US online legal services company for forming and running an LLC or corporation, now with a free AI Assistant that answers compliance questions from your own entity record (good standing, filing deadlines, registered agent) and hands you to an independent attorney when judgment is needed. LLC formation from $0 + state fees.
Free tierYesStart without a card where the vendor allows
Setup time~10 min to a free account and first AI answer; formation takes longer (state processing times vary; est.)No-code: Yes
ReplacesSearching state websites and help articles for filing rules, a spreadsheet of compliance deadlines, a separate registered-agent provider and a first call to a lawyer for routine questions
We haven't tested LegalZoom hands-on yet. We researched its official documentation and pricing, checked on 2026-11-04; the review isn't a report of personal use. Our editorial SMB score and setup time are estimates, not test results.
Quick verdict
LegalZoom is a US-business shortlist option, including for a founder abroad forming a US LLC. Formation, state compliance, a registered agent and on-call attorneys sit in one account. The free AI Assistant knows entity details, state and deadlines; LLC Basic is $0 plus state fees. Attorney access starts with the $249 Pro package or the $469-a-year Business Attorney Plan. Check alternatives if the lowest combined formation and agent price is the priority: some rivals list lower prices. We wouldn't use it for a non-US company or treat the AI as legal advice. LegalZoom says it isn't a law firm, and information given to it lacks attorney-client privilege.
What LegalZoom is and how it works
LegalZoom handles US business formation and the legal administration that follows it. It can form an LLC, corporation or nonprofit, act as registered agent, submit annual reports and compliance filings, provide templates and connect customers with independent attorneys on flat-rate plans. The company is listed on Nasdaq as LZ and has operated for more than 25 years. Its own pages give differing formation totals, including 4 million+ and over 5 million businesses. Those are vendor figures, not counts we independently verified.
The AI Assistant was announced on 29 Oct 2026; LegalZoom says customers had been using it since August. It reads the entity details in the account, including business type, formation state, registered agent and address. A question about good standing or the next state report can therefore lead to an answer tied to that record and a link to the relevant filing. Questions needing judgment are handed to an attorney or business specialist. The assistant is free even for owners who formed elsewhere. LegalZoom apps also run inside ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity.
The purchase decision is around the free assistant: do you need a paid registered agent, compliance filings or attorney access, and which services renew automatically? LegalZoom serves US entities, including a US LLC formed by a founder abroad. It is not a formation service for a company registered in Europe. We used its product, press, legal and partner pages, checked on 4 Nov 2026; sources are below. We haven’t tested LegalZoom hands-on, and the usage figures in its announcement remain LegalZoom’s claims.
Before accepting an optional service, note its owner, renewal date and recurring charge. The free assistant doesn’t make every filing or attorney service free. Keep the question about the entity separate from the decision to purchase the service suggested in response.
Key features and what they do for your business
AI Assistant grounded in your business record
Launched publicly on 29 Oct 2026, the assistant answers in plain language from your actual entity data (business type, formation state, registered agent, address). LegalZoom's example: a Texas owner asks 'Am I in good standing?' and gets confirmation that the LLC is active, a reminder that a Public Information Report is due 15 May and a link to the right filing. Business value: compliance questions answered in seconds instead of a call or a search through state websites.
Free for owners who formed elsewhere
Any business owner can create a free LegalZoom account and use the AI Assistant, whether or not they formed with LegalZoom; owners who haven't formed yet get guidance on what to file, in which state and which product fits. LegalZoom says customers have used it hundreds of thousands of times since August, most often to check business status and filing deadlines (vendor figure).
Hand-off to attorneys and specialists
When a question needs judgment, the assistant connects you to a licensed attorney from LegalZoom's independent network or a business specialist. Attorney time comes from the Pro and Premium LLC packages (30 days of unlimited 30-minute consults on new topics) or the Business Attorney Plan (unlimited 30-minute consults on new matters, 10 pages of contract review included).
Business formation in three steps
Tell LegalZoom about the business, choose services and it files the articles of organization with the state. Packages add a name check, operating agreement, EIN, 150+ customizable legal documents for a year, eSignatures and a Wix-powered website. Corporations, nonprofits, DBAs and sole-proprietorship set-up are also offered.
Compliance filings, licenses and registered agent
Compliance Filings ($199/yr) covers required state filings and business taxes; adding Licenses & Permits ($299/yr) finds and manages federal, state and local licenses. A one-off Annual Report filing is $99 plus state fees, and registered agent service is $249/yr. Business value: fewer missed deadlines, which can lead to late fees or administrative dissolution.
