Verdict First: Which LLC Service Should You Use?
If you are a U.S.-based freelancer who only needs the Articles of Organization filed and is comfortable handling EIN and operating agreement through free IRS and template sources, ZenBusiness Starter at $0 plus state fees is the cheapest legitimate option. Stop reading here if that describes you.
If you need formation plus EIN, operating agreement, registered agent, and a business address bundled from day one — without piecing together four separate tasks — doola Starter at $297 per year plus state fees is simpler and, counterintuitively, often cheaper than building the equivalent stack inside ZenBusiness. And if you are a non-U.S. founder, doola is the clearer fit: its entire workflow is built around international founders without a Social Security number.
The rest of this article shows the math across three real solo scenarios so you can verify which path wins for your situation. All prices are as of July 2026; check each provider at checkout because pricing and plan inclusions change.
Why Formation Price Is the Wrong Number to Compare
Both services lead with their lowest number. ZenBusiness leads with $0. doola leads with $297. Neither number reflects what a functioning LLC actually costs through either service, because a functioning LLC needs more than just Articles filed.
At minimum, a working solo LLC needs: the state filing itself, an EIN (your business tax ID), an operating agreement (often required by banks), a registered agent (required in every state), and a business address that is not your home address if privacy matters to you. Add compliance tracking and annual report reminders if you want to stay in good standing without a calendar system.
Once you price all of that, the gap between the two services narrows or reverses depending on your scenario. The table below and the three scenarios that follow show exactly where each service wins. State fees are excluded from provider subtotals because both services pass state fees through at cost — see the state-fee overlay at the end of this section.
The 12-Month True-Cost Comparison (Three Solo Scenarios)
| What you need | doola Starter | ZenBusiness equivalent | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formation filing only | $297/yr | $0 (Starter) | ZenBusiness |
| Formation + EIN + operating agreement | $297/yr | $198 (Starter + $99 EIN + $99 OA) | ZenBusiness by ~$99 |
| Formation + EIN + OA + registered agent + business address | $297/yr | ~$397 (Starter + $99 + $99 + $199 RA) | doola by ~$100 |
| Formation + essentials + bookkeeping + annual tax filing | $1,999/yr (Tax & Compliance) | ~$2,157/yr (Pro + RA + Money Pro + S-corp tax) | doola by ~$158 |
| Formation + essentials + dedicated bookkeeper + quarterly estimates | $2,999/yr (Business-in-a-Box) | ~$3,386/yr (Pro + RA + Money Pro + S-corp quarterly filing) | doola by ~$387 |
Prices are provider fees only, as of July 2026, before state fees. Verify at checkout — ZenBusiness renewal pricing and Premium plan cost showed minor inconsistencies across official pages in July 2026 research; the figures above use the primary help-center rates.
Scenario A — $45K Side-Hustle Freelancer, U.S.-Based, Privacy Not a Priority
You are bringing in around $45,000 in freelance income, you work from home, and you just need a legal entity to separate business from personal finances. You are comfortable applying for your EIN directly through the IRS for free and downloading an operating agreement template.
doola Starter: $297/year plus state fees. Includes EIN, operating agreement, registered agent, and business address — but you do not need most of those extras in this scenario.
ZenBusiness Starter: $0 plus state fees. Files your Articles and nothing else. You handle EIN (free via IRS.gov), operating agreement (free templates exist), and you act as your own registered agent if your state permits.
Decision: ZenBusiness wins on price here by $297 in year one. The catch is that you need to be comfortable doing three tasks yourself that doola handles for you. If you will actually do them, you come out ahead. If you will procrastinate on the operating agreement and forget to update your registered agent address, doola's bundle earns its cost.
Scenario B — $90K Consultant, Wants Privacy and a Clean Compliance Setup
You are netting around $90,000, you invoice clients, and you want a business address that is not your home address on public records. You want someone else to handle legal notices, and you want the operating agreement done properly because you plan to open a business bank account immediately after formation.
doola Starter: $297/year plus state fees. Includes LLC filing, EIN, operating agreement, registered agent, and a virtual mailing and business address.
ZenBusiness equivalent stack: approximately $397 plus state fees. That is ZenBusiness Starter ($0) plus EIN add-on ($99) plus operating agreement add-on ($99) plus registered agent ($199/year). Note: ZenBusiness registered agent handles legal and official mail; doola specifically includes a virtual business mailing address, which may matter if you need a non-home address for vendor forms or bank applications.
Decision: doola wins by roughly $100 in year one and delivers a cleaner onboarding experience. ZenBusiness is still viable if you prefer its interface, but you need to build the stack deliberately and watch for renewal terms on each add-on.
