Top 10 Best LLC Services in Kentucky (December 2024)

To form a limited liability company (LLC) in the Bluegrass State, finding the best LLC formation service to work for you as a liaison between your Kentucky LLC and the state authorities is an important step in the formation process.

In the past, forming a company was a time-consuming and expensive process. Companies had to wait months for their legal entity to be established. They also had to hire lawyers and fill out a lot of paperwork.

However, not everyone can afford a lawyer, and many people are hesitant to file documents on their own.

What’s the solution? Online business formation services. They are a growing trend for entrepreneurs.

I’ve analyzed and ranked the best LLC formation services in Kentucky. This article will provide the results of my findings, including the good and bad among the various pricing plans and features of the top Kentucky LLC formation services.

My Top 10 Picks for Best LLC Service in Kentucky

  1. Northwest Registered Agent
  2. Incfile
  3. ZenBusiness
  4. Harbor Compliance
  5. LegalZoom
  6. Rocket Lawyer
  7. InCorp
  8. Swyft Filings
  9. BizFilings
  10. Incorporate.com

Online LLC services have made it easy for anyone to form a new business entity. Only a few data points about your company will be required by the service provider. Online filing services can prepare and file your Kentucky entity documents with the Kentucky Secretary of State for you.

Online incorporation services are quick and inexpensive, allowing you to establish a legal business entity in Kentucky and the registered agent services in Kentucky can assist with ongoing compliance matters.

#1 Northwest Registered Agent – (Best LLC Service for Privacy)

Northwest Registered Agent logo 461x109
  • Headquarters: Spokane, WA
  • Family-owned and operated
  • Offices in 50 states
  • 600 employees nationwide
  • ‘Privacy by Default’

https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com

I think Northwest Registered Agent’s LLC formation service provides the most features and best prices compared to any of the other Kentucky LLC services.

  • Northwest has offices in each of the 50 states.
  • They offer the best pricing and level of service in Kentucky 
  • $39 LLC formation with one year of registered agent service included

They were the first to offer local scanning for all documents they received as national registered agents service providers. Competitors scan only those government documents that are legally required.

Northwest is also my top choice in Kentucky for registered agent services

Northwest Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Reasonable prices
  • Privacy
  • Volume discounts
  • For any formation, free registered agent service for 12 month
  • All documents can be scanned locally

Cons

  • There are some cheaper options for standalone services.

 

#2 Incfile  (Best Budget LLC Service)

Incfile logo  

  • Free Registered Agent service for the first year
  • 20 Years Experience
  • 500,000+ Formations
  • Quick Processing

https://www.incfile.com

Incfile is one of the market’s best and most experienced incorporation and business formation platforms. Incfile was launched in 2004 and has been used to create more than 500,000 businesses.

Incfile is quick, simple, and affordable.

  • Incfile provides Kentucky incorporation and business formation services such as LLCs, S-Corporations (C-Corporations), and nonprofits.
  • Plans: Silver $0, Gold $199, Platinum $299
  • Incfile makes it easy to create your business. You only need to pay the state filing fees.
  • All plans include verifying company name availability, preparation and filing articles the next day, online status tracking, and online document access.
  • Registered agent service is also available for free for one year.

Incfile allows you to add premium services such as EIN services and operating agreements to your base package. You can also upgrade to a package to get your plan’s benefits. Prices can vary from one state or the another.

Incfile Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Reasonable pricing for registered agent service
  • No cost business formation
  • Nearly 20 years of experience
  • 12-month registration agent free with the purchase

Cons

  • Numerous add-ons and upsells

 

#3 – ZenBusiness  (Best Worry-Free LLC Service)

ZenBusiness logo 2022
  • Filing and formation start at $49 a Month
  • LLC Services
  • Incorporation Services
  • Registered Agent Services

https://zenbusiness.com

ZenBusiness allows anyone to quickly and easily start a business. They offer Kentucky LLC services, incorporation, and registered agent services. ZenBusiness also provides DBA services (doing business under) names, EIN services, and business name reservations. 

They assist customers from naming their LLC to selecting a registered agent, applying for an EIN, and filings for the Certificate of Formation and Articles of Organization.

