Best LLC Formation Services for Low-Fee States (2026)

If you want one recommendation to start with, it's ZenBusiness. It pairs a genuinely free formation tier (you pay only the state fee) with a year of registered agent service and a compliance dashboard that tracks annual report deadlines for you. This combination matters more in low-fee states, where the registered agent and ongoing filings often cost more than the initial formation itself.

Low filing fees cluster in a handful of states. Montana and Kentucky sit at the bottom of the range, with filing fees commonly around $35 and $40, respectively, as of 2026. Arizona, Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado, Arkansas, and New Mexico typically land near $50. Ohio runs a bit higher at roughly $99, but, like Arizona and New Mexico, doesn't require a recurring annual report, which is where the real savings show up over time.

That annual obligation is the part that founders underestimate. A $50 filing fee looks great until you learn the state bills you every year. New Mexico is notable for charging no annual report at all, which is why it's a favorite for privacy-minded owners who also want to keep ongoing costs near zero. Wyoming, by contrast, charges around $100 to file plus a roughly $60 annual report, but pairs that with no state income tax and strong privacy protections, making it popular despite not having the absolute lowest fee. Delaware is the cautionary example: filing is reasonable, but a flat $300 annual franchise tax means it's rarely the cheapest choice for a small single-member LLC, even though it dominates headlines. (California's $800 minimum franchise tax is the extreme version of the same trap.)

The services that help most here are the ones that surface this trade-off before you file. ZenBusiness and Northwest both walk you through state selection during signup and flag the recurring costs, rather than letting you optimize for a low filing fee and get surprised by an annual bill later.

1. ZenBusiness

The strongest all-around choice for founders optimizing for low total cost. ZenBusiness combines free formation with bundled services that competitors usually charge for separately.

• •Free formation tier where you pay only the state filing fee, with paid Pro and Premium tiers (roughly $199 and $299 as of 2026) adding faster filing and extras
• •A full year of registered agent service is included with formation—valuable when you're forming in a state where you don't live and need a local agent
• •Worry-Free compliance tools that track annual report deadlines and can file reports for you, reducing the risk of falling out of good standing
• •Guided state-selection flow and a clean dashboard that makes managing a multi-state setup straightforward

Best for: Founders who want the lowest realistic total cost in a low-fee state without giving up compliance support. Pricing tier: Free formation; mid-range paid tiers. Pros: Free filing, first-year registered agent included, genuinely useful compliance automation, beginner-friendly interface, responsive support. Cons: Registered agent renewal (around $199/year as of 2026) costs more than a few competitors, and its built-in privacy isn't as aggressive as a service built specifically around anonymity.

2. Northwest Registered Agent

The service to beat on privacy and human support, and the closest competitor to ZenBusiness for this use case. Northwest builds everything around its registered agent business, which shows.

• •Formation costs around $39 plus the state fee as of 2026, with a year of registered agent service included
• •"Privacy by Default"—Northwest lists its own information on public filings wherever the state allows, which pairs well with privacy states like New Mexico and Wyoming
• •US-based support staff who actually answer questions rather than routing you to upsells
• •Document scanning and filing reminders to keep annual reports on schedule

Best for: Founders forming in a privacy-friendly state who value keeping their personal address off public records. Pricing tier: Low-to-mid; transparent. Pros: Excellent privacy handling, no aggressive upselling, knowledgeable support, fair registered agent renewal (~$125/year). Cons: Formation costs more than the free tiers from ZenBusiness or Bizee, and its compliance dashboard is less automated than ZenBusiness's—you do more of the tracking yourself.

3. Bizee

The pick when you want to spend as close to nothing as possible at filing and don't need much hand-holding. Formerly Incfile, Bizee has filed a large volume of LLCs on a barebones model.

