The 10 Best LLC Services in West Virginia: Reviewed and Ranked

It’s imperative that you choose a reliable LLC service in West Virginia to establish your new limited liability company. 

The right LLC service will make forming an LLC in West Virginia a breeze by filing your formation documents and applying for the necessary business licenses with the proper West Virginia government agencies, and your business will be operational in no time. 

The wrong LLC service will be more trouble than it’s worth in the long run. Not only will it be expensive, it will cause a lot of mental frustration because it won’t file the necessary documents with the proper government agencies to legally establish your West Virginia business, which means it could be weeks or even months before your business can operate. 

To make sure that you get the right LLC service for your West Virginia business, I assessed and rated the best 10 LLC formation services using a four-stage, five-factor process. Here’s the results of my research into the best LLC service in West Virginia.

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

Northwest Registered Agent champions my list because it provides everything you need, it has out-of-this-world pricing, and it offers a unique service: business advice. 

Pros

The first thing you’ll notice about Northwest Registered Agent is the sheer number of great services and their seamless delivery. Northwest provides all the services you need to get your West Virginia LLC up and running. 

Northwest files your LLC’s articles of organization with the West Virginia Secretary of State, provides a year of free West Virginia registered agent service and compliance notifications, and provides you with a sleek online portal to manage your documents online.

Northwest also delivers a number of “extras” that you’ll love, such as a free consultation with an accountant to ensure your payment processing system is properly configured, an operating agreement template, and 90 days to try VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. 

And if you need any additional services, you can add them at checkout or come back later to purchase them as needed, such as a Certificate of Good Standing, a federal tax identification number (also referred to as an employer identification number or EIN), and state-certified copies of your formation documents. 

The one thing that makes Northwest Registered Agent stand out from other West Virginia LLC formation services is its Corporate Guides. 

This Corporate Guide service is a customer service team made up of former lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. This US-based Corporate Guide team not only helps you with issues like changing your password and getting through the LLC formation process in West Virginia, but also provides you with advice about your business and answers any questions you may have. 

These guides have either been through the LLC formation process and grown their own businesses or they’ve advised countless customers and guided them through the formation process, adding to their expertise.

The last reason I decided to move Northwest Registered Agent to the top of my list is its pricing. 

The standard rate for Northwest’s basic West Virginia LLC service package is $225, which is actually pretty great thanks to the Corporate Guide service. But I’ve negotiated a special price with Northwest for my BoostSuite readers (which is something you can do when you send companies thousands of recommendations, giving me more leverage than the average person), which reduces the price by 82%, dropping it down to an astounding $39 (plus state filing fees).

Cons

The only limitation to Northwest Registered Agent’s services (I can’t even really call it a con) is that it doesn’t offer any premium services to help you establish an online presence for your LLC in West Virginia. 

There are some West Virginia LLC formation services that offer premium options (often $299 or more) that include things like business domain name registration, Google advertising credits, web hosting, and sometimes even a free website-building tool. But you won’t find any of these tools among Northwest’s offerings. 

The thing is, Google provides $500 in free advertising credits to every new business entity, domain names are usually less than $12, and you can find premium website builders (like Squarespace) for around $15. 

So if you choose Northwest Registered Agent as your West Virginia LLC formation service, then you’ll have plenty of money leftover after the 82% discount to purchase these tools and services. 

Overall

I chose Northwest as the best LLC service in West Virginia because it offers all the formation services you need, as well as several quality of life improvements, and outstanding customer support made up of a team of US-based agents who have the experience necessary to help walk you through any challenge your LLC in West Virginia may face. 

If you’re looking for an LLC formation service with lots of service offerings and want to take advantage of an 82% discount, then check out Northwest Registered Agent today. 

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

At $0 (plus state fees), ZenBusiness has the cheapest price on the market, but you’ll quickly learn that this service isn’t as cheap as it initially seems. 

Pros

ZenBusiness provides all the services you need to legally establish your LLC for just $0 (plus filing fee). It will check the availability of your desired company name, ensure that your information is correct, and submit your formation paperwork on your behalf. 

