2026 Comparison

TrueFormed vs ZenBusiness

Popular, but the upsells add up fast.

ZenBusiness is one of the best-known formation brands. They use wholesale registered agent infrastructure just like we do — they just mark it up 4-5x. By the time you've bought formation and a first year of RA, you've paid close to $400 for work that costs about $80 wholesale.

ZenBusiness — Year 1
$398 /yr

Formation + Registered Agent (1st yr)

Year 2+ ongoing
$398/yr

RA renewal + annual report

Save $309 in Year 1
TrueFormed — Year 1
$89 /yr

Formation bundle (1st-yr RA included)

Year 2+ ongoing
$198/yr

Save $200/yr every year after

Line-by-line cost breakdown

Same services. Same state forms. Different markup over wholesale cost.

ServiceZenBusinessTrueFormed
Formation bundle (LLC + EIN + OA)
$199
Pro plan (gets you the bundle)
$89
Includes 1st year of RA
Registered Agent (annual)
$199/yr
Required, annual recurring
$99/yr
Year 2+ renewal
Annual Report Filing
$199
Pro plan add-on
$99
+ state fee
Amendment
$100
Per filing + state fee
$99
+ state fee
Certificate of Good Standing
$100
+ state fee
$59
+ state fee
Year 1 total (formation + first year RA)$398$89
Year 2+ ongoing (RA + annual report)$398/yr$198/yr

All prices are service fees. State filing fees are separate and the same regardless of provider. Competitor prices based on publicly listed rates as of 2026.

Same infrastructure. Different markup.

ZenBusinessand TrueFormed use wholesale registered agent infrastructure to do the actual filing work — that part is identical. The difference is what each brand marks that wholesale rate up to.

ZenBusiness

Year 1 cost to customer$398
Year 2+ ongoing$398/yr
Approx. markup over wholesale5x

TrueFormed

Year 1 cost to customer$89
Year 2+ ongoing$198/yr
Approx. markup over wholesaleNear wholesale

Retail prices are ZenBusiness's and TrueFormed's public rates. See how our wholesale pricing works.

ZenBusiness— honest pros and cons

What ZenBusiness does well

  • Well-known brand, lots of customer reviews
  • Decent dashboard and document storage
  • Large customer support operation

Where ZenBusiness falls short

  • Registered Agent alone is $199/yr — 2x our price
  • Formation Pro plan is $199 — 2x+ our price
  • Compliance is locked behind Pro ($199+/yr)
  • Auto-renewal enabled by default at checkout
  • Opaque pricing — no transparency on where the money goes

ZenBusiness is a real company that serves real customers. We just think you shouldn't have to pay 5x what the services cost wholesale.

Like our competitor, we don't handle everything.Federal and state income taxes, sales tax, payroll, local business licenses, and industry-specific permits aren't part of TrueFormed (or any of the providers on this page). A CPA handles taxes; your city or county clerk handles local licenses. We're upfront about our scope.

Frequently asked questions

How does TrueFormed cost so much less than ZenBusiness?+

Every formation site relies on a national registered agent network to do the filing work. ZenBusiness marks those wholesale rates up 3-4x. We pool customer filings to qualify for wholesale pricing and pass the rate straight through. Same backend, different markup.

How much would I save switching from ZenBusiness to TrueFormed?+

On ZenBusiness Pro ($199) + RA ($199/yr), you paid $398 in Year 1. The equivalent with TrueFormed is $89. That's about $309 saved Year 1, then $200/yr saved every year on renewal ($398 vs $198 ongoing).

Can I transfer my registered agent from ZenBusiness to TrueFormed?+

Yes. Change of Registered Agent is free through us — you only pay the state fee, if any. The switch takes 1-2 weeks. Your LLC stays exactly the same.

Do I lose any ZenBusiness features by switching?+

The core services are identical — formation, RA, annual reports, amendments — because they're all state filings backed by the same wholesale infrastructure. We don't currently offer ZenBusiness's website builder or banking referrals; those are unrelated to formation and compliance.

Ready to switch from ZenBusiness?

Same services. $309 less in Year 1. $200 less every year after. We handle the Change of Registered Agent for free.

Start — $89

State filing fee is separate and paid at cost.