Tailor Brands vs LegalZoom

Where Tailor Brands and LegalZoom differ

"Score" is our editorial score out of 10, built from published facts: half from the Trustpilot rating, the rest from breadth of services, dashboard and mail scanning, and package value and two-year cost (how we score; scores approved 2026-10-14). We don't test services. Trustpilot ratings are third-party, cited to Trustpilot, and not adjusted.

Both companies take service of process at their own address and put a scanned copy online, so the core agent job is the same. The gaps show up in price, in what each charges for after formation, and in how much each spells out in its terms.

Tailor Brands: $199/year; renews $199/year (renews at the same price). Provided by Tailor Brands

LegalZoom: $249/year (first-time registered agent customers); renews at the purchase rate each year; rate subject to change. LegalZoom website, legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html

• First-time founders: Tailor Brands includes all three supports (annual report filed for you, business coaching, AI guidance) in a plan; LegalZoom includes none of the three.
• All-in-one platform: Tailor Brands sells 9 of the 10 business service types we track; LegalZoom sells 8.
• Compliance: Tailor Brands includes annual report filing in a plan; LegalZoom sells annual report filing separately.

The legal requirement is identical for both: a street address in your state where process can be served. Neither can help you around it, and neither needs to.

The scores above come from our published method, which explains how we score each provider from cited facts. The list order on this site follows that score, and Tailor Brands sits above LegalZoom on it.

How do the agent bills compare at signup and at renewal?

For someone who already has an LLC and only needs an agent, Tailor Brands costs less in the first year and in each year after, as long as both companies keep today's prices.

Tailor Brands' figure ($199/year, renewing at the same amount) was supplied by the company directly; the citation marks it that way because it isn't printed on a public page. LegalZoom's figure comes from its own registered agent page.

Three points on the LegalZoom side are worth reading twice.

• The $249/year rate is limited to first-time registered agent customers. If you have used LegalZoom as your agent before, the page doesn't say what you'd pay.²
• "The service auto-renews at the purchase rate each year until you cancel." So year two starts at the year-one rate.²
• "The renewal rate is subject to change." The renewal promise is therefore a starting point rather than a cap.²

Moving an existing company to either agent usually means a state change-of-agent filing, which some states charge for. Our guide to changing your registered agent sets out the order of steps. For a wider view of entry prices, the cheapest registered agent services list puts every provider's starting price beside its renewal.

What does each agent service actually do with your mail?

Both scan legal papers and post them to an online account. LegalZoom also writes down what happens to everything else that arrives, which Tailor Brands' pages leave open.

Tailor Brands' agent terms say "We will scan and upload copies of all Legal Mail received at the Registered Address," and it notifies you when a new document is ready for review on your LLC dashboard. Its marketing copy says the agent "receives and forwards" documents, without saying whether forwarding means a posted copy or the scan alone.³

LegalZoom lists "Documents scanned and uploaded for digital access from anywhere" and adds a line on ordinary mail: "For all other mail, we will upload the documents to your account and email you." It also lists "Secure cloud storage" for documents. Neither company states physical forwarding of the paper originals.²

On reminders, LegalZoom's agent page lists "Email reminders about annual report deadlines through the Compliance Calendar." Explanatory copy on Tailor Brands' agent page says a registered agent sends regular reminders and, "if instructed, they can even file your annual report"; its agent terms don't mention reminders. Its Navi assistant, in Tailor Brands' words, "tracks filings and deadlines, suggests your next step."^{2, 3, 4}

What about keeping your address private?

Every registered agent puts its own address in the agent field, so neither one has an edge there, and both forbid using that address as your company's public face. Tailor Brands' agent terms say "You must not designate or otherwise refer to the Registered Address as your business location in any public materials." and LegalZoom's say "You may not list the Registered Address in your company's public media." The difference is a separate product. Tailor Brands sells a virtual address ("Keep your home address off public records with a professional business address."), with no published price, and LegalZoom doesn't publish a business address product on the pages we cite. State law decides which other names and addresses appear on your formation filing; the privacy comparison explains what stays on the public record.^{2, 3, 5}

How do cancelling and refunds compare?

Both renew automatically. Tailor Brands' general terms describe an "automatic renewal option by default for subscription-based services," and LegalZoom's agent terms say the service will renew automatically at the end of the Initial Term and each term after it.^{6, 7}

Cancelling looks different on paper. Tailor Brands says you cancel "by notifying us and completing the necessary steps"; its general terms add that you can close the account by visiting your account settings. Neither text lists the steps. LegalZoom names two routes, a call to (888) 310-0151 or online via My Account, and warns that "we may require proof that a new registered agent has been designated with your state."^{5, 7}

That LegalZoom warning describes the safe order for either provider. File the change of agent with the state first, then cancel, so the company is never left without an agent on record. Our guide to cancelling a registered agent covers it.

Refunds are tight on both sides.