Plans start at $49 plus state fees. The rates may vary based on the state you are located in and your business type. It is worth noting, however, that the Entry-Level ‘Starter Plan’ does not include an EIN filing. However, it is available with the Pro and Premium plans. ZenBusiness offers registered agent services as an extra add-on for an additional price of $99/year.

ZenBusiness Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Affordable prices
  • ‘Worry-free’ compliance
  • A free annual report is included with the formation service
  • Very positive customer reviews
  • Customer support, including Saturdays

Cons

  • There are cheaper options.
  • Registered agent service is optional for an additional fee

 

#4 Harbor Compliance (Best Comprehensive LLC Service)

Harbor-Compliance best LLC service

  • Harbor Compliance has provided compliance services to 35,000 businesses since 2012.
  • A group of government licensing specials created the foundation.
  • There are offices in 50 states.

https://www.harborcompliance.com/

Harbor Compliance guarantees that your documents will arrive within 24 hours of receiving them. This is an expedited turnaround service if you have an urgent requirement. A variety of compliance services are also offered by the platform.

This platform is great for companies with multiple licensing or compliance requirements who want everything to be in one place.

Who can use their services? Harbor Compliance is a great choice for Kentucky companies requiring compliance and registered agent services.

Harbor Compliance Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Personalized customer service
  • Experts in compliance nationwide
  • Compliance software ‘Entity Manager’
  • Processing speed
  • Auto-billing is prohibited

Cons

  • Services that are more costly than those offered by other providers
  • The service of a registered agent differs from the main features

 

#5 LegalZoom  (Best Branded LLC Service)

LegalZoom logo

  • LegalZoom was established in 2001. It has served more than 3.6 million customers. 
  • They have thousands of online reviews with a fair amount of both positive and negative feedback.
  • LegalZoom is the most expensive LLC formation service that I have found.
  • They have a strong brand name and charge a premium for their service.
  • LegalZoom can be reached between 10 and 8 ET on weekdays and 10 to 7 ET on weekends.

https://www.legalzoom.com

LegalZoom is another contender for the best Kentucky LLC service. Their impressive customer base is a testament to this. LegalZoom allows you to connect with a company that has extensive experience in the legal services industry.

They charge more for registered agent services than any other options in this guide. LegalZoom does not offer registered agent services with any of its formation packages. Express Gold ($349) does not offer registered agent services. They charge $299 per year for registered agent service.

LegalZoom Pros & Cons

Pros

  • 20+ years of experience
  • Ongoing legal services are available
  • 60-day refund policy
  • Talk to an attorney (Additional fee)
  • Satisfaction guaranteed


Cons

  • High Prices
  • There is no registration agent in any business formation package

 

6. Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer is similar to LegalZoom, but it’s not as expensive. I could not find anything to get excited about with Rocket Lawyer. Nothing stands out as exceptional.

Rocket Lawyer charges $99 for basic LLC formation services in Kentucky.

7. InCorp

InCorp is similar to Harbor Compliance, they charge $117 to file your Articles of Organization and assist with drafting your Kentucky LLC Operating Agreement.

The computer system they use is complicated to manage. For such a complicated system, their customer service is inadequate. They have room for improvement.

8. Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings offers full-service registration and can help with your Certificate of Formation. You can also receive legal mail from the Kentucky Secretary of State through the company’s Kentucky business address. 

LLC formation prices are $49 plus $149/yr for registered agent service. That’s $198 + state fee—nothing interesting here. Northwest provides the same services for $39 + state fee.

9. BizFilings

BizFilings, another Kentucky LLC provider, charges $99 for the basic package. This includes assistance in filing your formation documents and a year of their registered agent services. Compliance alerts are also included.

They do not offer other essential services such as business tax assessment, your Operating Agreement assistance, or an online document storage portal. So, for $99, you get less value for your dollar.

Despite being a specialized service with more than two decades of expertise, BizFilings failed to impress us because of various factors, including their overall cost, processing speed, and practice of enrolling customers with their registered agent service with no opt-out opportunity when signing up online.

10. Incorporate.com

Incorporate.com provides business services, including business formations and registered agent services. For $99, they assist with filing your Articles of Organization and offer an online portal. CSC Global is the company that owns and operates them. This company has a long history. 

