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Software review · Pricing verified 2026-10-23
LegalZoom LLC Formation review
Verified Oct 23, 2026LegalZoom offers LLC formation from $0 plus state filing fees on its Basic package, which covers articles of organization, a business name check, and a tax consultation. Pro ($249) adds an operating agreement, EIN, unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations (via a 30-day Business Attorney Plan trial), 150+ legal document templates, and eSignatures. Premium ($299) adds bookkeeping tools. The registered agent service ($249/year) is sold separately and is not included in any package.
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Unpack Money score: 81/100
LegalZoom is the biggest brand in online LLC formation, and its packages are built around that position: you're paying partly for the name, partly for attorney access that the budget competitors don't offer. Basic at $0 plus state filing fees covers the essentials — articles of organization, a business name check, and a tax consultation. The real product starts at Pro ($249 plus state fees), which adds an operating agreement, EIN filing, unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations (through a 30-day Business Attorney Plan trial), 150+ legal document templates for a year, and a year of unlimited eSignatures. Premium ($299) adds bookkeeping tools for 6 months.
Read the fine print before you buy. The attorney-plan trial auto-renews at $49/month after 30 days unless you cancel, and Premium's bookkeeping tools auto-renew at $9.99/month after the included 6 months. Neither is hidden — both are stated in LegalZoom's own footnotes — but they turn a one-time $249 purchase into a recurring subscription if you forget. Set a calendar reminder at checkout.
The other cost to budget: LegalZoom's registered agent service is not included in any formation package and costs $249/year — the highest agent rate of the four services we verified. Competitors include the first year free (Northwest, Bizee) or charge far less on renewal (Northwest $125/year, Bizee $149/year). If you plan to use LegalZoom's agent, the true first-year cost of Pro is $249 plus state fees plus $249, not just $249.
Who should pay it? Founders who expect to actually use the attorney consultations and the document library in their first year — for example, anyone drafting custom contracts or navigating a regulated industry. LegalZoom is not a law firm (attorney services come from independent network attorneys), but it's the only service on this page that bundles human legal guidance into formation. Everyone else should compare the true all-in cost against Northwest's $39 flat package first.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | For |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 + state filing fees | Articles of organization filed, business name check, tax consultation from 1-800Accountant |
| Pro | $249 + state filing fees | Everything in Basic, plus operating agreement, EIN, unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations (30-day trial), 150+ legal documents (1 year), unlimited eSignatures (1 year), customizable website |
| Premium | $299 + state filing fees | Everything in Pro, plus bookkeeping tools (6-month subscription) |
Prices verified 2026-10-23 on the provider's official pricing page. Prices change — confirm before you buy.
What we like
- The only service we verified that bundles real attorney consultations into formation packages
- 150+ legal document templates and a year of eSignatures add genuine value on Pro
- Largest brand recognition of the four — useful if name familiarity matters to you
- Basic's $0 filing covers the essentials with a name check and tax consultation
Watch out for
- State filing fees are extra on every package
- The 30-day Business Attorney Plan trial auto-renews at $49/month unless cancelled
- Premium's bookkeeping tools auto-renew at $9.99/month after the included 6 months
- Registered agent ($249/year) is not bundled — the priciest agent rate we verified
- LegalZoom is not a law firm; attorney services come from independent attorneys
Ease of use
Formation itself is a guided three-step flow — describe the business, choose services, and LegalZoom files — and most founders can get through it in one sitting. The friction is not the form; it is the checkout and what follows it: add-on offers along the way, and two subscriptions (the Business Attorney Plan and LZ Books) that start as trials and renew automatically unless you cancel them.
Support
LegalZoom publishes human support hours on its own site: agents are available by phone at (855) 787-1221, Monday–Friday 5 am–7 pm PT and Saturday–Sunday 7 am–4 pm PT. Pro and Premium customers can also ask an attorney through the included Business Attorney Plan trial — the channel that matters most for formation questions (per LegalZoom's LLC page, our pricing source above).
How we reviewed LegalZoom LLC Formation
We record every plan, price, cap, and add-on from LegalZoom's official pricing page — never from review aggregators — and date-stamp the check; this page was last verified on 2026-10-23. Our editorial score weighs what a small business actually gets for the money: the capability of the cheapest useful tier, the true cost once add-ons and renewals are counted, pricing transparency, and contract traps such as auto-renewing trials. Compensation never changes a score or a verdict. Read our full review methodology.
FAQs
What's the cheapest way to form an LLC with LegalZoom?
Is the attorney consultation really free?
Does LegalZoom include a registered agent?
Is LegalZoom a law firm?
What are the state filing fees?
Sources
Every price and feature on this page was verified against the provider's official website on 2026-10-23. We never use aggregator sites as sources.