How we score LLC formation services
Rubric v1, published Sep 26, 2026 · See the ranking
We score each LLC formation service on its entry package using only what the company publishes on its own website: package prices, what they include, what renews automatically, processing times, support hours and refund terms. The state's own filing fee is the same whoever files, so it is left out of every price. Every score is worked out by the formula shown for its criterion, and every fact behind it links to the page it came from, with the date we read it.
A fact the company does not publish counts as absent. We have not formed LLCs with these services; when we do, the method will say so and the rubric version will change.
The criteria
| Criterion | Weight | What a 10 and a 0 look like |
|---|---|---|
| First-year cost | 35% | The entry package's price plus anything the service requires you to buy from it in year one (its registered agent when the package does not include one, a required subscription), state fees excluded. 10 at $100 or less, 0 at $500 or more, straight line between. |
| Included in the entry package | 20% | Which of five the entry package includes: a registered agent for the first year, an operating agreement, an EIN application, annual-report or compliance reminders, a business address or mail handling. 2 points each. |
| Cost from year two | 15% | What the service bills automatically each year after the first for the entry package (a registered-agent renewal, any subscription that renews), as published. 10 at $0, 0 at $400 or more, straight line between. Not published counts as $400. |
| Refund terms | 10% | A published money-back guarantee on the service's own fee: a full refund for 60 days or more 10; for 30 days or more 7; any published refund before the filing is submitted 4; none or not published 0. |
| Processing time | 10% | The service's own published processing time for the entry package, before the state's: one business day or less 10; up to three 7; up to ten 4; longer or not published 0. |
| Support | 10% | Support for entry-package customers: 24/7 phone and chat 10; 24/7 on one channel 7; business-hours phone and chat 6; chat or email only 3; not published 0. |
The overall score is 10 × the sum of weight × criterion score, from 0 to 100, shown as 0-10 with one decimal.
Version history
- v1, published Sep 26, 2026: First-year cost 35%, Included in the entry package 20%, Cost from year two 15%, Refund terms 10%, Processing time 10%, Support 10%