Doc Assist contract summaries (free)
Upload a text-based PDF, DOCX, DOC or TXT under 5MB and Doc Assist returns facts and figures, clause highlights and common questions about the document, up to 10 summaries a day. It is built for English-language, US-oriented agreements, isn't available outside the US and says its output may be incomplete or inaccurate.
LegalZoom inside ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity
LegalZoom apps are live in five AI assistants. Its public MCP directory lists 24 tools in 7 families: knowledge search, formation (compare structures, LLC checklist, package options), attorney scheduling and document upload, business-license purchase, trademark goods-and-services wording, legal templates and document analysis. In Claude, the connector packages the conversation for the attorney who takes the call.
Partner services in one account
The AI Assistant also routes to LegalZoom's partner offers for business banking, credit, accounting, tax, payroll and business insurance, plus LZ Virtual Mail for digitised business post. Premium LLC packages include six months of bookkeeping tools, invoices and mileage capture.
LegalZoom pricing by plan
Plan
Price
What's included
Limits & minimums
AI Assistant + Doc Assist
Billed annuallyFreeBilled monthlyFree
AI Assistant inside your LegalZoom account (answers from your entity record if you formed with LegalZoom); Doc Assist summaries
Doc Assist: up to 10 summaries a day, text-based files under 5MB, US only. Neither gives legal advice
LLC Basic
Billed annuallyOne-timeBilled monthly$0 + state filing fees
Articles of organization filed with the state, business name check, tax consult from 1-800Accountant
No attorney access, operating agreement or EIN
LLC Pro
Billed annuallyOne-timeBilled monthly$249 + state filing fees
Basic plus operating agreement, EIN, unlimited 30-minute attorney consults on new topics for 30 days, 150+ legal documents and unlimited eSignatures for 1 year, customizable website
Attorney consults auto-renew at $49/mo after 30 days unless cancelled
LLC Premium
Billed annuallyOne-timeBilled monthly$299 + state filing fees
Pro plus bookkeeping tools for 6 months, unlimited proposals and invoices, income and expense tracking, automatic mileage capture
Bookkeeping tools auto-renew at $9.99/mo after 6 months unless cancelled
Required compliance filings and business taxes; the higher tier also finds and manages licenses and permits
Auto-renews; state fees extra. One-off Annual Report filing is $99 + state fees
Business Attorney Plan
Billed annually$469/yr ($39.09/mo)Billed monthly6-month term shown at $43.17/mo
Unlimited 30-minute consults on new legal matters, contract review up to 10 pages, one-hour annual consultation after 6 months, 150+ templates, eSignature, one copyright registration a month, 10% off LegalZoom filings, 25% off further attorney work
Renews automatically at the purchase rate; longer documents reviewed at flat fees ($69 for 11–15 pages, $149 for 16–25)
A dedicated Business Manager who coordinates eligible filings and next steps; independent attorney access in select packages
State filing fees extra; packages above the entry price via a sales call
Prices read on legalzoom.com product pages (LLC, corporation, registered agent, compliance, annual report, business attorney plan, business manager) on 4 Nov 2026 in a headless browser, in USD before tax. LegalZoom doesn't publish a single pricing page; each product page shows its own price.
State filing fees are always extra and set by each state. LegalZoom says many of these costs are often tax-deductible, but check with your accountant.
Watch the auto-renewals: the Pro package's attorney consults renew at $49 a month after 30 days, Premium's bookkeeping tools at $9.99 a month after 6 months, and registered agent, compliance and attorney plans renew yearly at the purchase rate.
The Business Attorney Plan page showed $39.09 a month billed annually at $469 and $43.17 a month for the 6-month term (a 'save 10%' badge on the yearly option). Confirm the 6-month billing at checkout.
Refunds (LZ Guarantee, updated 21 Oct 2025): filed products such as LLC formation are refundable within 60 days only if nothing has been submitted to the state; subscriptions within 30 days of the first purchase (legal plans only if you haven't had an attorney consultation). State filing fees are not refunded once submitted.
Prices in USD per the vendor's pricing page, before tax, checked 2026-11-04. Check the current checkout price before committing. Estimate a full stack with our AI stack cost calculator.
Use cases by business type
These examples show how a business could use the documented features. They aren't customer stories, tests we've run or measured results.
Accountant
A 3-person bookkeeping firm could have each new client create a free LegalZoom account, ask the AI Assistant which state filings are due this year and use Compliance Filings ($199/yr) for clients who keep missing annual reports.
