When you’re starting a new business, it’s important that you choose the best LLC service.
The right LLC service will get your Utah business in operating order in just a few days and process all the necessary paperwork so that you have all the registrations you need.
The wrong LLC service can hold up the launch of your Utah LLC for days or weeks by failing to file the right paperwork with the right agencies, which could keep business operations at a standstill until it’s resolved.
I’ve completed thorough reviews of the top 10 LLC services using a four-stage investigative and five-factor rating process to make sure you choose the best LLC service for your limited liability company (LLC). Here are the best Utah LLC formation services.
1. Northwest Registered Agent: 9.45/10 (Best Overall LLC Service)
I’ve chosen Northwest Registered Agent as the best LLC service in Utah because it provides all the services that a business owner could need, and it’s the only business formation service on my list to also provide small business advice.
Pros
Northwest Registered Agent has a lot going for it. It provides all the services you need to get your Utah LLC up and running.
It files the certificate of organization for your LLC in Utah with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, provides free registered agent service for a year, issues compliance notifications to remind you to file your federal taxes and annual report, and provides a simple and intuitive dashboard for storing and managing your documents with an online account.
Some of Northwest’s additional offerings include a 90-day trial of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, an operating agreement template, and a free consultation with its accounting team to make sure your payment processing system is correctly configured.
You can get several add-on services, as well, such as an employer identification number from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), a Certificate of Good Standing, and state-certified copies of your documents, if you need them for your LLC in Utah.
But the service that really sets Northwest Registered Agent apart from other business formation services in Utah is its Corporate Guides.
Northwest doesn’t have the typical customer service team that can only help you with things like getting filing updates or changing your password.
Instead, it has a team of US-based representatives made up of former lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Not only will they answer any questions you have about the formation process, they’re uniquely qualified and available to answer any questions you have about running and managing your Utah business.
The Guides have ample experience in business formation and management because they’ve either owned their own small businesses or worked as business advisors to help countless other small business owners through the formation process.
The last factor that contributed to me choosing Northwest as my #1 pick is its price.
Northwest’s standard fee is $225, which is a great price when you consider that it includes business advice for that rate. But I’ve negotiated a special deal for BoostSuite readers (because I send Northwest thousands of referrals and it gives me more leverage than the average customer). If BoostSuite readers purchase services discussed here using my special sign-up page, they’ll get an astounding 82% discount, which makes the total for forming your new business only $39 (plus state fees).
Cons
The only drawback to Northwest Registered Agent’s formation services is that it doesn't include features to set up the online presence of your business. Some LLC services offer features to set up a website as part of their premium packages, which often cost $299 or more, like a free year of domain-name registration, web hosting, website-building tools, and Google advertising credits. But you won’t find any of these services with Northwest Registered Agent.
The thing is, though, Google provides $500 in advertising credits to every new business, premium website builders like Squarespace cost $15 or less, and domain-name registration can cost as little as $12.
So you can easily afford to pay for these services using the savings you get from using Northwest Registered Agent’s discounted LLC services.
Overall
It was an easy choice to name Northwest Registered Agent the best LLC service in Utah because it not only supplies all the services you need to establish your limited liability company in Utah, it also has outstanding customer support in the form of a US-based team of experienced representatives that are knowledgeable about the formation process and can help guide you through the problems you’ll face with your business.
If you want the best LLC service in Utah that will provide next-level support for your Utah LLC and want to take advantage of an 82% discount, check out Northwest Registered Agent today.
2. ZenBusiness: 8.25/10 (Best Essentials LLC Service)
At $0, ZenBusiness has the best price in the whole industry, but because it doesn’t offer small business advice or free registered agent service, it may cost more in the long run.
Pros
ZenBusiness supplies all the LLC formation essentials for only $0 (plus state fees). It will make sure that all of the information on your documents is correct and that your business name is available to use, and it will also file your formation documents with the Division of Corporations.
