Online legal services can register your business with your state, secure you an employer identification number (EIN), and help you create legally sound documents and contracts — and that’s only the start. With the best online legal services, you remain compliant with regulations and get support from legal professionals so you can more effectively grow and manage your business. Since there’s a glut of online legal services out there, we’ve selected our favorites based on user experience, features and pricing to help you choose the right one.
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Best Online Legal Services of 2025
Written by: Max Freedman, Senior AnalystUpdated Jun 30, 2025
Editor Verified
Editor Verified
A business.com editor verified this analysis to ensure it meets our standards for accuracy, expertise and integrity.
Business.com earns commissions from some listed providers. Editorial Guidelines.
Rocket Lawyer
Best for Small Businesses
- Register LLC or corporation
- Professional legal support
- No growth and branding tools
LegalZoom
Best for Compliance
- Register LLC or corporation
- Professional legal support
- Basic growth and branding tools
Tailor Brands
Best for Growing Businesses
- Register LLC
- No professional legal support
- Extensive growth and branding tools
ZenBusiness
Best for Business Registration
- Register LLC or corporation
- No professional legal support
- Standard growth and branding tools
Bizee
Best for Budget
- Register LLC or corporation
- No professional legal support
- Basic growth and branding tools
Table of Contents
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Compare Our Best Picks
 | Rocket Lawyer | LegalZoom | Tailor Brands | ZenBusiness | Bizee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating (Out of 10) | 9.6 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 8.0 | 8.4 |
| Best use case | Small businesses | Compliance | Best for growing businesses | Business registration | Budget |
| Business formation plan prices (does not include state filing fees) | One-time fee: | One-time fee: $149 to $349 | $0 to $249/year | $0 to $299/year | One-time fee: $0 to $299 |
| Range of prices for additional legal services | $0-$349.99 with Rocket Legal+; | $59 to $899 | $29 to $349 | $79 to $200 for one-time fees; | $29 to $399 |
| Free trial? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Consult a legal professional? | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Tax services? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Finance management? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Growth and branding tools? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Scroll Table
Our Reviews
- Base price: $19.99 per month
- Top features: Legal documents, consult and retain a legal pro, business registration
- Trial period: 7 days
Editor's Rating: 9.6/10
Rocket Lawyer offers legal document creation and management tools alongside high-quality professional legal services. We found its interface for drafting contracts simple to use, and we were impressed with how much it simplified obscure, confusing legalese. We also liked the diversity of legal documents we could create, including employment agreements and intellectual property contracts, and that the documents were neatly organized by category.
Rocket Lawyer is one of the few online legal services through which you can consult a legal professional. (Source: Rocket Lawyer)
In particular, Rocket Lawyer’s personalized, customized legal guidance won us over. For a highly competitive $239.88 per year ($19.99 per month), the Rocket Legal+ plan adds on free or heavily discounted legal support from licensed professionals, including while registering a trademark. It also comes with a seven-day free trial and one free business registration. And it’s cheaper than Rocket Legal (without the “+”), which costs $39.99 per month.
Even before the half-off discount, Rocket Lawyer’s prices are competitive, and we found its pricing packages easier to understand than with any competitor except Bizee. Although it doesn’t offer invoicing, bookkeeping, growth or branding tools like many of its competitors, it excels at legal services. From functionality to cost, Rocket Lawyer impressed us at every step of the way.
Rocket Lawyer stores all the documents you need for a certain legal matter in one neatly organized section. Source: Rocket Lawyer
| Plan or service | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Rocket Legal | $39.99 per month | Legal documents, e-sign, ask legal questions; full price for consulting or retaining a legal professional, Rocket Tax, business registration, trademark registration, registered agent services |
| Rocket Legal+ | $19.99 per month | Legal documents, e-sign, ask legal questions; half-price for consulting or retaining a legal professional, Rocket Tax, business registration, trademark registration, registered agent services; free first consultation and first business registration |
| Consult a legal pro | $149.99 per consult | Get legal information from experts, but not legal advice |
| Retain a legal pro | $149.99 per consult | Personalized support for complicated legal scenarios |
| Business registration | $99.99 per filing | Officially register your LLC, corporation or nonprofit with the government |
| Rocket Tax | $399.99 for your business’s federal and state tax return | Complete tax return preparation, business activity review, support from a CPA or enrolled agent (EA) |
| Trademark registration | $699.99 plus USPTO fees per filing | Protect your branding from unauthorized use |
| Registered agent services | $249.99 per year | Assign Rocket Lawyer as your contact for all government communications, as per regulations, and keep your address private |
- Rocket Lawyer’s pricing is exceptionally straightforward and highly competitive, with 50 percent discounts on key services.
- Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to draft legally sound contracts, with legal documents clearly and neatly organized by category.
- Rocket Lawyer is the only business legal service we reviewed through which you can retain a legal professional.
- Although it’s increasingly becoming the standard for online legal services to offer tools for finance management, growth and branding, Rocket Lawyer doesn’t offer any such features.
- Rocket Lawyer’s pricing for trademark registration is on the higher end, even with the half-off discount that comes with Rocket Legal+.
- Rocket Lawyer doesn’t offer patent registration services alongside its trademark registration suite.
Trustpilot score: Rocket Lawyer has a TrustScore of 4.6 stars out of 5 based on over 9,000 reviews. “I was pleased with the quality of your forms and how user-friendly they are,” one user said. “I VERY MUCH appreciate being able to secure a short-term membership. Forms are easy to download and print.”
- Base price: $149 for business registration
- Top features: Legal documents, compliance services, finance management
- Free trial: No services, but you can test the platform before making any payments
Editor's Rating: 8.5/10
LegalZoom lives up to its reputation as the leading name in business legal services. The platform’s dashboard provides seamless navigation through features such as documents, trademarks and patents. We were particularly impressed with the compliance suite, through which you can set up customized deadline alerts, identify all necessary licenses and get concierge-level compliance management. LegalZoom offered the most robust professional support for compliance we encountered in our reporting.
Alongside these higher-end features, you can create legally sound contracts while discovering the meaning of certain clauses you’re adding. We loved that feature. We also liked that LegalZoom includes finance-management, growth and branding tools, although we wish it offered tax services as well. We also found its pricing highly confusing. Each of its products has a different fee, and the prices aren’t easy to track down.
Moreover, some LegalZoom services are substantially more expensive than its competitors. The platform’s trademark registration and personalized attorney services are particularly pricey, but you can get unlimited half-hour attorney consults on new legal matters. We were also concerned that some recent Trustpilot reviews said that LegalZoom’s pricing felt deceptive. Nevertheless, LegalZoom’s reputation and high-quality services make it worth considering.
Among LegalZoom’s finance-management tools is an invoicing suite. We found the platform’s invoices incredibly easy to generate and, on the client’s end, understand. Source: Rocket Lawyer
| Plan or service | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney services | $259 to $1,399 (one-time fee) | Services include business legal advice ($259), consulting agreements ($899), design patent applications ($999) and employment agreements ($1,399) |
| Economy business incorporation | $149 per filing, plus state filing fees | Name check and business filing, articles of incorporation, next-steps guide, tax consult, customizable business website, expert review, lifetime customer support |
| Standard business incorporation | $329 per filing, plus state filing fees | Everything in Economy plus a deluxe organizer, personalized notebook and expedited processing |
| Express Gold business incorporation | $349 per filing, plus state filing fees | Everything in Standard plus rush processing with your secretary of state and express shipping |
| Standard DBA registration | $99 per filing, plus state filing fees | Preliminary name search, completion and filing of application, publication of business name and proof of publication, tax consult, customizable website |
| Premium DBA registration | $119 per filing, plus state filing fees | Everything in Standard plus unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations about new legal topics for your business |
| Bookkeeping and accounting software | $9.99 per month | Track income and expenses, link your bank account, send proposals and invoices, accept card payments and bank transfers |
| Trademark registration | $649 per filing | Safeguard your name, logo or slogan against unauthorized use |
| Registered agent services | $249 per year | Receipt of physical notices, alerts and reminders when mail arrives, documents scanned and uploaded, reminders of annual report deadlines, keep your address private |
- LegalZoom’s robust compliance suite includes customized deadline alerts, business license reports and, for some plans, concierge-level support.
