Zenbusiness Review

Zenbusiness is known among other business formation services for its rapid growth and thousands of positive reviews.

But what exactly makes it so appealing to the customers? 

We did our research, compared Zenbusiness with other top-rated options, and are ready to present to you this in-depth Zenbusiness review, so you can make an informed decision!

History and Reputation on the Market

Zenbusiness is a Texas-based company that has been delivering its services since 2015. In a relatively short time, this provider managed to earn an impeccable reputation among business owners. The provider claims that the reason behind this is their desire to integrate technologies and automatization in the legal field while keeping the needed amount of precision and personalized approach to every customer.

We’ve looked up the reviews and found out a whopping 4,600+ positive reviews on Trustpilot with 86% of them being labeled as ‘excellent’. Google Maps isn't as fruitful as Trustpilot and gave us only 67 reviews and an average rating of 4.6, which is pretty good. 

Users love customer support, ease of use, fast delivery of advertised services, and, of course, the value they get for the price.

So, it’s pretty safe to assume that Zenbusiness gives you what you pay for. Now, let’s take a closer look at what this provider has to offer.

Features

Zenbusiness provides you with a kick-start to quickly launch your business. Even the most basic package includes a lot of essentials, such as:

• Registered agent service. Zenbusiness has one of the most convenient registered agent services and deliberately makes it one of their selling points because they include RA in all packages, and it’s free for the first year. After the trial period expires, Zenbusiness will charge you $99 per year, which still is one of the cheapest options available.
• Worry-free compliance. Another essential service, which is included in the Zenbusiness subscription plans, starting from the Pro. A convenient compliance calendar will help you keep your annual reports and licenses updated, which ensures a good standing with the state.

I was impressed by how quickly my documents were updated during testing and I never missed deadlines.

• Extra paperwork. Pro and Premium plans also help you obtain Federal tax ID or EIN, file the bank resolution template, and operating agreement template.

What Makes Zenbusiness Stand Out?

According to Zenbusiness reviews on the Internet, there are a couple more features that make your customer experience with this provider sound like a dream:

• Fast filing. During my review, I discovered that the entire LLC formation process took a maximum of 10 working days with Zenbusiness. Incorporating a business, since it’s a more regulated procedure, will take a bit longer but still faster than most of the formation services.
• No upsells or hidden fees. One of the strongest points of Zenbusiness is its transparency.

I liked that I wasn’t charged dubiously and I found their extra offers to be more affordable than most services.

• The provider keeps additional services to the minimum and tries to include them in their plans, so you can use them and decide whether you want to keep them.
• Positive social impact. Finally, Zenbusiness is a Public Benefit corporation that focuses on small to medium-sized businesses in particular and helps them to grow and thrive. This somewhat explains their pricing, as most small businesses don’t operate with large amounts of money. Zenbusiness has helped more than 70,000 small businesses and awarded more than $100,000 in grants for their development.

Pricing

Another advantage of Zenbusiness is its pricing: it’s one of the most affordable formation services on the market.

Depending on your needs and budget, you can choose between three plans:

• Starter ($49/year). This package includes a standard filing service, one year of registered agent service, and an operating agreement or company bylaws template. This is also the slowest formation plan, which will register your business in 6-7 working days.
• Pro ($199/year). According to Zenbusiness, Pro plan is their most popular purchase. This package includes all the Starter features, plus Employer ID number, banking resolution template, and worry-free compliance service. Also, you can count on faster processing speed and get your documents in 4-5 working days.
• Premium ($299/year). The most expensive Zenbusiness plan offers you all the benefits of the Pro package topped with some tools to ensure your internet privacy, such as a business website, domain name, and e-mail address. It also allows you to rush your business formation up to 1-3 working days.

Additional Services

Many Zenbusiness reviews praise this provider for leaving some room for customization, and we agree with that.

