The 10 Best LLC Services in Hawaii: Reviewed and Ranked

12/03/2024
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Finding a trustworthy LLC Service in Hawaii could be the lifeline your business needs to succeed.

The right LLC service will save you time and money by filing your registration paperwork with Hawaii’s Business Registration Division on your behalf.

The wrong LLC service will delay your business’s registration process due to lack of proper documentation, ultimately hindering your business operations.

To help entrepreneurs launch their businesses properly, I’ve reviewed 17 LLC services in Hawaii to find the best 10 and choose a leader among them. Here are the results of my research.

1. Northwest Registered Agent: 9.45/10 (Best Overall LLC Service)

Northwest Registered Agent is hands down the best LLC service in Hawaii due to its highly affordable formation package and dedicated customer support team that can answer all your toughest questions about starting and running a business.

Pros

Northwest’s $39 formation package will take care of all the basic requirements of starting a business, including processing and filing your articles of organization with the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and helping you draft an operating agreement.

One feature that isn’t included in every service’s package but is in Northwest’s is free registered agent service for one year after registration, which includes a physical street address in Hawaii and compliance alerts to remind you of impending deadlines.

It also includes a business tax consultation with Northwest’s in-house accountants, a highly secure online document storage portal, a free 90-day trial of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, access to an employer identification number (EIN), a Certificate of Good Standing, and certified copies of your formation documents.

All this usually costs $225 but Boostsuite readers can access an 82% discount, which brings down the cost to an affordable $39.

You’ll find that Northwest's true value lies in its customer support team, also referred to as Corporate Guides. These Corporate Guides have spent years negotiating governmental bureaucracies. They're a mix of paralegals, accountants, advisers, instructors, attorneys, entrepreneurs, and industry gurus, all of whom have intimate knowledge of the business world. 

The Corporate Guides are well-versed in every US jurisdiction. And, most of all, they like discussing business. They'll gladly advise you on the quickest, cheapest, and most convenient ways to do whatever your business entity requires.

This sort of support is often costly, especially for a small business owner. It's great to find an LLC service in Hawaii that includes this service in its initial bundle.

Cons

There’s little to write about Northwest’s pitfalls. The only issue I came across is that it doesn’t provide any tools that will help your LLC in Hawaii gain an online presence, such as website-building tools or an email service. 

However, this isn't a significant issue because you can build a website for as little as $15 using services like Squarespace and Wix. 

Overall

Northwest Registered Agent is Hawaii's best LLC formation service because it provides excellent customer service as well as economical and comprehensive LLC services.

Its $39 formation package includes everything you'll need to start a business in Hawaii, including a year of free registered agent service. Its Corporate Guides are available to help you not just during the start-up phase, but throughout the lifespan of your business.

If you're searching for a low-cost LLC formation service that offers expert-level guidance for your Hawaii LLC, go over to Northwest Registered Agent and take advantage of an 82% discount on its formation package by using my exclusive link.

2. ZenBusiness 8.25/10 (Best Essentials LLC Service)

ZenBusiness is my choice for the best budget LLC service because at $0, it puts competing prices to shame. But even though you won’t pay much for it at first, you’ll eventually pay a lot more for it because it doesn’t offer a full range of LLC services. 

Pros

ZenBusiness provides all the services you need to set up your LLC, and you’re not going to find a price better than $0. ZenBusiness’ services at this price include making sure your business name is available, helping you fill out your formation documents, and, of course, filing formation documents on your behalf. 

It has a $199 Pro plan that additionally provides expedited filing (between four and six days), and helps with your company’s operating agreement. 

The $299 Premium plan includes rush filing (one to two days) and services to set up your online presence, like a domain name, email address, and a website-building tool.

Cons

For $0, you aren’t getting anything really exceptional from ZenBusiness. It will file your formation documents and run a business name search for your company, which by the way you can also do for free. Because of its less-is-more approach to LLC services, you’ll actually pay more for the services you aren’t receiving from them. 

No matter what, your new LLC is going to need a registered agent, so it’s helpful that some of the formation services on my list kick in a year of registered agent services for free. But not ZenBusiness. The one package they offer that includes registered agent service costs $199 per year.