- LegalZoom explains the clauses you’re adding to contracts so you know exactly what you’re agreeing to.
- LegalZoom’s accounting software, LZ Books, is among the least expensive we’ve ever encountered.
- LegalZoom’s pricing is confusing, with different annual plans and one-time fees for an overwhelming breadth of services.
- Almost all LegalZoom services cost considerably more than with other business legal services.
- Although LegalZoom’s accounting software, LZ Books, is inexpensive, it’s very limited in scope.
Trustpilot Score: LegalZoom has a TrustScore of 4.5 stars out of 5 based on over 20,000 reviews. “The concierge program for LegalZoom is amazing and super helpful,” one user said. “Navigating compliance can be difficult when [you’re] running and growing a small business. [LegalZoom is] amazing and very quick. Highly recommend this service!”
- Base price: $0 plus state fees for LLC formation, $30 per month for accounting tools
- Top features: Business branding tools, domain name finder, business insurance
- Free trial: No services, but you can test the platform before making any payments
Editor's Rating: 9.2/10
When you log in to Tailor Brands’ dashboard, you’ll mostly see business branding tools listed above legal services such as document creation, compliance and LLC formation. Indeed, we found that Tailor Brands’ tools for growing your business online and through merchandise are as powerful as its legal services.
Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you’ll find that Tailor Brands makes it simple and inexpensive to get a domain name for your business website, establish your brand and create an online presence. Even if you know nothing about business legal requirements, the short, simple questionnaires that power Tailor Brands’ tools for registering trademarks and obtaining business insurance are a cakewalk.
We were especially impressed that Tailor Brands offers business insurance at all — that’s a rarity among legal services. We also loved that it nearly instantly determined which business licenses and permits we needed and presented them for immediate purchase.
We were happy to see that Tailor Brands offered finance-management, growth and branding tools, unlike Rocket Lawyer. Rocket Lawyer and Legal Zoom, however, offer the ability to retain a legal professional, which isn’t available with Tailor Brands. That’s a minor complaint though. We otherwise loved Tailor Brands.
Tailor Brands is the only online legal service we reviewed that offers business insurance, and the cherry on top is how transparent its quotes are. Source: Tailor Brands
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Lite LLC formation | $0 plus state fees | LLC formation and processing within 14 days, 30-day trial of invoicing and bookkeeping, annual compliance, operating agreement, business coaching program |
| Essential LLC formation | $199 per year plus state fees | Everything in Lite plus two-day LLC processing |
| Elite LLC formation | $249 per year plus state fees | Everything in Essential plus one year of a free domain name, eight free logos, digital business card, social media post marker, business card tools and a DIY website or online store |
| Finance Manager | $30 per month | Send invoices and reminders, track tax-deductible expenses, ensure compliant bookkeeping, generate basic financial reports |
| Trademark registration | $299 per filing | Federal e-filing, preliminary search of federal trademark escorts, lifetime customer support |
- Tailor Brands’ tools for building your website, establishing a branded social theme and generating a digital business card are easier to use than other platforms’ growth tools.
- Tailor Brands is the rare legal service that offers business insurance.
- Tailor Brands offers a free plan for registering your LLC, unlike LegalZoom.
- You can’t get support from legal professionals through Tailor Brands.
- At $30 per month, Tailor Brands’ Finance Manager is more expensive than the basic plans for full-scope accounting services with considerably more features.
- Unlike ZenBusiness, Tailor Brands offers support six days a week instead of seven.
Trustpilot Score: Tailor Brands has a TrustScore of 4.4 stars out of 5 based on nearly 10,000 reviews. “Overall, the interface is set up in an appealing manner, but also fairly easy to navigate yourself,” one user said. “Timing on delivery of product was on point. Everything someone needs to start any business and elevate their life’s [work] into a career is easily accessible here. Much appreciation. Definitely worth the money and something to promote.”
