You can form an LLC on your own, but you might not want to go through all the hassle and end up doing something wrong that can cost you your business. Fortunately, there are lots of choices available for an online LLC formation service.
In this review, our team of experts will discuss if this LLC formation service is the best use of your money for your business.
Pros
- Provides advanced features such as trademark protection and full-service web design
- Extensive experience having served more than 60,000 clients since inception
- Offers Federal Tax ID (EIN) in all its plans
- Offers Executive Club Service with premium services for business needs
Cons
- Only 6 months of free registered agent service offered
- Pricey compared to other competitors
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Direct Incorporation History and Experience
Unlike MyCorporation that started in 1988, the Direct Incorporation LLC formation service started in 2003 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is a family-owned LLC start-up borne out of the idea of starting new businesses without the stress of paying a law firm and in a more economical way.
The business started with processing legal documents and about 15 years later, the company extended its dealings to include LLC formation, processing corporate documents, domain registrations, websites building, and so on.
Currently, the company has formed over 80,000 businesses. INC Magazine recognized the company as one of the fastest-growing companies in the US in the Business Services Category. With its experience, Direct Incorporation has all the necessary expertise to handle the entire formation process like research, ongoing compliance, and others.
Direct Incorporation Features and Services
In this section of our Direct Incorporation review, our team of experts explore more information such as the features and the experiences of its users to determine whether the company is a good deal or not.
Packages and Pricing
Like many other LLC formation services including Better Legal Services , Direct Incorporation offers different tiers of packages and pricing. However, this company has five different tiers of LLC formation packages, which are Standard, Premier, Elite, Venture, and Venture Plus.
The Standard package is the basic plan and costs $147 plus state fees. In this plan, you will get features like business name availability search, online storage for documents, six months free registered agent service, preparation and filing of articles of incorporation or organization, domain name securing, S Corp tax designation[1], Client Resource Center, a 3-week Executive Club trial, federal tax ID number (EIN) registration, and unlimited customer support.
The Premier package costs $297 and state fees. You will get everything from the Standard package, plus operating agreement, corporate suite CD, and LLC kit and seal, and others that your business may need.
The Elite package costs $429 and state fees. You will get everything from the Premier package, plus website builder tool, DIY website builder software, 1-year domain name registration, 3 months of free website hosting, 5 free email accounts, stock logo, and so on.
The Venture package costs $873 + state fees. You will get everything from the Elite package, plus web design service (instead of the DIY website builder software, they’ll build the website for you), custom logo design, trademark protection, 1-year Executive Club subscription, 1-year website hosting, among others. Some of the features are not offered by competitors.
The Venture Plus packages costs $1495 plus state fees. You will get everything from the Venture plan, plus a second trademark or copyright, a subsidiary entity filing or DBA name, US business address, organizational meeting live support, and annual meeting live support.
Direct Incorporation offers an Executive Club service, which gives access to several features which includes tracking government compliance requirements, tracking tax filings, managing your company dashboard, creating custom corporate documents, creating forms like meeting minutes and resolutions, and more.
This service also allows you to enjoy discounts on incorporation and trademark services, receive tax advice from accountants, and legal advice from attorneys. You can add this service to your formation package for only $13.99 per month.
Like other LLCs offering additional services such as LegalZoom and Incfile, Direct Incorporation offers the Federal Tax ID (EIN) in all plans, which enables you to file taxes, hire employees, open savings and/or business checking accounts, and much more. However, not many incorporation service providers include an EIN in their plans.
Note that you may have to add name reservation fees to the total cost of the packages.
Registered Agent Service
Previously, Direct Incorporation did not provide the registered agent service in any of its packages or as a standalone feature. However, it now includes 6 free months of registered agent service to all its packages.
Nevertheless, if you compare this to formation service providers and competitors such as Incfile, you will get the best registered agent service free for the first year from most competitors.
During our team’s Direct Incorporation reviews and trial, the company didn’t specify what will happen to the services after the end of the 6-month free trial.
Direct Incorporation Turnaround Time
Turnaround times vary by state. However, this corporation has a general turnaround time of about 2 days to 12 weeks, which is longer than that of some competitors particularly Swyft Filings. For instance, Incfile completes your order in 1 day to 8 weeks.
Ease of Use
Similar to Incfile business formation company, Direct Incorporation is easy to use. Our team found that it has a clean website that clearly displays all the services offered by the corporation, the features of each LLC package, and the pricing. The corporation claims to form LLC within just 10 minutes, though this may vary based on the complexity of your circumstances.
The corporation provides real-time updates as it processes your order, information, and files your documents. Direct Incorporation also provides an email option and phone assistance in case you need help or run into any obstacles.
Direct Incorporation Customer Support
Customer Support is offered via phone and email. Our team did a thorough check but the corporation doesn’t offer a text messaging option or live chat option unlike most other companies. You can reach their representatives from 9 am to 6 pm ET Monday through Friday only.
Unlike Incorporation.com with good email support, Direct Incorporation doesn’t have a general support email address. Instead, each employee has their email address posted on the “Our Team” page.
You need to choose the employee whose job description best fits your order process and email him/her directly. Direct Incorporation has mixed reviews available, which makes it rather difficult to determine just how good its customer support is.
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are not a huge advantage for Direct Incorporation unlike the top-tier customer support offered by SunDoc Fillings. The corporation doesn’t have many online reviews.
There are only 43 Direct Incorporation reviews on Facebook reviews, 5 on Better Business Bureau, and 3 on Yelp. This is less than 100 in all, so our expert team felt this isn’t enough information to help evaluate whether their customer experiences are generally good.
While Direct Incorporation’s LLC formation service doesn’t have tons of reviews like some other top incorporation services. However, the majority of its reviews are positive, praising their efficiency and good ongoing customer service.
Direct Incorporation Alternatives
Though Direct Incorporation does a good job with its LLC formation services, it may not work or be the best for your new business. In comparison, there are several good Direct Incorporation alternatives that can be the right fit for your business.
Incfile is one of the best and most affordable alternatives to choose from if you want to start a business on a low budget but still need to get all the essential services. Incfile has a starting price of $0 and includes everything necessary to form an LLC in any state.
ZenBusiness is another affordable alternative that offers one of the best value services. It has a starting price of $39 and includes feature-packed services. You might want to take a look at what ZenBusiness provides and determine if it is better for you.
For reliable LLC formation company, you can visit our page about Northwest Registered Agent Service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Direct Inc legit?
Yes, Direct Inc is legit. The corporation started in 2003 and has formed over 80,000 businesses. The corporation has a few dozen 5 stars customer reviews online and most of them are positive.
Direct Incorporation Review Conclusion
In our team’s review, we found that Direct Incorporation is right for those who want everything from business formation to logo design. It also offers advanced services that most other formation services do not offer.
Nevertheless, its downside is its expensive package options. Our analysis shows that you can find other formation services with cheaper prices if you compare their features to this company’s. Direct Incorporation’s standard package costs $147 (plus state fees), while you can get a similar package from other top rated companies for as low as $39 or no charge at all.
Generally, Direct Incorporation is the right provider that will work for your business if cost or budget is not your priority. If you want to know how much an EIN number cost, and include EIN in your package or advanced services in your package when you start a business, you can easily request to the LLC.
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