Bizee Review : Is $0 LLC Formation Really Free?

Q: Is Bizee's $0 LLC formation actually free?

Yes. Bizee's own service fee on the Basic plan is $0. You still pay your state's mandatory filing fee, which goes directly to the government. Extra features like an Operating Agreement or EIN are optional paid add-ons on the Basic plan.

Q: Is Bizee legit and safe to use?

Yes. Bizee has helped form over 1 million businesses since 2004 and holds a 4.7/5 rating from roughly 25,400 Trustpilot reviews. It is not BBB-accredited and its BBB grade has fluctuated between F and C over the past year, driven mainly by billing and cancellation disputes.

Q: Why does Bizee have a low BBB rating?

Bizee's BBB rating dropped to an F in early 2026 due to a small number of unresolved complaints related to registered agent and virtual address auto-renewal charges and cancellation disputes. It has since improved to a C.

Q: Should I get an EIN through Bizee or the IRS directly?

Get it directly from the IRS for free in about 10 minutes. Bizee charges $70 to $99 for the same service on the Basic plan.

Q: How long does Bizee take to form an LLC?

Bizee submits paperwork to the state within 1 business day. State processing then typically takes 1 to 6 weeks depending on the state, unless expedited filing is purchased.

By JoshWP Team | Updated: | ~24 min read | LLC Formation · Registered Agent

Bizee (formerly Incfile)

Zero Dollars. Zero Hassle. Real Trade-Offs Worth Knowing First.

Over 1 million businesses formed since 2004. Here’s exactly what’s genuinely free, what isn’t, and everything the checkout page won’t spell out clearly.

Form Your LLC Free See the BBB Rating First

Quick Answer

Bizee (formerly Incfile) is an LLC and corporation formation service that’s helped form over 1 million businesses since 2004. Its Basic plan genuinely costs $0 — you only pay your state’s mandatory filing fee — and includes a free first year of registered agent service. The catch: Basic doesn’t include an Operating Agreement or EIN, both sold separately ($70–$99 each) unless you upgrade to the $199 Standard or $299 Premium plan. Bizee holds a strong 4.7/5 rating on Trustpilot from roughly 25,400 reviews, but its Better Business Bureau rating has been volatile — an “F” as recently as early 2026, improved to a “C” by mid-2026 — driven mostly by complaints about cancellation and refund friction on the registered agent’s auto-renewal. None of that makes Bizee untrustworthy; it means you should read the cancellation policy and add-on pricing carefully before you click through checkout, which is exactly what this review breaks down in full.

“Free” is a word that does a lot of marketing work, and Bizee — the company formerly known as Incfile — has built two decades of business around it. The pitch is simple: form your LLC for $0, pay only what your state legally requires, and get a free year of registered agent service thrown in. That pitch is genuinely true. What it doesn’t tell you upfront is how the rest of the business model works — tiered plans, a checkout flow with real add-on decisions at every step, and a registered agent renewal that auto-charges your card a year after signup unless you cancel it yourself.

This review covers everything: the full pricing breakdown across all three tiers, every a la carte add-on and what it actually costs, the registered agent service in depth, Bizee’s Better Business Bureau history (including the parts most reviews skip), customer support quality, the actual formation screens, and a complete FAQ built around the questions people ask before signing up. If you want a pure tutorial rather than a review, see the dedicated guide on how to form a U.S. LLC with Bizee.

Start Your LLC — $0 + State Fee See Every Add-On Fee First

Table of Contents

1. What Is Bizee?
2. How Bizee Works
3. Bizee Formation Screens Explained
4. Plans & Pricing — Full Breakdown
5. Every A La Carte Add-On, Priced
6. Core Features — Full Breakdown
7. Bizee By The Numbers
8. The BBB Rating & What the Complaints Are About
9. Customer Support
10. Bizee vs the Competition
11. Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Bizee
12. Pros and Cons
13. Final Verdict
14. Frequently Asked Questions

2004

Founded (as Incfile)

1M+

Businesses Formed

4.7/5

Trustpilot, ~25,400 Reviews

Basic Plan Formation Fee

What Is Bizee?

