LegalZoom registered agent review (2026)

LegalZoom at a glance

Our score7.9/10Satisfaction 9.2 · Breadth and dashboard 8.8 · Value and cost 3.2 · How it's scored

• Mail scanning: Included
• Compliance alerts: Included
• Business address: Not published
• Non-US founders: Included

Trustpilot: 4.6/5 from 33,485 reviewstrustpilot.com

See LegalZoom's current plans

How much is LegalZoom's registered agent service, and what does it renew at?

LegalZoom publishes one agent price, $249/year, which renews at the purchase rate, and a footnote on the overview page limits who gets it: "Purchase price only available for first time registered agent customers."¹

It doesn't publish what anyone else pays. If you used LegalZoom as your agent before, the page gives you no figure to plan with.

Renewal is described in a single sentence on the same page: "The service auto-renews at the purchase rate each year until you cancel." The next sentence adds: "The renewal rate is subject to change."¹

Read together, the two lines say the same amount repeats each year unless LegalZoom changes it. LegalZoom doesn't publish a cap on increases or how much notice it gives before one.

Is there a free first year with formation?

LegalZoom doesn't publish one. It also doesn't publish whether the Basic, Pro or Premium package includes registered agent service, or any agent discount for people who form through LegalZoom. The only agent figure it publishes is the standalone price, so that is the number to budget from the first year, on top of the package and the state's filing fee.

That changes the arithmetic for the first and second years. For an LLC formed on the Basic package, the published costs are $0 for the package, the state fee, and the agent fee in each year. Our score's value measure is built from published prices like these; how we score shows the method.²

What isn't priced on LegalZoom's pages

Three items have no figure on the pages we read.

• The agent price for returning registered agent customers.
• Expedited state filing, which the LLC pricing page doesn't list.
• A processing time for any formation package.

Annual report filing does have a price: $99 plus state fees, and LegalZoom's page marks it "Bills once." A separate subscription that files reports automatically is covered with the packages below.³

What does LegalZoom do with mail sent to your agent address?

For legal documents, LegalZoom lists "Documents scanned and uploaded for digital access from anywhere", and for everything else it says: "For all other mail, we will upload the documents to your account and email you." So ordinary mail is covered in writing too.¹

The agent's core job is to accept lawsuits and official state notices for your company and pass them to you quickly. Our explainer on what a registered agent does covers the legal side.

A few points in LegalZoom's wording are worth reading closely.

• Delivery is digital. The overview page describes scanning, uploading and email, and it doesn't describe sending paper originals to you. If you need originals of a court filing, ask how LegalZoom handles that before you order.
• The document store is online. LegalZoom lists "Secure cloud storage so critical business documents are accessible anytime, from anywhere."¹
• The privacy line describes the agent field. LegalZoom writes that it is "our address listed as the registered agent on the public record." Every commercial agent does this; it's what being the agent on file means. The other names and addresses on a state filing, such as the principal office or the organizer, are set by state law, and naming LegalZoom as agent leaves them as they are. LegalZoom doesn't publish a separate business address product, and its agent terms add a limit: "You may not list the Registered Address in your company's public media." In plain terms, the agent address isn't meant for your website or marketing. Our page on what stays on the public record lists providers that sell a separate business address.¹

Who gets compliance reminders?

The registered agent overview lists "Email reminders about annual report deadlines through the Compliance Calendar." A second line on LegalZoom's pages says that with the agent service "you'll get alerts when you receive notices, and reminders when tax and annual report deadlines are approaching."¹

LegalZoom's compliance page also sells "Customized alerts about your filings so requirements don't catch you off guard" as part of a paid subscription. LegalZoom doesn't explain how the reminders that come with the agent differ from the alerts in that subscription. If reminders are why you're buying, ask which ones the agent fee alone includes.⁴

LegalZoom doesn't publish which states its agent service covers.

How do renewal, cancellation and refunds work at LegalZoom?

