Cheapest LLC Services (2026): What “$0” Really Costs
The absolute cheapest way to form an LLC is to file directly with your state: $0 service fee plus the required state filing fee. If you want a formation company, several providers start at $0—but the cheapest choice changes when you add registered-agent service and look beyond year one.
What is the cheapest LLC service in 2026?
DIY filing is cheapest: $0 service fee. Among the providers compared here, Bizee and Inc Authority currently start at $0 and include first-year registered-agent service. But if you keep professional registered-agent service for three years, Northwest's current $39 formation + $125/year renewal works out to about $289, slightly below Bizee's $298. That does not make Northwest universally “cheapest”—it makes it cheaper under this specific three-year RA scenario.
First: Separate the 3 Different LLC Costs
“$0 LLC formation” can be accurate and still be misunderstood. A provider's formation-service fee is only one layer. Your actual startup cost can include the provider service fee, the state filing fee, and any optional or recurring services you choose, such as a commercial registered agent.
Do not compare a provider's $0 service fee with another state's government filing fee. State filing fees are paid to the government and vary by jurisdiction. The provider comparison below therefore excludes state filing fees from the multi-year service totals, then explains them separately.
Cheapest LLC Service — Current Cost Comparison
This is a like-for-like cost view using each provider's entry formation option and professional registered-agent service where applicable. Prices are volatile and should be reconfirmed before purchase.
| Option | Formation service | RA year 1 | RA year 2+ | 1-year service total* | 3-year service total* | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY self-file | $0 | $0 if eligible to be own RA | $0 | $0 | $0 | Absolute minimum |
| Bizee Basic | $0 | Included | $149/yr | $0 | $298 | Low entry + RA |
| Northwest | $39 | Included | $125/yr | $39 | $289 | 3-year RA value |
| Inc Authority | $0 | Included | $249/yr | $0 | $498 | Free first-year bundle |
| ZenBusiness Starter + RA | $0 | $199/yr separate | $199/yr | $199 | $597 | Starter filing + paid RA |
| LegalZoom Basic + RA | $0 | $249/yr separate | $249/yr | $249 | $747 | Basic filing + paid RA |
*Provider service totals exclude state filing fees, state taxes/reports, optional add-ons and promotional changes. DIY assumes the owner can legally serve as the registered agent and accepts the availability/privacy trade-offs.
LLC Service Cost Horizon Calculator
The old page mixed state fees into a provider-cost ranking. This rebuilt tool answers a cleaner question: if you keep professional registered-agent service, what does each provider cost over the number of years you actually care about?
Cheapest LLC Services — Who Each Option Is Actually For
DIY — File Directly With Your State
Best for: owners comfortable completing the state formation form themselves. You can also apply for an EIN directly from the IRS for free. Acting as your own registered agent can reduce service cost further, but it can expose an address on public records and requires reliable availability at the registered office under your state's rules.
See the DIY LLC formation guide →Bizee Basic
Best for: founders who want a $0 formation-service entry price and first-year registered-agent service. Bizee's current registered-agent price is $149/year after the included period. This correction matters: the older page used $119/year, which understated the current multi-year cost.
Read the full Bizee review →Northwest Registered Agent
Best for: founders willing to pay $39 upfront for a lower published RA renewal price and a broader formation bundle. Under the narrow scenario used in this page—formation plus provider RA—Northwest is $15 more than Bizee after two years ($164 vs. $149) but $9 less after three years ($289 vs. $298).
Inc Authority
Best for: founders focused on the first-year bundle. Inc Authority currently advertises $0 LLC filing, a free EIN and one year of registered-agent service. Its own terms currently state that registered-agent service renews at $249 after the first year, so the old page's estimated $99–$149 renewal range should not be used.
ZenBusiness Starter
Best for: founders who like ZenBusiness's platform but do not assume Starter includes every ongoing service. Current ZenBusiness materials list Starter at $0 + state fees and registered-agent service at $199/year when purchased separately; Premium includes RA but is a different package and price.
LegalZoom Basic
Best for: founders who value LegalZoom's broader legal-service ecosystem more than the lowest recurring RA cost. LegalZoom currently lists registered-agent service at $249/year.
What Makes a “Cheap” LLC Service Expensive?
The expensive part is often not the initial formation-service fee. Before checkout, inspect recurring registered-agent charges, compliance subscriptions, website/domain trials, expedited processing, EIN assistance and document-template add-ons.
EIN reminder: the IRS does not charge a fee to issue an EIN. A formation company's EIN charge is payment for assistance or convenience, not an IRS fee. Enjoys-life's own operating-agreement templates should be the free operating-agreement resource promoted on this site.
State costs can dwarf provider costs. Formation fees, annual/biennial reports, franchise taxes, publication requirements and licenses are separate state/local obligations. Use the Enjoys-life filing-fee, annual-fee and total-cost resources for those layers instead of forcing them into a provider ranking.
Which Cheapest LLC Service Should You Choose?
Choose DIY if minimizing service fees is the only goal and you are comfortable filing yourself. Choose Bizee if you want a $0 formation-service entry price plus first-year RA and expect to keep professional RA for only a short period. Consider Northwest if you expect to keep professional RA for several years and value its broader included bundle. Consider Inc Authority for its unusually broad first-year free offer, but price the $249 RA renewal before keeping it. ZenBusiness and LegalZoom can still be good fits for other reasons, but their separate RA prices do not make them the cheapest RA-based scenarios in this comparison.
Northwest Registered Agent — $39 + State Fee
Northwest currently publishes $39 formation, first-year registered-agent service included, and $125/year thereafter. That combination makes it competitive for founders who expect to keep a professional registered agent beyond the first couple of years.
See Northwest's Current Offer →Disclosure: Enjoys-life may earn a commission if you use this link, at no extra cost to you. Pricing and terms can change; verify the checkout details before purchasing.
Verification & Methodology
Provider prices were rechecked against current official provider materials in August 2026. The comparison uses advertised entry formation pricing and published registered-agent pricing, excludes state government fees from provider totals, and does not assume that every visitor needs a commercial registered agent. It also avoids assigning monetary value to bundled features unless the visitor actually needs them.
- Northwest: $39 + state fees; first-year RA included; $125/year thereafter.
- Bizee: formation starts at $0 + state fees; first-year RA included with formation; current RA price $149/year.
- Inc Authority: $0 formation; free EIN and first-year RA advertised; RA renewal terms currently state $249/year.
- ZenBusiness: Starter $0 + state fees; RA $199/year as a separate service; package inclusions vary by tier.
- LegalZoom: Basic formation starts at $0; RA currently $249/year.
This comparison separates provider charges from government fees and treats affiliate compensation as irrelevant to the ranking math. Volatile provider pricing should be reconfirmed before purchase.