If you’ve decided to start a new company, one of the first (and most important) steps you’ll need to take is registering your new business with your state. This process is usually handled by the Secretary of State department, and requirements vary in each state. Fortunately, services like Incfile and Swyft Filings help make the business formation process much simpler.
In this article, we’ll compare and contrast Incfile vs Swyft Filings, to help you choose which company makes sense for your situation, goals, and budget.
Both of these companies essentially serve as middlemen between you and your state’s registration agency. Here’s a quick glance at differences - and similarities - between Swyft Filings and Incfile.
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Incfile is compatible with rules in each state in the United States. They work with government agencies, helping entrepreneurs satisfy all the necessary steps to forming a new business entity.
Incfile also offers a limited variety of ongoing services, but their focus is certainly on the initial formation process.
Incfile is best known for their no-cost “Silver Package”, which is priced at $0 + state fees. With it, you get basic business formation features, and you only pay for the mandatory state filing fee
See the full review of Incfile here.Swyft Filings is a relatively newer company, founded in 2012. They have helped tens of thousands of businesses - as well as nonprofits - get started. With Swyft, you can form a:
Swyft works with Secretary of State departments in each US state, to help entrepreneurs get registered quickly and accurately. They also offer a variety of ongoing services, including Registered Agent, annual report and franchise tax reports, and more.
Swyft is known for two things: Low prices, and great customer support. Their plans start from just $49, which is one of the lowest rates in the industry (apart from Incfile’s $0 plan). And, every customer that signs up is paired with a personal Business Specialist customer support agent, who can help answer any questions and resolve issues.
See the full review of Swyft Filings here.
At a glance, pricing between these two incorporation services is relatively similar. However, it’s worth taking a closer look at LLC formation packages to see where the differences are.
At first glance, features and pricing between these two providers is remarkably similar. However, there’s a key difference to understand - Incfile includes one year of Registered Agent services in all their plans, while Swyft Filings charges extra for this service ($149/year). If you plan to use the service as a registered agent, Incfile is likely the better value.
If you plan to be your own Registered Agent, Swyft Filings LLC service may offer a better value, as it includes some bonus features even in its basic plan. Overall, though, pricing is very similar between Swyft vs Incfile. Turnaround time is also similar - though it depends on the package you choose, and the state you are filing in.
To be clear: both of these business formation services offer excellent value. Compared to competing LLC formation services, like ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agent, LegalZoom, etc., both Swyft and Incfile are generally cheaper. That said, if you’re looking for a broader range of legal services, legal advice, etc., something like LegalZoom may be a better choice.
The features of Incfile and Swyft Filings are similar. Both offer good ease of use, and everything you need to get a business formed with your state. Of course, the distribution of features between the different plans does differ between the two providers.
In addition to all the standard features, both companies can help you obtain an EIN, help with DBA names, choosing taxation status (S-corp status, 501 (c)(3) status, etc), and more.
Swyft does offer a few more specialty features that Incfile does not. For example, Swyft can help with obtaining sales tax licenses, reseller permits, and other specialty business licenses. Swyft also has a complimentary service called ComplianceGuard company alerts, which helps keep you on top of important filing due dates for important documents, to keep your company in good standing.
Some additional services and add-ons are available from each of these service providers, and for each service costs vary. It’s useful for business owners to compare features and pricing side by side.
Both of these companies offer lifetime customer support to small businesses that use their services, even if you don’t keep their services long-term. That said, the approach to customer service is somewhat different.
The biggest difference here is that Swyft assigns you a personal service representative when you sign up. This allows you to build a relationship with your personal advisor overtime, and get personalized service. Incfile uses a more standard customer service support team model.
If you look at customer reviews on TrustPilot, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), etc., you’ll see that Swyft Filings has a much better track record overall. More people have positive experiences with Swyft than with Incfile - and customer support has a lot to do with that difference.
We’ve gone over the finer details of these two services, but what’s the bottom line? To be clear, both of these are among the best LLC services around - but which should you choose?