Cheapest LLC Formation Services in Tennessee (2026)

For most Tennessee filers, ZenBusiness is the one to start with. It files your formation for $0 plus the state fee, bundles first-year compliance support, and pairs the lowest entry price in the category with the cleanest dashboard for managing that recurring $300 annual report. It's the rare option that's genuinely cheap to start and easy to keep on top of afterward.

Pricing reflects published rates as of 2026; state fees are separate and set by Tennessee.

ZenBusiness combines the lowest starting price with the most usable system for staying compliant after you file, which is exactly the balance Tennessee's recurring fees demand.

• •$0 Starter plan: formation for nothing beyond the state fee
• •Worry-Free Compliance included free the first year, with reminders for the April 1 annual report
• •Clean web dashboard and mobile app for tracking documents and deadlines
• •Registered agent service available at $199/year, included on the Premium plan
• •EIN, operating agreement, and faster filing on the Pro tier

Best for: First-time founders who want the cheapest possible start without losing the compliance scaffolding that keeps a Tennessee LLC in good standing.

Pricing tier: Budget entry, mid-range with add-ons. Starter is $0 plus the state fee; Pro runs about $199/year and Premium about $399/year as of 2026, with the latter folding in registered agent service.

Pros: Genuinely free formation, the most polished dashboard in the category, and proactive deadline alerts that matter when the state charges $300 a year just to stay registered. Customer support draws consistently strong marks.

Cons: The headline "$0" is formation only — Worry-Free Compliance auto-renews at roughly $199/year after the first, and registered agent service costs extra unless you take Premium. Read the renewal terms so the second-year bill doesn't surprise you.

Even with those caveats, ZenBusiness wins on the metric that counts most here: the lowest barrier to entry paired with the tools to manage Tennessee's ongoing obligations. Competitors beat it on a single dimension at a time — Northwest on raw long-term agent cost, LegalZoom on legal breadth — but none match its combination of price, ease, and compliance support.

Northwest is the strongest pure value play and ZenBusiness's closest rival on this list, especially if you're focused on the multi-year cost of keeping a registered agent.

• •$39 formation fee plus the state fee
• •One full year of registered agent service included, then $125/year — the lowest ongoing agent rate among major providers
• •Privacy-first approach: the company doesn't sell your data and keeps your details off public filings where possible
• •Locally staffed support and a physical presence in all 50 states, including Tennessee
• •Mail forwarding and a business address with the agent service

Best for: Owners who prize privacy and want the cheapest registered agent over the life of the business.

Pricing tier: Low. The $39 service fee is a one-time charge on your first formation, and the $125/year renewal undercuts most competitors.

Pros: Transparent, no-tier pricing with minimal upselling, excellent privacy practices, and the best long-run agent economics. Over several years, that $125 renewal saves real money against $199 or $249 alternatives.

Cons: The $39 rate applies to your first filing; additional formations cost more. There's a modest upfront fee where ZenBusiness charges nothing for formation itself, so the cheapest day-one option is still ZenBusiness — Northwest pulls ahead only once you factor in the agent renewal.

Formerly Incfile, Bizee offers $0 formation and a long track record, making it a credible budget pick if you can tolerate slower default turnaround.

• •$0 formation plus the state fee
• •Lifetime company compliance alerts at no charge
• •Registered agent service at $199/year, frequently included free the first year on paid promotions
• •Supports multiple entity types beyond the LLC
• •Over a million businesses formed under Incfile and Bizee combined

Best for: Cost-conscious founders who want free formation and aren't in a rush.

Pricing tier: Budget. Formation is free; the agent renewal at $199/year is the main recurring cost.

Pros: No formation fee, free lifetime compliance reminders, and an easy filing wizard.

Cons: Standard processing can run three to four weeks unless you pay roughly $50 to expedite, which is slower than most rivals' base service. The agent renewal also lands higher than Northwest's. For a Tennessee filer who values speed and a tighter dashboard, ZenBusiness is the more comfortable choice at the same $0 entry point.

LegalZoom is the most recognized brand in the space, and its appeal is breadth: trademarks, contracts, wills, and attorney access alongside formation.

• •$0 basic formation plus the state fee
• •Optional attorney consultations on higher tiers
• •Trademark registration and a wide library of legal services
• •Established brand with over two decades and millions of customers
• •Add-on EIN, operating agreement, and compliance services

Best for: Founders who expect to need ongoing legal help and want it under one roof.

Pricing tier: Premium. Formation can start at $0, but the registered agent service is the most expensive of any major provider at $249/year, and the checkout pushes paid add-ons hard.

Pros: Deep legal-services menu, name recognition some owners find reassuring, and genuine attorney access on premium plans.

Cons: The priciest registered agent on this list and an aggressive upsell flow. If your goal is simply the cheapest Tennessee LLC, you're paying a brand premium here that ZenBusiness and Northwest don't charge.

Rocket Lawyer is built around a legal-subscription model rather than one-off formation, which makes it strong for continuous legal needs but awkward for a simple cheap filing.

• •Standalone formation at $99.99 plus the state fee
• •Rocket Legal+ membership (about $239.88/year) includes one free business formation
• •Registered agent at $249.99/year, or $124.99/year with the membership
• •Thousands of legal templates, e-signatures, and attorney consultations
• •Strong mobile app and document library

Best for: Businesses that anticipate regular legal work — contracts, consultations, document review — beyond formation.

Pricing tier: Mid-to-premium, membership-driven. The economics only work in your favor if you'll use the legal services.

Pros: Excellent for ongoing legal support, with attorney consultations and a broad template library that pure formation services don't offer.

Cons: Confusing membership-versus-à-la-carte pricing, and a seven-day trial that converts to a $39.99 monthly charge if you forget to cancel. For standalone LLC formation, it's costlier and more complicated than ZenBusiness or Northwest.

Tailor Brands files your LLC for $0 plus state fees but is really a branding platform first, bundling logo design and a website builder with formation.

• •$0 formation plus the state fee
• •Logo maker, website builder, and brand assets in one flow
• •Annual-subscription pricing for its higher tiers
• •Focused on LLCs rather than multiple entity types
• •Useful for customer-facing launches that need a brand from day one

Best for: Entrepreneurs launching a consumer-facing brand who want design and formation together.

Pricing tier: Budget formation, subscription for the branding stack.

Pros: Genuinely free formation and a one-stop flow for getting a logo, site, and LLC at once.

Cons: Registered agent is a paid add-on, support gets weaker marks than the top picks, and the subscription model adds cost if you keep the branding tools. If you don't need the design features, you're paying for capabilities a leaner service like ZenBusiness or Northwest wouldn't bundle.

Because Tennessee fixes the expensive parts — a $300 minimum to file and another $300 minimum every April — the smart move is to spend as little as possible on the service layer while still getting a registered agent and reliable compliance reminders. On that test, ZenBusiness is the best all-around choice: $0 formation, the most capable dashboard for tracking that recurring annual report, and first-year compliance support built in, with registered agent service available when you want it. Northwest is the one to weigh seriously if privacy and the lowest multi-year agent cost matter most, thanks to its $125 renewal and data protections. Bizee, LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, and Tailor Brands each shine for a narrower need — patient budget filers, legal breadth, ongoing counsel, and branding, respectively — but none deliver ZenBusiness's blend of a free start and the tools to keep a Tennessee LLC compliant year after year. Start with the cheapest credible option, keep your eyes on the renewal terms, and you'll have an LLC that takes full advantage of Tennessee's no-income-tax structure without overpaying to get there.