- Base price: $0 plus state fees for business registration, $79 for one-time services, $199 for annual services
- Top features: LLC registration, obtaining an EIN, legal documents
- Free trial: No
Editor's Rating: 8/10
ZenBusiness specializes in LLC filing and obtaining an EIN, and we found both easy to do with the platform. We filled out a simple questionnaire asking about our business experience to date, when we plan to launch and our industry. We were frustrated, however, that at checkout ZenBusiness attempted to charge us for registered agent services after we opted to appoint another entity.
We initially had some challenges getting in touch with ZenBusiness, which wasn’t true with the other companies. The contact form on its website didn’t work, and we only got through via phone on our second attempt. Once we got connected, though, we got more prompt assistance than with competitors, both via phone and email. We also liked that ZenBusiness offers support seven days per week, compared to Tailor Brands’ six days per week.
We appreciated that ZenBusiness’ yearly plans break down to at most $25 per month. Similarly, its stand-alone services never exceed $200 in one-time or annual fees, including a $100 one-time fee to access business documents. LegalZoom charges $99 per year for that. You may face minor challenges getting started with ZenBusiness, but its streamlined business registration process makes it worth considering.
Although we appreciated that ZenBusiness detailed the package it was offering us upon checkout, the platform always recommended its registered agent services — even when we indicated that we’d be appointing someone else. Source: ZenBusiness
| Plan or service | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Starter business formation | $0 plus state filing fees | LLC filing in seven to 10 days with 100% accuracy guarantee, one free year of compliance |
| Pro business formation | $199 per year plus state filing fees | LLC filing in one day with 100% accuracy guarantee, compliance included, operating agreement, EIN |
| Premium business formation | $299 per year plus state filing fees | Everything in Pro plus legal documents, business website builder, domain name, business email address, premium customer support |
| Money Pro bookkeeping | $20 per month | Create invoices, track tax-deductible expenses, send and receive payments, get tax filing help |
| Tax services | $49 to $99 per month | For $49 a month, unlimited tax advice; for $99 per month, state, local and federal tax return preparation and filing, ongoing tax support from experts, accuracy guarantee |
| Registered agent services | $199 per year | Manage state correspondence, handle legal documents on a timely basis, keep sensitive notices confidential |
- ZenBusiness’ workflow and interface for filing for an LLC, S corp or C corp is the easiest we encountered in our research.
- ZenBusiness offers especially prompt customer support via phone and email.
- ZenBusiness includes a free tax savings consultation with all its business formation plans.
- ZenBusiness may repeatedly attempt to add registered agent services to your cart even when you don’t want them.
- You can’t register a trademark via ZenBusiness.
- ZenBusiness doesn’t offer any services through which you can obtain advice or support directly from legal professionals.
Trustpilot Score: ZenBusiness has a TrustScore of 4.8 stars out of 5 based on nearly 23,000 reviews. “I made the right choice picking ZenBusiness from the list of many who create LLCs,” one user said. “Starting with Christine, who patiently walked me [through] the beginning phase…Daniela M picked it up from there once our LLC was being created. Even though there was a potential issue with the name, once I told her my heart was set on the original name she somehow got it to stick! Thank you both so much for helping me with the tricky business of setting up an LLC in New York.”
- Base price: $0 for business formation, $70 for one-time services
- Top features: LLC registration, virtual mail, compliance alerts
- Free trial: Not available
Editor's Rating: 8.4/10
Bizee, formerly known as Incfile, impressed us because, unlike its competitors, it charges a one-time fee for its pricing packages. It does the same for most of its services, some of which are uncommon with competitors. We especially liked that Bizee’s package fees were similar to other services’ annual costs without skimping on features. It’s a great pick if your business is on a budget.
Bizee’s Standard plan includes lifetime compliance alerts and unlimited support for $199. By comparison, ZenBusiness’ $199-per-year Pro package includes 24/7 support, but you pay extra for compliance services. And for the rare Bizee service with annual billing, the costs are competitive: $119 per year for registered agent services, for example, compared to LegalZoom’s $249 per year.