If you need other services, you can check out its other packages. Its $199 Pro package includes assistance with your operating agreement and expedited filing (four to six days depending on your state). And its $299 Premium plan comes with rush filing (one to two days), an email address and domain name, as well as a custom website-designing tool.
Another perk is that it has US-based customer service agents that are readily available during extended hours on weekends and on Sundays.
Cons
ZenBusiness’ $0 tier only covers the bare minimum LLC services, so if you need anything outside of the essentials you’ll need to pay extra for it.
It doesn’t supply free registered agent services, but instead charges $199 per year for them. You’ll have to pay that from your first year, too, whereas you could be nearly $200 less with other providers.
Small business advice isn’t included with any of ZenBusiness’ plans, either. Its customer service agents can help you with standard customer service concerns, like updating your billing information or changing your password, but if you need advice on how to solve HR or logistics problems, or need someone to answer your tax questions, they can’t help you.
Overall
For $0, ZenBusiness is a good option for the essentials. It will make sure that you fill out your paperwork correctly, run a business name availability check, and submit your paperwork for you.
You’ll have to pay a bit more for registered agent service, but it has worry-free compliance and a 100% accuracy guarantee that should give you peace of mind.
If you need essential LLC services, you can learn more about ZenBusiness on its website.
3. Harbor Compliance: 7.15/10 (Best Premium LLC Service)
Harbor Compliance offers dedicated account managers that can give you one-on-one support and guide you through the LLC formation process, but the price for this service is pretty steep.
Pros
You’ll get all the LLC formation services you need for your LLC in Utah with Harbor Compliance.
It checks to make sure the business name you’ve chosen is available with the Utah Department of Commerce, files your certificate of organization with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, gives you an operating agreement template, helps you apply for an employer identification number (EIN) with the Internal Revenue Service, and gives you a year of free registered agent service (which ordinarily costs $99).
But the biggest advantage of Harbor Compliance is that it provides you with a dedicated account manager when you sign up for its formation services.
Rather than calling customer service or a generic helpline and talking to some random customer service representative, you simply call up your personal account manager, who’s already familiar with your business journey and your circumstances, so they can give you advice to meet your particular situation, rather than vague general business advice.
Cons
The problem with this service is that it’s far from being cheap.
Harbor Compliance’s formation package is $399 (plus state fees), and its compliance package (which will issue compliance alerts for things like your annual report or reminding you to pay federal taxes) is an absurd $799, which means it charges double Northwest’s standard fee, and 10 times more than the special discount I’ve worked out with Northwest.
Having a personal account manager that can guide you through the complicated formation process and help you with any obstacles along the way is a nice touch, but is it really worth paying an additional $360 for it? That decision is all up to you.
Overall
Though Harbor Compliance isn’t the cheapest formation service in Utah, it offers a full range of formation services to get your business up and running, and it offers the unique dedicated account manager feature.
At $339 for its formation package, it’s 10 times more expensive than the deal I set up with Northwest Registered Agent, but it’s still one of the best LLC services.
If you’re determined that you need the additional support of a dedicated account manager and you’re not concerned about how much you’ll have to pay for it, then check out Harbor Compliance’s website.
4. Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer sets itself apart from many other LLC formation services because it also offers online legal services. Most companies that specialize in business formation don’t also offer online legal services, so this is a nice perk.
Rocket Lawyer has a $99 basic package that consists of filing your certificate of organization with the Utah Division of Corporations and checking the availability status of your business name.
Along with its LLC formation services, you get a free trial of online legal services for 30 days, which usually costs $99. Some of the features of this service include access to a huge library of customizable legal documents, a 30-minute legal consultation with a lawyer about any subject you choose, document verification by a lawyer, and an attorney protection guarantee on the off chance that your documents are ever contested in court.
If you choose to go with Rocket Lawyer’s LLC service, you won’t get any of the additional services that Northwest Registered Agent supplies with its $39 basic package. You’re not going to get Utah registered agent service for your LLC in Utah unless you pay for Rocket Lawyer’s $149 (plus filing fee) package.
