Key Takeaways

• LegalZoom is a trusted platform for business formation and legal services.
• Their LLC packages range from $0 to $299 plus state fees, with optional add-ons.
• Services like registered agent and legal document access are subscription-based.
• You can use LegalZoom for EIN setup, compliance filings, and trademark help.
• Doc Assist, their AI tool, helps review contracts but doesn’t replace legal advice.
• Some users report upsells, surprise charges, and trouble canceling services.
• Redditors and reviewers often suggest DIY filings for simple business setups.
• Canceling your account doesn’t shut down your business—you must do that separately.

LegalZoom is a popular platform to streamline various legal services, including business formation. Lately, I’ve been reviewing similar services, and realized that I hadn’t yet shared info about the company that I actually use to form my businesses. So, I’ve written a full LegalZoom review for business owners. 

Find out what LegalZoom is and how much it costs, learn about the company, and explore what the service can provide you in terms of business formation and beyond. 

This is what’s in store: 

• What is LegalZoom?
  • LegalZoom Pricing For Business Startup
  • Company Overview
• How Can LegalZoom Help You Launch & Run Your Business?
  • 1. File Your Registration Paperwork
  • 2. Help You Get an Employer Identification Number
  • 3. Act as Your Registered Agent
  • 4. Keep You Compliant With State Requirements
  • 5. Provide Custom Legal Documents
  • 6. Help You Protect Your Brand
  • 7. Set Up Virtual Mail
  • 8. Get Business Licenses
  • 9. Dissolve Your Business If Needed
• How to Cancel Your LegalZoom Account
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Now, let’s get to it!

What is LegalZoom? 

LegalZoom is an online platform that helps business owners and individuals. It’s used for managing legal tasks without hiring a lawyer. 

You can use it to: 

• Form an LLC or corporation
• Register a trademark
• Create legal documents like contracts or wills 

You can also get access to attorney support through prepaid legal plans.

For small business owners, LegalZoom is often a starting point when you want to register a business quickly or make sure your paperwork is legit. It walks you through forms, step by step, and files them with the right state or federal agencies.

While it’s not a law firm, LegalZoom partners with attorneys and offers flat-rate services for certain legal needs. It can be a helpful tool if you’re on a budget or not quite ready to hire a full-time legal team. 

However, it may not cover everything you’d get from personalized legal advice—especially for more complex situations.

Recommended: How to Create a Business Credit “Entity” 

LegalZoom Pricing For Business Startup

Here’s a quick, clear breakdown of LegalZoom’s LLC startup pricing:

1. Basic – $0 + state fees

• Files your LLC paperwork.
• Includes a business name check.
• One-time setup, no extras.

2. Pro – $249 + state fees

• Adds an Operating Agreement and EIN.
• Includes a $100K filing error guarantee.
• 3 months of bookkeeping tools, legal forms, and eSignatures.
• Website builder with Wix.
  
• Subscriptions auto-renew after trial periods unless canceled.

3. Premium – $299 + state fees

• Includes everything in Pro.
• Adds one-on-one guidance from a business attorney.
  
• Attorney support is subscription-based and renews automatically.

Note that state filing fees are extra and vary by location. Some included tools (bookkeeping, legal docs, attorney access) turn into paid subscriptions after a few months if you don’t cancel.

LegalZoom also offers nonprofit formation services, but the pricing is separate from their standard business packages and starts at $99 plus state fees.

So, you can take advantage of LegalZoom’s services to form a business or nonprofit, and you could pay anywhere from $0 to $359 per year, plus state filing fees. 

You might also like: The Complete Rocket Lawyer Review for Business Owners 

Company Overview

LegalZoom.com, Inc. is a California-based, public, for-profit entity that was founded in 1999 by Brian S. Lee, Brian Liu, Edward Hartman, and Robert Shapiro. It’s now led by Jeff Stibel, who previously led and co-founded The Search Agency and served on the boards of The BrainGate Company and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. 