We were nevertheless disappointed that, for Bizee Basic or Standard customers, there’s a $50 fee to file your business formation documents within one or two days. Without the add-on fee, the filing time is four weeks, which is far longer than any competitor’s least expensive packages. We also noticed that, whereas Tailor Brands charges $299 to register a trademark, Bizee charges $399. Bizee’s lack of annual fees, however, makes the platform compelling.
All it took for us to get Bizee’s pricing was to choose our entity type and state. We loved that the prices were one-time instead of annual fees; that’s rare among online legal services. Source: Bizee
| Plan or service | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic business formation | $0 | Articles of organization, one free year of registered agent service and virtual address service, business tax consultation |
| Standard business formation | $199 | Everything in Basic plus EIN, operating agreement, lifetime compliance alerts, unlimited phone and email support, registration for S corp taxation |
| Premium business formation | $249 | Everything in Standard plus expedited two-day filing, business contract templates, domain name, business email |
| Trademark registration | $399 plus state fees | Protect your brand and ensure only authorized use |
| Registered agent services | $119 per year | Immediate notifications upon state correspondence, secure and prompt document uploading, free lifetime compliance alerts |
- Bizee’s exceptionally transparent pricing for business formation comprises one-time fees instead of the yearly packages common with online legal services.
- Bizee’s pricing is often competitive, including for services for which it charges an annual fee.
- Certain Bizee services, such as foreign qualification and Form 2553 for registering your business as an S corporation for taxation, aren’t available with competitors.
- Bizee’s timespan for complete business formation filing is far longer than with competitors unless you pay an extra fee to expedite the process.
- Although Bizee offers tax and accounting services, the pricing is difficult to obtain unless you sign up for a business registration plan first.
- Whereas Tailor Brands is available for customer support six days per week and ZenBusiness is available seven days per week, Bizee is reachable only on weekdays.
Trustpilot Score: Bizee has a TrustScore of 4.7 stars out of 5 based on over 21,500 reviews. “I am thoroughly impressed with the outstanding service provided by Lua at Bizee,” one user said. “Their dedicated efforts were instrumental in successfully registering my company as an LLC. Recently, Lua exemplified exceptional professionalism by promptly following up on outstanding communication, demonstrating unwavering commitment and reliability. Lua, you truly are a rockstar in your field!”
What are online legal services?
Online legal services are platforms through which your business can establish itself with the appropriate regulatory authorities. Many platforms also offer tools for managing and growing your business once you’ve established it. Some also offer basic bookkeeping and invoice services, tax support, business growth and marketing tools, or some combination thereof. The platforms are suitable for any and all businesses.
How do online legal services work?
Through online legal services, you can register your business with your state, get an EIN, create legal contracts, designate a registered agent, apply for trademarks and otherwise comply with mandatory regulations.
Some services offer consultations with legal professionals, but services through which you can retain an attorney are rare. In any case, through the best online legal services, you can officially register your business and remain compliant. The service will also protect your business and empower you to grow it through a distinct brand and online presence.
Did You Know?
Rocket Lawyer is the only legal service among our top picks through which you can retain an attorney.
What’s the difference between online services and traditional services?
The main differences between online and traditional legal services are:
- Cost: Online legal services are almost always much less expensive than traditional legal services.
- Scope: Whereas online legal services offer discrete legal products or services such as document templates and LLC registration, traditional law firms can fully advise you on legal matters and represent you in arbitration, litigation or mediation.
- Communication: You may never need to speak with a member of your online service’s team to use the platform to its full extent. By comparison, traditional legal services are provided by real-life attorneys or law firms, which means email and phone communication is part and parcel of the relationship (and the bill you’ll receive).
- Customization: An online legal service is more like a library of discrete possibilities: business license reports, trademark registration and other clearly delineated services. The services can’t come up with custom solutions or legal guidance tailored to your business, which is real-life attorneys’ specialty.
- Speed: Real-life attorneys have a reputation for slow response times. Online legal services put the resources you need right into your hands to use at your own pace, and they often promise fast response times from their customer-support teams.
If you’re simply looking to get off the ground and grow your business, the best online legal services will suit your needs. If you have more complex legal needs that require hands-on support from a licensed attorney, seek traditional services instead.