They also have packages that can accommodate your more specific needs. If you need assistance with your operating agreement and expedited filing (four to six days), the $199 Pro package is for you. The Premium plan for $299 features domain registration, email accounts, and a website builder, in addition to rush filing (within one to two business days). 

As icing on the cake, it provides access to its team of US-based support representatives who are extremely accessible to their clients, staying open late during the week and on Sundays. 

Cons

ZenBusiness offers business formation essentials for $0 (plus filing fee), but additional services are expensive. 

ZenBusiness doesn’t offer a year of free registered agent service, unlike some of its competitors. Instead, it starts charging $199 per year for its registered agent services from the first year. 

With ZenBusiness, you won’t receive small business support. As a result, its customer service representatives can’t assist you if you have questions about your taxes or require advice about your back-end operations. However, they do a reasonable job of managing common customer support issues like password changes and account information updates.  

Overall

ZenBusiness has an unbeatable price of $0 (plus filing fee), and it does a great job of supplying formation essentials. It will check whether the company name you want to use is available, ensure that all the information in your formation documents is accurate, and submit your documents to the proper agencies. 

While registered agent service with ZenBusiness will cost you more, it offers services that should allow you to relax, like a 100% accuracy guarantee and worry-free compliance. 

If you’re looking for the basics and you want to learn more about ZenBusiness, you can find more information on its website. 

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

It was easy to name Harbor Compliance my second choice for the best West Virginia LLC service because not only does it offer a slew of basic formation services, it also provides you with a dedicated account manager—but it comes at a cost. 

Pros

Harbor Compliance offers all the basic LLC formation services that West Virginia businesses need. 

The company files your West Virginia articles of organization with the West Virginia Secretary of State, as well as all the legal documents necessary to form your LLC in West Virginia, provides you with an operating agreement template, helps you apply for an EIN, and offers a year of free West Virginia registered agent service. 

The best service that Harbor Compliance supplies is a personal guide to assist you throughout the LLC formation process. 

When you have questions about forming your LLC in West Virginia, you don’t just call in to the customer service hotline to speak to some random representative, but instead are assigned a dedicated account manager who is familiar with the circumstances your West Virginia business faces and all the details about your business. 

Cons

The downside is that this outstanding customer service is going to cost you. 

Harbor Compliance charges $399 for its basic LLC formation package, and $799 for its compliance package (which ensures you don’t miss filing annual reports). These prices are twice as much as Northwest’s standard rates and 10 times more than the special price I negotiated with Northwest Registered Agent. 

Is it really worth paying an additional $360 just to get a personal account manager? That’s a matter of personal preference, and a choice I can’t make for you. 

Overall

Even though Harbor Compliance isn’t the best West Virginia LLC service, it does offer all the basic services you need to get your LLC in West Virginia up and running, and it goes the extra mile to provide a dedicated account manager. 

Harbor Compliance’s $399 basic service price tag is 10 times more than the discount I negotiated with Northwest Registered Agent, but overall it’s still one of the best West Virginia LLC services. 

If the idea of having a dedicated account manager is so attractive to you that you don’t mind paying extra for it, then you can learn more about Harbor Compliance here. 

4. Rocket Lawyer

You’ve likely heard of Rocket Lawyer because it’s a big name in the business world, but its LLC formation services are an underrated gem. Rocket Lawyer provides online legal services, as well as West Virginia LLC services, which is something that not many business formation service providers can boast. 

The company offers a $99 basic LLC formation package that includes filing articles of organization for your LLC in West Virginia, checking the availability of your chosen business name, and more. 

In addition to LLC formation services, Rocket Lawyer throws in a 30-day free trial of its online legal service, which usually costs $99. Some of the things included with its online legal services include access to a vast library of customizable legal documents, an attorney to check your legal documents, a 30-minute consultation with a lawyer on any subject you choose, and an attorney protection guarantee in the event that any of your documents are challenged. 

If you want more in-depth information about Rocket Lawyer’s services and prices, click here to read my Rocket Lawyer review. 

5. Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings is a rookie in the West Virginia LLC service industry, launching in 2012. 

It offers a lot with its $49 (plus state filing fee) basic package. At this price, the company will file the articles of organization for your business entity with the West Virginia Secretary of State, provide you with a portal to access all your documents online, and offer a free 30-minute tax consultation and a year of free business name domain registration. 