Bizee is an online business formation service that helps entrepreneurs file LLCs, S-corps, C-corps, and nonprofits, founded in 2004 under the name Incfile. The company rebranded to Bizee in 2023 — same team, same platform, same underlying service — largely to reposition itself as a broader business-management platform rather than a pure formation filing service. If you had an existing Incfile account, it transferred to Bizee automatically, and the bulk of Incfile’s Trustpilot review history carried over with it.

Bizee’s reputation was built almost entirely on one thing: being one of the first companies to offer genuinely fee-free LLC formation. You pay your state’s mandatory filing fee — typically $50 to $500 depending on where you’re forming — and nothing extra to Bizee itself for the basic filing. That free tier includes a full year of registered agent service, a genuine value add since registered agent service alone typically runs $100–$250/year elsewhere.

What’s changed over two decades is the business model around that free core: Bizee now operates three tiered packages (Basic, Standard, Premium) and a long menu of a la carte add-ons, and — like most formation services in this “$0 formation” category — makes its actual revenue from the add-ons and renewals rather than the initial filing.

The Honest Framing

Bizee’s $0 claim is real, not a bait-and-switch — plenty of customers form an LLC and pay nothing beyond the state fee. But most new business owners want at least an Operating Agreement and an EIN, and once you add those, Bizee stops being the cheapest option on the market. Whether Bizee saves you money depends entirely on which add-ons you actually need.

How Bizee Works

Answer a Guided Questionnaire

Choose your entity type (LLC, S-corp, C-corp, nonprofit), your state, and basic business details. The wizard takes roughly 10–15 minutes.

Choose Your Plan and Review Add-Ons

This is the step to slow down on. Bizee’s checkout presents multiple optional screens — virtual address, EIN, operating agreement, banking offers — each with its own price and renewal terms. Read every screen before clicking next.

Bizee Files With Your State

Bizee submits your paperwork, generally within 1 business day of you completing your order. From there, your state’s own processing time takes over — commonly 1 to 6 weeks depending on where you’re filing, unless you’ve paid for expedited processing.

Manage Compliance From the Dashboard

Once formed, Bizee’s dashboard tracks your documents, sends lifetime compliance alerts for annual report deadlines, and lets you add services later without re-filing anything.

Bizee Formation Screens Explained

The Bizee order flow is straightforward, but it is not a one-screen checkout. You move through entity selection, package choice, company details, member details, registered agent selection, EIN/tax prompts, banking offers, tax consultation offers, license research, order review, and billing. The screenshots below show the main formation steps in order so you know where costs and decisions appear.

Before you start the Bizee form

Have your desired business name, formation state, business purpose, principal address, member/manager names, ownership details, contact email, phone number, and payment card ready. If you are forming an LLC for a creator business, the setup can also connect to later guides like creating an LLC for a YouTube channel or Google AdSense. If you are forming a U.S. LLC from abroad and planning payment infrastructure, read the PayPal-specific guide on creating a U.S. PayPal account as a non-U.S. resident after the LLC is formed.

Do not rush the add-on screens. Some items are useful, some can be done later, and some are mainly convenience purchases.

Bizee step 1 choose entity type and formation state — **Step 1: Choose entity type and state.** Start by selecting the structure you want to form and the state where it will be filed. Your state choice controls the government filing fee, annual obligations, and processing time.

Bizee step 2 choose business formation package — **Step 2: Choose a formation package.** This is where Basic, Standard, and Premium separate. Basic keeps the Bizee service fee at $0, while Standard and Premium bundle more documents and services.

Bizee step 3 enter company information — **Step 3: Enter company information.** Add the legal business name and company details carefully. The name should match what you plan to use later for bank accounts, tax records, contracts, and payment tools.

Bizee step 4 choose free state filing time — **Step 4: Choose state filing speed.** Standard filing may be free from Bizee’s side, but the actual timeline depends on the state. Expedited processing is worth it only when timing is genuinely important.

Bizee step 5 enter contact person details — **Step 5: Enter contact person details.** Use an email and phone number you will monitor. This contact receives order updates, document notices, and support communication.

Bizee step 6 enter company address information — **Step 6: Enter company address information.** Be thoughtful here. Registered agent service does not automatically hide every address in every state, so use a business address strategy you can document.