ZenBusiness’ customer service is adequate to assist you with your customer service issues, like forgetting your password or updating your information in their system. But they don’t have small business support, so if you have questions about how to manage your business you’ll have to go somewhere else, which could cost you.

Overall

If you’re looking for a company that supplies the essentials at a great price and you don’t need anything fancy, ZenBusiness is the best option for you.

For a no-frills LLC service at an unbeatable rate, read more about ZenBusiness on its website

3. Harbor Compliance: 7.15/10 (Best Premium LLC Service)

Harbor Compliance, like Northwest Registered Agent, has some of the best customer service among the LLC services on this list. However, unlike Northwest, this service is not cheap.

Pros

Harbor Compliance takes care of all the details for you, including filing your articles of organization with the Business Registration Division, providing a draft operating agreement template, obtaining a federal employer identification number (EIN) on your behalf from the IRS, and providing free registered agent service for a year after you sign up.

Harbor Compliance’s customer service is pretty special. When you sign up, you'll be assigned a dedicated account manager who will assist you in gathering all the required information and file your paperwork. They'll be able to answer any questions you have regarding the LLC formation procedure while taking your individual needs and circumstances into account.

The major contrast between Northwest’s Corporate Guides and this dedicated account manager is that the latter only provides service-related advice and doesn’t go the extra mile to provide small business advice. 

Cons

The biggest issue with Harbor Compliance is the cost of its services. The formation package costs $399, while the next level, the Compliance package, costs $799. As a result, Harbor Compliance is substantially more expensive than Northwest, and most entrepreneurs, particularly those starting out on a tight budget, would be unable to afford its services.

Overall

Harbor Compliance is a top Hawaii LLC formation service that offers all the business services you'll need to get your LLC in Hawaii up and running. It also gives you a professional account manager who will assist you with the development of your firm. This level of specialized customer service is not offered by any other organization on this list.

Although its $399 Basic package is more expensive than Northwest's, you do get your money's worth. Contact Harbor Compliance today if you need a dedicated representative to assist you with the creation of your Hawaii LLC.

4. Rocket Lawyer 

Rocket Lawyer is one of the most reputable online legal services on the market today and also includes LLC formation services as part of its service portfolio.

As part of its $99.99 plan, you get a seven-day free trial of legal services, a 30-minute consultation with a legal expert on any issue, attorney representation in case you get sued, and all your official documents reviewed by an in-house legal expert.

Your documents are then forwarded to a secure online document storage portal to which you have unfettered access. Rocket Lawyer’s customer service team is made up of highly experienced lawyers that can handle your legal and business questions.

Unlike Northwest Registered Agent, Rocket Lawyer doesn’t include a lot of comprehensive services in its $99 LLC formation plan. It doesn't include a free year of registered agent service, access to an EIN, or a phone service. This could be due to its focus on online legal services as its core business.

5. Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings is a new entrant in the Hawaii LLC services industry that charges $49 to prepare and submit your articles of organization on your behalf with the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, as well as providing an online document storage portal to store your legal documents and a 30-minute business tax consultation. It also provides you with a free one-year business domain name.

Swyft Filings does not provide a free year of registered agent service though. You must sign up for its $149 package to receive this service. Northwest offers a free year of registered agent service for $100 less.

However, Swyft Filings is still a dependable and trustworthy LLC formation service that will get your business entity up and running without a hitch.

6. MyCompanyWorks

MyCompanyWorks provides a $79 basic package that includes assistance with your operating agreement, filing your articles of organization on your behalf, an online account to store your official documents, and compliance notifications to ensure you don't miss critical filing dates.

However, there is still the question of cost. You must purchase its $279 bundle in order to receive a free year of registered agent service. Northwest Registered Agent offers this free service for just $39!

7. Inc Authority

With its $0, free LLC creation bundle, Inc Authority attempts to mimic ZenBusiness' pricing structure. That's correct, Inc Authority doesn't charge anything to file your formation paperwork, but if you need anything else, like an EIN or an operating agreement, you'll need to upgrade to its $399 package. And a year's worth of registered agent services would set you back $799!