The downside for small businesses in West Virginia who are considering Swyft Filings is that it doesn’t include a complimentary year of West Virginia registered agent service, like Northwest Registered Agent does. Instead, it charges $149 for this service. This means that you’ll ultimately spend far too much on Swyft Filings’ services over time. 

If you’d like to read more about Swyft Filings, check out my comprehensive analysis of the company’s LLC services in my Swyft Filings review. 

6. MyCompanyWorks

MyCompanyWorks is a mishmash of inconsistent service quality. 

It offers a basic package for $79, and with that you’ll get your articles of organization filed with the West Virginia Secretary of State, assistance drafting the operating agreement for your LLC in West Virginia, online access to your important documents, and compliance notifications so you don’t forget about any important filings (like your annual report). 

There’s a major drawback to MyCompanyWorks’ services, however. 

The company does offer a year of free West Virginia registered agent service, but it’s only available with the premium package, which is a bit pricey at $279. You can get Northwest Registered Agent for only $39 with my special discount, and it includes a year of West Virginia registered agent service for free, which is why I can’t confidently recommend MyCompanyWorks. 

7. Inc Authority

On the surface, Inc Authority appears to be a budget West Virginia LLC formation service option. But when you look into it more, you realize it’s actually quite expensive. 

Inc Authority will file the articles of organization for your business entity with the West Virginia Secretary of State for just the price of the state filing fee. Unfortunately though, if you want any other standard LLC services, you’re going to pay an arm and a leg for them. 

Inc Authority’s basic package (which costs $399 plus filing fee) includes assistance drafting an operating agreement, help applying for an EIN, and a company seal. The company also has a premium package for $799, and it’s the only package that includes West Virginia registered agent services (which includes a business address in the state for your West Virginia business, as well as someone to accept mail and service of process on your behalf). 

So if you’re low on funds and want a company to provide basic filing services, ZenBusiness is the better option for most small businesses. 

8. Incorporate Fast

Incorporate Fast offers formation services for $99 with its entry-level formation package. 

With this package it will file the articles of organization for your West Virginia business, throw in a year of free West Virginia registered agent services, and help prepare your operating agreement, as well as supplying a handful of sample documents that could prove helpful when establishing your new business in West Virginia. 

Incorporate Fast’s LLC formation package doesn’t offer any extras, like online document storage or accountant consultations, but if you pay $199 for its basic package, you’ll get assistance with applying for an EIN. 

The company does offer one unique service that makes it stand out from the other companies on my best West Virginia LLC services list. Incorporate Fast submits every new business filing the day they’re received. Since no other company on my list does this, it’s a boon to West Virginia business owners. So if you’re in such a hurry to get your WV LLC established that you don’t care whether you pay too much for the service, then Incorporate Fast is a good option for speedy filings. 

But if you’d rather choose a West Virginia LLC formation service that offers a variety of quality services and a great price, then Northwest Registered Agent is the better choice. 

9. BizFilings

BizFilings also charges $99 for its basic formation package. 

For this price, BizFilings will file the articles of organization for your LLC and provide a year of West Virginia registered agent service for free and compliance notifications so you don’t forget to file your annual report. 

You won’t find any quality of life improvements with BizFilings, like business tax consultations, help drafting your operating agreement, or online document storage, so its $99 price tag isn’t worth it in the end. 

10. LegalZoom

LegalZoom, like some of the other companies on my best West Virginia LLC services list, also offers a basic LLC formation package of substandard services for $99. For that price, LegalZoom will file your company’s articles of organization and give you a banking resolution so you can open a business bank account. And, like Rocket Lawyer, LegalZoom also offers online legal services. 

It may be worth using LegalZoom for LLC formation if you’re already using one of its other services (like West Virginia registered agent service or online legal service) because there are sometimes perks to choosing one company to handle all your business concerns. Otherwise, it doesn’t make much sense to use this company simply for LLC formation services. 

Other LLC Services 

I assessed seven other LLC formation service providers in West Virginia during my process, but their services were honestly so insufficient that I knew I couldn’t in good conscience recommend them, so they weren’t worthy of full reviews. Here’s the list of all the other LLC services in West Virginia, in random order.