Bizee step 7 provide LLC member information — **Step 7: Provide LLC member information.** Add owners or managers accurately. These details can affect internal records, banking, tax documents, and later beneficial ownership or payment-processor reviews.

Bizee step 8 choose Bizee as registered agent — **Step 8: Choose registered agent service.** Bizee includes the first year, then renews at the annual rate. Set a calendar reminder now if you may switch providers before renewal.

Bizee step 9 enter EIN and tax identification number information — **Step 9: Decide how to handle the EIN.** Bizee can help, but many U.S.-based owners can apply directly through the IRS for free. Non-U.S. owners may need a different IRS process, so compare convenience against cost.

Bizee step 10 small business banking can be done later — **Step 10: Review the banking offer.** Banking can usually be handled after formation once you have your approved documents and EIN. Do not choose an account only because it appears in checkout.

Bizee step 11 choose or ignore tax strategy consultation upsell — **Step 11: Review the tax strategy consultation.** A consultation may be useful for some founders, but it is not the same as hiring an ongoing CPA who understands your state, industry, and owner residency.

Bizee step 12 choose or ignore business license research package upsell — **Step 12: Review the business license research package.** This can save time if your activity is regulated or local-license heavy. Simple online businesses may be able to research requirements directly.

Bizee step 13 order summary — **Step 13: Check the order summary.** This is the screen to audit before paying. Confirm the package, state fee, add-ons, subscriptions, renewal terms, and estimated filing timeline.

Bizee step 14 add billing information to complete order — **Step 14: Add billing information and submit.** Save your receipt, order confirmation, and any renewal terms. After submission, refund flexibility becomes more limited once Bizee forwards the filing to the state.

Checkout rule of thumb

Bizee’s formation flow is legitimate, but it rewards careful reading. The biggest decisions are package level, EIN help, operating agreement, registered agent renewal, virtual address renewal, banking, tax consultation, business license research, and expedited filing. If you are unsure, choose the minimum required to form the company and add optional services later after you understand the need.

Plans & Pricing — Full Breakdown

What’s Included	Basic — $0	Standard — $199	Premium — $299
Articles of Organization filing	✓	✓	✓
Free 1st year registered agent	✓	✓	✓
Free 1st month virtual address	✓	✓	✓
Unlimited business name searches	✓	✓	✓
Lifetime compliance alerts	—	✓	✓
EIN (Tax ID) filing	Add-on, ~$70–$99	✓	✓
Operating Agreement / Corporate Bylaws	Add-on, ~$99	✓	✓
Business tax consultation	—	✓	✓
Unlimited phone & email support	Standard support	✓	✓
Expedited filing	Add-on	Add-on	✓ Included
Business contract templates	—	—	✓
Domain name + business email	—	—	✓
Free 1st year business phone number	—	—	✓

What “Free” Actually Means Here

Basic is genuinely $0 for Bizee’s own service fee. You still pay your state’s filing fee (commonly $50–$500), and if you want an Operating Agreement or EIN — which most new LLC owners eventually need — those are separate a la carte purchases on Basic, or bundled into Standard for a flat $199.

Start With Basic — Free Compare the Standard Plan

Every A La Carte Add-On, Priced

This is the section most reviews gloss over. Here’s the full a la carte menu you’ll see during or after checkout if you stick with the Basic plan.

Add-On	Approx. Price	Worth Buying From Bizee?
EIN (Employer Identification Number)	$70–$99	Skip it — free directly from the IRS in about 10 minutes
Operating Agreement	~$99	Worth it if you want a professionally drafted template and don’t have a lawyer
Expedited filing	Varies by state, often $50+	Worth it only if you’re in a genuine hurry — check your state’s own expedite fee first
S-corp election (IRS Form 2553)	Add-on pricing varies	Useful if you plan to elect S-corp tax status and want it handled for you
Banking Resolution	Add-on pricing varies	Only needed if your bank specifically requires one to open an account
Domain Name + Business Email	Bundled in Premium	Comparable services often cost less purchased directly (e.g. Google Workspace)
Business Contract Templates	Bundled in Premium	Fine for basic needs; have a lawyer review anything high-stakes
Virtual business address	Free 1st month, then ~$29/month	Read the auto-renewal terms carefully — this is the fee behind several BBB complaints
Registered agent renewal (year 2+)	$149/year	Competitive vs the industry — still worth comparison shopping annually

The One Add-On to Always Skip

Getting an EIN yourself, directly through the IRS website, is completely free and takes about 10 minutes if you have an SSN or ITIN. This is the single easiest way to cut your total Bizee cost without losing anything — nearly every independent review agrees on this point.

