If you want to launch a business this week without paying a formation company a dime in service fees, the market has caught up to you. Several established providers now file your articles of organization for $0, charging only the state filing fee that every LLC owner pays no matter what. The catch worth understanding up front: "$0" refers to the service's own fee, and "same-day" or "expedited" almost always describes how fast a provider hands your paperwork to the state, not how fast the state approves it. State turnaround still varies from a few hours in places like Delaware to a couple of weeks elsewhere. So the real shopping criteria come down to four things: a genuine $0 base package, fast internal processing (one to two business days is the bar to beat), whether a registered agent is included or sold separately, and the quality of support and compliance tools you'll lean on after filing.
For most people, balancing speed, price, and a setup they won't have to babysit, we recommend ZenBusiness. It pairs a true $0 Starter plan with one-business-day processing on its paid tiers, a free first year of compliance monitoring, and one of the more polished, beginner-friendly dashboards in the category. It isn't the cheapest on every single line item, but it's the most complete fast-and-affordable package we found.
Quick comparison (as of 2026)
| Service | Starting price | Registered agent | Internal filing speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZenBusiness | $0 + state fee | Add-on ($199/yr); included on Premium | 1 business day (Pro/Premium) | Balanced speed, support, and value |
| LegalZoom | $0 + state fee | Add-on (~$249/yr) | 2–4 weeks standard; ~1 day expedited | Brand trust + attorney access |
| Northwest Registered Agent | $39 + state fee | Free year 1, then $125/yr | Same-day to 1–3 days in many states | Free RA year one + privacy |
| Bizee | $0 + state fee | Free year 1, then ~$149/yr | ~1 business day | $0 filing with RA bundled in |
| Rocket Lawyer | $0 (with membership) | Add-on (~$125/yr members) | ~7–10 business days | Ongoing legal documents + advice |
| Tailor Brands | $0 + state fee | Add-on ($199/yr) | 2 business days (Essential/Elite) | Formation plus branding tools |
State filing fees are always separate, ranging from roughly $35 to $500 depending on where you form, and they're set by your state, not the provider.
The top services for fast, low-cost LLC formation
1. ZenBusiness — best overall for speed plus simplicity
ZenBusiness delivers the cleanest combination of a $0 entry point and genuinely fast filing, which is exactly what this category is about.
Key features: $0 Starter plan (state fee only); one-business-day processing on the Pro and Premium tiers; a free first year of Worry-Free Compliance that tracks annual report deadlines; a 100% accuracy guarantee; and standout support, including weekend hours that are rare in this space.
Best for: First-time founders who want a quick, guided filing and a dashboard they can actually navigate.
Pricing tier: Starter $0 + state fee; Pro $199/year (adds rush filing, EIN, and an operating agreement); Premium $399/year (adds registered agent service for the first year and advanced compliance). Registered agent runs $199/year as an add-on on the lower tiers.
Pros: The fastest path from sign-up to a submitted filing for the money, a modern interface that doesn't overwhelm beginners, free first-year compliance monitoring, and responsive support that picks up the phone. The accuracy guarantee means filing errors get fixed at no cost.
Cons: The registered agent isn't bundled into the $0 Starter plan the way it is at Northwest or Bizee, so a complete first-year setup costs more than the headline suggests. Worry-Free Compliance auto-renews at $199/year after the free period, which is worth a calendar reminder.
2. Northwest Registered Agent — best if you want a free registered agent year one
Northwest charges a flat $39, but it folds in a year of registered agent service, which often makes its true first-year cost lower than the "$0" competitors once you add an agent.
Key features: One simple package with no upsell tiers; a free year of registered agent service (then $125/year, among the cheapest ongoing rates anywhere); same-day filing in many states; privacy by design, with Northwest's address on public filings instead of yours; and dedicated human "Corporate Guides" for support.
Best for: Owners who value privacy, transparent pricing, and a long-term registered agent without sticker shock at renewal.
Pricing tier: $39 + state fee, registered agent included for year one, then $125/year.
Pros: The best total value once a registered agent enters the math, strong privacy protections, no aggressive checkout upsells, and nearly three decades of track record.
Cons: The dashboard is more utilitarian than ZenBusiness's, there's no $0 headline number to anchor on, and you won't get the deeper branding or compliance-automation extras some rivals bundle.
3. Bizee — best $0 plan that still includes a registered agent
Formerly Incfile, Bizee is the rare provider that offers both a true $0 formation fee and a free year of registered agent service in the same basic package.