11. Incorporate.com

Incorporate.com is another West Virginia LLC service provider that has a $99 basic package with little in the way of quality formation services. For this price, Incorporate.com will file your formation documents and provide you with online access to your documents. But if you want literally anything else (like registered agent service), then you’re out of luck. 

12. CorpNet

CorpNet is all-around mediocre. This company charges $108 for its formation package, which only includes filing your formation paperwork and issuing compliance alerts. That’s it. And for that price, you should at least get registered agent service.

13. MyCorporation

MyCorporation will file the articles of organization and help draft an operating agreement for your West Virginia business with its $133 formation package. But if you want anything else (like registered agent service) then you’ll have to pay additional fees for each service, and they add up quickly. 

14. Direct Incorporation

Direct Incorporation provides the same service offerings as MyCorporation (filing your articles of organization and helping to draft your operating agreement), with the addition of assistance applying for an EIN and providing a banking resolution. But it charges an outstanding fee of $147, and you don’t even get registered agent service for that price, so I can’t recommend it. 

15. InCorp

InCorp offers a $117 basic package that includes filing your articles of organization and assistance with your operating agreement, but each additional service (like registered agent service) costs extra. 

If you’d like to learn more about InCorp, read my InCorp review here. 

16. Nationwide Incorporations

Nationwide Incorporations’ service offerings are the same as InCorp’s (submitting your articles of organization and helping draft your operating agreement), but it charges $200 for these minimal services, which don’t even include registered agent service. 

17. SunDoc Filings

The only service that you receive with SunDoc Filings’ $79 formation package is filing the articles of organization for your West Virginia LLC. If you pay for the $99 Key package, then you’ll receive assistance with your operating agreement, and if you spring for the $279 Premier package then you’ll get help applying for your EIN. 

But it’s definitely not worth paying nearly $300 to get help applying for your EIN only to not even receive registered agent service so I don’t feel like this company is on par with the best West Virginia LLC services. 

Best LLC Service Review Summary

Out of the 17 best West Virginia LLC services, Northwest Registered Agent is by far the best choice for the majority of West Virginia businesses. 

Its basic formation package is only $39 for BoostSuite readers, and it includes all the formation services you need, as well as outstanding customer support provided by the Northwest Corporate Guides. 

If you want to start your LLC today and you’re looking for a company with the best services, backed by great customer support and an excellent price, check out Northwest Registered Agent today.

Best LLC Service in West Virginia Review Methodology

Here’s the process I used to choose the best among all the LLC services in West Virginia. 

Why You Should Trust Me

The reason you should trust my LLC service recommendations is I know the LLC service industry better than nearly anyone else on the planet. 

My experience began when I had to use three different service providers to form my three different LLCs. Yeah, you read that right. I actually had to use three different LLC service providers because two of them didn’t cover all my needs. I’m not going to name them here because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about these companies. They’ve vastly improved their services over the years and you shouldn’t form an opinion about them based on old information. 

I used the third service to start this website, and it exceeded my expectations and provided services I didn’t even know existed, and I definitely got more in terms of service than I paid for. That’s why I named Northwest Registered Agent as the best LLC service in West Virginia. 

My experience isn’t limited to just the three formation services I used. I’ve also helped loads of other people choose the best formation service for their businesses. In fact, I’ve assisted more than 1,000 people in finding the right LLC service to meet their needs, which has given me more expertise in the field than nearly anyone else. 

How I Selected the Best LLC Service

I used a four-stage assessment process to choose the best LLC service. 

Stage 1: Reviews

The first stage of my process was to analyze reviews customers had left on major online review platforms. Most popular LLC services make it a habit to encourage their customers to leave online reviews. This pays off, and now some of the providers on my list have more than 4,500 online reviews! 

This stage allowed me to get an overview or a general idea about each LLC service provider and filter out the providers that didn’t live up to basic performance expectations. 

Stage 2: Website Analysis

After eliminating the companies that didn’t make the grade and getting a general idea about each company, I analyzed their websites. This involved reading headlines and titles on their pages and learning about the claims they make about their services. 