LegalZoom is accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but has no BBB rating. I rarely come across this scenario, so I initially thought consumer reviews and complaints might be complicated. As it turns out, most BBB complaints about LegalZoom relate to unexpected charges and trouble canceling services—this is typical with subscription-based legal offers. 

On Trustpilot, LegalZoom maintains a 4.4 out of 5 TrustScore,™ which is really good. In fact, most Trustpilot reviewers leave 5-star reviews. One-star reviewers, while the minority, tend to mention surprise charges, delayed filings, poor communication, and difficulty canceling services.

Redditors (typically, our most critical resource) say LegalZoom is convenient for business filings, especially if you need help to navigate forms. But ,many warn about upsells, surprise charges, and subscription billing issues. Some also mention poor customer support. Others suggest filing directly with the state is cheaper and just as easy (if you’re comfortable doing it yourself, of course).

In sum, LegalZoom is a well-known legal service platform with mostly positive reviews for convenience, especially in business filings. However, some users mention surprise charges, upsells, and difficulty canceling subscription services. So, be sure you understand what you’re paying for before you sign up. 

You might also like: Comprehensive ZenBusiness Review: Is it Legit for LLCs? 

How Can LegalZoom Help You Launch & Run Your Business? 

LegalZoom offers a wide range of business services—from formation to compliance to brand protection. These services can save you time, help you avoid mistakes, and take care of tasks you might not feel comfortable handling on your own. 

But not every business will need every service. 

Here’s a breakdown of how LegalZoom can support your business, plus some notes on when their help makes sense—and when you might be better off doing it yourself.

You might also like: Are All the Positive Swyft Filings Reviews Real? Read This 

1. File Your Registration Paperwork

LegalZoom walks you through the process to form a: 

• Limited Liability Corporation (LLC)
• Corporation (S-Corp or C-Corp)
• Nonprofit
• Doing Business As (DBA) or Assumed Business Name (ABN)
• Sole Proprietorship

They then file with the state on your behalf. 

This is great if you’re unsure which entity type to choose or if state forms feel overwhelming. If you already know what structure you need and feel confident using your state’s website, you can often file for less on your own.

You might also like: Sole Proprietorship VS LLC: How to Choose Your Entity Wisely 

2. Help You Get an Employer Identification Number

LegalZoom can also help you get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. You need an EIN to open a business bank account, file taxes, and hire employees. LegalZoom includes this service in their Pro and Premium LLC formation packages—but it’s not part of the free Basic plan.

That said, you don’t have to pay for EIN help. Most business owners can apply for one directly through the IRS website for free. It only takes a few minutes, but the site is only available during regular business hours, Monday through Friday.

Still, LegalZoom’s EIN service might make sense if:

• You’re not familiar with IRS forms.
• You want help to avoid mistakes.
• You’re a non-U.S. resident and don’t have a Social Security Number or ITIN (in which case, the online form won’t work).

Using LegalZoom can simplify the process, especially if you’re already paying for a formation package.

You might also like: Here’s How to [Actually] Get Business Credit With Just an EIN +More Options 

3. Act as Your Registered Agent

Most states require you to name a registered agent—someone who can accept legal or government documents during business hours. LegalZoom offers this as a paid annual service. 

It makes sense if you: 

1. Want privacy (so your home address doesn’t go on public records)
2. Travel often
3. Your business doesn’t have a physical location

If you’re always available at a set address, you can be your own agent and skip the extra fee.

Recommended: 8 Best Registered Agent Services for LLCs and Other Businesses

4. Keep You Compliant With State Requirements

LegalZoom can help you stay in good standing by filing annual reports, sending deadline reminders, and helping with your Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report. 

This can be helpful if you’re juggling a lot and don’t want to miss deadlines that could lead to penalties. Still, some business owners prefer to track due dates themselves and file directly with the state to save on costs.

5. Provide Custom Legal Documents

Operating agreements, bylaws, and meeting minutes are key for certain business types, especially if you have partners or plan to raise money. LegalZoom gives you access to a large library of legal templates with a subscription, plus unlimited e-signatures. 

