The 10 Best LLC Services in Pennsylvania: Reviewed and Ranked

28/03/2024

When you start a limited liability company in the Keystone State, you need a reliable formation service to help you with your registration process.

The right LLC service will file your certificate of organization with the Pennsylvania Department of State on time and will also provide compliance notifications to ensure you don't miss any critical filing dates (such as filing your annual reports).

The wrong LLC service will delay your Pennsylvania LLC registration process due to lack of proper documentation and ultimately lead to lost business hours.

I used a four-stage, five-factor review process to discover which of the 17 major LLC services in Pennsylvania are the 10 best. Here are the results of my research:

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

Northwest Registered Agent is the best LLC formation service in Pennsylvania because of the incredible value for money it offers and its excellent customer service.

Pros

Northwest’s $39 formation package includes everything you'll need to get your LLC in Pennsylvania up and running in Pennsylvania, including assistance with filing your certificate of organization, drafting your operating agreement, a physical address in the state, compliance alerts so you don't miss any important filing deadlines, a 90-day free trial of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) so you can make voice calls using a broadband internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line, and an online document storage portal.

It also provides more extensive add-ons, like a Pennsylvania Certificate of Good Standing, certified copies of your LLC formation paperwork, and access to an employer identification number (EIN), which are all available for purchase as needed.

However, the ultimate advantage of Northwest’s LLC service is its customer service team.

While most businesses outsource their customer support services to foreign call centers, Northwest has a staff of US-based Corporate Guides composed of former attorneys, accountants, and entrepreneurs with extensive experience in launching and running an LLC in Pennsylvania.

The Corporate Guides will assist you with the LLC formation process, as well as providing professional business advice throughout the duration of your business journey.

This sort of business advice is extremely expensive, especially if sought from specialist business advisory firms, so having it included as part of the service list is a major relief.

Northwest’s formation package normally costs $225, but I've negotiated a discount for all BoostSuite readers. If you use my exclusive link, you’ll receive an 82% discount on its formation package, reducing the cost from $225 to $39.

Cons

The one disadvantage of Northwest is that it does not provide LLC services that help your Pennsylvania LLC build an online presence, such as a customized website, domain name registration, or web hosting.

However, this is a minor concern because there are a variety of websites, such as Wix or SquareSpace, that offer these services for as little as $15 per month.

Overall

Due to its excellent customer service, Northwest Registered Agent is my choice for the best LLC service in Pennsylvania.

Its staff of US-based Corporate Guides has the experience to help you not just during the LLC registration procedure, but also when you run into problems along the way.

The $39 formation package includes all the services required to create a Pennsylvania LLC, as well as a free year of its top-rated Pennsylvania registered agent services.

If you're looking for an LLC service provider that provides high-quality services and excellent customer care, use this link to get an 82% discount on your LLC formation.

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

Compared to its competitors, ZenBusiness’ $0 price is unbeatable. But while it may seem appealing at first, the lack of free registered agent service and small business support will prove to be costly in the long run. 

Pros

With ZenBusiness, you can establish your company for $0 (plus filing fee). It will make sure that the name you want to use for your business is available, make sure that all of the information you’ve provided on your formation documents is correct, and file them with the Pennsylvania Department of State. 

For an additional $199, ZenBusiness’ Pro plan offers expedited filing (four to six days, depending on the state), and assistance with developing a company operating agreement. A domain name, email address, and a website builder are included in the $299 Premium package, in addition to a one to two day rush filing option. 

ZenBusiness also has a very helpful in-house support team that’s located in the United States and very available to customers, offering extended hours on most days of the week, including Sundays. 

Cons 

While the free version of ZenBusiness has excellent value for the bare essentials, upgrading to access more advanced features will cost you. 

When you sign up for an LLC with ZenBusiness, you’ll pay $199 annually for its registered agent service because free registered agent service doesn’t come with any of its LLC formation packages. 

Furthermore, while the customer service team is quick and helpful with routine tasks like updating your billing information or changing your password, they can’t assist you with human resources, logistics or tax-related problems. 