This means that you won’t enjoy the benefit of having an individual or business entity to accept mail and legal documents on behalf of your Utah business during normal business hours, or a business address to use on your formation documents to ensure privacy.
Read more about Rocket Lawyer’s services and pricing in my in-depth Rocket Lawyer Review.
5. Swyft Filings
Swyft Filings is new to the LLC formation service industry, coming on the scene in 2012.
It charges $49 (plus state fees) for its basic package, and it offers a lot. Swyft Filings files your formation paperwork and provides an online document storage portal, a year of free domain name registration, and even a 30-minute business tax consultation.
But you’ll notice that it doesn’t include registered agent service for this price, which means that unless you pay extra for the service then you won’t have anyone to receive service of process on behalf of your Utah LLC. In fact, it charges $149/year for its registered agent service, so in the long run you’ll be paying more than you should for its services.
If you want to read more about these services, read my Swyft Filings review here.
6. MyCompanyWorks
MyCompanyWorks is definitely inconsistent with the quality of its services, to say the least.
Its basic package is $79 (plus state fees), and it includes filing your formation paperwork, assistance with drafting the operating agreement for your Utah LLC, an online document storage portal, and compliance alerts.
But there’s a pretty big drawback.
MyCompanyWorks does offer free registered agent service, but the only package it’s included with is the $279 premium package. Since Northwest Registered Agent provides registered agent service for free for your first year with its $39 basic package, it doesn’t make good sense to pay MyCompanyWorks’ rates.
7. Inc Authority
Upon first glance, Inc Authority appears to be a budget business formation service option, but once you get a closer look it’s pretty evident that it’s not a cheap option at all.
It’ll prepare and file your formation paperwork for free, but if you want anything else then you’re going to have to pay an arm and a leg for it.
Inc Authority's basic package costs $399 (plus state filing fees) and includes applying for an EIN, as well as a company seal. And its $799 premium package includes a year of registered agent service for free.
If you’re looking for a budget formation service option, then ZenBusiness is a better choice than Inc Authority.
8. Incorporate Fast
Incorporate Fast charges $99 for its basic LLC formation service package.
This package includes filing the formation paperwork for your LLC in Utah, a complimentary year of Utah registered agent service, operating agreement assistance, and a handful of sample documents that can be helpful when you’re forming a new business.
It’ll also help you apply for your EIN with its $199 package, but other than that you won’t receive any of the additional services that Northwest Registered Agent provides.
The one unique feature that the company has going for it is that it will process new business filings the same day they’re received. There aren’t any other formation services on this list that do that. So if you’re really in a hurry to get your LLC in Utah established and cost isn’t a concern for you, then Incorporate Fast may be a good option for you.
But if you’re more interested in a diverse list of service offerings and the value for money that a formation service offers, then Northwest Registered Agent is the better option.
9. BizFilings
Like several other LLC formation services on my list, BizFilings offers its formation package at $99 (plus state filing fees).
At this price BizFIlings will file the formation paperwork for your LLC in Utah, provide a free year of Utah registered agent service, and issue compliance notifications. But you won’t get any quality of life improvements like assistance with your operating agreement, an online portal for document storage, or business tax assessment, so it’s ultimately not worth that price.
10. LegalZoom
LegalZoom is another LLC formation service that offers a basic package for $99 with minimal services. For that price, it’ll file your formation paperwork and offer you a banking resolution for your LLC in Utah, but that’s it.
LegalZoom could be a good idea for folks who are already using some of its other services (like Utah registered agent service) because there are some benefits to having one company handle all your business concerns. But I really see no point in using LegalZoom solely for its formation service.
If you’re interested in learning more about LegalZoom’s services, then you can read my full LegalZoom review.
Other LLC Services
I investigated seven other business formation services during the process of choosing the best LLC service in Utah, but they were all so mediocre that I didn’t feel they were worthy of the work to write full reviews on. Here they are, in no particular order.
11. Incorporate.com
Like some of the other services on my list, Incorporate.com offers a basic package that costs $99, but you don’t get much with it. In fact, all you get is your formation paperwork for your Utah LLC filed, and an online portal for document storage. You don’t even get Utah registered agent service or a physical address for your business entity.