Did You Know?
There are nearly 300,000 business attorneys working in the U.S. legal services sector. If you’re seeking traditional legal services, there’s almost certainly a lawyer out there who’s well versed in your specialty, needs and other unique aspects of your business.
How much does an online legal service cost?
Online legal services such as LLC filing are often available with an annual billing model, and rates rarely exceed $300 per year. The packages typically include features beyond simple LLC filing, such as legal compliance services, domain name registration and website building, and EIN filing.
Other important services beyond your package, such as annual reporting and assistance in determining the business licenses you need, are often available for a one-time fee. Expect the fees to range from $50 to $200, although the fee for registering a trademark is often well above $300 — and as high as $899 with LegalZoom.
How to choose a legal service
As you compare and contrast potential business legal services, take the following steps to land on the one that’s best for your business.
1. Research the legal requirements with which your business must comply.
Business compliance entails more than registering your company with the government. You’ll also need to obtain business licensure, get an EIN, file and pay taxes, submit annual reports, and more. Familiarize yourself with your legal obligations so that, as you compare legal services, you know which ones best support compliance. Some business legal services will identify the business licenses and permits you need.
2. Explore contenders’ pricing and product pages.
Compare what each service offers to your compliance needs. What gaps will there be if you choose a certain contender? Which contenders cover each and every base?
Just as importantly, consider the pricing for any business legal services you’re considering. This is where it gets tricky — unlike many of, say, the best online payroll services, any pricing packages you see with business legal platforms are only part of the story. You’ll likely discover that filing forms with the government, accessing document templates or designating the service as your registered agent entails extra fees.
To that end, have a spreadsheet ready (or rely on the classic pencil, paper and calculator combo). Use it to figure out exactly how much you’d spend on the services you need upon starting, as well as the cost of any monthly or annual subscriptions. Keep those numbers handy for a later step.
Look for more than a standard pricing page that details packages, recurring fees and features. Seek out additional resources such as ZenBusiness’ Products and Pricing page, on which the brand lists all its non-package features and their costs. Source: ZenBusiness
3. Try each platform.
Although you typically can’t test a platform without actually, officially filing for an LLC, corporation or nonprofit, there’s sometimes a workaround. With some platforms, if you exit the process just before paying for the service, you can still log in to your online dashboard and poke around. Take that approach to experience the user interface, tools and overall platform for yourself. Consider your findings during the next step.
4. Go over the notes you’ve taken to make your final decision.
The best legal service for your business lies at the intersection of your budget, the platform’s offerings and the user experience. If one of your contenders has high marks on all three, go with that. If the best contender offers the services you need via an easily navigable and usable interface, consider it if it’s just a tiny bit out of budget. If your top pick is way out of your budget and a less fitting but still acceptable pick is within budget, choose that one. Adequately budgeting for the very best business legal service is great; putting yourself in the red is not.
What are some features that are covered in a business legal service?
Attorney support
Some business legal service plans include consultations with attorneys, often with a time limit of 30 minutes. Others allow you to, for an extra fee, retain a legal professional for unlimited consultations.
Branding, growth and digital presence
Increasingly, the best online legal services for small businesses also offer website builders, branding tools (including a branded email address), domain names and other growth tools. The idea is that, if a service can help you open your doors, it should help you get fully off the ground too.
Tailor Brands in particular offers excellent branding, growth and digital presence features, including a tool for creating event-specific web pages. Source: Tailor Brands
Business registration, filing and licensure
All legal services should file for an LLC, C Corporation, S Corporation or nonprofit registration on your company’s behalf. Most will also check whether your business name is available and, if necessary, file for a DBA on your behalf. Many offer reports that list the licenses and permits you need as a paid add-on.
Tip
The benefits of forming an S corporation include pass-through taxation, liability protection and an easier ability to change ownership.
Compliance services
Trustworthy legal services ensure your business remains compliant with local, state and federal regulations. They may alert you ahead of your filing deadlines, pursue a certificate of good standing for your business, create and submit your required annual report, and file amendments to update your company’s information with the government.