If you're on a tight budget and all you need is to file your formation paperwork, ZenBusiness is the way to go.

8. Incorporate Fast

Incorporate Fast charges $99 for its basic package, which includes assistance with your operating agreement, support with submitting your articles of organization, document templates to aid in the sign-up process, and a year of registered agent services.

The most interesting characteristic of Incorporate Fast is that every new business filing is processed the same day it is received.

9. BizFilings

BizFilings is a registered agent service that charges $99 for its basic package, which includes assistance with your formation documents and a free year of registered agent services. 

It does not, however, provide an online document storage portal, a business tax evaluation, or help with your operating agreement. You don't receive much value for your money when you consider the price for these Hawaii LLC services.

10. LegalZoom

LegalZoom, like Rocket Lawyer, is a legal services firm that provides relatively basic LLC services. For $99, it simply provides assistance with your articles of organization and help with a business bank account. 

If you need legal representation, Rocket Lawyer is a more reputable option. Aside from that, you should go for a full service Hawaii LLC formation service like Northwest Registered Agent.

Read my review to learn more about LegalZoom's offerings and services.

Other Connecticut LLC Services

As part of my extensive research process, I included the following Hawaii LLC services. Their services don’t offer much to write about but I thought they deserved a mention.

11. Incorporate.com

Incorporate.com, like Rocket Lawyer and LegalZoom, provides online legal services. It offers a $99 plan that only includes assistance with your articles of organization and access to an online document storage portal.

12. CorpNet

The $79 CorpNet formation package assists you with filing your articles of organization and includes compliance notifications. That's all.

13. MyCorporation

MyCorporation provides online document storage and support with your articles of organization and operating agreement, but the basic package costs $133.

14. Direct Incorporation

Direct Incorporation offers the same services as MyCorporationWorks, however its formation package also includes an EIN and banking resolution. The catch is that this bundle costs $147.

15. InCorp

For $117, InCorp will submit your formation documents and help you with your operating agreement. Any other comprehensive service will involve additional expenses.

16. Nationwide Incorporations

For the same basic services as InCorp, Nationwide Incorporations will charge you $200.

17. SunDoc Filings

The $79 Starter package from SunDoc Filings allows you to submit your formation paperwork. Its $99 Key package includes assistance in drafting your operating agreement, and its $279 Premier package includes an EIN.

The Best LLC Services Review Summary

Following an evaluation of these Hawaii LLC services, Northwest Registered Agent is my top choice for the best business formation service in Hawaii.

Its $39 basic package includes everything you'll need to get started in the state, and its Corporate Guides offer industry-leading small business counsel. 

Northwest Registered Agent is the place to go if you want a cheap and dependable business formation service in Hawaii with the best customer service in the market.

Best LLC Service Review Methodology 

In this section, I highlight the strategy I used to evaluate which LLC formation service in Hawaii is the best.

Why You Should Trust Me

You should believe my recommendations for LLC services since I have more vested interest in the Hawaii LLC services industry than anybody I know.

My adventure began when I launched my first business. Because I lacked sufficient understanding of how to submit my articles of organization to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, I hired an LLC service. Unfortunately, this service was too expensive and its services were lackluster.

My second foray into the business world was much easier. This time, I chose Northwest Registered Agent as my LLC service, and its dependable Corporate Guides offered all the advice I needed to get up and running.

My third effort at forming an LLC also went off without a hitch. This time, I chose a premium LLC service and my first option was Harbor Compliance since I wanted to find out if its dedicated account manager was as good as Northwest's Corporate Guides.

Since then I've used my experience to assist over 1000 people in choosing the best LLC service for their new ventures by providing advice about the ins-and-outs of the business formation service industry. 

How I Selected the Best LLC Service

To find the best Hawaii LLC service, I used a four-stage, five-factor review process. 

Stage 1: Reviews

The initial step in this procedure was to visit prominent business review websites, such as Google Business, Facebook, TrustPilot, and the Better Business Bureau. Most business formation services request consumer feedback (whether favorable or negative) in order to gauge the quality of their services.

