ZenBusiness does not bind you with long-term agreements. If you don’t want to use the services the agency renders, you can cancel your subscription at any time without any penalties.
The Starter package does not provide an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for your company. However, you are to order this service separately for $70.
Its cost is hardly low, which is a bit surprising against the background of the low price of the Basic plan. On the other hand, getting an EIN on your own is rarely a problem since it will take you only a few minutes to apply online on the IRS website, and it’s completely free indeed. Hence, this service is for those who don’t want to or cannot for some reason complete it on their own.
You will get offers to add more services during registration. Some customers find this annoying. Still, they are not too obtrusive. Remember that you can refuse each extra offer.
Customer support is provided during extended hours on weekdays, as well as on Sundays. The company decided to make Saturday the day off. This can be considered a drawback but not a significant one. Most competitors don’t operate on weekends at all.
In addition to really critical services for any business, the bundle includes expedited registration and web services (domain, website, and business email). Many clients choose the Premium plan for the rush filing service. Moreover, the ZenBusiness website has certain limitations, so this paid service isn’t often implemented. To find out more, check out the next point below.
ZenBusiness can be described as an almost perfect service for opening a business, but the quality of website creation services here leaves much to be desired. The capabilities of the site builder by this firm are much more modest compared to the popular providers specializing in this.
For example for e-commerce, Shopify or other similar constructors fit much better, while for other types of business websites, Wix will be great. There are other interesting and profitable solutions as well. That said, if you order a website separately from a service package, it will be easier for you to change your service provider, redesign, improve your resource, or simply switch to different hosting.
Nonetheless, the cost of a business website from ZenBusiness is quite competitive. For $110 a year, you’ll get a domain, privacy, email, and a website. If a platform for your organization is one of the main assets of your business, this offer may be just what you need.
| The company’s address: | 5511 Parkcrest Dr Suite 103, Austin, TX 78731, the USA |
| Phone: | 1-844-493-6249 |
| Email: | support@zenbusiness.com |
| Website: | zenbusiness.com |
The quality of their customer support service deserves the highest marks. Numerous reviews show the high level of the company professionalism, responsiveness of the staff, and assistance at every stage of cooperation.
One more advantage lies in the extended working hours which is very convenient for businessmen from different countries. The agency uses a wide range of communication channels: phone, email, and online chat support. All of them are high-quality. The reps respond promptly during the specified operating hours or within 24 hours.
According to most experts and customer reviews, ZenBusiness is the №1 company in business formation services. However, if you want to study alternative offerings and compare them with the rivals, we recommend that you read the information below.
These two agencies have very high ratings both from the client’s and the experts’ point of view. But some aspects make one company better than the other:
Read more about their comparison in the IncFile vs ZenBusiness review.
When it comes to comparing ZenBusiness and MyCompanyWorks, you should pay attention to such aspects as:
For novice businessmen, ZenBusiness proves to be more profitable as it provides maximum benefits for a reasonable price. You may find out more in the ZenBusiness vs MyCompanyWorks article.
When comparing LegalZoom and ZenBusiness, the first obvious thing is the difference in pricing with relatively the same level of services. ZenBusiness charges $39, while LegalZoom services cost $79.
The other aspects are as follows:
Take a look at the LegalZoom vs ZenBusiness review for more details.
In terms of pricing, ZenBusiness is the clear winner in this side-by-side comparison as it offers services from $39, while Rocket Lawyer has not developed service plans. Instead, there is a basic business formation price of $99, to which you can add services you need.
Additional information:
Read more about these online firms in our ZenBusiness vs Rocket Lawyer review.
Overall, the list and quality of services in both companies are almost the same but the Northwest Registered Agent is much more expensive. You can register a business at a price of $225, which almost defines the winner.
There are other points to consider:
For more information, check out our review of Northwest Registered Agent vs ZenBusiness.
When comparing these providers, as in many other cases, ZenBusiness wins because of the mix of favorable prices and high-quality services.