Key features: $0 Basic plan covering the articles of organization filing; a free first year of registered agent service (then around $149/year); fast internal processing, often within one business day; lifetime compliance alerts; and an expedited filing add-on for tighter timelines.
Best for: Budget-first founders who want the $0 price and a bundled agent, and don't mind clicking past a few add-on offers.
Pricing tier: Basic $0 + state fee; Standard $199 (adds EIN and operating agreement); Premium $299 (adds expedited processing).
Pros: Genuinely free filing with an agent included, more than a million businesses formed since 2004, and lower à la carte pricing on extras like EIN service than several competitors.
Cons: The $0 Basic tier leaves out the operating agreement and EIN most owners eventually need, the checkout pushes several upsells, and Bizee shares more data with marketing partners than the privacy-focused options.
4. LegalZoom — best for brand trust and built-in legal help
LegalZoom is the most recognized name here, and it now matches rivals with a $0 Basic plan while offering legal services they don't.
Key features: $0 Basic formation; expedited processing for roughly $99 that drops filing to about one business day; attorney consultations on the Premium tier; trademark, copyright, and patent services under one roof; and seven-day-a-week support.
Best for: Owners who want an established brand and expect to need attorney access or trademark help as they grow.
Pricing tier: Basic $0 + state fee; Pro $249; Premium $299. Registered agent is a separate ~$249/year, the steepest in this group.
Pros: Deep brand reputation, a legal-services menu that goes well beyond formation, and a polished, well-guided checkout.
Cons: Standard processing is on the slow side (often two to four weeks unless you pay to expedite), the registered agent price is the highest here, and reviewers consistently flag heavy upselling and surprise renewals.
5. Tailor Brands — best for formation bundled with branding
Tailor Brands started as a logo-and-branding platform, and it's the pick if you want your LLC, logo, and website handled in one sitting.
Key features: $0 Lite formation plan; two-business-day expedited processing on the paid tiers; an AI logo maker and website builder on the top plan; a free first-year domain with Elite; and annual compliance support on Essential and above.
Best for: Brand-new ventures that need a visual identity and web presence alongside the legal entity.
Pricing tier: Lite $0 + state fee (about 14-day internal processing); Essential $199/year (2-day processing, operating agreement, compliance); Elite $249/year (full branding and website suite). Registered agent is a $199/year add-on on every plan.
Pros: A real all-in-one launch kit, fast processing once you're on a paid tier, and responsive support.
Cons: The free Lite plan is slow to submit, the registered agent is never included, and the $99 EIN add-on is something you can do yourself at the IRS for free.
6. Rocket Lawyer — best for ongoing legal documents and advice
Rocket Lawyer is less a formation specialist than a subscription legal platform, with LLC filing as a membership perk.
Key features: A free first business registration with a Rocket Legal+ membership; unlimited customizable legal documents and e-signatures; attorney consultations included with membership; discounted registered agent service for members (around $125/year versus $249.99 standalone); and a strong mobile app.
Best for: Owners who'll regularly draft contracts or want recurring access to attorneys, not just a one-and-done filing.
Pricing tier: Free first registration with Rocket Legal+ ($239.88/year), or $99.99 as a standalone non-member filing; processing typically runs seven to ten business days.
Pros: Excellent value if you genuinely use the document library and attorney advice, and a polished platform for managing legal needs over time.
Cons: The "free" formation requires a paid membership, the seven-day trial auto-converts to a monthly charge if you forget to cancel, and standalone fees are high for a simple one-time LLC.
Which one should you choose?
For the specific goal of forming an LLC fast and cheap, the honest answer depends on one decision: whether you want a registered agent bundled into year one. If that's your priority, Northwest at $39 with a free agent year and same-day filing in many states, or Bizee with its $0 plan and an included agent, are the strongest values, and both file quickly enough for a two-day timeline. If you need an LLC active within two days specifically, ZenBusiness Pro and Tailor Brands Essential both submit within one to two business days, LegalZoom's $99 expedited option files in about a day, and Northwest is same-day in many states, though in every case the state's own approval window still applies on top.
Weighing the whole picture, though, ZenBusiness remains our top overall pick for this category. It's the provider that most consistently nails the brief: a real $0 starting price, one-day processing when you need speed, free first-year compliance monitoring so deadlines don't slip, an accuracy guarantee, and support that's genuinely easy to reach, all wrapped in an interface a first-time owner can finish without confusion. Northwest will save you money over the long haul and Bizee matches the $0 entry with a bundled agent, but for the cleanest, fastest, least stressful launch, ZenBusiness is where most new owners should start.