Bizee Alternatives & Competitors (formerly Incfile)

Last Updated on August 6, 2024 by Ewen Finser

I still remember how great it felt to switch from Legalzoom to Incfile a few years ago. Night and day difference.

A few years ago, Incfile (now Bizee) was one of the few “next gen” business formation companies. Not anymore.

In the past 2-4 years, the business incorporation space has exploded with a cornucopia of services. Now the hard part is telling them all apart. 

If you’ve been with Incfile for a while – or are still considering it – it’s well worth playing the field to find the best package for your unique needs.

While Incfile is still in my “top tier”, it’s not the obvious choice in every situation.

These are the best Bizee (Incfile) alternatives I’ve tried:

ZenBusiness: Best Overall Bizee Alternative

Summary: ZenBusiness is the incorporation service I consider most closely whenever incorporating a new business. Equally as user friendly, with a bit less aggressive upsells and promotions. 

ZenBusiness Advantages

• Best in class pricing, with a competitive $49 LLC formation cost (first year)
• Minimal upsells and aggressive sales tactics
• Super helpful knowledge wikis and informational content
• Transparent pricing and fees
• Officially registered as a Public Benefit Corporation

ZenBusiness Disadvantages

• No DBA registration services
• No 100% free option (for the first year) like with Bizee
• Limited additional package services like email, virtual office, trademark searches, etc…

ZenBusiness Pricing: ZenBusiness offers a wide variety of incorporation services for different use cases, however most users start with the $49 LLC formation service (UPDATE: they do have a new $0 introductory offer here)

How Does ZenBusiness Compare to Other Legal Services?

• ZenBusiness vs Incfile (in depth)
• ZenBusiness vs Northwest Registered Agent Compared
• ZenBusiness vs Swyft Filings Compared

Swyft Filings: Fastest Alternative to Bizee

Summary: Swyft Filings is another incorporation service that (as the name implies) provides rapid incorporation services on demand. It doesn’t offer the same low introductory offer as Bizee, or the free agent services included, but it can often be faster if you need to file in a hurry.

Swyft Filings Advantages

• Often can be the fastest option (depending on your state)
• Includes 30 minute business tax advisor consult (no extra cost)
• I noticed fewer upsells and sales gimmicks compared to Bizee
• Offers dedicated DBA (“doing business as”) setup & maintenance services

Swyft Filings Disadvantages

• No free registered agent services included
• No free introductory offer (at the time of this writing)
• Less history in business, shorter track record compared to Bizee
• Fewer add-on services compared to Bizee

Swyft Filings Pricing: $49 for Basic Incorporation, then generally $149 and $199 for premium packages (varies by state and add-ons selected).

How does Swyft Filings compare to other incorporation services?

• Swyft Filings vs Bizee Compared (in depth)
• Top Swyft Filings Alternatives Guide
• Swyft Filings vs ZenBusiness Compared
• Swyft Filings vs Filenow Compared
• Swyft Filings vs Northwest Registered Agent Compared
• Swyft Filings vs Legalzoom Compared

Firstbase: Best Full Business Launch Service

Summary: Firstbase.io is a new upstart business starting service that offers a full start experience, not just the incorporation part. This includes bank accounts, accounting systems, payroll processing, and much more. 

Firstbase Advantages

• Clean interface, less upsells and distractions
• Intelligent guided quiz feels better from a UX perspective
• Only pay for the add-on services you are matched to
• Offers 3 clear service offerings: Full Startup Incorporation, Registered Agent, and Mailing Address (Firstbase Mailroom)
• Includes business deals and rewards, similar to a Brex type experience
• Firstbase Start package includes payroll processing and accounting built-in
• Includes FREE access to Firstbase Raise, a platform for meeting investors

Firstbase Disadvantages

• Even though you receive a LOT of value with Firstbase, $399 is probably more than you budgeted to just incorporate your business
• Everything is bundled into distinct plans, not much room for customization
• More geared towards high-tech startups with a venture capital bias

Firstbase.io Pricing: Firstbase offers a simple transparent pricing structure with the Firstbase Start package at $399, just Registered Agent Services at $99 and if you just need a place to receive mail, Firstbase Mailroom at $35 per month.

Northwest Registered Agent: Best Dedicated Registered Agent Alternative

Summary: Northwest is a leading incorporation service that offers initial business filings and Registered Agent services, and is comparable to Bizee Additionally, Northwest provides benefits like mail forwarding and virtual office setting.

Northwest Agent Advantages

• Provides Registered Agent as a stand-alone service.
• Offers virtual office services and mail forwarding as well.
• More phone support is given than through LegalZoom or Bizee
• Several free legal forms
• Fewer aggressive upsells and no high-pressure sales methods
• Simple flat-rate for registered agents proposals for multiple-state registration

Northwest Agent Disadvantages

• Negative aspects of Northwest Agent
• Beyond agent and incorporation services, no formal legal advice
• Base registered agent pricing is more expensive than base Bizee (often close to $100 or more)

Northwest Fees: For the core offering, Northwest charges a normal Registered Agent cost of $125 plus state fees.

How does Northwest Agent compared to other legal support services?