Do you want to learn more? Read the ZenBusiness vs BizFilings review.
In brief, this comparison shows that ZenBusiness is leading both in terms of prices and the number of valuable services included in the plans:
For an in-depth comparison of these services, you can read our ZenBusiness vs Incorporate.com review.
MyCorporation also clearly loses in this head-to-head comparison:
Take a look at the ZenBusiness vs MyCorporation comparison to understand all the nuances of each agency.
With ZenBusiness, you can run your business with no worries and always know that you’re compliant with all the requirements of your state.
The goal of ZenBusiness is to be fast, free, and frictionless. Following a short set of questions to understand the business the user wants to start, the platform offers free registration of incorporated documents and is fully automated, so registration is as fast as possible. Business owners can then rely on full protection in regards to their data.
The ZenBusiness Starter package includes basic features like the standard filing service, a registered agent, an operation agreement template, and 100% accuracy guarantee.
The package annual fee is $129 + state fee. However, you can get their Starter plan for just $49, and it will be renewed at the end of the year, with an added Registered Agent service for $129 per year. This feature will make it a complete offer, so you can stay compliant with your state government. They offer a professional in-house accountant and provide a customizable corporate bylaws form to assist you with the ownership structure description of your organization.
The ZenBusiness Pro package is the most popular option on the website. The cost is $249 per year + state fee. The plan’s basic features include rush filing speed, a registered agent, an operating agreement template, EIN (a social security number for a business entity), a business document template library, worry-free compliance, and a 100% Worry Free Guarantee.
The Pro package also gives you a banking resolution, which is highly beneficial. Why? Well it’s a very important document for authorizing new people in your business. This is performed if you need a bank account and a signature for a person in your LLC. With such a resolution, you get a full record of any company decision made. Plus, it also saves you from any problems related to financial institutions – you will have a solid proof that only an authorized person in your LLC is acting on behalf of your company.
Compared to similar LLC formation services with longer history, ZenBusiness provides some of the least expensive packages for any budget. No matter what package you choose, a free year of ZenBusiness registered agent services will be in it!
The package cost value is $349 + state fee. Apart from all the features of the previous Pro plan, ZenBusiness Premium package provides third-party partnership features, including a business domain name registration (and its privacy), business website, and business email address.
Every package is “seasoned” with an easy-to-use dashboard and outstanding customer service whenever you need it. We also have to mention the fact that the ZenBusiness Registered Agent service is highly valued among their clients.
As employees increasingly become independent entrepreneurs, the need for single-user LLCs has increased. A legal entity must distinguish between personal and professional responsibility, which is crucial for modern freelancers. ZenBusiness strives to create one million new small businesses by 2023, which, as they state, can be achieved by reducing friction and complexity in the registration process.
ZenBusiness is not the first participant in this business. LegalZoom has been processing registration forms and many other legal documents for almost two decades now, and recently, Stripe has also been focusing on its Internet business, promoting a service product known as “Atlas.”
ZenBusiness is different from both of the mentioned services. It’s an active manager of the organization, not a one-off format like LegalZoom, which, as it claims, reduces the burden of maintaining a good reputation with the government. Compared to Stripe’s Atlas, focused on scalable Internet-centric startups, ZenBusiness is focused on local businesses that will include simple structures in the country. Although, today the company goes through complex registration processes and managing entities, it sees itself as a scalable cloud platform that can add more modules over time, once it already has a relationship with the business owner. There seems to be no limit to what they can do.
Creating an account was a no-brainer! It’s so easy to provide my business info and you can get the state’s approval in no time! I also liked the fact that you can actually check all your State docs (business operating agreement and various business docs) in your Zen acc. There’s no doubt that ZenBusiness is worth the money. With these guys, you simply know that everything is alright! So all of you looking for solid legal formation – don’t waste your time on other firms!