After formation, both scenarios benefit from a dedicated business bank account. See our Mercury bank review for a fee-free option that works well with solo LLCs.
Scenario C — $180K Agency-of-One, S-Corp-Ready, Wants Tax and Bookkeeping Support
You are netting around $180,000, you are already thinking about an S-corp election, and you want formation, registered agent, bookkeeping, and business tax filing under one roof so you are not stitching together four separate vendors.
doola Tax & Compliance: $1,999/year plus state fees. Includes everything in Starter plus faster EIN handling, federal and state tax filing, a 1:1 tax consultation, bookkeeping software, and invoicing tools.
doola Business-in-a-Box: $2,999/year plus state fees. Adds a dedicated bookkeeper, monthly financial statements, synced bookkeeping and tax preparation, and estimated quarterly tax support.
ZenBusiness full stack: approximately $2,157 to $3,386 per year plus state fees, depending on how much support you want. The lower figure (around $2,157) covers ZenBusiness Pro ($199) plus registered agent ($199) plus Money Pro bookkeeping software ($360/year) plus S-corp annual tax filing ($1,399). The higher figure (around $3,386) replaces annual tax filing with the S-corp Quarterly Planning and Filing service ($2,628/year).
Decision: doola can be cheaper at the higher-support tier, particularly Business-in-a-Box versus ZenBusiness's quarterly S-corp plan — roughly $387 less per year before state fees. If you only need annual S-corp filing and can self-manage bookkeeping inside Money Pro, ZenBusiness's annual-filing stack is competitive. Either way, at this income level the S-corp election question itself — and the reasonable-compensation requirement — is worth a dedicated conversation with a CPA before you elect. See our tax hub for more on that decision.
For bookkeeping once you are set up, see how QuickBooks fits a solo S-corp workflow if you are considering tools beyond what your formation service bundles.
State-Fee Overlay: What You Actually Pay the State
Both services pass state fees through at cost — they do not mark them up, but they also do not absorb them. As of July 2026, some verified examples: Wyoming adds approximately $100 for Articles of Organization. California adds $70 for Articles plus $20 for the initial Statement of Information, and California LLCs generally owe an $800 annual franchise tax if the entity is organized in or doing business in California — that $800 is a state obligation, not a provider fee. New York adds $200 for Articles plus a $50 Certificate of Publication filing fee, and New York also requires newspaper publication once weekly for six successive weeks in two county-designated newspapers within 120 days of formation; ZenBusiness lists a publication service for $200, but county newspaper charges vary. State fees change — verify current figures on your state's Secretary of State website before you file.
doola: Honest Strengths and Limitations
Where doola genuinely wins: The Starter bundle is unusually complete. For $297 per year plus state fees, you get LLC filing, EIN handling (no SSN required), an operating agreement, registered agent service, and a virtual U.S. business address. For non-U.S. founders especially, that is a meaningful bundle — doola explicitly supports EIN applications without a Social Security number and provides bank-account application guidance for international clients. Its higher tiers connect formation, bookkeeping, tax preparation, and quarterly estimated taxes under one roof, which reduces tool sprawl for a growing solo.
Where doola falls short: It is more expensive than ZenBusiness for bare-bones U.S. LLC filing when the solo is comfortable handling EIN and operating agreement independently. EIN timing without an SSN is genuinely variable — one doola help article cites 4 to 6 weeks, another non-resident guide says 2 to 4 months; the difference is IRS processing, not doola's process, but budget for the longer window if you are a non-U.S. founder. doola's S-corp election filing service price was not clearly verified on current pricing pages as of July 2026 — confirm directly with doola before assuming it is covered by any plan. And like any formation service, doola does not provide legal advice or guarantee liability protection; your LLC's actual protection depends on proper formation, maintaining separateness, contracts, insurance, and state law.
Skip doola if: You are a U.S.-based solo who only needs Articles filed, you are comfortable doing EIN and operating agreement work yourself, and minimizing provider cost is the top priority.
ZenBusiness: Honest Strengths and Limitations
Where ZenBusiness genuinely wins: The $0 Starter plan is a real, legitimate LLC filing service — not a bait-and-switch. If you only need Articles filed and plan to handle EIN, operating agreement, and registered agent yourself, ZenBusiness Starter is the cheapest formal service option. The modular add-on structure also lets deliberate buyers pay only for what they need. Its S-corp election support path is well-documented: for LLCs formed through ZenBusiness, the election is free within 30 days of formation and $200 after that window, with Form 2553 assistance (note: the IRS requires a wet signature, so you will sign and mail the form).
