The vast market of formation services is both accommodating and fairly difficult to navigate due to the multitude of options. Potentialities of different limited liability companies are likely to also alter their needs, shifting the compatibility between any given entity and the formation service in question.
The most obvious solution to this is, of course, creating an entity without outside help, but many newcomers, as well as seasoned owners, simply find it easier and less time-consuming to seek the services of a company such as ZenBusiness or MyCompanyWorks.
Both service providers are competent in their price brackets, but there are certain differences that may be appealing for some and a dealbreaker for others, all of which will be discussed in this ZenBusiness vs MyCompanyWorks comparative review.
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When examined in the context of local demand, both ZenBusiness and MyCompanyWorks present beneficial subscription plans for entity owners, including an LLC formation package, but in many aspects, it’s ZenBusiness that remains the more favourable option.
Unlike its competitors, ZenBusiness offers less costly plans while also including more features in their base package such as services of a registered agent up to a year. By contrast, MyCompanyWorks provides such services with their most expensive complete package plan.
Still, those who are unable to work it will find alternative LLC service to ZenBusiness in the plans MyCompanyWorks has on offer. A more extensive analysis of the similarities and disparities of the two providers is detailed below.
Shared Benefits
Both ZenBusiness and MyCompanyWorks boast positive online ratings, equally from customers and industry experts, but a more detailed review shows that one company brings more value in certain aspects.
When it comes to moderate pricing, ZenBuiness is quite notorious for their attractively-rated starter LLC formation package, with the starter plan priced only at $39 with annual billing and state fee on top. For more information, you can see Zen pricing in full.
In this regard, MyCompanyWorks is at a slight disadvantage, with their most basic plan set at $79, though it’s still fairly generous compared to other options. Despite the small difference in the base pricing, certain features included in the starter packages of both companies—or lack thereof—indicate ZenBusiness as the smarter option of the two.
Although both companies offer three potential plans each, it would make more sense to cross-examine their features based on their most accessible option.
In the case of ZenBuiness, the cheapest plan is only priced at $39 plus state fee. This Starter formation option guarantees basic coverage which is more than enough to create a new entity, including the standard filing service (processing times tend to change based on the state of formation), drafting of the customizable LLC operating agreement, plus the designation of a registered agent service for a year, that is until the renewal of the plan.
Priced at $79, the basic plan from MyCompanyWorks is clearly the more expensive option. The contents of the plan are not exactly lacking, though, and include all essential tools for creating a new LLC such as unlimited business name search, prep of operational agreements, online tracking and plenty of personalized features like organizational minutes and company alerts as well as access to Vendor Network and MAD.
On paper, the latter option seems more voluminous, but in the end, it’s the use of application found in the provided content that determines its value, and in that regard, ZenBusiness has showcased itself as a more valuable option based on their registered agent services.
The processing times in each state tend to vary, so it generally affects the final review period. Even so, ZenBusiness provides estimated time of processing during the initial order on their website, while MyCompanyWorks is a more accessible LLC formation service in this aspect since a drop-down selection menu is available on their homepage.
ZenBusiness comes with a more extensive customer experience, providing support via email, by phone, or online. Emailed questions are likely to be processed within the course of one business day. For other queries, ZenBusiness provides customer support from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm CST on Mon-Fri and from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm CST on Sunday.
Representatives from MyCompanyWorks can be contacted by phone or email from Monday to Friday, though there have been testimonies indicating that the email option is more effective. MyCompanyWorks offers support from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm PST for phone question, and email support is active from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm PST.
Out of the two, MyCompanyWorks can be considered the more experienced company given their nearly twenty years of operation and over 60,000 confirmed formations. ZenBusiness, on the other hand, was only formed in 2017 but has already collected positive reviews in bulk by assisting in thousands of formations in just under four years of operations.
Both MyCompanyWorks and ZenBusiness equip their customers’ personal accounts with tracking tools. After your order has been processed and your registration with the service has gone through, it will only take a moment to log into a personal account on either website and check the status of your order.
All new entities with limited liability are bound by law to appoint a registered agent for handling the communication between the state authorities and company owners such as receipts, relevant mail, service of process, and more.
Even though certain states allow you to act as your own registered agent, it’s more prudent to outsource it since the authorities require the agent to be accessible throughout all business hours regardless of personal holidays etc.
Between the two companies, ZenBusiness is a more employable option, providing the services of a registered agent service with all three of their plans, whereas MyCompanyWorks makes such services available only in their top-tier $279 Complete plan plus $99 for annual renewal.
Despite their relatively new standing in the industry, ZenBusiness has managed to attract thousands of customers, collecting over 4,885 reviews on Trustpilot and earning an accreditation at BBB with an A- score. Customers tend to praise the company’s feedback times, online accessibility, and convenient pricing.
Since the start of their operation in 2001, MyCompanyWorks has earned a pretty solid reputation among industry professionals. Their ShopperApproved score is currently estimated at 4.9 out of 5 based on over 3,515 ratings, while their A+ rating with BBB places them above their competitors professionally—although there have been instances of customer dissatisfaction concerning rep communication.
Choosing either will generally make the entire process of formation much easier than handling it on your own, but when it comes to online accessibility, MyCompanyWorks is a bit ahead of ZenBusiness due to the clarity of interface and general server response speeds.
Like most reputable formation services, the two companies offer almost all essential tools for creating an LLC, with varying rates and plan combinations. Both have registered agent options, annual report management, LLC monitoring, and more.
The discrepancies arise in the little things that are likely to make quite a big difference for many entities. For instance, MyCompanyWorks provides Virtual Office support and compliance services for keeping your entity up to date on all legal fronts.
ZenBusiness may lack certain virtual tools but it offers full publication support required for company creation in certain jurisdictions.
| Service | Annual Fee | Registered Agent | Key Benefits | Rating |
| ZenBusiness | Starter: $39 Pro: $199 Premium: $299 + State fee | $99 (standard) or $149 (full) | Good Value | ★★★★★ (4.8/5) |
| MyCompanyWorks | Basic: $79 Entrepreneur: $99 Complete: $279 + State fee | $99 | Virtual Support | ★★★★☆ (4.2/5) |
To Wrap Up:
As clearly shown in this break-down, ZenBusiness and MyCompanyWorks share plenty of features while expanding on certain areas the other avoids. At the end of the day, these are two good online LLC services that both hold market appeal depending on the segment.
Both companies hold fairly high ratings across many professional assessment and customer feedback platforms, but the final choice depends only on the primary tools you and your company may need.
Do you prefer a company with a longer track record? Give MyCompanyWorks a look.
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.