• •Free formation tier where you cover only the state fee
• •A year of registered agent service included with formation
• •Fast turnaround on standard filings
• •Compliance alerts and an annual report filing add-on

Best for: Cost-first founders comfortable managing details themselves. Pricing tier: Free formation; paid add-ons. Pros: Genuinely cheap entry point, free first-year registered agent, quick for simple filings. Cons: Heavier upselling during checkout, support can be slower than ZenBusiness or Northwest, and registered agent renewal (~$119/year) plus paid extras can erode the "free" advantage.

4. LegalZoom

The established name and the right call if you want a recognized brand and access to broader legal services alongside formation. It's rarely the cheapest, but it's comprehensive.

• •Free formation tier (state fee only) as of 2026, with pricier packages layered above it
• •Optional attorney consultations and a deep library of legal services beyond formation
• •Compliance calendar and registered agent service (around $249/year)
• •Long operating history and high filing volume

Best for: Founders who want brand familiarity plus the option to add legal advice later. Pricing tier: Free entry; premium add-ons. Pros: Trusted brand, wide legal-service ecosystem, and attorney access available. Cons: Add-ons and registered agent service run pricier than competitors, and the checkout flow pushes upgrades hard—less ideal if your goal is minimizing total spend in a low-fee state.

5. Rocket Lawyer

Best when LLC formation is one piece of a larger, ongoing legal document need. Its value lies in the membership rather than the formation itself.

• •Formation is included free with a membership (around $39.99/month as of 2026), or available as a one-time service
• •Large library of legal templates—operating agreements, contracts, and more
• •Attorney consultations are included with membership in many states
• •Compliance and document management tied to the subscription

Best for: Founders who'll keep generating legal documents and want a subscription that covers formation as a side benefit. Pricing tier: Subscription-led. Pros: Strong document library, attorney access, formation effectively bundled into membership. Cons: The economics only work if you keep the subscription; one-time pricing is uncompetitive, and registered agent service is a separate cost—not the cleanest fit for a one-and-done low-fee filing.

6. Tailor Brands

The option for solopreneurs who want to launch a brand and an entity in the same sitting. Formation here is part of a broader branding suite.

• •Free formation tier (state fee only) bundled with branding tools like logo design and website building
• •One dashboard for entity setup and brand assets
• •Compliance and registered agent available as add-ons
• •Geared toward first-time founders launching a consumer-facing business

Best for: Founders who want logo, site, and LLC handled together. Pricing tier: Free formation; subscription-style add-ons. Pros: Convenient all-in-one launch, useful for brand-first businesses. Cons: Aggressive upsells and auto-renewing add-ons, less depth on formation and compliance specifically, and the bundled extras can make it more expensive than a focused service if you only need the LLC.

If you're not tied to a home state—a remote business, an online store, a holding company—you have the freedom to form wherever the math is best, and Wyoming and New Mexico are the usual destinations. Wyoming attracts founders for its lack of state income tax and solid privacy; New Mexico draws those who want privacy plus no annual report at all. The catch is that forming out of state means you need a registered agent with a physical address in that state, and possibly a foreign qualification back home if you actually operate there.

This is where the included registered agent service decides the winner. ZenBusiness and Bizee both bundle the first year free, so forming in Wyoming or New Mexico doesn't add a separate agent bill on day one, and ZenBusiness's compliance tools then keep you on top of the annual obligations from a single dashboard. Northwest is the standout if privacy is the whole point of forming out of state—its default practice of shielding your information pairs naturally with these states. For a founder who simply wants the cheapest, simplest path into a low-fee state with the registered agent and compliance handled, ZenBusiness gets you there with the least friction.

For founders optimizing around low fees, ZenBusiness is the service to start with: free formation, a year of registered agent service included, and compliance automation that protects you from the annual-report mistakes that quietly cost far more than any filing fee. Northwest is the better choice if privacy is your top priority and you're forming in a state like New Mexico or Wyoming, and Bizee works if you want the absolute cheapest entry and don't mind doing more yourself—but on overall value, ease, and ongoing support in a low-fee state, ZenBusiness is the one to beat.