Best LLC Formation Services with a Free Registered Agent Year (2026)

ZenBusiness is the most balanced all-in-one option for entrepreneurs who want formation, ongoing compliance, and a registered agent under one roof.

Key features: $0 Starter tier (plus state fee) with formation document prep and filing; a free first-year trial of Worry-Free Compliance with annual-report alerts; registered agent service included on the Premium package; a modern dashboard and mobile app that track formation status in real time; and Velo, an AI assistant, plus lifetime customer support.

The Starter plan covers formation for $0 plus your state fee, with registered agent service available as a roughly $199-per-year add-on. To get a registered agent year bundled in, the Premium package runs about $399 plus state fees as of 2026 and renews at the same rate, folding in registered agent service, advanced compliance protection, and document templates. Founders who only need the registered agent on its own can add it for about $99 the first year, then $199 annually.

What sets ZenBusiness apart isn't the cheapest sticker price—it's the support layer around the filing. The compliance tooling is the most thorough in this group, the interface is genuinely the easiest to navigate, and the help is responsive in a way budget providers rarely match.

Bizee (formerly Incfile) offers the most generous entry-level deal, with a free year of registered agent service on even its $0 plan.

Key features: $0 Silver plan with Articles of Organization filing and a full year of registered agent service included; lifetime company alerts on every plan; an EIN and operating agreement on the Gold tier; expedited filing on Platinum; and a track record of more than a million businesses formed.

The Silver plan is $0 plus your state fee and still includes a registered agent year—the rare combination this article's readers are usually hunting for. Gold runs about $199 and Platinum about $299, both plus state fees. After year one, the registered agent renews at roughly $119–$149 per year as of 2026, lower than most rivals.

The trade-offs are the upsell-heavy checkout and a registered agent service that's handled through a third party rather than entirely in-house. For a budget-first founder who's comfortable declining add-ons, the value is hard to beat.

Northwest is the pick for privacy-minded founders who want a registered agent run by the company itself, not a contractor.

Key features: $39 flat formation fee with a free first year of registered agent service; address privacy that keeps your personal details off public records; in-house, US-based support that knows formation law; and a no-upsell checkout where the flat fee covers what you need.

Northwest's model is refreshingly simple—a single $39 service fee (plus your state fee) with the registered agent year included, renewing at about $125 per year as of 2026, one of the lowest ongoing rates around. There's no tiered plan to decode and no parade of paid extras at checkout.

It isn't a literal $0 formation, so it falls just outside the strict "$0 plus state fee" framing, but the $39 buys a registered agent year and meaningfully better privacy than the free-tier providers. For founders who value keeping their name off the public record, that's often worth more than saving the $39.

LegalZoom is the most recognized name in the space and the broadest legal-services catalog, though it carries the highest registered agent cost.

Key features: A $0 Basic formation tier (plus state fee); attorney consultations on premium plans; trademark, contract, will, and other legal services beyond formation; and decades of brand presence.

Formation starts at $0 plus state fees, but the registered agent is an add-on rather than an included year, and it's the priciest in this group—about $249 per year as of 2026. The checkout is also known for pushing extras. You're paying partly for the brand and the wider legal catalog.

Rocket Lawyer is built around a legal subscription, which makes it most compelling if you'll lean on legal documents and advice throughout the year.

Key features: Free LLC formation for Rocket Legal Plus members (about $99.99 for non-members); on-demand legal document templates; attorney Q&A and consultations through the membership; and a registered agent discount for subscribers.

Formation is free only inside the membership; standalone it's roughly $99.99 plus state fees. The registered agent runs about $249.99 per year, dropping to around $149.99 for Legal Plus subscribers as of 2026—again, an add-on rather than an included year. The math works when the recurring legal subscription is something you'll genuinely use.

Tailor Brands pairs LLC formation with a full branding toolkit—logo maker, website builder, and design tools—making it a fit for founders launching a brand alongside the entity.

Key features: A $0 Lite formation tier (plus state fee); an AI logo maker and website builder; digital business cards and social media design tools; and EIN and compliance services on higher tiers.

The Lite plan files your LLC for $0 plus state fees, but the registered agent is a flat $199-per-year add-on with no free first year, and the paid tiers (Essential and Elite, up to about $249 plus state fees as of 2026) run on annual subscriptions that keep recurring even after your branding work is done. The design tools are a real differentiator; the formation value alone trails the providers that include a registered agent year.