This works well if you want structured documents without hiring a lawyer. But if you only need one or two documents, free or low-cost templates online might be enough.

LegalZoom also offers an AI tool called Doc Assist that helps you:

• Summarize key terms and clauses.
• Highlight important sections like obligations, dates, and fees.
• Suggest questions to help you understand the document.

It’s useful for quick insights but doesn’t replace a full legal review. For more complex contracts, LegalZoom also offers attorney-assisted services.

6. Help You Protect Your Brand

You can search trademarks, file applications, and monitor your brand with LegalZoom’s intellectual property (IP) tools. They also offer help with copyrights and provisional patents. 

These services are useful if you’ve already built a brand and want to protect your name, logo, or product. If you’re still testing ideas or running a small side hustle, you may want to wait before investing in IP protection.

7. Set Up Virtual Mail

With LegalZoom’s virtual mail service, you get a professional mailing address that keeps your personal address private. It can be a good option if you work from home, travel often, or don’t want your home address listed publicly. If you already lease a workspace or use a PO box, you may not need this.

Note that a virtual address is not ideal for building business credit—You’ll want a physical address if you’re on that path. 

You might also like: This is How to Leverage Business Credit to Transform Your Life 

8. Get Business Licenses

Some industries require federal, state, or local licenses. LegalZoom helps identify which ones you need and guides you through the application process. 

This is helpful if you’re not sure where to start or if you operate in a heavily regulated industry. If your business has very simple or well-known licensing requirements (like a basic online store), you might not need help.

9. Dissolve Your Business If Needed

If you decide to close your business, LegalZoom can help you officially dissolve it with your state. 

This step matters because businesses that aren’t properly dissolved may keep racking up fees or compliance notices. If you’re confident in your ability to navigate your state’s process and don’t mind filling out final paperwork, this can also be done on your own.

How to Cancel Your LegalZoom Account

Since most of the complaints from LegalZoom users seem to happen because they forget to cancel or see unexpected charges on their bank accounts, it’s important to know how to cancel before you take advantage of their services. 

To cancel your LegalZoom account or subscription, you’ll need to call LegalZoom customer service at (888) 379-0854.

If you cancel a subscription, like registered agent service or legal advice plans, LegalZoom stops billing you and you lose access to those services after the current billing period.

If you cancel your account, your LLC or corporation still exists—it just means LegalZoom no longer handles filings, reminders, or documents for you. 

In this case, you remain responsible for things like: 

• Annual reports
• Compliance filings
• Registered agent duties (if you don’t assign a new one)

Canceling with LegalZoom doesn’t dissolve your business—you’ll need to do that separately through your state if you choose to shut it down completely.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the best online legal service?

The best online legal service depends on your needs. LegalZoom is well-known and offers a wide range of services. Rocket Lawyer might be better for ongoing legal advice, while Bizee and ZenBusiness are more affordable for business formation with free first-year registered agent services.

What’s better than LegalZoom?

For basic business formation, Bizee or ZenBusiness may be cheaper and faster. For legal advice, Rocket Lawyer’s subscription model could be a better fit. LegalZoom is solid for all-in-one convenience, but it’s not always the most cost-effective.

What happens if I don’t pay LegalZoom?

Your service may stop, and you could be sent to collections. If you don’t pay for things like registered agent service, you’ll need to replace it to stay compliant. Nonpayment won’t cancel your business, but it can cause issues if ignored.

Conclusion

LegalZoom can be a solid option if you want a one-stop shop to launch and manage a business, especially if you’re not familiar with legal paperwork. That said, it’s not the cheapest route, and some of its services turn into ongoing subscriptions—so you’ll want to read the fine print. 

If you’re confident filing on your own or looking to save money, direct state filings might be a better fit. With that said, I personally use LegalZoom for my business filing because it’s convenient, saves time, and works well for what I need. 

Want to learn how to obtain up to $100K in business credit in as few as 30 days? Join Business Credit Workshop today!