Abdul
Great job!
no name customer
Perfect experience with Zen!
I have signed for LLC in Iowa with Zen and I don’t regret a thing! Everything went through so fast and clean! Once I filled out the forms, I already had a new business name! They do their job really well! I just had to wait for like two days and then my official (!) documents were ready. I definitely appreciate their help and I can tell you their customer service is VERY caring. they were so fast to reply!
Respect.
Mike
Splendid!
Everything was fast and went smoothly. My business is growing now thanks to Zen! Special thanks for the emailed updates!
Thanks Zen.
My best wishes to the customer service, Zen! Thank you so much for what you did. I’m fully satisfied with what I have so far. The process was easy and fast. But I will get back to you, so beware!
customer
I regret nothing.
Could upload a few photos on the main page but that’s fine.. I think. Hope they will fix it though. Everything else was good enough so definitely recommend Zen to everyone. They have answered every question I had and the team was very nice to me. I felt comfortable talking to Jane (if I remember the name right).
customer
Nice service and affordable price.
What can I say? I like the results! It’s the first time I’m applying for an LLC and I gotta say I’m glad I chose Zen (smart me). Great worry-free experience and a great conversation. Glad to be in the club now! Best wishes and more clients in the future!
Ken Snyder
Well done, Zen. keep it goin’
customer
Simple and useful. The only thing I am sorry about is that time I wasted on hesitating… should’ve called Zen much earlier. Oh well, at least everything seems to be good now. Nice platform and responsive chat support team 🙂
Nick
VERY NICE! MY name-a Borat I am an LLC now, yes? High fiveeee! Dziekuje Zen! You will be my boyfriend?
customer
As you can see, ZenBusiness customers are highly pleased with the efficiency of the company’s services.
ZenBusiness provides an affordable way to form an LLC for all entrepreneurs. Despite the fact that they’re Thus, you don’t have to for any alternatives! only 5 years on the market, they have serious fan base of loyal customers and an impressive umber of positive reviews
(over 3,800), as well as 4.8 A-star rating. All this results in the fact that ZenBusiness is more than capable of competing with similar LLC formation services with a longer history.
If you’re an entrepreneur who is looking for a top-notch digital agency with affordable pricing, fast and simple LLC formation without any hidden fees, if you want to take full control of your business and have ongoing alerts to notify you about upcoming filing deadlines, you are looking at the right candidate. ZenBusiness allows you to fully enjoy the benefit of an annual filing and submittal through a Worry Free Guarantee. They offer so many useful features including CPA assessments, EIN acquisition, compliance guarantee, and even website-building services. They will help you on your way to success and ensure you have everything needed for an impeccable experience
Yes. Unlike some competitors, InCorp has its own professional team. They don’t send clients to a large call center, so you don’t have to wait very long for a response.
Other advantages of InCorp Customer Support are:
– The opportunity to have service in Spanish;
– They offer extended support hours (9 am-9 pm ET M-F).
To consult with InCorp Customer Support by phone, call 1–800–2INCORP.
If you prefer email, use the Contact Us page on the company’s website. Note that on the same page you can find web chat to ask your question to an InCorp specialist.
Timelines vary from state to state, so processing times can range from a few days to a couple of weeks.
Extremely patient and helpful customer service! The information I received helped me to clarify what I need to get my business entity created that best fit my needs. I highly recommend using this company.
They have been so helpful with all my questions. And have walked me through every step of the way. Highly recommended. Customer service is so great! I would be lost if it wasn’t for them
I am so excited!!!! I can print out the Formation Documents and hang them on the wall!!! Thank you so much Zen Business for the help and support on forming my business!!!
I am a new customer to Zenbusiness with filing, business email and eventually website(s).The service is rapid and done right. It is the kind of business I intend to do!
Randy Ortega is like a god send! He was able to pull through when I needed his help the most. Randy displayed how true customer focused was definitely supposed to be like, And I feel so lucky to have had him be the one to help me in my time of need. Randy, thank you again so much for all your help, I truly appreciate it! And I really appreciate you! Happy Holidays to you and your family!
