Bizee LLC and Business Formation Review

26
Dec 24

When it comes to officially registering your business, you can choose the do-it-yourself approach or you can pay for a formation service to handle all the hard work for you. Bizee is one of the most popular business formation services, and offers three packages tailored to help young entrepreneurs get their businesses up and running.

Read on to learn more about Bizee and see if it’s right for you.

Bize

  • The cost

    $0 + state registration fee for basic plan; $199 + state filing fee for Standard plan; $299 + state filing fee for Premium plan

  • Does the app exist?

  • Salient features

    Bizee offers some valuable features, including a free year of Registered Agent service. The platform also offers compliance alerts, business banking, business tax advice and more.

Pros

  • Offers one year of free Registered Agent service
  • Offers lifetime compliance alerts included in all packages
  • Premium package includes expedited deposit

How does Bizee work?

Bizee Pricing and Features

Bizee currently offers three pricing tiers: Basic, Standard and Premium. Here is an overview of what each of these levels offers.

Bizee Pricing and Features

Plan The cost Features
CoRe $0 + state fee – Preparation and filing of Articles of Organization – Free Registered Agent service for one year – Access to online control panel – Business bank account offer – Business tax consultancy
Standard $199 + state fee Everything in Basic plus: – Business Tax EIN Number – Operating Agreement – Lifetime Compliance Alerts – Unlimited Phone and Email Support – IRS Form 2553
Premium $299 + state fee Everything in Standard plus: – 1-day expedited registration – Business contract templates – Domain name and business email

One way to avoid paying for features you won’t really need is to choose the free basic plan and then choose the optional add-ons that suit your business. For example, expedited deposit is included in the Premium tier, but is an additional $50 with the Basic or Standard tiers. An operating agreement will cost an additional $99 with the Basic tier, and access to business contract templates will cost you an additional $150 if you want to include them as an add-on. The clearer the picture of your business needs, the more accurate you can be with your expenses.

The pros and cons of Bizee

Before signing up for Bizee, consider these pros and cons.

Pros

  • Offers a free basic plan (you just pay the state fee)
  • Offers one-day expedited deposit (with Premium plan; otherwise you may pay $50 for expedited deposit)
  • Provides free registered agent service for one year
  • Provides compliance notices at all levels

ANTI

  • Unlimited phone and email support is only available with the Premium plan
  • The basic plan does not include a business EIN

Bizee alternative

While Bizee offers a lot in terms of features, here are some of what other business formation services include in their packages.

Bizee v. Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent

  • The cost

    $39 + state filing fee for forming LLCs, corporations and non-profits

  • Does the app exist?

  • Salient features

    Enrolled Agent Northwest primarily provides services and business formation services for Enrolled Agents, Trademarks, Mailing, EIN, Business Websites and Business Emails

Pros

  • Simple pricing plan
  • Allows multiple registered agents with a discount of $100/year for each additional registered agent state
  • Offers website building and business email services
  • Offers one year of free Registered Agent service

ANTI

  • It does not provide an application
  • Registered Agent Service is an additional $125/year after the first year

Bizee offers several features in all three packages – even the most basic pricing plan comes equipped with access to an online control panel, access to the business bank account, a business tax consultation and more. Rather, Registered Agent Northwest is more of a bare bones service. It offers business registration registration, domain, website and business email offerings, EIN service and compliance, and Enrolled Agent services.

Northwest also offers a simpler pricing structure – registering your business costs $39, plus applicable state fees. However, Northwest does not provide business tax services or business banking services. So while Northwest may be more affordable than Bizee, there are some types of services you won’t be able to use through Northwest.

Both companies offer registered agent service for free for one year, after which you pay $119 per year for Bizee and $125 per year for Northwest.

Bizee v. FileNow

FileNow

  • The cost

    $49 + state registration fees for starter plan; $199 + state registration fees for Premium plan

  • Does the app exist?

  • Salient features

    FileNow offers 24-hour processing, which is one of the most convenient turnaround times in the industry.

Pros

  • Fast order processing
  • Offers free registered agent for one year
  • Provides business contract templates
  • Offers unlimited phone and email support
  • It boasts a quick 15-minute application process

ANTI

  • FileNow’s overall offerings aren’t as robust as those of its competitors
  • Charges a base price plus state filing fee; some competitors charge only a state registration fee

Unlike Bizee, FileNow offers only two pricing plans: Starter and Premium. FileNow’s starter plan costs $49 plus state fee and the Premium plan costs $199 plus state fee. Both Bizee’s basic plan and FileNow’s starter plan will store your organization items, but FileNow will also include unlimited phone and email support.

Another important difference is that while both FileNow and Bizee offer the first year of its Registered Agent service for free, FileNow caps this after its more expensive Premium plan (with Bizee, you get this year free with any plan as long as you register your business through the company).

Finally, FileNow does not have an option to register your business as a non-profit organization. Its only filing options are for LLCs, S-Corps, and C-Corps. This makes Bizee the obvious choice between the two if you’re starting a nonprofit.

So although FileNow offers fewer packages to choose from, unlimited live customer support is included regardless of which package you choose. Depending on what you value most in a business creation service, this may make any of FileNow’s compromises worth it.

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Frequently asked questions

Why is an LLC a good idea?

An LLC is a legal structure that ensures that business owners separate their personal assets and debts from the assets and debts of their business. So if your business were to get sued or go bankrupt, it wouldn’t affect your personal assets.

How much does it cost to get an LLC?

The cost of an LLC may depend on your state’s filing fee, which can range from $50 to several hundred dollars. You can choose to file the documents yourself or use a business formation service, which may charge you a service fee on top of your state’s filing fee.

Why trust CNBC Select?

Editorial note: The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are solely those of the Featured editorial staff and have not been reviewed, endorsed or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

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