Auto-renewal. The agent terms say "your RA Service will renew automatically at the end of the Initial Term and at the end of each successive renewal term." Renewal is the default. LegalZoom doesn't publish whether it sends a reminder before it charges.⁵

Cancelling. LegalZoom gives two routes: by phone to its Customer Care Center at (888) 310-0151, or online via My Account. The overview page adds that "we may require proof that a new registered agent has been designated with your state." That sets the order of steps.⁵

1. Pick a new agent, or confirm that your state lets you serve as your own and that you have a street address there.
2. File the change of agent with your state and keep the accepted filing.
3. Cancel with LegalZoom by phone or in My Account, and send the proof if asked.
4. Do this before the renewal date, because the service renews on its own.

If LegalZoom's service ends before the state records a new agent, the company can be left with no working agent on file, and each state treats that differently. Our guide to changing your registered agent and guide to cancelling a registered agent cover both halves.

Refunds. The agent terms contain one refund promise: "As your sole remedy, LegalZoom will refund you any prepaid fees specifically related to the current RA Service Term." In context, that sentence applies when LegalZoom ends or resigns from the service. It doesn't promise money back if you cancel partway through a paid year.⁵

LegalZoom's general guarantee allows subscription refunds within 30 days of initial subscription purchase. That guarantee doesn't say whether the agent service counts. If the renewal charge is the one you want back, the guarantee window has long passed by then, so cancelling before the renewal date is the safer route.⁵

What do LegalZoom's LLC packages include, and what do they leave out?

LegalZoom sells three LLC packages, and each one lists "+ state filing fees" after the price. LegalZoom doesn't publish whether any of the three includes registered agent service.²

Basic ($0 plus state fees). LegalZoom files your "Articles of organization." The page also lists a "Name check service, to confirm that your preferred business name is available" and a "Tax consult from 1-800Accountant." LegalZoom lists the EIN and an operating agreement in Pro and Premium, and sells both separately: the EIN service at $79, and "Operating agreements start at $99."^{2, 6, 7}

Pro ($249 plus state fees). Pro lists an "Operating agreement", an "EIN (federal tax ID)", a "Customizable website", and "Access 150+ customizable legal documents for 1 year." Pro also lists "Unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations about new legal topics related to your business." That plan is free only at first: LegalZoom's pricing page gives it as 30 days included, then $49/month auto-renew. The document library also stops at the end of its included period. If you don't want the monthly attorney charge, put a reminder in your calendar.²

Premium ($299 plus state fees). Premium lists "Bookkeeping tools to easily manage your books and save money on taxes", "Unlimited proposals and invoices", "Income and expense tracking" and "Automatic mileage capture." The bookkeeping tools carry their own clock: 180 days included, then $9.99/month auto-renew.²

In both upper tiers, the attorney plan and the bookkeeping tools turn into monthly charges once their included periods end.

Three things are unstated across all three packages.

• How long LegalZoom takes to prepare and submit the filing.
• Whether faster state processing can be bought at checkout, and at what price.
• Whether a registered agent comes with the package.

State steps after filing aren't part of any package description either. Our state pages cover them, for example forming an LLC in Florida or staying compliant in Texas.

LegalZoom's compliance services

LegalZoom sells two compliance services. The one-time Annual Report filing at $99 plus state fees is the first. The second, Compliance Filings, offers "Initial report filing and auto-filing of your annual reports." The price line reads "Starts at $199/year", and the page notes "Auto-renews. Cancel anytime." LegalZoom's own note is that automatic filing covers only states that require the report, excluding Indiana, Maryland, and Wyoming. So the subscription's auto-filing doesn't reach the Wyoming annual report. Compliance Filings is "Not included in any LLC package."⁴

What LegalZoom doesn't publish

Not found on LegalZoom's own website: headquarters, free or discounted first year, states covered, expedited filing, processing time, virtual address.

The gaps worth asking about before you buy are the agent price for returning customers, whether originals of legal papers can be mailed to you, and which reminders come with the agent fee alone.

Can you use LegalZoom if you live outside the U.S.?