The following services and tools are included in the Premium package, but they’re also available as separate purchases for Starter and Pro plans, so we thought that it’s necessary to include them in our guide:

• Expedited filing speed ($50). Speeds up your business formation, if you purchased a Starter plan.
• Employer ID number ($70). You cannot open a bank account and work with the IRS if you don’t have an EIN. The IRS allows you to obtain it by yourself, but the form is about 30 pages long, and if you don’t feel like filing it, you can delegate this procedure to Zenbusiness.
• Worry-free compliance ($110/year). Compliance service is included in the Pro plan, but if you need it as a standalone feature to your Starter package, you can purchase it separately.
• Rush filing speed ($100). Available for Starter and Pro packages and allows you to rush your business formation with the state to 1-3 working days.
• Business website ($50/year). If you want to make your business more visible and trustworthy, Zenbusiness offers you an opportunity to make a website that will act as a business card for your clients. You can link your social media accounts to this page, tell your success story, or just post the latest news and articles in your blog.
• The business domain name ($25/year). A business domain name represents your business online and keeps your company noticeable. So if you plan to grow your online presence, then booking a domain name is a crucial step.

Note that certain services, such as Domain Name privacy and Business email are included in the Premium package, but cannot be purchased for Starter and Pro plans.

Side-to-Side Comparison With Competitors

Finally, let’s check if Zenbusiness can outrun the competitors and claim the title of the most affordable and transparent business formation service.

• Zenbusiness vs Incfile. Both Incfile and Zenbusiness fall into the same price range with certain differences. Incfile, for example, offers you a free LLC formation service in their Silver pack, so you only pay $40 for an operating agreement template, along with the state fees. Zenbusiness Starter package is $49 per year, which is a bit pricier. Both services also include free registered agent service for 12 months, however, Incfile registered agent will cost you $119/year, which is $20 pricier than Zenbusiness RA.
• Zenbusiness vs Northwest. Northwest has only one pricing plan, which is $225 per year, and their registered agent will cost you $125/year after renewal. However, Northwest has one of the most qualified customer support in the industry. Zenbusiness, on the other hand, is significantly cheaper and includes more features in their packages.
• Zenbusiness vs Legalzoom. With Zenbusiness, you can save about $100 on the basic package and get all the essentials included. Legalzoom will ask you to purchase registered agent service separately for $249 per year, and there’s only a 10-day trial to see if it works for you. However, Legalzoom has a way more impressive track record with millions of successful cases.

Pros and Cons: Overview

Who Should and Shouldn’t Choose Zenbusiness?

In this part of Zenbusiness review, we sum up the main points to decide who will make the most of this service.

So, Zenbusiness is likely to become your go-to option if:

• You’re a small business owner. It seemed to us that Zenbusiness is more focused on LLC and small business registration than on incorporating, and user reviews on Trustpilot support that. So, if you need a company that can register your business quickly and easily, then definitely choose Zenbusiness.
• You’re looking for an affordable service. Appealing value for money is a pretty strong selling point for Zenbusiness because again, small business owners and start-up entrepreneurs usually don’t have a lot of money.

During testing, I noticed Zenbusiness’ was more affordable than it’s competitors, offering excellent value for money.

And if your budget is a bit limited, be sure to take a look at Zenbusiness offers.

• You’re looking for fast formation. Even though Zenbusiness has a bit of confusing turnaround times, it’s usually on the faster side, especially if you choose an Expedited or Rush filing speed. So, if you’re strict in time, you may want to use Zenbusiness as your formation service and don’t waste any minute.
• You want a socially conscious company. Zenbusiness offers grants and help to small businesses and gives them room to grow, and if you feel like becoming a contributor to their cause, feel free to use Zenbusiness as your business formation provider.

On the other hand, you may want to look for another business formation service if:

• You need easy-to-reach customer service. Some users complain that if they try to reach customer support via e-mail or live chat, the quality of service is a bit unsatisfactory.

I found that I could reached customer care when I wanted and the phone calls were usually helpful during my tests.

On the other hand, phone calls seem pretty consistent in quality, but these minor differences in service might be annoying for some.

• You want a brand with a history. Even with the impressive customer feedback, Zenbusiness still is a new company on the market and doesn’t have a long track record or a lot of awards. If these things are important to you, you may want to switch to another service.