12. CorpNet
CorpNet’s business formation service costs $108, and with that it’ll file your paperwork and issue compliance alerts. That’s all you get. This means you’ll have to look elsewhere for Utah registered agent services so someone will accept mail and legal documents on behalf of your business entity.
13. MyCorporation
MyCorporation charges $133 for its LLC formation services, which include only filing your formation paperwork and helping with the operating agreement for your LLC in Utah. But considering you won’t receive Utah registered agent services, it’s really not worth that price in the long run.
14. Direct Incorporation
Direct Incorporation provides all the same services that MyCorporation does (filing your formation paperwork and assisting you with writing the operating agreement for your Utah business entity) and adds an EIN and a banking resolution. But it charges $147 for these services, which is too high for these minimal services.
15. InCorp
InCorp files your formation paperwork and helps write the operating agreement for your Utah LLC with its $117 formation package. Every additional service costs an additional fee.
If you’d like to learn more about InCorp’s services, click here to read my thorough InCorp review.
16. Nationwide Incorporations
Nationwide Incorporations offers the same services as MyCorporation, but it charges an exorbitant $200 for them.
17. SunDoc Filings
SunDoc Filings has a $79 basic package, but the only thing it offers with it is filing your formation paperwork. With its $99 “key” package SunDoc Filings will help you draft the operating agreement for your Utah LLC, and with its $279 “premier” package you can apply for an EIN. Compared to the other LLC formation services on my list, I feel like these offerings and prices aren’t on the same level.
The Best LLC Service in Utah Review Summary
Out of the 17 best Utah LLC formation services on my list, Northwest Registered Agent is the best bet for most companies.
It has a $39 basic package that not only covers all the services you need to start your LLC, but also gives you access to the Corporate Guides, who provide business advice that would cost you $5,000 a day from a consulting firm, and free registered agent services.
If you’re ready to start your business today and you want a comprehensive range of services, as well as the advice of sage professionals to help you get through all the obstacles that come with business formation, head over to Northwest Registered Agent now.
Best LLC Service Review Methodology
Here’s how I chose the best LLC services.
Why You Should Trust Me
You should trust me to provide you with quality LLC formation service recommendations because I know more about the business formation service industry than nearly anyone else.
My experience started when I had to use three different formation services to start my three businesses. Yeah, I actually had to use three because two didn’t offer adequate support and services. (I’m not going to disclose their names here because they’ve both vastly improved their services since that time and I don’t feel that you should base your decision on outdated information.)
I used the third service to launch this website, and it’s delivered a lot more than I expected from a formation service, and certainly more in terms of services than I paid for. That’s why I chose Northwest Registered Agent as the best LLC service.
My experience goes beyond dealing with these three services. I’ve also helped more than 1,000 people find the right formation service for their businesses since I launched this site. So, I have significant experience with helping others find the right formation service for their business. And I’ve had to do immense amounts of research into the industry to do so.
How I Selected the Best LLC Service
I used a four-stage investigation process to choose the best LLC formation service.
Stage 1: Reviews
The first stage involved in finding the best formation services was examining online reviews for each company on major online review platforms. Most of the popular llc formation services have a tendency to encourage customers to leave online reviews, and it pays off because some of them have more than 4,500 online reviews now.
This stage let me learn about the overall quality of each business formation service, as well as weed out those services whose prices and offerings didn’t meet basic standards.
Stage 2: Website Analysis
After I got the first round of cuts out of the way and learned a little about each provider, I checked out their websites. I logged on, read headlines and titles, and tried to learn a little about each company through the claims and statements they made about their services.
This gave me information not only about their product offerings, but about how each company saw itself in the market.
Stage 3: Speaking With Real Customers
After reading their claims and learning about how each company views itself in the market, it was time to find out if they actually lived up to those claims. You can find some of this information through online reviews, but most people only leave an online review if they’ve had either a truly exemplary or an intolerably egregious experience with a company. This means that the results are usually quite contradictory and biased.