This gave me information not only about the formation service offerings, but also about how they see themselves in the competitive LLC service market. 

Stage 3: Speaking With Real Customers

After gaining an understanding of how each company presented its market standing, I had to find a way to find out whether they actually lived up to their claims and hype. You can get some of this information from reading online reviews, but customers tend to only leave a review if they’ve had either an amazing or a particularly dreadful experience with the company, which makes online reviews quite polarized. 

So I reached out to actual customers to get firsthand accounts of their service experiences. I did this by contacting friends and colleagues whom I knew to have used formation services, customers who I had helped find LLC services, and visitors to my website to learn about both the pros and cons of dealing with each company. 

The reviews I got from actual customers were more balanced and filled in a lot of gaps that the online reviews had left because they told me about both the positive and negative aspects of their interactions with the companies.

Stage 4: Speaking With Their Sales Teams

In the final stage of my assessment process, I called the sales and customer service teams of each company and insisted on answers. 

I gathered all the feedback, negative comments and issues I’d discovered throughout my investigation and asked them about them. 

This last stage let me know how each company deals with unfavorable feedback.

Rating Factors 

After my four-stage assessment process, each company was rated according to the following five factors. 

Factor 1: Offerings

Some companies only assist you in filing your formation documents, charging outrageous fees for each additional service. Other providers assist you in drafting your operating agreement, provide free consultations, and give you access to your formation documents online and a free year of registered agent service. 

This huge degree in variation between the different services offered by various LLC services was the reason I chose to start here. 

Factor 2: Price

I chose price as the second rating factor. Some LLC services charge as little as $0 (plus filing fees), while others won’t even talk to you for less than $399. I combined the services offered by each company with their prices to figure out the cost per service to create the second rating factor.

Factor 3: Ease of Sign-Up

The third rating factor I used was ease of sign-up. 

Some providers supply you with forms that are pre-filled and simply require your signature. Then there are other providers that give you standard forms and require you to enter the same information in multiple areas, regardless of the fact that you’ve already provided them with the information the forms ask for. 

Because no one is happy about wasted time, especially during the formation process, I rated each West Virginia LLC service according to how automated its sign-up process is. 

Factor 4: Ease of Use

It’s incredibly important for an LLC formation company to provide customers with an easy-to-use system. 

Some LLC formation services have outdated systems that look like they were designed in the late 90s by a group of high school students learning how to code. Then there are other service providers who spend millions of dollars and countless hours to ensure they provide a sleek, user-friendly system. 

Because no one has time to figure out how to use a confusing system, I rated each LLC service on how user friendly its system is to navigate. 

Factor 5: Customer Service

The last rating factor was customer service. This was another aspect in which I noticed a large difference in the value offered by each provider. 

Some LLC services set up their customer service teams in foreign countries and then staff them with locals in that area that have never conducted business in West Virginia and have no idea how to walk someone through the formation process. 

And then there’s Northwest Registered Agent, which staffs its US-based team of professionals with former lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who have enough business expertise not only to guide you through the LLC formation process in West Virginia but also to answer any question you have about the obstacles your business will inevitably face. 

This huge disparity in the quality of customer service is why I chose it as my fifth rating factor. 

In Conclusion

I analyzed 17 different LLC services in West Virginia using my four-stage investigation process and five rating factors to find the top 10 services, and then to identify Northwest Registered Agent as the best performing LLC formation service. 

Northwest Registered Agent provides an assortment of basic formation services that include the filing of your formation documents, online document storage, and a free year of registered agent service. 

But the Corporate Guides team is by far Northwest’s best feature. They have the experience needed to guide you through any problem that you may encounter with your business. 

The only thing that Northwest doesn’t offer is services to help establish your company’s online presence. But the 82% discount that BoostSuite customers get drops the price down to only $39, so you’ll save more than enough money to be able to afford these services on your own. 

If you’re ready to start your LLC, head over to Northwest Registered Agent now. 

Another service you should consider learning about is registered agent service. A registered agent is an individual or business entity who accepts mail, service of process, and legal documents on behalf of your company during normal business hours. If you’d like to learn more about registered agent services, read my article about the Best Registered Agent Services.