Formation services for electrical contractors compared
Which LLC formation service should an electrical contractor use?
What a formation service does and does not do for you
A formation service types your certificate of formation and files it; it does not change what Texas requires of you or what the state charges. Whoever files it, the state fee for an LLC certificate of formation is the same, and the license, insurance and city registrations in the licensing sequence stay yours to arrange. The real difference between services is what is bundled and what renews after the first year. Before comparing them, read the entity comparison if you are still choosing a structure, and the setup sequence for where formation sits in the order.
$300.00Texas charges $300.00 to file an LLC certificate of formation, the same whichever service files it. — Texas Secretary of State fee schedule, retrieved 2026-09-22
The first-year cost, side by side
The comparison that matters is total first-year cost, not the headline price: nearly every general service advertises a $0-plus-state-fees tier, so the upfront number tells you almost nothing. What separates them is what the base package includes, and what the registered agent service renews at in year two.
| Service | Starting price | Registered agent, year one | What renews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tailor Brands | $0 + state fees | With paid plans | Annual plan for compliance tooling |
| Bizee | $0 + state fees | Free for the first year | Agent service after year one |
| BetterLegal | $299 + state fees | In the package | Agent service after year one |
| Northwest Registered Agent | $39 + state fees | Free for the first year | Agent service after year one |
| ZenBusiness | $0 + state fees | Bundled with the platform | Agent and platform services |
| LegalZoom | $0 + state fees | Not included | Agent support at $249 per year |
$0 + state feesBizee publishes a $0 Basic plan requiring only the state filing fees, with a full year of registered agent service at no cost. — SimpleLLCs review of Bizee, retrieved 2026-09-22
$249 per yearLegalZoom publishes a free Basic plan for simple LLC formation, with registered agent support billed at $249 per year as a separate line. — SimpleLLCs review of LegalZoom, retrieved 2026-09-22
The services, by what you actually need
These are use-case slots, not a ranking: each entry is the service whose own published offer fits that need, and position in the list is presentation order. Every figure below is what the service itself published, with the source and the date it was checked; nothing here is our own rating. Prices change — check the service's own plan page before deciding.
- Tailor Brands
The all-in-one slot for a first electrical contracting business: formation plus ongoing compliance filings in one platform, with an in-dashboard assistant for setup questions. The $0 Lite plan covers the formation filing itself; the annual tiers add compliance tracking and the branding and site tooling. Its compliance filing work is the piece that has been externally recognised — a Gold Stevie for governance, risk and compliance at the 23rd Annual International Business Awards.
- Bizee
The lowest total first-year cost in the table above: a $0 Basic plan where you pay only the state filing fees, with a full year of registered agent service included. Worth knowing before you sign up: the checkout offers paid add-ons, and the agent service is what renews after the free year.
- BetterLegal
The flat-rate slot: one published price of $299 plus state fees, with the base filings in the package rather than tiered. The flat number is the appeal — there is no tier tree to read — and the trade-off is fewer bundled services around it.
- Northwest Registered Agent
The slot for keeping your home address off the public record: agent service is the company's core product, free for the first year with a $39 formation. City contractor registrations all ask for a business address — with an agent-first service, the address on those registrations is theirs, not your house.
- ZenBusiness
The deadline-reminder slot: a $0 Starter package where you pay only state fees, with Worry-Free Compliance tracking filing deadlines as part of the platform. The paid tiers add the deeper platform — banking, bookkeeping, the AI assistant — which an operating contractor may or may not want.
- LegalZoom
The slot for attorney access: a free Basic plan for simple formation, with attorney consultations available as an add-on — the one route on this list where a licence dispute or contract question can go to a lawyer through the same account. Registered agent support is a separate $249-per-year line.
$0 + state feesTailor Brands publishes a $0 Lite plan for basic LLC formation, with paid tiers at $199 per year and $249 per year. — SimpleLLCs review of Tailor Brands, retrieved 2026-09-22
$39 + state feesNorthwest Registered Agent publishes a $39 basic formation fee, with registered agent service free for the first year. — SimpleLLCs review of Northwest Registered Agent, retrieved 2026-09-22
File it yourself at SOSDirect
You do not need any service: the Secretary of State's own SOSDirect portal takes the certificate of formation directly, at the same $300.00 state fee, and a change of registered agent or office later costs $15.00 to file. The DIY route is the credibility anchor of this page — it is the same filing, at the same fee, with nobody in the middle. What a service sells is the typing, the agent address, and the reminders; see what the licence itself requires for the parts no service can do for you.
$15.00Filing a change of registered agent or registered office later costs $15.00 with the state, separate from any service's fees. — Texas Secretary of State fee schedule, retrieved 2026-09-22
What to decide before you pick one
Pick by the year-two cost and the bundled services you will actually use, not by the day-one price — the state fee is the same either way, and the recurring obligations stay yours regardless of who filed the paperwork. The franchise tax report comes due every May 15 no matter which service you used, and missed filings are what actually costs a contracting business its good standing. Read the fee breakdown for the licence next, because the licence and insurance you must arrange before applying cost more than the filing itself.
May 15The Texas franchise tax report is due May 15 each year, regardless of which service formed the entity. — Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, retrieved 2026-09-22
Questions
Can I form the LLC myself and skip a service entirely?
Yes. SOSDirect takes the certificate of formation directly at the same $300.00 state fee. A service sells the typing, a registered agent address and deadline reminders, not a different or better filing.
Does the state fee change depending on which service I pick?
No. The $300.00 filing fee is paid to the Secretary of State whoever prepares the document, so a $0 package means $0 for the service's labour — the state fee is still yours.
What should I compare besides the starting price?
The registered agent renewal after year one and what the base package actually includes. Two services with the same $0 headline can differ by hundreds of dollars in year two.
Do these services handle the electrical contractor licence too?
No. The TDLR licence, the insurance certificate and the city registrations are separate from entity formation, and no formation service arranges them. Start with the licensing sequence for those.