This analysis of customer reviews enabled me to determine which LLC services were legitimate and which were fraudulent.

Stage 2: Website Analysis

After sorting the legitimate LLC formation services from the underperformers, the next step in this methodology was to visit each service provider's website and go through the stated claims and assertions.

This enabled me to properly understand the type of services provided by each LLC service as well as how they positioned themselves in the industry.

Stage 3: Speaking With Real Customers

For this next stage, I decided to call actual customers to determine if these companies lived up to their claims. Of course, I could have relied on online customer reviews for answers, but in reality, these tend to focus on either really negative or incredibly positive experiences.

Also, in order to learn about their experiences with these LLC services, I got in touch with close friends who had used an LLC formation service, people who had used my website, and people I had previously suggested an LLC formation service to. This gave me a deeper understanding of how each Hawaii LLC service actually works.

Stage 4: Speaking With Sales Teams

For the final stage, I contacted each LLC provider's customer service department and pressed them for answers about some of the negative reviews they'd received on the numerous customer review websites I'd looked at earlier. During this process, I was able to observe how their customer service staff handled criticism and less favorable feedback.


Rating Factors

After completing the four-stage review process, I used the following five factors to rank the remaining 17 LLC services on my list.

Factor 1: Reviews

The sort of services supplied by each LLC creation package was the first aspect I considered in my investigation.

Some Hawaii LLC service providers and registered agent services will just give the bare minimum of services, such as completing your registration paperwork and preparing your operating agreement. Other LLC services include extras like applying for an EIN on your behalf, compliance alerts, an in-house accountant who can provide trustworthy financial advice, an online document storage portal, and an official business address in Hawaii. In addition to business creation, a few LLC formation services also provide legal services and a free registered agent service for receiving service of process and other relevant paperwork.

Factor 2: Price

The cost of services was the second factor I had to consider. Some LLC services were free, some had free registered agent service, while others cost up to $799. When combined with the large range of services available, the cost per service was the second consideration I used to rate these LLC services.

Factor 3: Ease of Sign-Up

The third factor I considered in my rating was how intuitive the sign-up process was. Some LLC formation services have clumsy legacy systems while other providers offer simple and user-friendly websites that save you and your business time and energy.

I reviewed the sign-up methods of each LLC service to see which required the least amount of work and time.

Factor 4: Ease of Use

Some of the problems I encountered during the sign-up process spread to other crucial portions of the websites.

For example, some LLC formation services supply a plethora of blank forms that you must fill out despite having previously filled out other forms with the identical information. Other LLC services include user-friendly websites with pre-filled data and, in most cases, only a signature is required to complete the registration procedure.

I evaluated each LLC service based on how straightforward its system was to use.

Factor 5: Customer Service

The third element I considered in my investigation was the reliability of each LLC service's customer care staff.

Some businesses outsource their customer service to foreign call centers. Lovely people, but they lack the business experience needed to help you with the start-up process.

Then there are firms, such as Northwest Registered Agent, that have US-based customer service departments staffed with highly experienced professionals who will not only assist you in establishing your business but will also give reliable business advice throughout the lifetime of your business.

In Conclusion

After I had assessed the 17 best Hawaii LLC services through the four-stage, five-factor analysis process, I concluded that Northwest Registered Agent is the best Hawaii LLC service.

It’ll give you everything you need to get your business up and running while also giving you the best value for your money. Northwest provides assistance with filing your articles of organization, assistance with preparing your operating agreement, and a 90-day free trial of Voice over Internet Protocol service (VoIP), and a business name and location in Hawaii, and compliance alerts for a substantially reduced price of $39.

It also provides a free year of Hawaii registered agent services, which includes a business name and physical address in Hawaii and compliance alerts, as well as a business tax consultation with its in-house accountants.

In case you still need convincing, don’t forget about the Corporate Guides, a team of former business owners, attorneys, and accountants that provide you with solid business advice throughout your business journey. They are available for contact every weekday during regular business hours.

If you’re ready to embark on your entrepreneurial path in the Aloha State, contact Northwest Registered Agent today and take advantage of an 82% discount on its formation package.


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