Start Your LLC — Skip the Add-Ons You Don’t Need

Core Features — Full Breakdown

Registered Agent Service

Free for the first year on every plan, renewing at $149/year — competitive against the $199–$249/year charged by several larger competitors. Note: some reviewers report the underlying service is operated through a third-party partner rather than Bizee’s own in-house offices.

Lifetime Compliance Alerts

Email and text reminders for annual report deadlines and other state filing requirements, included free for as long as you have an account — genuinely useful for avoiding accidental administrative dissolution.

Multiple Entity Types

Bizee forms LLCs, S-corps, C-corps, and nonprofits, with dedicated guidance for each entity type on choosing the right structure — broader out-of-the-box entity support than several formation-focused competitors.

Ongoing Business Services

Beyond initial formation: DBA (Doing Business As) registration, foreign qualification for expanding to new states, Certificate of Good Standing requests, trademark registration, business dissolution and reinstatement, and add-on accounting/bookkeeping services.

State Filing Times Tool

A transparent, publicly available tool that shows exactly how long standard vs. expedited filing takes for every state — a genuinely useful bit of honesty that lets you check what the state itself charges before paying Bizee’s expedite fee.

Startup Central Resource Hub

Free articles, podcasts, and videos covering entity comparisons, tax basics, and state-specific rules — a genuinely useful education layer for first-time founders, independent of whether you form with Bizee.

Bizee By The Numbers

Figures below are drawn from Bizee’s published pricing, its BBB profile, and multiple independent 2026 review sources.

Three Tiers, Three Price Points

Formation fee only; state filing fees are separate and go directly to your state.

Registered Agent Renewal vs Competitors

Approximate published annual renewal rates as of mid-2026.

BBB Rating Trajectory (2025–2026)

BBB letter grades converted to a numeric scale (F=1, D=2, C=3, B=4, A=5) for visualization. Source: Bizee’s public BBB profile.

Add-On Costs (If Not on Standard/Premium)

EIN is genuinely free if filed directly through the IRS instead.

Standard State Processing Time: Basic vs Premium (Expedited)

Illustrative range — actual processing time depends entirely on your state, with or without expedited filing.

The BBB Rating & What the Complaints Are Actually About

Bizee’s BBB Rating Has Been Genuinely Volatile

Bizee is not BBB-accredited, and its letter grade has moved noticeably over the past year — reported as low as an “F” in early 2026 (driven by roughly six unresolved complaints and one failure to respond), improving to a “C” by mid-2026. That’s a meaningful improvement, but it’s worth understanding exactly what the underlying complaints are about before you sign up, rather than dismissing the rating outright.

Based on publicly available BBB complaint records, the recurring themes are:

1. Registered agent auto-renewal. You provide a card upfront to secure the free first year, and the $149 renewal charges automatically unless you actively cancel — several complaints stem from customers who didn’t realize this or missed the cancellation window.

2. Virtual address auto-renewal. The virtual business address is free for one month, then converts to roughly $29/month automatically — this specific charge shows up repeatedly in BBB complaints from customers who thought it was a one-time or fully free feature.

3. Cancellation policy friction. Bizee’s stated cancellation policy allows refunds until your order is forwarded to a government entity, minus a $30 cancellation fee and any costs already incurred — straightforward on paper, but a recurring source of disputes when customers expected a full refund after that point.

4. Identity verification delays. Some orders get flagged for standard identity verification as a fraud-prevention step, which can delay filing and frustrate customers expecting same-day submission.

To be fair to Bizee: the same review sites tracking the low BBB grade also note that Bizee’s total complaint volume is relatively small (under 100 over three years) relative to its customer base of over 1 million, and that Bizee does respond to and document each complaint publicly with its side of the story — which isn’t true of every company in this space. The BBB rating methodology itself has also drawn criticism from reviewers for weighting a small number of unresolved complaints heavily regardless of a company’s overall size.