1. Tailor Brands' terms say "all fees are non-refundable." Where a refund is issued anyway, the terms deduct a service fee of $29. The agent terms promise to refund any prepaid fees specifically related to the Registered Agent Services only when Tailor Brands ends the service itself.⁶
2. LegalZoom's agent terms work the same way: "LegalZoom will refund you any prepaid fees specifically related to the current RA Service Term," when LegalZoom ends the service. A separate LegalZoom guarantee allows subscription refunds within 30 days of initial subscription purchase, but it doesn't say whether the agent service counts.⁷

What do the LLC packages include?

Both start with a tier that charges only state fees, then sell two paid tiers. Tailor Brands' paid tiers add yearly report filing, and LegalZoom's add legal and tax setup.

The billing differs too. Tailor Brands labels its paid plans per year. LegalZoom's package prices carry no yearly label, though two extras inside them become monthly charges after a trial.

Tailor Brands. Lite ($0) is processed within 14 business days and has no annual compliance, operating agreement or branding tools. Essential ($199/yr) and Elite ($249/yr) are processed within 1 business day. Essential adds annual compliance (report filing and updates), operating agreement; Elite adds 1-year free domain, DIY website/online store, logos. Funding Search is listed at "No extra cost with Essential and Elite plans." Tailor Brands says it will "help you get your EIN (tax ID)," but doesn't publish a price for that service, and its pricing page notes that "The binding price is the one presented to the customer at the time of payment."^{8, 9, 10}

LegalZoom. Basic ($0) lists "Articles of organization" and a "Name check service." Pro ($249) adds "Operating agreement," "EIN (federal tax ID)," "Access 150+ customizable legal documents for 1 year" and "Unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations" (30 days included, then $49/month auto-renew). Premium ($299) adds "Bookkeeping tools" (180 days included, then $9.99/month auto-renew). Bought apart from a package, the EIN is $79 and "Operating agreements start at $99."^{11, 12, 13}

So the paid tiers lean in different directions. Tailor Brands' Essential is the one that files your yearly state report. LegalZoom's Pro lists an EIN and lawyer time, and the lawyer time starts billing monthly once the included period ends. Neither provider's package lines that we cite say whether a year of agent service is part of the plan, so ask before you assume it is.

Who files the annual report after formation?

Tailor Brands files it within a paid plan; LegalZoom sells it as a separate purchase, once or by subscription, and leaves it out of every LLC package.

Tailor Brands' Essential and Elite plans list "Annual compliance: mandatory report filing & updates," and the line is struck through on Lite. No standalone price is published.⁸

LegalZoom offers two routes. A single filing costs $99 plus state fees and "Bills once." A Compliance Filings subscription is listed as "Starts at $199/year" and "Auto-renews. Cancel anytime." Its auto-filing applies only where a report is required, excluding Indiana, Maryland, and Wyoming, and it is "Not included in any LLC package."^{14, 15}

Whether a report is due, and how often, depends on the state. Read how annual reports work before paying either company to file one.

Which one fits your situation?

Each line below is a best-for category where the two part ways, with the published fact that settles it.

• Lowest cost goes to Tailor Brands, at $199/year (a price the company supplied rather than printed on a public page) against LegalZoom's $249/year for first-time registered agent customers. See registered agents compared on price.^{1, 2}
• First-time founders. Tailor Brands includes all three supports we track in a plan: report filing in Essential and Elite, coaching that is "Included with any plan purchased," and Navi, since "Every plan comes with Navi built in." LegalZoom's published plans include none of the three supports: its report filing is a paid subscription, and it doesn't publish coaching or AI guidance. See agents for first-time founders.^{4, 16}
• For an all-in-one platform, Tailor Brands sells 9 of the 10 business service types we track; LegalZoom sells 8. The all-in-one list ranks every provider by that count.
• Compliance. Tailor Brands includes report filing in a plan; LegalZoom sells it separately at $99 a filing or through a subscription. See the compliance list.
• On privacy, Tailor Brands sells a separate virtual address product ("Keep your home address off public records with a professional business address."), which LegalZoom doesn't publish; the agent field itself works the same with both. See the privacy comparison.³

Both appear on the non-resident list, but LegalZoom says more. Its country page offers formation "with no Social Security number, residency, or travel required," an EIN "without the need for a Social Security Number," and bank account help listed as "free setup (Pro and Premium)." Tailor Brands has a separate sign-up flow for non-U.S. citizens, linked from the LLC formation page, with no eligibility or pricing detail.^{17, 18}

LegalZoom has a free grant tool that will "match you to grant opportunities," not tied to a package. If you want to reach a person, LegalZoom lists phone, chat and email, open Mon to Fri 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT; weekends 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT; Tailor Brands lists phone (1-332-286-2770) and chat, with no hours published.^{19, 20, 21}

Full detail is in the Tailor Brands review and the LegalZoom review. Other pairings include Tailor Brands vs Bizee, Northwest vs LegalZoom and the full comparison table.