Customer support
Most business legal services offer phone support alongside email and chat support. With some of the more expensive pricing packages, you may get priority or 24/7 support.
Finance management
Increasingly, business legal services are offering finance-management tools such as basic invoicing, bookkeeping and expense management. They are often paid add-ons accessible right from the same dashboard as all your legal matters, but they’re almost always quite limited in scope compared to the best accounting software.
FYI
Neither the accounting tools within an online legal service nor the best accounting software should replace a strong finance team. Instead, the technologies should supplement your finance department and empower your employees to achieve their goals.
Intellectual property, trademarks and patents
Almost all business legal services allow you to register a trademark through their platforms, usually for a one-time fee that’s substantially more expensive than its other services. Patent registration is far less common but not unheard of, as both Rocket Lawyer and LegalZoom offer it. In general, trustworthy online services cover the full breadth of intellectual property protection in a manner similar to traditional services.
Legal documents
Some business legal services allow you to create legal documents, including professional operating agreements, intellectual property agreements and employment contracts. You can typically add your electronic signature to the documents as well.
Online dashboard
Upon logging in to your business legal service, you should be directed to an online dashboard showing any outstanding documents and other needs. This is par for the course across all types of business software, not just legal services.
Registered agent designation
Every legal service we reviewed can serve as your company’s registered agent (its contact for communications from the government). The service is almost always a paid add-on to business formation plans, and it’s always worth it if you don’t already have a registered agent.
Tax support
Since tax compliance is a legal matter in addition to being an accounting concern, the best online legal services for small businesses often offer some level of tax support, usually as a paid add-on. The level of support may range from projecting your tax burden to filing your return on your behalf. It may also include identifying expenses you can potentially claim as deductions — and legal service fees themselves may qualify as tax-deductible business expenses.
Virtual mail
A small number of business legal services can capture physical mail at a location, open it, and then scan it and upload it to your online dashboard. The service is often called virtual mail.
Did You Know?
Physical mail isn’t just for receiving government communications. It can also be part of highly effective offline marketing tactics.
Methodology
To determine the best online legal services for small businesses, we focused on the brands with the best combination of reputation, pricing and services. We then tested the brands ourselves when possible. To do so, we created an account and used all the tools in the platform’s online dashboard. We then went through key processes such as registering an LLC or trademark, but stopped before actually having to pay, since we were just testing the platform, not actually taking any business actions. We used our findings to rate and rank the five best platforms.
FAQs
Yes. In most cases, online legal services are cheaper than a lawyer. Even the most expensive service we encountered, LegalZoom’s $899 trademark registration, would be less expensive than hiring an attorney to complete your application. After all, attorneys may charge up to $500 per hour (typically at least $150 per hour), and trademark applications are involved enough that they often take well more than two hours to complete.
Additionally, through Rocket Legal+, you can retain a legal professional starting at $75 per session. That rate is substantially lower than hiring a lawyer outside an online legal service.
Although some online legal services offer business formation plans that cost $0 per month, you’ll still have to pay the state registration fee. In this regard, there technically are not free online legal service options. If you put state registration fees aside, there are indeed $0 business formation plans available through ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Tailor Brands and Bizee.
Yes, you can form an LLC online. All the business legal services we reviewed offered that option, and we recommend them all for this purpose — although we found the process especially easy through Rocket Lawyer.
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Written by: Max Freedman, Senior Analyst
For almost a decade, Max Freedman has been a trusted advisor for entrepreneurs and business owners, providing practical insights to kickstart and elevate their ventures. With hands-on experience in small business management, he offers authentic perspectives on crucial business areas that run the gamut from marketing strategies to employee health insurance.
At business.com, Freedman primarily covers financial topics, including debt financing, equity compensation, stock purchase agreements, SIMPLE IRAs, differential pay, workers' compensation payments and business loans.
Freedman's guidance is grounded in the real world and based on his years working in and leading operations for small business workplaces. Whether advising on financial statements, retirement plans or e-commerce tactics, his expertise and genuine passion for empowering business owners make him an invaluable resource in the entrepreneurial landscape.