Bizee vs. ZenBusiness: compare the year after “$0.”
Both providers advertise $0 service-fee formation plus the state fee. Bizee’s strongest offer is a low-entry filing with first-year registered agent. ZenBusiness’s strongest offer is a guided ongoing platform. Year two—not the hero banner—separates them.
Choose Bizee Basic when you want the lowest initial provider fee and will actively decide whether to replace or renew the included agent before year two. Choose ZenBusiness when the dashboard and ongoing compliance workflow are the product you actually want. File directly when you can handle the state form and do not need either system.
F = your state’s required formation fee. A = required year-two state annual-report, franchise-tax, or similar charge. Those government amounts are not provider revenue and differ dramatically by state. “Year 1” below excludes optional rush fees, publication, licenses, tax advice, and other add-ons unless named.
The base comparison is F now and an agent renewal later
| Route | Year 1 | Year 2 | Registered agent | Compliance subscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY, self as agent | F | A | $0 if eligible and available | None; you own calendar and filings |
| Bizee BasicCheck current official offer → | F + $0 service fee | A + $149 if current checkout renewal applies and agent continues | One year advertised as included | Lifetime dashboard/alerts advertised; filings remain your responsibility unless ordered |
| ZenBusiness StarterCheck current official offer → | F + $0 service fee; agent extra | A; add $199 if agent renews | $99 first year, $199 renewal advertised separately | Starter’s basic tools; paid Worry-Free options available |
| Bizee StandardCheck current official offer → | F + $199 one-time | A + agent renewal if continued | One year advertised as included | No annual formation-package fee; separate services can renew |
| ZenBusiness ProCheck current official offer → | F + $199 annual; agent extra | A + $199 plan renewal; agent extra | Not included | Worry-Free Compliance Essentials included in plan |
The $199 packages buy different things
| Item | Bizee Standard $199 one-time | ZenBusiness Pro $199/year |
|---|---|---|
| Formation filing | Included; state fee extra | Included; state fee extra |
| Registered agent | First year advertised as included; renewal separate | Not included |
| EIN | Included | Included |
| Operating agreement | Included | Included |
| Speed | Expedited provider processing; state time still controls | Rush provider processing; state time still controls |
| Ongoing compliance service | Alerts/dashboard; paid filings are separate | Worry-Free Compliance Essentials in annual plan |
| Second-year plan fee | No formation-package renewal advertised; agent/other subscriptions may renew | $199 plan renewal, plus agent if used |
If the only wanted items are EIN and a simple operating agreement, both paid tiers can be poor value: the IRS EIN is free, and a standard single-member agreement may be obtainable elsewhere. If ZenBusiness’s compliance service or Bizee’s one-time bundle replaces work you would actually pay someone to do, the math changes.
“Free for one year” creates a decision deadline
Bizee’s included agent has genuine first-year value. It also means your state record depends on a service that will renew through a registered-agent partner unless you replace the agent and notify Bizee. The current stated renewal is $149. Decide at month ten—not after the charge—whether the availability and scanning remain worth it.
ZenBusiness does not include agent service in Starter or Pro, which makes the first-year checkout more honest about that separate choice. Its first-year standalone price is $99 and renewal is $199. ZenBusiness then competes more strongly on the recurring compliance platform: its paid plans track and in some tiers file required reports, while government fees remain extra.
Reddit discussions around all formation brands repeatedly reveal the same buyer mistake: the owner evaluates filing day and not maintenance day. The control is provider-neutral—record the agent, annual report, franchise tax, domain/email, compliance, and virtual-address renewal separately.
Bizee’s refund window can close quickly
Bizee’s current cancellation policy says an order is generally refundable only until it forwards payment to a government or third party, typically within 24 hours. The order must be in Review/hold status before a qualifying cancellation. After government or third-party payment, changes and refunds can be unavailable. Its terms also say applied third-party auto-renew charges cannot be reversed, discounted, or altered.
ZenBusiness publishes a broader 60-day formation money-back guarantee, minus state and third-party fees, with shorter/no-prorated rules for subscriptions after service begins. Registered-agent cancellation requires a replacement and support. For both providers, canceling the vendor does not dissolve the LLC, and dissolving the LLC does not automatically cancel the vendor.
Choose the operating model
File directly instead when
Your one-owner home-state filing is clear, you already have an agent/address plan, you can get the EIN free, and the paid packages mostly bundle documents or reminders you can competently manage.