Overall

As far as the essentials of starting an LLC go, ZenBusiness is great. You can reach out to the US-based customer support team at any time, and they’ll do their best to answer any concerns you have while getting your forms properly filled out and filed in a timely manner. 

ZenBusiness’ prices are higher if you need registered agent service, but with its 100% accuracy guarantee and stress-free compliance you can rest easy. 

If you only need the bare minimum, check out the ZenBusiness website for more details.

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

Harbor Compliance is the best premium LLC formation service in Pennsylvania due to its personalized customer service and extensive variety of services on offer.

Pros

When you need help with a specific issue, most firms offer an anonymous hotline or a chatbot, or they direct you to their online forums. However, when you work with Harbor Compliance, you will be linked with a dedicated account manager that knows your particular LLC challenges and is ready to give service-related advice when necessary.

Harbor Compliance’s formation package includes all the important LLC services your LLC in Pennsylvania needs to get started in Pennsylvania, such as assistance with filing your certificate of organization, a physical address in Pennsylvania, a free operating agreement template, access to an EIN, and a year of free registered agent service.

Cons

Harbor Compliance's only issue is the high cost of its LLC services. The basic formation package is $399, and its Compliance package is $799. This is about 10 times the price of Northwest's reduced rate.

This costly price is beyond most people's means, especially if they are new to the Pennsylvania LLC service industry and have limited start-up capital.

Overall

Harbor Compliance is a premium LLC service provider in Pennsylvania that offers good-quality formation services needed to establish your LLC, as well as good customer service.

It is the only company on this list that gives you a dedicated account manager who is accessible during normal business hours to help you with your business formation process and answer any service-related questions you may have.

The $399 asking price is significantly higher than Northwest's $39, but Harbor Compliance provides pretty good value for the money.

4. Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer is an online legal services provider that also provides basic Pennsylvania LLC formation services to subscribed members.

When you sign up for Rocket Lawyer’s $99.99 LLC formation service, you receive a seven-day free trial of its legal services membership, and your certificate of organization will be filed and submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Your legal documents will be reviewed by a lawyer, you will have legal representation in court if necessary, and you will receive a 30-minute consultation with a lawyer on any topic.

However, Rocket Lawyer's LLC formation service does not include any extensive services. It does not provide a free year of registered agent services, EIN access, or phone service.

Rocket Lawyer is a superb pick if you want consistent legal help and services after forming a Pennsylvania LLC. This platform is particularly beneficial for first-time entrepreneurs who are unfamiliar with Pennsylvania's business rules. However, if you want more comprehensive services, Northwest Registered Agent is the best option.

5. Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings provides a $49 basic plan that includes help with your certificate of organization, a 30-minute consultation with its accounts department, a registered office address in Pennsylvania, an online document storage facility, and a free year of domain name registration.

Its main disadvantage is that it does not provide a free year of registered agent service; instead, you must pay $149. This is three times the price of Northwest's formation package, which includes this service for free.

It’s a relatively new firm (founded in 2012) with a growing number of devoted customers, which indicates it provides dependable services. Read my Swyft Filings review to discover more about its services.

6. MyCompanyWorks

MyCompanyWorks is a Pennsylvania LLC formation service that charges $79 for basic services such as assistance with completing your formation documents, online access to your most crucial papers, and compliance notifications to ensure you don't miss any major filing dates.

However, its free year of registered agent service is only offered as part of its $279 premium plan. Given that Northwest offers this critical function in its $39 plan, purchasing MyCompanyWorks' premium subscription makes little sense.

On the other hand, it provides excellent customer service and has a 4.5/5 rating across 3,500 online reviews.

7. Inc Authority

Inc Authority appears to be following in the footsteps of ZenBusiness' pricing model. It doesn’t charge anything to file your initial papers, but if you want more extensive services, you’ll have to dig further into your wallet.

Its next bundle is $399 and includes services like a draft LLC operating agreement template and access to an EIN. Only its $799 premium bundle includes free registered agent services.

If all you need is for your certificate of organization to be submitted for free, then ZenBusiness is a far better alternative. Even its $149 Gold package is significantly less expensive than IncAuthority's $399 package.