 

Additional Kentucky LLC Services

MyCompany Works

MyCompanyWorks has a basic package that costs $79 and includes assistance with Articles of Organization, Operating Agreement assistance, an online account to store legal documents, compliance alerts, and assistance with registering with the Kentucky Secretary of State.

They have 3,900+ online reviews on the ShopperApproved website, most of which are positive. 

You will need to buy their premium package for $279 if you want Kentucky registered agent service. This is quite expensive compared to the other LLC services on the top of my list.

 

Inc Authority

Inc Authority likes to promote its “free LLC” service, but things get very pricey when you add the needed features.

Both Inc Authority and IncFile promote their “free LLC,” but between the two LLC services, I prefer Incfile.

You will need to buy their $399 basic package if you require assistance drafting an Operating Agreement, accessing an EIN, or a company seal. You will also need to buy their premium $799 package if you want to receive a year of their commercial registered agent service.

 

Tailor Brands

Tailor Brands is a bit different than the others on my list. Like their name says, they ‘tailor’ business brands. Tailor Brands promotes itself as a company that provides a complete service to business owners, including compliance and LLC formation, logo design, and branding features. Tailor Brands offers one $49 formation plan. Additional services like registered agent are $199/yr, and assistance with getting an EIN they charge $99.

 

Incorporate Fast

Incorporate Fast offers Kentucky LLC formation services at a low $99 price. This includes assistance with filing documents, and they provide an LLC Operating Agreement template. They also provide sample documents that can be used to help you set up your Kentucky LLC.

Their best feature is that they will process and file your documents within 24 hours of receipt. This is something other LLC services can’t promise.

Although they don’t offer a business tax assessment or an online document storage portal, you can upgrade to their $199 package and get an EIN.

 

CorpNet

CorpNet has been in the business formation space for over 20 years. CorpNet will file the  Kentucky LLC documents and provide compliance alerts in order to maintain good standing with the Secretary of State. CorpNet’s pricing starts at $79.

 

Direct Incorporation

Direct Incorporation offers LLC formations that include a banking resolution as well as an Employer Identification number.  They charge $174 for these services. If you need an LLC operating agreement, you need to get the next package at $297. They also offer logo design, trademarks, a business website, and email.


How I found the best LLC formation service in Kentucky

Some important things to remember when evaluating these different LLC formation services. These are the factors I used to rank and rate the top LLC services in Kentucky. I used these rating factors to eliminate the weaker competing services from my list.

These rating factors can be guidelines when searching for Kentucky LLC services.

Type of business entity

What type of business are you planning to start? Which type of business do you plan to start?

Although most LLC services are able to work with all types of entities, some are more suited for one type than others. An LLC may not require the same LLC formation service as an S-Corp. Some LLC formation services are better suited for nonprofits.

You can do some research to find out which type of entity the LLC formation service works with. If they are similar to yours, it might be a good fit.

Compliance

A good LLC service will make sure that you comply with all applicable laws.

You can make sure you meet deadlines and fulfill requirements by looking for Kentucky LLC services that send reminders via email or SMS. You may also receive compliance guides or additional materials from some services.

It is easy to determine who distinguishes between those who only do the minimum and those who go above and beyond.

Security and privacy

Privacy is one of the top benefits of an LLC service that provides registered agent services. The LLC formation service’s address will be public but not your home or office address.

An LLC formation service in Kentucky can help with legal documents and correspondence. Many registered agents offer mail forwarding rather than mail storage. Others will securely upload your documents to an online dashboard you can access remotely.

It’s important to ask the LLC service if they plan to sell your private information. Free LLC services might make money by upselling additional services, including accounting, website hosting, and insurance.

Business formation and Kentucky registered agent services

It is a good idea for LLC formation and registered agent service to be the same company. 

Many business formation companies offer incentives like a free year of registered agent service with LLC formations. 

Value

Kentucky LLC formation service services typically cost $100 per year. Some might charge $50 less or more. However, you shouldn’t have to pay more unless you go with a brand name like LegalZoom.

While some businesses might use an attorney to assist with an LLC formation, it will likely cost more than the services provided in this guide.

Combining your LLC service with a good registered agent is often the best way of getting the most value for your money.

Support

Kentucky LLC services should be able to help you if you have any questions.

