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Key takeaways
- Starter is $0 plus the state fee and includes a free first year of Worry-Free Compliance.
- Pro ($199/yr) and Premium ($299/yr) renew every year. The registered agent is a $199/yr add-on on every plan.
- Keep Pro plus the agent and year two costs about $398. Starter with no add-ons costs $0.
Verdict
ZenBusiness does one thing better than the other services we track: Pro and Premium file your annual report for you, every year, for as long as the plan renews. If you know you’ll forget the deadline, that’s worth real money.
The question to ask before you check out is what you’ll be paying ZenBusiness in two years. Starter with nothing added is $0 forever. Pro plus the registered agent is about $398 a year from year two. Neither is wrong. The gap is just big enough that you should pick on purpose.
We haven’t tested ZenBusiness’s mail forwarding ourselves, so any speed claims below are the company’s.
The three plans
| Starter | Pro | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (plus state fee) | $0, does not renew | $199/yr | $299/yr |
| Files the Articles | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Processing | 7 to 10 business days (+$79 rush) | 1 business day | 1 business day |
| Operating agreement | $99 add-on | Included | Included |
| EIN | $99 add-on | Included | Included |
| Worry-Free Compliance (annual report filing) | Free 1st year, then $199/yr | Included while Pro renews | Included while Premium renews |
| Registered agent | $199/yr add-on | $199/yr add-on | $199/yr add-on |
| Domain and business email | No | No | Included |
The registered agent is an add-on on every plan. Pro and Premium are priced per year, not once.
Prices are ZenBusiness’s published list prices before the state fee, checked on its own pricing pages on November 8, 2026.
Year two
The fair comparison with other services is the second year’s bill:
- Starter, no add-ons: $0. You’re your own agent and you file your own annual report. Fine for a lot of people.
- Starter plus registered agent: $199 a year. More than Northwest ($125) or Bizee ($149) for the same job.
- Pro plus registered agent: about $398 a year. You’re paying for annual report filing (the state fee is still extra) and the agent.
The EIN and operating agreement that make Pro look good in year one are one-off items. In year two, Pro is $199 for compliance filing. Put the deadline in your calendar and use our compliance guide, or decide that $199 is worth never thinking about it. Both are reasonable.
The checkout
Read each screen. Two things to look out for:
- A 30-day website-builder trial is preselected and renews at $15 a month. Untick it unless you want it.
- Rush filing on Starter is $79. Pro and Premium already process in one business day, and many states turn online filings around in days anyway.
You can also add the registered agent, Advanced Compliance and other services as you go. All of it can be declined.
What is good
- Pro and Premium file your annual report for you while they renew.
- One-business-day processing on the paid plans.
- The $0 Starter is a genuine way to get a correctly filed LLC for just the state fee, with a free year of compliance filing.
- Phone, chat and email support on every plan.
Who it suits
First-time owners who want their annual report handled and are happy to pay a yearly fee for it. Anyone who reads the checkout carefully.
Less suited to people who want the lowest ongoing cost. They should look at Northwest for the agent and file their own reports, or Bizee for a free first agent year.
Compare all four in the best LLC services table.
Ready to go with ZenBusiness? This link is sponsored.
Visit ZenBusiness(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)Frequently asked questions
Is ZenBusiness really free?
The Starter formation is $0 plus your state's filing fee. It takes 7 to 10 business days and includes one free year of Worry-Free Compliance. The EIN and operating agreement are $99 each on Starter, and the registered agent is $199 a year on any plan.
What does ZenBusiness Worry-Free Compliance include?
Filing your annual report (the state fee is extra) and up to two amendments a year. It's included for as long as you keep Pro or Premium. On Starter the first year is free and it then renews at $199 a year if you keep it.
Is ZenBusiness legit?
Yes. It's an established formation service. The complaints we see are mostly about renewals and add-ons people didn't realise they'd agreed to, not about filings going wrong.
Can I cancel ZenBusiness registered agent service?
Yes, but appoint a replacement agent with the state first, or the LLC will be without one. Cancel before the renewal date.
Sources
We take every fee, deadline and rule on this page from these pages and nowhere else. Rules change, so open the source before you pay anything.
- 1.ZenBusiness formation plans and pricingChecked November 8, 2026
- 2.ZenBusiness add-on pricingChecked November 8, 2026
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