8. Incorporate Fast

Incorporate Fast is unlike any other service on this list. It guarantees that your certificate of organization will be submitted the same day it receives your paperwork. No other firm gives such a guarantee.

Incorporate Fast’s $99 basic plan includes assistance with completing your initial paperwork, drafting your operating agreement, and a complimentary year of registered agent service. It also offers a $199 premium option that includes an EIN but excludes features such as an online document storage portal and a business tax advice.

Incorporate Fast is more expensive than Pennsylvania LLC providers like Northwest and Swyft Filings, but if you need your firm up and running quickly, it’s a good option.

9. BizFilings

BizFilings offers a $99 basic package that includes limited services such as filing your certificate of organization, a registered office address, compliance notifications, and a year of free registered agent service. If you want more comprehensive services, you should consider other LLC services mentioned above.

10. LegalZoom

LegalZoom is another Pennsylvania legal services supplier that offers modest services as part of its $99 business formation package. However, its services are not as reputable as Rocket Lawyer's.

LegalZoom merely helps you with your initial paperwork and provides a banking solution, that's all!

Other Pennsylvania LLC Services

I considered the following Pennsylvania LLC formation services in my review process. However their services are not as impressive compared with the preceding firms on my list.

11. Incorporate.com

Incorporate.com offers a $99 basic service that includes assistance with your initial paperwork and an online document storage portal. It doesn't offer anything else.

12. CorpNet

CorpNet just files your certificate of organization and sends you compliance reminders to ensure you don't miss any critical filing dates for $79. That's all it has to offer.

13. MyCorporation

MyCorporation will charge you $133 to process your initial papers and provide you with a draft LLC operating agreement template.

14. Direct Incorporation

The $147 package from Direct Incorporation includes assistance with submitting your certificate of organization, assistance with drafting your operating agreement, access to an EIN, and a business bank account.

15. InCorp

For $117, InCorp will simply help you file your initial paperwork and provide an operating agreement template.

16. Nationwide Incorporations

Nationwide Incorporations provides the same services as InCorp for $200.

17. SunDoc Filings

SunDoc Filings offers a $79 basic package to assist you with submitting your initial documents. The $99 Key package includes a draft operating agreement, while the $279 Premier package includes an EIN. Its services are much more expensive when compared with Northwest's $49 package, which includes all the necessary services you need to establish your business entity.

The Best LLC Service Review Summary

Following an analysis of the 17 major Pennsylvania LLC formation services, Northwest is, in my opinion, the best LLC service in the state.

Northwest’s $39 formation package includes assistance with filing your certificate of organization, a draft operating agreement template, access to an EIN, an online document storage portal, a 90-day free trial of VoIP service, a consultative meeting with its in-house accountants, and a free year of registered agent service.

The highly experienced team of Corporate Guides assists you with your business establishment process and are also ready to provide top-notch business advice throughout your business journey.

Visit Northwest Registered Agent today if you need an LLC formation service that takes the pain out of your business registration process while also delivering industry-leading small business advice.

Best LLC Services Review Methodology 

This is the strategy I used to find the best LLC formation services in Pennsylvania.

Why You Should Trust Me

You should trust my suggestions for LLC services because I have more expertise in the Pennsylvania LLC formation services market than almost anybody I know.

It all started when I decided to start my first LLC in Pennsylvania. I was unsure how to register my firm and opted to employ the services of a business formation service. Unfortunately, I had a negative experience with this company. Its services were rather pricey, and it caused a two-week delay in my registration process.

When I started my second Pennsylvania LLC, I chose Northwest as my business service provider because its affordable formation package included all the services I needed to get started in the business world, including a year of free registered agent service, and its highly experienced Corporate Guides were also available during normal business hours to assist me whenever I encountered significant challenges during my business journey.

I had accumulated enough capital during my third business endeavor to hire the services of a premium business service provider. This time, I picked Harbor Compliance's services, which included a dedicated account manager who accompanied me through the registration procedure.