P.S. Randy deserves a raise! 🙂 EXCELLENT customer service!!
They are very help and understanding. I appreciate the way the explain the process and what all you need to know. They are polite and website is easy to follow. I would recommend them!
Diana is amazing. She is so helpful. She answered all of my questions with patience and she was so sweet
Using ZenBusiness has been a great experience for me being a first time small business owner. They have helped me every step of the way and have always been very prompt. I want to give a huge shout out to Jessie who has happily answered all my nagging questions over the last couple weeks and done so with patience, understanding, and kindness. Being connected to people like this absolutely made this journey a great one. I would recommend ZenBusiness to anyone who is just getting started out.
They charged me twice and have no receipts matching the charges! One was $324 and the other was $398! I want my money back!
Jessie was really helpful and kind, guiding us through the entire process and helping us make the best decision for our company! This is a great start and I‘m looking forward to a successful collaboration
I don’t like leaving bad reviews but this situation definitely warranted one. I started my application and made payment and then the system kicked me out. I kept getting the run around by three different reps Amber, Cesar and then Winn was told by Zen that the situation would be solved right away and 2 1/2 hourslater I had to ask for a refund. I was not offered anything for the inconvenience. People do not like wasting time Zen!
Michelle and Amber on chat and the whole team went above and beyond! Highly recommend!
There were some issues with correspondence. An agent named Mariano from Zen Business e-mailed us about a charge that wasn’t able to go through. I responded multiple times with inquiries about the attempted charge and Mariano ignored them. 5 days later, instead of responding to the e-mails to answer my inquiries, Mariano sent a totally new, separate e-mail stating the same thing from his first e-mail. Very short, cold and impersonal. (The customer service agent who I mention below was able to access the e-mails on his end and apologized profusely for Mariano ignoring me.) I had also called customer service and never received any calls back.
Today, I tried again to call and stayed on the line for about 15 minutes, no biggie. I ended up being helped by a customer service agent named Liam and he was absolutely amazing!!! He answered my questions, cleared up any misunderstandings and explained things very clearly. He was kind, empathetic, personable, knowledgeable and very helpful. So much so that I told him if I ever have any issues again where I need to reach out (hopefully not) I would be overjoyed to be connected with him again. Based on a few of the other reviews, others have dealt with rude & condescending CS agents so I am grateful that was not my experience. Liam, you rock! Thank you very much for all of your help today.
Great customer service! Been recommending them to my family and friends for their llc needs!
great customer service, site explains everything thoroughly and shows everything that is included in price. no hidden fees or surprises.
Set up LLC with ZenBusiness. Needed to call so I could handle something separately. Spoke with Ryan as he walked me through the process and made sure I wasn’t charged for a process I didn’t need. He was very patient, professional and thorough. Also used the chat feature. Diane responded within a minute of my question and provided details on next steps as well.
Thank you for making this easy. Much appreciated.
Highly recommend ZenBusiness Inc. to anyone starting a business or expanding their current business status. Every agent I’ve worked with has been knowledgeable, with prompt responses, and made me feel like I was the only customer they were working with. I have never experienced such helpful, sincere customer service. Never. A few businesses could learn a few things from Zen. If you’re looking for a worry free, hand-holding experience to calm all your ‘new business owner’ jitters, do yourself a solid and invest in Zen!!
Quickly answered questions once I obtained a live person. Turn around time to get the results desired is slightly lethargic.
Fernanda was awesome, she was patient with me. Being new to this business and not fully understanding it and the process. I misunderstood and misinterpreted somethings. She took the time to send me a link that helped me to get a clear understanding of the process and requirements. I would recommend anyone starting a business to contact ZenBusiness Inc.
She is calming and very helpful. Making my experience better then the constant disappointments. Thank you so very much