Do you want to form a new corporation, but you need some help with the formation process?
There are many online incorporation services available, but it can be tricky to figure out which one is the right fit for your business. ZenBusiness and MyCompanyWorks are both reputable services in this industry that can form your new business entity accurately and efficiently.
In this comparison guide, you’ll find all the relevant details about how these companies fare according to our five key points for business incorporation services. Is ZenBusiness or MyCompanyWorks the better option for you?
Key Comparison Points
In our review and comparison of each online incorporation service, we performed a “stress test” on each based on five key factors:
- Compared pricing and features to determine overall value.
- Researched their track record.
- Assessed the quality of customer service.
- Tested their ordering process and service’s ease of use.
- Reviewed the turnaround times for incorporating online.
As you’ll see in this comparison review of ZenBusiness and MyCompanyWorks, these are both good incorporation services. Which one is the best for your unique needs?
Overall Pricing and Value
ZenBusiness: Does the idea of receiving your incorporation for free (plus state fee) appeal to you? ZenBusiness is one of the only services in this industry that offers an incorporation package for such an affordable rate, and our $199 Pro package adds ongoing compliance assistance, a guided operating agreement or corporate bylaws, and faster processing. You also might like our $299 package, which adds our fastest processing, a domain name, and a business website package.
MyCompanyWorks: Their basic formation package has a price point of $59, which is pretty reasonable as this package does include some business documents. MyCompanyWorks offers registered agent service for the low rate of $99 per year, and the first year of this service is included with its top two incorporation packages.
Guru Tip: If you’d like to compare ZenBusiness to two other top-rated incorporation services, see how we stack up to Incfile and Northwest Registered Agent.
Company Track Record & Experience
ZenBusiness: Since we opened for business in 2015, ZenBusiness has already formed 300,000+ LLCs and corporations, and we aim to complete one million more business formations in the next several years. When it comes to customer reviews, ZenBusiness really stands out from the pack, as we have more than 10,000 reviews across the internet, and almost all of them are perfect five-star scores.
MyCompanyWorks: This company formed in 2001 under the name MyNewCompany, and they changed their name to MyCompanyWorks a few years ago. To date, they’ve formed over 60,000 business entities. Their customer feedback is quite good, as they have 4,000+ reviews online, and over 97% of them are either four or five stars.
Customer Service
ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness offers three options to access our customer support team — you can call, email, or chat with us through the portal on our website. We have expanded availability that even includes Sundays — very few competitors have any weekend availability. We pride ourselves in continuously improving the quality and responsiveness of our customer support, and we believe we compare favorably to the vast majority of competitors in this area.
MyCompanyWorks: With MyCompanyWorks, clients can access their support network via phone or email. They typically respond to phone calls and emails within 20 minutes during business hours. Their reps are professional and courteous, and they have always provided thorough responses to our questions.
Ease of Use
ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness simplifies the business formation process to the point where you’ll only invest a few minutes filling out our order form. All you need to do is choose your formation package, and provide us with basic information about yourself and your business.
MyCompanyWorks: Their formation process is similarly streamlined, as it only took us about 10-15 minutes to provide them with all the information they needed to form our business entity. They can also help you figure out which kind of company to form, thanks to their helpful collection of business articles.
Speed of Formation
ZenBusiness: With ZenBusiness, all formation speeds vary based on state capabilities. Also, if you’re in a hurry, you can choose one of our premium packages to speed things up a bit! When compared to other formation services, we are usually either just as fast or slightly faster. To find out your turnaround time, simply plug in your state and immediately see your estimated processing speed.
MyCompanyWorks: MyCompanyWorks guarantees to prepare and file your articles of organization/incorporation the same day if you make your purchase before 3pm ET, or the next day if you place your order after that. They provide estimates for each state on their order form, including turnaround times for both standard and expedited processing, where available.
Common Questions
What Is the Biggest Advantage of Each Service?
ZenBusiness has a huge advantage over most other companies in this industry, in the form of our free business formation package ― there are very few companies that can match this offer. All you have to cover is the state filing fee.
As for MyCompanyWorks, we think their biggest advantage is their experience and longevity, as some people simply prefer to use a company that’s been around for decades.
Which Company Offers More Help With Ongoing Compliance Requirements?
With either one of these companies, you’ll have access to a wide variety of tools and features that can help your business stay in good standing with the state. With ZenBusiness, registered agent service costs $99/year for the first year and $199 after that, and we also offer annual report service for the reasonable rate of $100. Keep in mind that ZenBusiness includes ongoing compliance assistance with our premium incorporation packages.
MyCompanyWorks offers registered agent service for an annual rate of $99, and their annual reports cost $99 as well.
Which Is the Better Option if I Need Publication Service?
In some states, you need to publish your company’s formation in a regional newspaper. For example, Arizona and Nebraska require publication for LLCs and corporations, New York requires it for LLCs only, and Pennsylvania and Georgia have this requirement for corporations only.
MyCompanyWorks provides clients forming businesses in these states with a set of detailed instructions outlining how to complete this requirement, but ZenBusiness actually offers to handle this entire process for you.
Am I Required to Use a Formation Service?
There is nothing that legally requires you to use a professional service when forming a new business entity. If the DIY option is something that appeals to you, you can find a how-to guide for forming a corporation right here on this website. We would like to mention though that the corporation is a complex business structure in general, and we only advise forming your own if you are entirely comfortable with the incorporation process.
Additional Reading
If you’d like to check out more reviews to help start your business, in addition to our own LLC service, here are some of the most popular: