Swyft Filings vs LegalZoom

You’re planning on becoming an entrepreneur but don’t know how to form a business by yourself? No worries, there are tons of companies across the country that offer business formation services and help future business owners through the whole process.

Our Swyft Filings vs. LegalZoom review looks at two highly rated LLC services and reports whether they are worth your attention.

Swyft Filings vs. LegalZoom Side-by-Side Comparison

Swyft Filings and LegalZoom offer some of the best LLC services. Before going to the specifics, let’s see how these two companies compare to each other in general.

Based on this overview, LegalZoom draws first blood. Still, let’s not read too much into first impressions but find out how the two LLC formation services truly stack up against each other.

Individual Products and Services

Swyft Filings and LegalZoom help small business owners form companies and manage them even after establishment. Whether you’re interested in starting an LLC or require legal or other services, you’ll find what these two companies have to offer below.

Business products

While the business products both companies offer are similar, LegalZoom features a wider scope of services.

For instance, LegalZoom offers LZ tax services and human legal advice, while Swyft Filings only provides its customers with an hour-long business tax consultation and no legal advice.

However, when it comes to the pricing of its products and services, Swyft Filings is more affordable.

Starting a Limited Liability Company (LLC) with LegalZoom will cost you $79 + state filing fees. On the other hand, using Swyft Filings to form an LLC will cost you $49 + state filing fees.

The same also applies to incorporation. Using LegalZoom to start an S corp will cost you $149, while Swyft Filings will charge you $49 for the same service.

Note: The prices discussed above only refer to LegalZoom and Swyft Filings’ basic packages.

Personal services

If you want to use Swyft Filings for both personal and business services, you should know it only offers business services. This means that you cannot access a will or a divorce settlement template on the platform.

On the other hand, LegalZoom provides a variety of personal legal templates such as online wills and divorce agreements. The company’s trove of documents also covers personal real estate and name change needs.

Real estate

The main difference between the two companies as far as real estate is concerned is that Swyft Filings specializes in the formation of real estate businesses.

Meanwhile, LegalZoom focuses on providing legal services related to managing real estate companies. It also offers additional services such as:

• Legal assistance with filling out and submitting legal documents
• Property sales and acquisition consultations

Of course, LegalZoom charges extra for these services.

Legal advice

As already stated, Swyft Filings doesn’t offer legal advice. Meanwhile, LegalZoom’s legal services are extensive. The company has a network of attorneys in every state specializing in the formation of large and small businesses, family law, intellectual property, and estate planning.

Documents

LegalZoom has a broader catalog consisting of over 150 legal forms pertaining to business registration, business regulation compliance, and personal legal needs.

Swyft Filings doesn’t disclose the number of legal documents available on its platform. However, our estimate is that the service has over 30 business formation and management documents.

Swyft Filings vs LegalZoom Pricing Compared

Let’s take a look at the packages these two companies offer and see which one is more affordable, and which one includes more services in its plans.

Swyft Filings fees

Swyft Filings groups its products and services into three main plans:

• Basic Package ($49 + state filing fees) – includes basic services such as preparing Articles of Incorporation or document filing with the Secretary of State. However, a number of additional services include extra fees (e.g., obtaining a Federal Tax ID (EIN), access to a custom Swyft Filings LLC operating agreement, electronic delivery of state documents, customized digital corporate kit, etc.).
• Standard Package ($149 + state filing fees) – includes all benefits except electronic delivery of state documents and a customized digital corporate kit.
• Premium Package ($299+ state filing fees) – includes all products and services earmarked for package options. Unlike Basic and Standard packages which are sent by USPS and delivered in four to five business days, you can get the Premium package via FedEx in one to two business days.

We should mention that Swyft Filings offers an installment plan, meaning you can pay for the chosen package in two installments. Alternatively, if you prefer not to subscribe, you can pay for products and services individually.

LegalZoom fees

LegalZoom also offers three main subscription plans:

• Economy Package ($79 + state filing fees) – includes almost all the options related to LLC formation except for expedited processing, express shipping, deluxe founder’s kit, and membership certificates.
• Standard Package ($329+ state filing fees) – includes everything except for expedited processing and fast shipping.
• Express Gold Package ($349+ state filing fees) – a premium package that includes all the available LLC formation options and provides unlimited access to LegalZoom’s rich document portfolio.
  Business assistance

Aside from assisting with LLC and corporation formation, LegalZoom also offers other business formation services. These are included in various packages, such as the LegalZoom Essential Compliance Package and the LegalZoom Business Advantage Pro. You can also use LegalZoom to start nonprofits and establish a DBA.

We should note that subscribing to a package doesn’t guarantee access to all products and services. For example, you can’t access a LegalZoom operating agreement even with premium membership (but you can with the Rush package).

However, all products and services are available as standalone items, which you pay for individually (including LegalZoom DBA, which isn’t a part of any package and can only be accessed as a single item).

Personal assistance

On the personal front, LegalZoom’s estate planning bundle costs at least $249, while a last will costs $89. A living will costs $39, while the price for a living trust service is $279.

As you can see, Swyft Filings seems like a more affordable option. However, when we take into account it doesn’t offer legal advice and personal services, we understand why.

While Swyft Filings’ Basic package is only $49, it doesn’t include that many services. Meanwhile, LegalZoom’s Essential package might cost a bit more, but it offers almost all the features available to premium users.

Swyft Filings vs. LegalZoom Customer Support

When offering business formation services, companies must be ready to address any issues that occur along the way. Therefore, a good customer support system is essential in keeping the customers happy and making sure any problems that arise get resolved.

Do Swyft Filings and LegalZoom meet the standard customer support threshold? This is what we found:

Swyft Filings

American and Canadian users can speak to the Swyft Filings customer support team via:

• A dedicated hotline – the line is open on business days from 9 am – 6 pm Central Standard Time (CST).
• Chatbox
• Email
• Direct online message
• Fax

LegalZoom

Unfortunately, LegalZoom doesn’t have a live chat option. However, the company’s customer support is reachable via:

• Phone between 5 am and 7 pm Pacific Time (PT) on business days
• Phone between 7 am and 4 pm PT during the weekend
• Email
• Direct online message

Swyft Filings vs. LegalZoom: Customer Reviews

Going over the offered packages and services can help with deciding which company to use for business formation services. However, it’s also helpful to see what other customers have to say about their experience with these companies. Let’s see what they had to say:

Swyft Filings

The Swyft Filings reviews we looked at were largely positive, although a few genuine concerns popped up.

Trustpilot

Most Swyft Filings reviews we examined on Trustpilot were positive, but it is hard to ignore some common complaints.

Several users reported the inability to reach customer service when seeking help with their billing as their biggest complaint. Most of these users complained of receiving automated replies and not getting actual help.

On the bright side, the company is quick to address and respond to any negative Swyft Filings review on the platform

BBB

Most Swyft Filings BBB reviews were positive. The majority of the comments were in the line of “fast and efficient,” “great help,” and “excellent customer service.”

A couple of users complained about hidden charges or delayed responses. Ironically, Swyft Filings promptly responds to such comments and lends immediate assistance.

LegalZoom

LegalZoom’s reviews across Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) are uniform — a positive majority and a few negative ones.

Trustpilot

While most reviews praised the company’s reliability, customer service, and cost-effectiveness, some negative comments caught our eye.

For example, a user complained that the company deliberately prolonged the process of closing a family company to charge more fees.

Another user complained of unresponsiveness unless you explicitly use the words ‘LegalZoom Refund.’

BBB

LegalZoom’s reviews on BBB are mostly positive and praise the company’s professionalism and efficient customer service.

Alternatives

Is there better value out there? How do Swyft Filings and LegalZoom compare to their competitors? Let’s find out.

IncFile vs. Swyft Filings

IncFile is the one service that Swyft Filings can’t beat since it offers the best value in the market. For instance, its basic Silver package offers business formation services free of charge (but does charge state filing fees). Users also get free registered agent services for one year and a free 30-minute business tax consultation session.

IncFile vs. LegalZoom

While the two business formation companies provide similar services, IncFile offers better prices. Its basic package is free, and the second tier and premium options are more affordable than LegalZoom’s.

IncFile also includes some key services, such as a free registered agent service in all its plans (for one year in its basic plan). In contrast, LegalZoom users have to pay at least $79 to access a registered agent service.

Additionally, orders take one day to be processed on IncFile, which could take 30 business days on LegalZoom.

Swyft Filings vs. Rocket Lawyer

There are two main reasons why a person forming a business would prefer Rocket Lawyer over Swyft Filings. Unlike Swyft Filings, Rocket Lawyer provides legal services. In addition to this, its premium membership ($39) costs less than Swyft Filings’ basic package ($49).

LegalZoom vs. Rocket Lawyer

Both companies offer similar services, but Rocket Lawyer seems like the more affordable option. LegalZoom’s basic packages are paid, while Rocket Lawyer’s are free of cost. LegalZoom does provide more services than Rocket Lawyer, but the latter’s packages offer more for a better price.

LegalZoom vs. Swyft Filings: Which One is Better For You?

Choosing between two highly rated companies can be tricky, especially if they specialize in specific areas that interest you. Here’s what to consider if you need help deciding:

• The pricing structure that works best for you
• The kind of services you need
• If the service includes legal help
• Customer reviews
• The long-term prospects of each service

Our Verdict

While Swyft Filings is more affordable than LegalZoom, it only offers business formation services. In this regard, it is somewhat limited compared to LegalZoom, which also offers legal advice and personal services.

What these two companies have in common is they have helped hundreds of businesses set up shop across the US and Canada.

Below we list the areas in which they excel, respectively.

Swyft Filings is better for:

• Preparing company reports
• Federal Tax ID generation
• Amendments and name changes
• Foreign qualification
• Business dissolution

LegalZoom is better for

• LLC formation
• Incorporation
• Registered agent services
• Contracts & agreements
• Corporate amendment
• Online legal wills
• Divorce agreements