Best Louisiana LLC Services

Features

The flexible nature of ZenBusiness’ pricing structure means businesses can pick and choose the features they need, albeit at fairly high add-on prices for the lower-tier plans. Its Starter plan offers filing in five to seven business days as well as one free year of “worry-free compliance,” while all other LLC features are available at varying prices, allowing businesses to build their own tailored bundle.

Upgrading to the Pro plan includes compliance features and an operating agreement, expedited filing and an employer identification number (EIN). The Premium plan gives you access to the full set of LLC services in one inclusive price. You’ll be able to create business documents, a business website, a domain name and a business email address.

While it offers a full array of business features, it does lack on the legal side, so those looking for more attorney-based services might prefer other providers.

Pricing

Along with a few other providers on our list, ZenBusiness offers free standard LLC filing, so you only need to pay the Louisiana state fee of $100. While you can benefit from the flexibility offered by ZenBusiness’ add-on structure on the lower tiers, these can be costly.

After your first year of worry-free compliance, it resumes at $199 a year. You’ll also need to pay $99 each for an operating agreement and an employer identification number (EIN) and $79 for faster filing. For businesses that want each of these services, it will make more sense to start with the Pro plan, which includes them all for $299 a year, including the state filing fee.

Customer Service

ZenBusiness’ customer service team is available every day of the week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT on weekends. You can access support by phone and live chat as well as email, ideal for getting a quick response when you need it. Online reviews of its customer service are largely positive too.

Reputation

With an Excellent score of 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 16,000 reviews at the time of writing, ZenBusiness is very popular with its customers. Many of the verified online reviews cite excellent customer service, although there is some mixed feedback on pricing.

Learn more: Read our full ZenBusiness review.

Features

Much of a business’s success depends on the quality of its partnerships. Startups that are looking to establish a long-term relationship with their legal services provider will value LegalZoom’s support for companies at every stage of their operation: from startup to industry mainstay.

With LegalZoom’s Basic offering, there’s little incentive for businesses to complete and file the necessary paperwork on their own. For only filing fees, LegalZoom will prepare your articles of organization, confirm that your preferred business name is available and provide a “welcome packet” with a step-by-step guide to post-formation actions.

Once your LLC has gotten up and running, you can upgrade to the Pro plan from LegalZoom to add compliance assistance, business guidance and customizable legal forms. The company’s high-end Premium package comes with a 30-day subscription to its services offering legal advice, document reviews and one copyright registration per month.

Pricing

A prime example of LegalZoom’s support for growing businesses is its three plans for forming and maintaining an LLC in Louisiana. The Basic package charges only the state’s filing fees, which are $100 for articles of organization and $30 for the annual report. As you grow your business, you can upgrade to LegalZoom’s Pro and Premium plans ($249 and $299 plus state fees, respectively) that offer compliance support and other business services.

While LegalZoom’s prices for LLC services are comparable to those of other vendors we assessed, the company has a reputation for upselling at every opportunity. For example, when we selected the Basic package, the sign-up wizard promoted an operating agreement for $99 and two bundles: an operating agreement plus employment identification number (EIN) for $178 and operating agreement plus EIN and e-signature capability for $307.

The sign-up wizard also recommended the company’s $199 compliance service, checking account and small business credit card, expedited processing for $99 and safe storage of business documents (Founder’s Kit) for $99.

Customer Service

LegalZoom’s customer support staff can be reached by telephone and live chat from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT Monday to Friday, and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT on weekends. The support page features a lengthy list of FAQs on topics such as business structures, intellectual property and e-signatures. The company’s learning center provides legal forms and articles on legal topics.

Reputation

As one of the best-known names in legal services for individuals and businesses, LegalZoom has a track record like few of its competitors. Since 2001, the company has assisted in the creation of more than 4 million businesses. Comments posted on popular user review sites report positive interactions with LegalZoom’s support staff.

Learn more: Read our full LegalZoom review.

Features

One disadvantage of purchasing an LLC service package is the probability that your business is paying for more features than it needs. Bizee (formerly Incfile) takes a cafeteria approach to Louisiana LLC service by allowing companies to choose its fees-only Basic plan and then pay separately for each add-on feature such as EINs, banking resolution and business contract templates.

Pricing

New LLCs that prefer the all-in-one approach can choose Bizee’s Premium package that costs $299 plus state fees. Premium bundles EIN, operating agreement and document templates while also providing expedited filing, which costs $50 extra with the company’s Basic and Standard offerings. Unlike other Louisiana LLC services, Bizee includes lifetime compliance alerts with all of its products.

Choosing your company’s LLC service lineup cafeteria style runs the risk of spending more than your LLC budget, but Bizee keeps the overall price of its services in check by offering reasonable rates for each of its add-ons. For example, Bizee charges $99 for an operating agreement (included with Standard and Premium). ZenBusiness’ fee for an EIN is $99, while Bizee charges only $70.

Customer Service

Snags in the LLC formation process can set a new company back before it’s able to find its stride. Staying in touch with Bizee’s support staff is made more difficult by the company’s limited telephone and live chat hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, Monday to Friday. You can also reach out to Bizee support using a web form. Your client dashboard lets you check the status of your order. Self-support options include a guide to forming an LLC in Louisiana and an LLC FAQ.

Reputation

Bizee’s customer service is rated highly by users posting on popular review sites. Many of the reviews note the company’s reliability and low cost as prime benefits for new LLCs. The name change from Incfile to Bizee doesn’t appear to have impacted the quality of its assistance to its clients, which continues to earn consistent five-star ratings.

Learn more: Read our full Bizee review.

Features

Any delays in getting the Louisiana Secretary of State’s approval of your LLC application can be disastrous for a new business. Luckily, Swyft provides same-day filing to help speed up the process.

Swyft otherwise follows the standard configuration of LLC providers, with a single free plan (Basic) and two paid plans (Standard and Premium). The Basic plan includes state filing support and a comprehensive name check service, 15% off of Google Workspace and access to lifetime customer support. So, if issues arise months or years after the foundation of your LLC (or you want to add more services), Swyft Filing’s support will be available.

The mid-tier plan features organizational minutes to record your first meeting, a legal requirement for some businesses. You also get a free beneficial ownership report, one month of free business documents, one free month of virtual address service, compliance support and an EIN, making the road to a fully established LLC much smoother (and taking a lot of paperwork off your plate).

The Premium option gives customers access to a skilled business attorney who will walk them through the entire process of establishing an LLC and includes expedited shipping and same-day processing, making it one of the best options for same-day filing. You also get three months of access to a business address and a library of more than 250 legal documents, along with a free website and domain for a year.

The two lower-tier plans also give customers the option to purchase features not included for an extra fee.

Pricing

Swyft Filing’s site also gives you access to state-specific pricing, so you can easily see what your total will be. The Basic plan is free and you’ll just pay the Louisiana $100 state fee. The Standard plan is $199 plus the state fee and the Premium plan is $299 plus the $100 state fee. These prices are pretty similar to other LLC services. The price of purchasing features not included in a plan by default generally falls in the midrange of LLC services that allow à la carte purchasing.

Customer Service

Swyft’s website hosts a learning center with a number of free resources to brush up on subjects such as marketing tips, state facts and business structures. You can also reach support directly by phone or email.

Reputation

Swyft Filings has an excellent Trustpilot rating, backed by more than 6,000 reviews. We did notice that some negative reviews were updated after the company took notice and resolved the complaint, which seems like a good sign. This company pays attention to what its consumers have to say. That said, this LLC service is not BBB accredited.

Learn more: Read our full Swyft Filings review.

Features

If you are looking for compliance services, these and other services are available through BetterLegal at an additional cost. In the rush to get your LLC off the ground, thoughts about complying with Michigan regulations related to LLC management and operation may be tossed aside. However, the time to consider compliance is well before you receive overdue or noncompliance notices from the Louisiana Secretary of State.

BetterLegal’s compliance service gives LLCs one less thing to worry about by handling all the paperwork required to maintain your company’s good standing with the state.

In addition, BetterLegal helps you complete and file the articles of organization  with the Louisiana Secretary of State. BetterLegal’s LLC plan also comes standard with other features that are only available as add-ons with some service providers. For example, your business will receive an EIN, a free website and a business checking account. BetterLegal will also assist you in creating an operating agreement, provide tax consultation services and conduct an insurance evaluation for your business.

Pricing

BetterLegal keeps things simple with only one plan option, which costs $299 plus Louisiana’s $100 filing fee. BetterLegal will also file your paperwork with the Louisiana Secretary of State within two business days. While the $299 plan price is higher than what many other LLC services charge, with all the included features, you might find it to be a good deal for your small business.

If you require additional services beyond those included with BetterLegal’s plan, there are various add-ons available. For example, signing up for a registered agent costs $90 per year, which is cheaper than what many competitors charge, but we’d like to see this included free for at least a year with such a high plan cost.

Additionally, the compliance service also costs $90 per year, and other service providers include this for free in their plans. Other add-ons, including tax and accounting services, business banking and payroll services, are also available, but pricing information for these is not readily found on BetterLegal’s website.

Customer Service

Small business owners who choose to work with BetterLegal when starting their LLC will be able to get in touch with a customer service representative by phone, live chat or the client support form found on the website. While no weekend support is available, live agents will be able to take your calls or chat conversation between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

Reputation

BetterLegal was founded in 2016. The company has developed a trusted reputation with consumers and currently has a rating of 4.7 on Trustpilot, with nearly 90% of reviewers giving BetterLegal a 5-star rating. However, it is important to note that these reviews are based on the feedback of a few hundred reviewers, unlike some other LLC services that have thousands of reviews.

Learn more: Read our full BetterLegal review.