Agency
A 5-person design agency could keep its LLC's registered agent, operating agreement and annual report in one account, and use Doc Assist to summarise a client's master services agreement before booking a 30-minute attorney consult on the risky clauses.
E-shop
A founder in Europe selling to US customers could form a Wyoming or Delaware LLC on the Pro package to get the EIN and operating agreement in one order, then ask the assistant when the first state report is due.
Consultant
A solo consultant moving from sole proprietor to LLC could ask the assistant to compare structures, form on Basic for $0 plus state fees and add the Business Attorney Plan later if client contracts become a regular question.
Local services
A cleaning or landscaping company could use Compliance Filings plus Licenses & Permits ($299/yr) to track the local business licence it must renew each year, and ask the assistant whether the business is still in good standing before bidding on a contract.
How to get started in 5 steps
Create a free LegalZoom accountSign up or sign in at legalzoom.com. The AI Assistant is available to every customer inside the account, and owners who formed elsewhere can use it for free too.
Ask the AI Assistant about your businessStart with status questions such as 'Am I in good standing?' or 'When is my next filing due?'. If you formed with LegalZoom, answers come from your entity record; if you haven't formed yet, ask what to file and in which state.
Form the entity or add what's missingPick an LLC package (Basic, Pro or Premium) or a corporation and follow the three steps: tell LegalZoom about the business, choose services, and it files with the state. Add an operating agreement and EIN if your package doesn't include them.
Set up ongoing complianceDecide who is your registered agent (LegalZoom's is $249 a year) and whether you want Compliance Filings or one-off annual report filings. Put every auto-renewal date in your calendar.
Bring in an attorney when it mattersSummarise a contract with Doc Assist first, then use the consults in your package or the Business Attorney Plan. If you work in Claude or ChatGPT, add the LegalZoom app or connector so a booked attorney sees the context of your question.
Integrations, security and privacy
LegalZoom apps are live in ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity (press release, 29 Oct 2026). Its AI capabilities directory (legalzoom.com/ai) publishes 24 MCP tools, a catalog.json contract and connector setup, plus read-only WebMCP tools on supported browsers (business-name availability, domain suggestions, template search). A LegalZoom plugin for Microsoft Copilot for legal lets attorneys research structures and form entities for clients (27 Oct 2026). Formation packages include a Wix-powered website and a tax consult from 1-800Accountant. For bookkeeping after formation, see QuickBooks Online or Digits; for contract signatures and templates beyond LegalZoom's library, ask your attorney.
LegalZoom app in ChatGPTClaude connectorMicrosoft Copilot (incl. Copilot for legal)GeminiPerplexityMCP server (24 published tools)WebMCP browser toolsWix (included website)1-800Accountant (tax consult)eSignature
Company and legal status
LegalZoom.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: LZ), Mountain View, California. It says it is not a law firm and does not give legal advice except through its subsidiary law firm LZ Legal Services, LLC; attorneys in its network are independent.
Attorney-client privilege
LegalZoom's site notice says the information you provide to LegalZoom is not protected by attorney-client privilege. Keep sensitive facts for the attorney consultation itself.
Certifications
Not stated on the vendor's site. We found no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 claim on legalzoom.com/security on 4 Nov 2026.
Encryption and access
The security page says sensitive information is encrypted within LegalZoom's systems and accessible only to authorised personnel. Multi-factor authentication is available to all customers (sometimes enabled automatically) and password changes trigger an alert.
AI processing and training
The privacy policy (updated 9 Jul 2026) says LegalZoom uses AI plus human review and may use personal information for product development, including machine learning and AI. The Doc Assist FAQ says uploads may train LegalZoom's own proprietary models but not third-party AI tools.
Data sharing
LegalZoom says it never sells data for money but runs targeted advertising. Formation customers since 15 Dec 2024 may have their business contact details shared with 1-800Accountant; you can opt out via 'Your privacy choices' or [email protected].
Data location and GDPR
No hosting region or EU data residency is stated. The privacy policy has an EU/UK section listing lawful bases (contract, consent, legitimate interest), access, correction and erasure rights, an EU representative contact ([email protected]) and the right to complain to an EU data protection authority or the UK ICO. No DPA is published on the pages we checked.
These are the vendor's statements, not our security audit. When we write “not stated”, we couldn't find the answer on its public pages. Ask before relying on it.
Pros
Free AI Assistant that knows your entity, so answers about good standing and deadlines are specific rather than generic.
One account for the whole legal lifecycle: formation, registered agent, compliance filings, licences, documents and attorneys.
Human escalation built in: consults with independent attorneys from the Pro package or the Business Attorney Plan.
