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Most entrepreneurs have limited time and financial means to launch their business — and deal with other legal headaches. Years ago, when I first looked into attorney fees to help me form my business, I found them cost-prohibitive. I wish I had known about affordable online services, like LegalZoom and Bizee (formerly named Incfile), that can handle small business needs at a fraction of the cost of hiring an attorney.
LegalZoom and Bizee are popular and reputable services, but what does each offer? Which one is better for your specific needs? Find out which company comes out on top in my Bizee vs LegalZoom comparison.
Visit Bizee’s Website | View LegalZoom’s Website
| Bizee | LegalZoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Business Formation Services |  | |
| Additional Services | | |
| Legal Advice | | |
| Turnaround Time | | |
| Pricing | | |
| Customer Support | | |
| Reputation | | |
| Overall Winner | |
Business Formation Services
Both LegalZoom and Bizee offer services to help you launch a limited liability company (LLC), a corporation (C corp. and S corp.), a nonprofit, or Doing Business As (DBA). LLC formation is both companies’ most popular service, so I’m focusing on LLCs in this comparison.
I love both of these companies because they offer free LLC filing services (these don’t include the required state filing fees, which differ by state). While you can file on your own without a ton of effort, you may want the peace of mind of having a service do it for you. However, you get some perks thrown in with these free plans. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of these two plans.
Bizee vs LegalZoom Free LLC Plan Comparison
| Bizee Silver | LegalZoom Basic | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $0 |
| Articles of Organization (prep & filing) | | |
| Business name search | | |
| Customer support | Phone & email | Chat & email |
| Free registered agent (1st year) | | |
| Digital welcome packet with step-by-step checklist | | |
| Free customizable website | |
Beyond their free plans, Bizee and LegalZoom offer two higher-tiered plans that give you added services you may want beyond simple filing. Here are charts that break down what each paid plan offers to help you see what you’re getting for your money.
Bizee vs LegalZoom Mid-Tier LLC Plan Comparison
These plans don’t include state filing fees.
| Bizee Gold | LegalZoom Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | $249 |
| Articles of Organization (prep & filing) | | |
| Business name search | | |
| Free registered agent (1st year) | | |
| Operating Agreement | | |
| EIN registration | | |
| Financial account authorization letter | | |
| Tax consultation | | |
| IRS Form 2553 | | |
| Lifetime compliance reminders | | |
| Business insurance consultation | | |
| Hundreds of customizable legal forms | | |
| 1-year access to eSignatures | |
Bizee vs LegalZoom Highest-Tier LLC Plan Comparison
Each company’s highest-tier plan includes everything in the plans above. Again, these plans don’t include state filing fees.
| Bizee Platinum | LegalZoom Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 | $299 |
| Unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations about new legal topics related to your business (30-day subscription) | | |
| Business contract templates | | |
| Changes to your LLC formation documents (within first 30 days) | | |
| 1 free copyright registration (within first 30 days) | | |
| Domain name | | |
| Business email | |
As you can see from the comparison charts above, Bizee and LegalZoom come out fairly even with their free and mid-tier plans, except for the free registered agent that you get with Bizee. That may be enough for you to choose Bizee over LegalZoom. However, when it comes to the highest-tier plans, LegalZoom comes out ahead for its attorney access. I don’t think Bizee’s highest plan is worth an extra $100 for what you get.
Winner: Business Formation Services
This category is too close to call a clear winner. Both LegalZoom and Bizee provide reliable business formation services for a variety of business types. I include some more specific differences with each below, but overall, both of these companies are trustworthy for forming your business. And the differences come down to what’s best for your needs. 
Additional Services
If you’re looking for more than business formation services, LegalZoom and Bizee have much more to offer. Both provide trademark registration, which can make a huge impact on legally protecting your business’s name, slogan, or logo. LegalZoom also provides copyright registration and provisional patent applications, while Bizee does not.
You can also find several similar à la carte services with both companies for post-filing needs if you go with the free package (or DYI file). These include guidance on what business licenses and permits you’ll need, getting an EIN, annual report filing, and more.
Ultimately, I find the major differences between these two providers regarding the strengths of their additional services come down to the specific needs of your business — legal vs accounting.
Based on my experience and extensive research into online services for small businesses, you have better and less expensive online options that provide online business accounting services compared to Bizee. While LegalZoom doesn’t offer business accounting services, it’s widely considered a premier online legal service.
Winner: Additional Services
I give LegalZoom the win in this category for its access to many business and personal legal services. LegalZoom also provides customized legal documents for multiple business (and personal) needs. Bizee is lacking in this area. 
Legal Advice
Having access to attorney assistance can come in quite handy should you have a more complicated situation or run into any problems that could hinder your business’s formation or management. While not everyone needs legal advice, it’s something you need to consider. LegalZoom has in-house attorneys with years of experience in business law. Bizee doesn’t provide access to lawyers.