• Northwest Agent vs Bizee (in depth)
• Northwest Agent vs ZenBusiness Compared
• Northwest Agent vs Swyft Filings Compared
• Northwest Agent vs Legalzoom Compared

Inc Authority: Best Promos & Deals

Summary: If you JUST need a simple incorporation, Inc Authority often offers lower introductory fees than Bizee and is worth considering in the budget category alone. Just don’t fall for the Inc Authority upsells if you don’t need them!

Inc Authority Advantages

• Frequently undercuts Bizee for basic incorporation and even registered agent annual prices
• Inc Authority often features a free promotional offer for the first year (LLC registration as of this writing)
• Often offers express processing (24 hours)
• You only pay for the add-ons needed (despite the pushy upsells)

Inc Authority Disadvantages

• The “add-ons” are where Inc Authority gets you (EIN service, minutes, etc…), so Bizee is still a better a la carte deal if you need anything more than the minimum registration and maintenance services
• Not as long of a track record in business compared to Bizee
• Pricing isn’t very transparent, you have to get down the rabbit hole pretty far to see what the bill is
• Really aggressive upsells, even compared to Bizee standards

Inc Authority Pricing: Inc Authority offers 100% FREE barebones entity formation (not including state fees). YES, I actually checked by registering an entity. Otherwise, the pricing is a bit opaque and they make you run through the entire process before seeing a price. They do offer premium packages if you need additional services like EIN registration, Operating Agreements, Tax Consultation, etc…

How does Inc Authority compared to other legal formation services?

• Inc Authority vs Bizee (in depth)
• Inc Authority vs LegalZoom Compared

Filenow

Summary: Filenow is another straightforward incorporation service, offering comparable features to Bizee but sometimes at a better price (check latest promo offers).

Filenow Advantages

• Offers FREE registered agent services for the first year
• Money back guarantee 
• Offers New York Application for Authority services (relatively unique, but one of the few services I’ve found that offer it)
• Offers 24 hour order processing, slightly faster setup compared to Bizee
• 24/7 customer support

Filenow Disadvantages

• Not very different from Bizee
• Pricing only revealed after you go through their quiz funnel

Filenow Pricing: Varies depending on state, you have to take their quiz here, but generally starts around $49/year.

How does Filenow compare to other legal services?

• Filenow vs Bizee Compared Directly
• Filenow vs Swyft Filings Compared
• Filenow vs LegalZoom Compared

BetterLegal

Summary: BetterLegal is another relatively new upstart compared to Bizee, offering a full suite of startup entity support packages including entity formation but also including a wide variety of ancillary services and setup perks.

BetterLegal Advantages

• Faster turn-around times, with as good as 24 action times which is a bit better than Bizee’s 2-3 day action time (in my experience).
• Some additional service offerings like a free website included, tax analysis, and an add-on permit and license research package.
• Even thought the pricing is significantly higher than Bizee, I found BetterLegal to be a bit more transparent about it and with fewer pushy upsells.

BetterLegal Disadvantages

• No first free year, they hit you with the $299 charge with no promo pricing period.
• More expensive annual renewals, Bizee is often <$100 per year depending on your specific package.
• Less available support compared to Bizee (Bizee has always been extremely quick to respond either chat, email or by calling their help line). I couldn’t find any direct number to call for BetterLegal, for example.

BetterLegal Pricing: BetterLegal’s standard pricing gets started at a relatively premium $299 + relevant state filing fees.

Ongoing Registered Agent Services and State Filing Support starts at $10/month or $90/year respectively.

How does BetterLegal compare to other entity registration and support services?

• BetterLegal vs Bizee Compared Directly
• BetterLegal vs LegalZoom

Harbor Compliance

Summary: Harbor Compliance offers a wide array of business incorporation and maintenance services, but also has some different use cases like developer & API tools for custom technical filing and compliance workflows.

Harbor Compliance Advantages

• Simple $99 filing fee for most business incorporation use cases
• Harbor also is a great solution for highly regulated industries with bespoke filing services for Accounting, Construction, Law Firms, Nonprofits and more
• Ability to set up long-term service arrangements e.g. up to 10 years so you don’t have to recommit every year

Harbor Compliance Disadvantages

• Not quite as user friendly or self-service as Bizee
• Initial pricing is not typically as competitive as Bizee
• Less track record and user reviews compared to Bizee

Harbor Compliance Pricing: Harbor Compliance filings general start at $99 for most initial filings.

Final Word on the Best Bizee Competitors

Clearly there are a whole lot of options to consider in the legal business services space. It’s only become more complicated in the last few years (trust me, I got started with Legalzoom in 2015!). 

That said, here are some easy ways to narrow down the choice:

• Looking for the best alternative overall? Go with ZenBusiness here. It’s very similar, but often featuring better prices, fewer aggressive upsells, and an easier to use interface. 
• Looking for a faster service? Go with Swyft Filings here. If you need a rush job, it’s hard to beat Swyft filings to get setup quickly.
• Best Bizee alternative for Startups? Try the new Firstbase.io offering here. It really goes beyond just incorporation and provides an extremely good value for tech startups, venture backed startups, or investor backed startups.