How to Avoid Becoming a Complaint Statistic

Set a calendar reminder before your free registered agent year and free virtual address month end. Read the cancellation policy before you order, not after. And keep a record of any cancellation request you submit — several BBB complaints stemmed from disputes over whether a cancellation request was ever received.

Customer Support

Bizee offers support via phone, email, and a website contact form, Monday through Friday, 9am–6pm Central Time, with genuine bilingual English/Spanish coverage — a real differentiator most competitors don’t match. Response quality is generally described as professional and knowledgeable for routine formation and filing questions. Some reviews note complex legal or tax-strategy questions get less in-depth handling, and a handful of BBB and Trustpilot reviews mention long wait times or unhelpful responses during disputed billing issues specifically — consistent with the cancellation-related complaint pattern above.

Bizee vs the Competition

Provider	Formation Fee	RA Renewal	Notable Trade-Off
Bizee	$0 (Basic)	$149/yr	Add-ons required for a complete package; BBB rating history
Northwest Registered Agent	$39 flat	$125/yr	Higher upfront cost, but OA included free and stronger privacy protection
ZenBusiness	$0 (Starter)	$199/yr	Similar tiered model to Bizee, pricier RA renewal
LegalZoom	$0–$79 (varies)	$249/yr	Bigger brand name, generally higher ongoing costs

Bizee’s registered agent renewal is genuinely one of the cheapest in the category at $149/year. Its formation fee structure is close to identical to ZenBusiness in philosophy (free basic tier, paid tiers for a complete package). Northwest remains the strongest alternative for privacy-conscious founders willing to pay a small flat fee upfront in exchange for an all-inclusive package with no tiered upsells.

Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Bizee

Good Fit If You…

✓ Want the lowest possible upfront cost
✓ Are comfortable filing your own EIN through the IRS directly
✓ Have a straightforward single-member or simple multi-member LLC
✓ Want bilingual support options
✓ Are fine reading checkout screens carefully to skip unneeded add-ons
✓ Will set a reminder to review the registered agent renewal before it charges

Reconsider If You…

✗ Want one flat price with everything included, no add-on decisions
✗ Need your home address kept off public state filings by default
✗ Want ongoing, in-depth legal or tax consultation as part of the package
✗ Are easily frustrated by multi-step checkout flows
✗ Need guaranteed immediate support response for time-sensitive issues

Practical next step

Bizee is best treated as the formation step, not the whole business setup. After approval, you still need to organize your EIN, operating agreement, bank account, bookkeeping, licenses, payment tools, and annual state compliance. For creator-led businesses, see the guide to forming an LLC for a YouTube channel and Google AdSense. For foreign-owned U.S. LLCs that plan to use PayPal, read the guide to setting up a U.S. PayPal account as a non-U.S. resident.

Pros and Cons

✓ Pros

Genuinely $0 formation fee on the Basic plan
Free first year of registered agent service, $149/year after — competitive pricing
1M+ businesses formed since 2004, high review volume (4.7/5, ~25,400 Trustpilot reviews)
Files with the state within 1 business day on every plan
Supports LLC, S-corp, C-corp, and nonprofit formation
Bilingual (English/Spanish) support — rare in this category
Transparent state filing-time tool for expedite pricing comparisons
Free lifetime compliance alerts on Standard and Premium

✗ Cons

Operating Agreement and EIN cost extra on the Basic plan
Checkout flow includes multiple optional upsell screens
BBB rating has ranged from F to C over the past year — not accredited
Registered agent and virtual address both auto-renew on a card you provide upfront
Registered agent function reportedly runs through a third-party provider
No blanket address-privacy guarantee on public filings
Standard processing can take up to 6 weeks without expedited filing

Final Verdict

Bizee earns its reputation as a genuinely budget-friendly way to form an LLC — the $0 formation fee is real, the registered agent renewal is one of the cheapest in the industry, and the sheer scale (1M+ businesses, 25,000+ reviews) reflects a company that, at its core, delivers what it promises. The trade-offs are equally real: you’ll need to actively manage add-on decisions at checkout and set your own reminders around auto-renewing services, and the BBB rating history is worth factoring in, even though it’s improved and the underlying complaint volume is small relative to Bizee’s size. For anyone comfortable reading each checkout screen carefully and handling their own EIN filing, Bizee remains one of the most genuinely affordable ways to form a business in 2026.