However, my experience is not restricted to just using these services. I've helped many people make the right decision when it comes to selecting an LLC service for their limited liability company. In fact, the main reason I started this website was to give trustworthy business advice to first-time business owners, and since then I've assisted over 1,000 people in selecting the best LLC service provider for their LLC in Pennsylvania.

How I Selected the Best LLC Services

To find the best LLC formation services in Pennsylvania, I deployed a four-stage evaluation process.

Stage 1: Reviews

The first step was to examine the web evaluations of the main business services in Pennsylvania. This entailed visiting review sites such as TrustPilot, the Better Business Bureau, Facebook, and Google Business and reading through every comment, whether favorable or negative.

This enabled me to determine which organizations provided legitimate services and which were scammers.

Stage 2: Website Analysis

For the second stage, I examined the websites of each Pennsylvania business formation service to see exactly what it provided. This research process provided me with an understanding of the various services on offer, their pricing approaches, as well as how each firm positioned itself in the market.

Stage 3: Speaking With Real Customers

The following stage involves speaking with existing customers who have utilized the business services on this list. This is something I would have observed while reading online reviews, but most of the comments on these sites are slanted towards good or bad extremes.

So I contacted some of the folks I had suggested a Pennsylvania business service to and questioned them about their interactions with these firms. This enabled me to distinguish between firms that provided reputable services and those that were frauds.

Stage 4: Speaking With Their Sales Teams

For this final stage, I contacted the sales teams of every LLC service provider on this list via every possible channel in order to assess their efficacy in selling their services.

I also phoned their customer service departments and pressed them for answers regarding the nasty remarks they received on internet review sites. This enabled me to examine how effectively the support personnel performed under pressure.


Rating Factors

I ranked each business formation service on this list based on the five factors listed below.

Factor 1: Offerings

There are firms that will provide free basic services, such as assistance with submitting your certificate of organization, but then charge you for any further comprehensive service they provide. Others, such as Northwest, offer an all-inclusive suite of services as part of their affordable basic formation package.

Because of the gap in the services provided, I had to begin my rating process here.

Factor 2: Price

The next factor in my review process was the cost of services. Some LLC providers provide very costly formation packages that may be out of reach for most people, whilst others provide cheap and economical basic packages.

Factor 3: Ease of Sign-Up

The third factor I considered in my rating was how simple and straightforward their sign-up methods were. Some companies have superb offerings that are overshadowed by their sign-up processes. They have antiquated systems that need so much time and effort to navigate that the entire process becomes very burdensome.

Then there are service providers with well-designed and user-friendly sign-up processes. I examined each LLC formation service's sign-up procedure to find which needed the least amount of effort.

Factor 4: Ease of Use

Some of the problems in the sign-up pages spread to other parts of their websites. Some companies offer pre-filled data forms that only require your signature to sign off on. Others offer blank forms that need you to submit the same information on each page.

I ranked each business service based on how simple their websites were to use.

Factor 5: Customer Service

The final factor I considered in my rating was the quality of customer support services. Some business entities outsource their customer care to call centers in foreign nations staffed by employees who are unfamiliar with the business setup procedure in the United States.

Then there are firms like Northwest, whose staff of US-based Corporate Guides not only provide assistance during your business setup process, but are also accessible to give trustworthy business advice about how to properly manage your business entity.

In Conclusion

Northwest is the best LLC formation service in the state.

Its $39 formation package includes assistance with submitting your certificate of organization, a draft operating agreement template, an online document storage portal, a free consultation with its in-house accounting department, a free trial of VoIP service, and a free year of Pennsylvania registered agent services.

When necessary, you can purchase extras, such as access to an EIN, certified copies of your registration paperwork, and a Pennsylvania Certificate of Good Standing.

Northwest Registered Agent’s Corporate Guides know how to handle a business in Pennsylvania. They will help you with your business setup process and dish out excellent business advice should you face problems along the way.

The BoostSuite reader discount of $39 is only accessible through my special link below. Visit Northwest Registered Agent now if you need an LLC service provider in Pennsylvania that offers reasonable services and excellent customer service.


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