This is an important part of a service assessment for LLC services. This can be done by phone, in person, or online.

Before you make any decisions, it is a good idea to read customer reviews. Many customer reviews will contain comments about the support they received. These remarks can help you make a decision if you aren’t sure which option you should choose.


My research and testing of the best Kentucky LLC formation services

When I began my initial research into Kentucky LLC services, I came across more than 20 available services. When trying to find the best Kentucky LLC formation services, I found the internet useful for researching customer reviews.

Customer reviews contained hundreds of negative comments. Some were unhappy with the lack of basic services, while others were dissatisfied with high prices and poor customer service.

I was able to get rid of most of the bad LLC services and left with 10 promising businesses. I avoided companies that were brand new and lacked experience.

I visited the websites of the remaining agents to see what claims they made and the promises they made. I was able to find enough evidence for me to evaluate them thoroughly.

Many newcomers are entering the LLC formation service market. I established criteria that experience must be at least five years. ZenBusiness is one of the newer companies, but they have been in business for a little over five years now.

Most of the services in my top five have nearly 20 years of experience.

I also looked at reviews of the company before the pandemic. While LLC services filed documents and worked with understaffed state government agencies, the delays were numerous. This resulted in more negative reviews than normal. Most of these processing delays began in early 2020 and ended around mid-2021.

I evaluated the customer reviews for several years up to the most current ones.

For 16 years, Incfile received an A+ rating from the BBB. This is remarkable, but Incfile lost its BBB rating in 2020-2021 and is no longer rated by BBB.

From my research, I could narrow down a list of 10 good LLC services to review.

These are my Findings and Final Results of the Top Kentucky LLC formation services

After weeks of research and eliminating many top LLC formation services, I finally settled on a list of the top five services. My top choices were Northwest, Incfile, ZenBusiness, Harbor Compliance, and LegalZoom.

My original research into LLC services began over one year ago when my wife and I searched for a good LLC service to assist us with forming a new business entity for our online business that we both owned and operated. My wife and I agreed that Northwest would be our top choice, so with guidance from Northwest Registered Agent, my wife and I created an LLC for our online business.

Northwest assigned a friendly and knowledgeable ‘Corporate Guide’ to assist us and answer any questions we might have. The formation process was a breeze. I found the price of $39 reasonable and affordable, and I liked that Northwest placed a lot of importance on customer privacy. 

The Winner – Best Kentucky LLC formation service: Northwest is the Winner

Northwest LLC formation service is the best Kentucky LLC formation service. From my own experience, I’m pleased to recommend them. They provide reliable, affordable services that ensure compliance with Kentucky laws. Their customer service is unmatched in the market for both LLC formation services.

My Experience with Northwest

The Northwest LLC formation service has all the features you require. Northwest has 50 offices in 50 states. Their motto is ‘Privacy By Default.’

They ensured that my Certificate of Formation was filed with the Secretary of State. I was also provided with a physical address to use in order to make sure that no personal information was published.

They uploaded all relevant legal documents, scanned them, and sent them to me via my online document portal. Compliance alerts reminded me of important filing deadlines. They ensure that my company is in compliance with the state.

The company’s greatest asset is its customer service from its ‘Corporate Guides.’

Before choosing Northwest, I often received generic responses from the support teams while shopping for an LLC service. Before I asked them a question, I could guess their answers. Northwest is a completely different story.

The Northwest ‘Corporate Guides’ are Kentucky business regulations and compliance experts.

They were there to support me at every step of my business creation. They helped me create a company marketing plan and recruit the best employees.

My recommendation for Kentucky LLC formation service

Anyone looking to start a business in Kentucky should consider Northwest Registered Agent. I found them to be a trustworthy professional service. 

They will ensure that your Kentucky LLC (Limited Liability Company) is in good standing with the Kentucky Secretary of State. The Corporate Guides are available to provide compliance and formation advice to assist you with any issues that might arise in your business.

They are very competitive in pricing compared to LegalZoom; Northwest is much cheaper.

 

Any of the 50 States

If you need to incorporate in any of the 50 states, visit our list of the best online incorporation services for 2023. Any of these top incorporation services can provide you with affordable online incorporation and registered agent service.  

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