9.0/10

Upfront Value

8.5/10

Feature Breadth

6.5/10

Checkout Transparency

7.6/10

Support Quality

Form Your LLC With Bizee — Free

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bizee’s $0 LLC formation actually free?

Yes, genuinely — Bizee’s own service fee on the Basic plan is $0. You still pay your state’s mandatory filing fee (typically $50–$500), which goes directly to the government, not to Bizee. Extra features like an Operating Agreement or EIN are optional paid add-ons on Basic.

Is Bizee the same company as Incfile?

Yes. Incfile rebranded to Bizee in 2023. The company, team, and platform are the same, and existing accounts and review history transferred over automatically.

Is Bizee legit and safe to use?

Yes — Bizee is a legitimate, long-running formation service that has helped form over 1 million businesses since 2004 and holds a strong 4.7/5 rating from roughly 25,400 Trustpilot reviews. It is not BBB-accredited and its BBB letter grade has fluctuated (F to C over the past year), driven mainly by billing and cancellation disputes rather than fraud allegations.

Why does Bizee have a low BBB rating?

Bizee’s BBB rating dropped as low as an “F” in early 2026 due to a small number of unresolved complaints, mostly related to registered agent and virtual address auto-renewal charges and cancellation policy disputes. It has since improved to a “C” as Bizee addressed more complaints. Total complaint volume remains low relative to its 1M+ customer base.

How much does Bizee’s registered agent service cost after the free year?

$149 per year, renewing automatically on the card provided at signup. This is one of the lower renewal rates in the industry, but you must actively cancel if you want to switch providers or stop the service.

Should I get an EIN through Bizee or the IRS directly?

Get it directly from the IRS — it’s free and takes about 10 minutes if you have an SSN or ITIN. Bizee charges $70–$99 for the same service on the Basic plan. This is the single most agreed-upon money-saving tip across every independent Bizee review.

How long does Bizee take to form an LLC?

Bizee submits your paperwork to the state within 1 business day on every plan. From there, your state’s own processing time applies — commonly 1 to 6 weeks depending on the state, unless you pay for expedited filing (included free on the Premium plan), which can reduce that to a few business days in many states.

What’s the difference between Bizee’s Basic, Standard, and Premium plans?

Basic ($0) covers filing and a free year of registered agent service only. Standard ($199) adds an EIN, Operating Agreement/bylaws, business tax consultation, and lifetime compliance alerts. Premium ($299) adds included expedited filing, contract templates, a domain and business email, and a free first-year business phone number.

Does Bizee keep my address private?

Not by default in the way some competitors advertise. Bizee’s registered agent office receives your legal mail, but your address may still appear on other public-facing formation documents depending on your state’s requirements. If address privacy is a top priority, compare this specifically against providers offering a blanket address-substitution guarantee.

Can I cancel Bizee’s services and get a refund?

Bizee’s cancellation policy allows a refund until your order is forwarded to a government entity, minus a $30 cancellation fee and any costs already incurred. Once your filing has been submitted to the state, refund options become much more limited — cancel promptly if you change your mind.

What entity types can I form with Bizee?

Bizee supports LLCs, S-corporations, C-corporations, and nonprofits, with guided help distinguishing between them if you’re unsure which structure fits your business.

What are the best alternatives to Bizee?

Northwest Registered Agent (stronger privacy, one flat $39 fee, no tiered upsells), ZenBusiness (similar tiered free-formation model), and LegalZoom (bigger brand recognition, generally higher ongoing costs) are the most commonly compared alternatives.

Form Your LLC for $0 + State Fee

Just read every checkout screen, skip the EIN add-on (get it free from the IRS), and set a reminder before your free registered agent year ends.

Start Your LLC With Bizee

$0 formation fee · Free first year registered agent · Pay only your state’s filing fee

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you sign up through our link we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Figures on pricing, fees, and BBB ratings reflect publicly available information at the time of writing and may change — always confirm current details directly on bizee.com before purchasing. This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal or tax advice.