Winner: Legal Advice
The clear winner in this category is LegalZoom because Bizee doesn’t offer legal advice.
Turnaround Time
Do want to form your business as fast as possible? Then you should be aware of the differences between Bizee and LegalZoom when it comes to your options for processing times. LegalZoom’s standard processing time is 10 to 20 business days. You can opt for the highest-tiered plan to get faster processing, but it could still take up to 5 days. On the other hand, Bizee offers next-day business filing with all of its plans, even the free plan.
Winner: Turnaround Time
Bizee clearly comes out on top if you need your paperwork and filings expedited.
Pricing
Please keep in mind that the following prices don’t include required federal or state fees. They’re only the cost for services provided by Bizee and LegalZoom.
| Bizee | LegalZoom | |
|---|---|---|
| LLC Formation | $0, $199, or $299 | $0, $249, or $299 |
| DBA Filing | $99 | $99 |
| Trademark Registration | $299 | $599 |
| Registered Agent | First year free with business formation (then $119/yr) | $249/yr |
| EIN Registration | $70 | $79 |
| Annual Report Filing | $99 | $99 |
| Business License Report | $99 | $99 |
| Ongoing Legal Services | Not available | $39.09/mo |
| Business Accounting | Starts at $90/mo | Not available |
Winner: Pricing
As you can see in the chart above, Bizee comes out slightly ahead in overall pricing, particularly if you plan on using a registered agent or want to register your trademark.
Customer Support
Both LegalZoom and Bizee get overall fantastic reviews for their customer support. Most users say each company is very responsive without long wait times. Both companies also get high praise for their helpful and professional customer support representatives.
Bizee offers phone, live chat, and email support Monday – Friday from 9am to 6pm CST. You can contact LegalZoom via phone, live chat, and email Monday – Friday from 5am to 7pm PT and Saturday – Sunday from 7am to 4pm PT. I find the weekend hours to be a huge plus if you’re struggling with any issues and want a quick resolution.
Winner: Customer Support
While both services get generally good reviews for customer support, I give the nod here to LegalZoom for offering weekend support hours.
Reputation
LegalZoom launched in 2001, and Incfile was founded in 2004 and changed its business name to Bizee in 2023. Both companies have a solid track record of trustworthy services and reliable results. And they’ve both been in business for quite some time — a testament to their reputation, particularly with online services like these that have stiff competition.
Winner: Reputation
Bizee vs LegalZoom Ordering Process: My Personal Experience
Although I didn’t use either company’s services, I dove into Bizee and LegalZoom’s online ordering processes because I wanted to have a better understanding of what each service requires when creating an LLC. I tested out the free package with each service for comparison’s sake. Here’s the basic information you’ll need to provide online.
- Name of your business
- State of formation
- Type of industry
- Business purpose
- Number of members
- Business address
- Your name, email, and mobile number
Both services are easy to use, with clear directions. But overall, I found LegalZoom more helpful throughout the online process, with clickable widgets that described what I needed or gave me examples. Both companies had a lot of upselling for other services they offer (e.g., using their registered agent service, adding on an operating agreement, etc.). This can get annoying if all you want is the free service. On the other hand, I found it helpful to learn about what else you’ll need after you’ve registered your LLC.
A word of warning with both sites: Be careful when moving through the process, especially when you hit the upselling. At times, both services require you to uncheck or opt out of some of these add-on items. Otherwise, the way they sites are designed, it’s easy to mistakenly end up with extras. Be sure to check your “shopping cart” before you check out.
Overall Winner
It’s not easy to choose a standout winner in the competition between Bizee vs LegalZoom. Ultimately, your decision to go with one over the other comes down to your specific needs and budget. My advice is to go with Bizee if you’re on a super tight budget because you get a free registered agent for a year. However, I think you get a better bang for your buck with LegalZoom.
Overall Winner
I’ve chosen LegalZoom as the overall winner in this head-to-head competition, largely because they provide access to affordable licensed attorneys in the event you need legal advice during the process of creating your business. LegalZoom also offers a wider variety of services, including a ton of legal documents. Learn more in our in-depth review of LegalZoom.
Alternative Services To Consider
If you’re still not sure if LegalZoom or Bizee are the perfect fit for your situation, be sure to check out our reviews of the best online legal services. If you’re just starting your business, you may be wondering if you need a DBA. We also examine the pros and cons of an LLC and the best places to register a trademark.
Why Trust We Rock Your Web?
As a sole proprietor, Sally has conducted extensive research for herself and other small businesses into the legal requirements you need to consider when launching and owning a business. She’s also spent 10 years researching and testing online software solutions for a variety of business needs.
Sally is part of a team of experts at We Rock Your Web, whose goal is to recommend only the best you can find at reasonable pricing for your situation. To save you precious time, we weed through all the online services that aren’t worth your money — and, as you likely know, there are many out there.
Which service are you leaning towards? Let us know in the comments!
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