LegalZoom is one of the best-known names in US business formation, and it does a lot more than LLCs: wills, trademarks, attorney plans. For a founder who lives in the US and has a Social Security Number, that breadth is useful. For a non-US founder, the questions are different: how fast can you get an EIN without an SSN, who helps you open a bank account, and who files Form 5472? This comparison answers those.
| StartFleet | LegalZoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Formation price | Freelancer $449, Startup $599 (Wyoming, state fee included) | Basic $0, Managed $249, Expert $299, plus state fees |
| EIN | Included in every plan. Express EIN in 10–12 business days on Startup | Included in Managed and Expert only |
| Registered agent | Included for year one in every plan | $249 a year |
| Year-2 renewal | $329 (agent, annual state filing, mail scans, one amendment) plus state fee | Agent $249 a year. Compliance Filings $199 a year, excluding Wyoming auto-filing |
| US bank account help | Included in every plan | Not offered on the pages we checked |
| Form 5472 for foreign-owned LLCs | Included in the Business plan, or on its own | Not offered on the pages we checked |
| Built for non-US founders | Yes | Mainly US residents |
LegalZoom's figures come from its LLC overview, registered agent and compliance pages.
The headline $0 Basic package files your Articles of Organization and nothing else. It has no EIN, and without an EIN you can't open a US bank account or use Stripe. To get the EIN included, you move to Managed Service at $249. That tier turns into a $49-a-month service after 30 days unless you cancel.
Then there's the registered agent. Every LLC must have one, every year. LegalZoom charges $249 a year, and its footnote says that price applies to first-time registered agent customers.
From year two, if you want LegalZoom to handle annual filings, the Compliance Filings plan is $199 a year. Its own footnote says automatic annual-report filing excludes Indiana, Maryland and Wyoming. Wyoming is the state most non-US founders choose, so on that plan you would still file the Wyoming annual report yourself.
| Wyoming LLC, items you'd pay for | StartFleet | LegalZoom |
|---|---|---|
| Formation with EIN | $599 (Startup, all-in) | $249 + $100 state fee |
| Registered agent, year 1 | Included | $249 |
| Registered agent, year 2 | Included in $329 renewal | $249 |
| Annual report filing, year 2 | Included in $329 renewal (plus $60 state fee) | You file it (Compliance plan excludes Wyoming) plus $60 state fee |
| Form 5472, each year | Business plan, or from $129 on its own | Not offered |
Without an SSN or ITIN you can't use the IRS online EIN application. The IRS takes the application by fax or mail instead, and standard processing for non-residents usually takes 40 to 60 days. StartFleet's Express EIN, included in the Startup plan, takes 10 to 12 business days. That number gates everything else: the bank account, Stripe, and your first invoice.
LegalZoom includes an EIN in its paid packages, but its pages don't describe a faster route for applicants without an SSN.
StartFleet includes bank account setup help in every plan and works with the banks that accept non-US founders, such as Mercury, Relay and Wise. Our US business bank account guide explains the options. We didn't find a banking service for non-residents on LegalZoom's LLC pages.
A single-member LLC owned by a non-US person files Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120 every year it has a reportable transaction. The IRS penalty for not filing is $25,000. StartFleet's Business plan includes the filing, and you can also order it on its own. We didn't find a Form 5472 service on LegalZoom's pricing pages. See our Form 5472 guide.
Choose LegalZoom if you live in the US, have an SSN and want one provider for formation plus legal documents, trademarks or attorney access.
Choose StartFleet if you live outside the US and need the full setup in one plan: the LLC, an EIN without an SSN, a registered agent, US banking help and Form 5472.
For a wider roundup, read best LLC formation services.
StartFleet's Startup plan is $599 all-in for a Wyoming LLC. It covers the $100 state fee, a registered agent for a year and a US mailing address. It also includes Express EIN in 10–12 business days and bank account setup help. Every filing comes with our 100% accuracy guarantee, and founders in 127 countries use it. See plans and pricing.
StartFleet. It includes the EIN, a registered agent and banking help, with Express EIN in 10–12 business days for founders without an SSN.
The Basic package is $0 plus state fees, but it doesn't include an EIN. The EIN comes with the $249 Managed Service package.
$249 a year, which renews automatically until you cancel.
Not automatically. Its Compliance Filings plan excludes Wyoming, Indiana and Maryland from automatic annual-report filing.
LegalZoom's LLC pages don't mention non-US residents. Non-US founders also need an EIN without an SSN, US banking and Form 5472, which StartFleet includes.
We didn't find a Form 5472 service on its pricing pages. StartFleet files it in the Business plan or on its own.
StartFleet Team shares insights and guides on U.S. business, company formation, EINs, taxes, and banking for non-U.S. founders. Our guides are written by the team that handles these filings every day, so you get advice from people who do this work.
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