So I reached out to customers to have an actual conversation with and learn about their experiences. I did so by contacting friends I’d known to use formation services, previous clients I’d given recommendations for formation services to, and visitors to my site.
This feedback was more balanced than the online reviews and it gave me a better idea of what the average customer felt about the services delivered by each provider. I wound up with a more thorough understanding of what it’s like to work with each company, and the information helped me progress my research.
Stage 4: Speaking With Their Sales Teams
The last stage involved calling each company’s customer service and sales teams to demand answers.
I gathered up all the concerns, problems and feedback I’d received from customers in the other stages of my investigation and pressed the customer service and sales teams to respond to the criticisms that customers provided.
This stage was quite telling and it allowed me to understand how each company responded to criticism and negative feedback.
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Rating Factors
After completing my four-stage investigative process, I rated each company on five different factors.
Factor 1: Offerings
The first rating factor was the service offerings of each company.
There are some formation services that will simply file your formation paperwork and then won’t help you with anything else unless you pay for each additional service. Then there are other services that provide things like consultations with a team of in-house accountants, registered agent services, help with the operating agreement for your Utah LLC, and an online portal to store your documents on.
There’s a big difference in the number and types of services offered by each formation service provider, which is why I knew I had to start here with my ratings factors.
Factor 2: Price
The second ratings factor I looked at was price. There are formation services out there that charge $0 (plus state filing fees), while there are others that won’t even consider doing business with you for under $399.
I combined the cost for services with the great disparity in services to come up with the cost per service, and that’s the second rating factor I used.
Factor 3: Ease of Sign-Up
The third factor I rated each LLC service according to was how easy it was to sign up for their services.
Some services will provide you with forms that are pre-filled, and then only require a signature from you. Then there are others that require you to fill out page after page of standard forms (nevermind the fact that you’ve already provided them with all this information) and enter the same information in 11 different places.
So, I assessed the sign-up processes of each company to find out which ones were the simplest and most stress-free.
Factor 4: Ease of Use
Typically, design and operation issues don’t just go away after the sign-up process. These problems with function and design are likely to be present throughout the onboarding process.
There are some formation services that have confusing, glitchy, slow systems that appear to have been created sometime in the late 90’s by a high school programming class. Then there are other services that have spent lots of time and millions of dollars to provide users with cutting-edge technology and user-friendly systems, focusing on the user experience.
Because no one wants to deal with a slow, confusing system full of glitches and issues, I rated each formation service on how easy it is to navigate and use its system.
Factor 5: Customer Service
Customer service was the last factor I used to rate each formation service. This was another factor where I saw a big difference in the quality provided by different companies.
There are some formation services that have set up their customer service call centers in foreign countries and then staffed them with locals that haven’t got any experience doing business in the United States.
Then there are companies like Northwest Registered Agent that have US-based customer service teams made up of former lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs, and small business owners that have the necessary experience to guide you through the formation process, as well as answer any questions you may have about how to manage your business.
The vast differences in the quality of customer service provided by different providers was ultimately why I decided to make this my last rating factor.
In Conclusion
Northwest provides all the services you need to set up your Utah business, like filing your formation paperwork and providing an online document storage portal and even a free year of registered agent services.
But Northwest’s standout feature is its Corporate Guides, who help you through the formation process but also use their experience to answer any question you have about business management and advise you on how to best navigate all the business obstacles you encounter along your way.
Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t provide any services to set up your business’s online presence, but thanks to the 82% discount I’ve worked out for BoostSuite readers (which makes your total only $39 plus state filing fee), you’ll have more than enough money to spend on premium website-building tools and features with your leftover savings.
If you’re ready to start your new business today, then head on over to Northwest Registered Agent.
While you’re here learning about business formation services, it’s a good time to consider registered agent services, as well. A registered agent is an individual or business entity that will accept mail and legal notices on behalf of your Utah LLC during business hours and provide you with a business address to list on your formation paperwork. To learn more about registered agents, read my article about the best registered agent services.