Works where you already chat with AI: apps in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity, and a public MCP directory.
$0 + state fees entry LLC package and a free Doc Assist contract summariser.
Public partner program with stated commission types (CPA from $125 on formation, CPL and revenue share).
Cons
US entities only: it files with US states; Doc Assist isn't available outside the US.
Auto-renewing add-ons ($49/mo attorney consults after 30 days on Pro, $9.99/mo bookkeeping after 6 months on Premium) are easy to forget.
Registered agent at $249/yr is higher than the $199/yr ZenBusiness lists, and Bizee includes a free first year.
No published SOC 2/ISO certification, hosting region or DPA, and data you share is not privileged.
No single pricing page: prices sit on separate product pages, so totting up a full year takes effort.
The AI is guidance, not advice: anything binding still needs an attorney.
LegalZoom vs alternatives
Tool
Price from
Free plan
Key difference
LegalZoom
AI Assistant free; LLC from $0 + state fees
Yes
This review
ZenBusiness
LLC formation from $0 + state fees; registered agent $199/yr
Yes: $0 formation package and free Velo AI guidance
Also bundles a free AI guide (Velo) with formation and lists a cheaper registered agent. LegalZoom's edge is its attorney network, legal plans and AI apps in ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot.
Bizee
LLC Basic $0, Standard $199, Premium $299 + state fee (one-time)
Yes: $0 Basic package
Every package is eligible for a free first year of Bizee's registered agent service, which LegalZoom charges $249 a year for. Bizee has no attorney plan or AI assistant on the pages we checked.
Northwest Registered Agent
The Northwest LLC $39 + state fees
No free package
A privacy-focused formation service that lists registered agent service, use of its address instead of yours, compliance reminders, mail scanning and same-day processing. No AI assistant or attorney plan on its LLC page.
ZenBusiness prices from zenbusiness.com/pricing-products, Bizee from bizee.com/llc and Northwest from northwestregisteredagent.com/llc, all checked 4 Nov 2026 in USD. None of these three is in our directory yet, so there are no links to full reviews. Already formed and need books? See QuickBooks Online and Digits. More options: LegalZoom alternatives.
LegalZoom FAQ
Is the LegalZoom AI Assistant free?
Yes. LegalZoom says the AI Assistant is free for existing and future business owners. Customers use it inside their account with answers from their own business record; anyone else can create a free account to try it, even if they formed their business elsewhere (press release, 29 Oct 2026).
How much does LegalZoom cost to form an LLC?
On 4 Nov 2026 LegalZoom's LLC page listed Basic at $0, Pro at $249 and Premium at $299, each plus state filing fees. Pro adds an operating agreement, EIN and 30 days of attorney consults (then $49 a month unless cancelled); Premium adds six months of bookkeeping tools (then $9.99 a month).
Does the LegalZoom AI Assistant give legal advice?
No. LegalZoom says it isn't a law firm and doesn't give legal advice except through its subsidiary LZ Legal Services. The assistant gives guidance and points you to next steps, and connects you to an independent attorney when judgment is required.
Can I use LegalZoom if I live outside the US?
LegalZoom serves visitors abroad who need US legal help (its UK landing page is titled 'U.S. Legal Help in United Kingdom'), and it forms entities in US states. It doesn't form companies in other countries, and Doc Assist isn't available outside the US. Whether the AI Assistant works for non-US residents isn't stated.
Does LegalZoom use my documents to train AI?
The Doc Assist FAQ says uploaded information may be used to improve the product, including training LegalZoom's own proprietary AI models, but not third-party AI tools. The privacy policy also lists machine learning and AI among product-development uses.
How much is LegalZoom's registered agent service?
$249 a year on 4 Nov 2026, renewing automatically; you can cancel anytime. For comparison, ZenBusiness listed $199 a year and Bizee includes a free first year with its formation packages.
Does LegalZoom have an affiliate program?
Yes. LegalZoom runs a no-fee partner program for publishers, influencers and partners (application required). Business formation products start at $125 cost per acquisition for most partners, with cost-per-lead and revenue-share models too, on a 30-day last-click window. We are not a member, so our link is a plain vendor link.
Partner program: Public partner program (legalzoom.com/partner-programs): no-fee partner account, application required; business formation from $125 cost per acquisition for most partners, plus cost-per-lead and revenue-share models by product; 30-day last-click attribution; text links, banners and co-branded landing pages. Verified 2026-11-04. We are not a member, so this is a direct vendor link.
Last verified 2026-11-04. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
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