Yes, by LegalZoom's own account, though the wording comes from its Australia-targeted country page rather than a U.S. page. That page offers to form an LLC "with no Social Security number, residency, or travel required."⁸

On the federal tax ID, LegalZoom says it files the application and delivers the EIN "without the need for a Social Security Number", and that service is included in Pro and Premium. For banking it states: "We help open your account with providers within days of formation." That help is listed as free setup (Pro and Premium).⁸

For a non-resident, the published path runs through the Pro or Premium package, and LegalZoom doesn't publish whether either one includes the agent. Other providers whose own pages say they serve founders outside the U.S. are on our list of agents compared for non-resident founders.

How do you reach LegalZoom?

LegalZoom lists phone, chat and email. Customer Care is at (888) 379-0854, sales at (855) 787-1922, and its FAQ gives support@legalzoom.com for email. Hours are Mon to Fri 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT; weekends 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT. The company was founded in 2001.^{9, 10}

Who do LegalZoom's published terms suit?

Each point below ties to a published fact, and to the matching Best-for list, which is ordered by its own stated rule.

These owners are a good match on LegalZoom's published terms.

• You want all agent mail in digital form. LegalZoom states that legal documents are scanned and that "For all other mail, we will upload the documents to your account and email you."¹
• You want more of your business admin from one provider. LegalZoom sells 8 of the 10 business service types we track, from the EIN and annual reports to attorney access, bookkeeping and a grant search where "we'll help match you to grant opportunities." See all-in-one registered agent services.¹¹
• You live outside the U.S. LegalZoom says it forms LLCs and gets an EIN without a Social Security number. See agents for non-resident founders.
• You want report filing at a known price. LegalZoom publishes $99 per filing and a yearly subscription, which puts it in the "sells it separately" group on the compliance list.

These owners should look more closely first.

• First-time founders who want guidance built into a plan. LegalZoom includes none of the three supports we count (annual report filed for you, business coaching, AI guidance) in a plan; report filing is a paid add-on, and it doesn't publish coaching or AI guidance. Attorney consultations in Pro are a separate thing and time-limited. Compare the first-time founder list.
• Owners watching cost. The agent costs $249/year from the first year with no published formation discount; see registered agents compared on price.
• Owners who want a business address to publish. LegalZoom's terms bar listing the agent address publicly, and it publishes no separate address product.
• Anyone counting on a refund mid-term. The agent terms refund only when LegalZoom ends the service.

See LegalZoom's current plans

Which providers make a different trade-off?

Each provider below differs from LegalZoom on a specific published point. Prices are from each provider's own pages.

Northwest Registered Agent: a lower yearly agent price. Northwest lists $125 per year and says there are "no hidden fees or per document charges." Its terms say "You may terminate or cancel your Service anytime by logging onto your account", and "There are no fees to cancel." Refunds work differently from LegalZoom's: Northwest says "all purchase are final and non-refundable after 90 days." Its report filing is $100 + state fees, charged at filing. See the Northwest review or Northwest vs LegalZoom.^{12, 13, 14, 15}

ZenBusiness: a discounted agent year when you form with it. ZenBusiness says "Get 50% off registered agent service for the first year when you form an LLC." Its renewal line reads "Renews at $199/yr." Its Starter package lists Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr). ZenBusiness also publishes a refund rule written for its agent service, which opens with "If you have not yet used the Registered Agent Services." See the ZenBusiness review.^{16, 17, 18}

Bizee: a free agent year with any formation package. Bizee states: "With any of our business formation packages, you get one year of Registered Agent Service for free." The standalone price is $149/year. Bizee's own terms differ on mail and cancellation; the Bizee review and LegalZoom vs Bizee set them side by side.^{19, 20}

There is also a Tailor Brands vs LegalZoom head-to-head. All providers are on the comparison table.

• Tailor Brands review
• ZenBusiness review
• Bizee (formerly Incfile) review
• Swyft Filings review
• doola review
• Northwest Registered Agent review
• Rocket Lawyer review
• InCorp Services review
• Harbor Compliance review