Where ZenBusiness falls short: The $0 headline is misleading for most solos who need a working LLC. Adding EIN, operating agreement, and registered agent brings first-year provider cost to roughly $397 — more than doola Starter. Renewal and Premium pricing showed minor inconsistencies across official ZenBusiness pages in July 2026 research; verify post-year-one registered agent and plan renewal costs at checkout before committing. Non-U.S. founders are supported but the experience is more procedural — ZenBusiness's help documentation points to extra SS-4 and ITIN steps for EIN without an SSN rather than handling it in a streamlined international workflow.
Skip ZenBusiness if: You are a non-U.S. founder who wants a tightly packaged EIN, address, and bank-account guidance workflow. Also skip if you are likely to miss or forget individual add-on renewal terms — the modular structure rewards organized buyers and penalizes inattentive ones.
Non-U.S. Founders: A Separate Note
Both services allow non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. residents to form a U.S. LLC. Neither requires U.S. citizenship or residency. The meaningful difference is workflow design.
doola was built with international founders in mind. Its Starter plan includes EIN handling without an SSN, a U.S. business address, and bank-account application guidance. ZenBusiness supports international formation but its documentation treats it as an edge case with additional steps.
One important caution for foreign-owned single-member LLCs: even with little or no U.S. income, a foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity may have IRS Form 5472 filing obligations (attached to a pro forma Form 1120). Do not assume that low or zero U.S. revenue means zero U.S. filing obligations — this is a CPA conversation, not a formation-service question.
On BOI reporting: as of July 2026, FinCEN's March 26, 2025 interim final rule exempts domestic U.S.-formed LLCs from federal BOI reporting. Foreign entities registered to do business in the U.S. may still have BOI obligations. Confirm your specific situation with a compliance advisor.
S-Corp Timing: What Neither Service Can Do for You
Both services can assist with the S-corp election paperwork. Neither service can tell you whether an S-corp election is the right decision for your situation.
As a general illustration: a solo consultant netting $180,000 as a sole proprietor pays self-employment tax on roughly the full net amount. Elect S-corp status, pay yourself a defensible salary, and only the salary portion carries payroll tax — the remainder distributes outside the SE tax base. The potential savings are real, but so are the added costs: payroll administration, a separate S-corp tax return (Form 1120-S), possibly payroll software, and state-level fees and filings that vary significantly. The IRS also requires a defensible "reasonable salary" — paying yourself $1 to minimize payroll tax is a documented audit trigger.
On timing: Form 2553 generally must be filed no more than 2 months and 15 days after the beginning of the tax year the election should take effect, or during the prior tax year. For calendar-year 2026 S-corp status, that window generally closed in mid-March 2026. Late-election relief exists but is a CPA-level issue. If you are reading this in mid-2026 and considering an S-corp, talk to a CPA or enrolled agent now about a 2027 election.
See our Financial OS overview for how entity structure fits into the broader solo financial system — formation is the Foundation layer, but it connects to Flow (banking, bookkeeping), Protection (contracts, insurance), and Growth (tax planning, retirement accounts).
How These Services Fit Your Solo Financial Stack
LLC formation sits in the Foundation layer of the solo financial operating system — it is the legal container that makes everything else cleaner. But formation is not the end of the setup. Once your LLC is filed, you need a business bank account (see our Mercury review for a fee-free solo-friendly option), a bookkeeping system, and eventually a tax filing workflow that matches your entity type.
If you use doola Tax & Compliance or Business-in-a-Box, bookkeeping and tax filing are bundled. If you use ZenBusiness Starter or Pro and add services separately, you will want to think through the full solo financial stack before committing to a tool set — formation is one decision, accounting software is another, and tax filing is a third.
Bottom Line: The Decision in Plain English
Choose ZenBusiness Starter if you are U.S.-based, need only Articles filed, and will handle EIN, operating agreement, and registered agent yourself. You save $297 in year one versus doola.
Choose doola Starter if you need formation plus EIN, operating agreement, registered agent, and a business address bundled — especially if you are a non-U.S. founder or value a clean single-vendor onboarding. You save roughly $100 versus building the equivalent stack in ZenBusiness.
Choose doola Tax & Compliance or Business-in-a-Box if you want formation through tax filing and bookkeeping under one roof and your income justifies outsourcing the full compliance stack.
Choose ZenBusiness's tax services layer if you prefer ZenBusiness's interface and want to build your stack modularly — just map out the full annual cost before assuming it is cheaper.
In every scenario, run the actual numbers with your state fees included, verify pricing at checkout before you pay, and talk to a CPA before making an S-corp election. Formation is a one-day decision with multi-year consequences — take the extra hour to get it right.