LLC formation services for Montana business buyers

What a formation service does in a business purchase

A formation service prepares and files Articles of Organization for the LLC you buy through. It does not touch the purchase agreement, the licenses, or the liens, and it cannot change the $35 state fee.

Whoever types the form, the Secretary of State charges the same amount. The lien search, the license checks and the purchase agreement are yours whichever route you pick — the buying guide covers them in order.

So the real comparison is narrow. It is about what is bundled around the filing, and what renews after the first year. Every figure below comes from the service's own pricing page, checked on the date shown. Plans change, so check again before you sign up.

$35Montana charges $35 to file Articles of Organization for a domestic LLC, whoever prepares them. — Montana Secretary of State business fee sheet, retrieved 2026-09-29

First-year cost at base, service by service

Compare the total first-year cost, not the headline. Most services publish a $0-plus-state-fee tier, so what differs is what the base includes and what you add on.

Montana keeps the comparison honest in one way: the annual report costs nothing if you file it by April 15, so the second year has no mandatory state fee built in. The asset-versus-entity guide explains when you need this LLC at all.

$0 + state feesTailor Brands publishes a $0 Lite LLC plan plus state fees, with Essential at $199 per year and Elite at $249 per year. — Tailor Brands pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29

$0 + state feeBizee publishes a $0 Basic LLC plan plus the state fee, and each formation package is eligible for one free year of its registered agent service. — Bizee pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29

$199 per yearZenBusiness publishes LLC formation starting at $0 plus state fees, with registered agent service at $199 per year. — ZenBusiness pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29

$299 + state feeBetterLegal publishes a $299 plus state filing fee LLC formation package with a stated two-business-day turnaround. — BetterLegal home page, retrieved 2026-09-29

Services matched to what a buyer actually needs

These are use cases, not a ranking. Each service sits where its own published offer fits a need, and the order on the page is presentation order only.

Every price here is what the service published about itself on the date checked. Nothing on this page is a rating. Confirm the current plan on each service's own page before you sign up.

1. Tailor Brands

   Suits a buyer who wants the filing and the follow-up paperwork in one account. The $0 Lite plan covers the LLC filing, and the paid tiers add faster processing and the annual compliance work. Its pricing page does not list registered agent service inside the tiers, so budget for that separately if you want one.

2. Bizee

   Every formation package here comes with a free first year of registered agent service, so the $0 Basic plan plus the $35 state fee is the full first-year bill with an agent included. That year can keep your home address off the public record while you negotiate. The agent service is what renews after the free year.

3. BetterLegal

   One price, no tiers: $299 plus the state filing fee covers the formation filing, an EIN, an operating agreement and basic company documents, with a stated two-business-day turnaround. When a closing date is close and the seller is waiting, that speed is the reason to pay it. Registered agent service is an add-on, not part of the $299.

4. ZenBusiness

   The pitch here is deadline help after the filing. Formation starts at $0 plus state fees, and Worry-Free Compliance at $199 per year tracks filings such as Montana's April 15 annual report. Registered agent service is a separate $199 per year, so the total climbs once you add both. Worth weighing when your trade has its own renewal calendar on top.

$199 per yearTailor Brands publishes its Essential plan at $199 per year plus state fees and its Elite plan at $249 per year plus state fees. — Tailor Brands pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29

File it yourself at the Montana Secretary of State

You can skip every service. File Articles of Organization with the Montana Secretary of State for the same $35 fee.

No lawyer is required. You list a registered agent, and that can be you at your own Montana address. An LLC in Montana files an annual report and nothing else on the state's calendar, and the report fee is waived when you file by April 15.

This route is the benchmark for the whole page. It is the same filing at the same fee with nobody in between. What a service adds is the typing, an address that is not yours, reminders, or extra documents.

$35Montana charges $35 to file Articles of Organization for a domestic LLC, filed through the Secretary of State's business portal. — Montana Secretary of State business fee sheet, retrieved 2026-09-29

$0 by April 15A Montana LLC annual report filed by April 15 carries no fee; the $35 charge applies only after the due date. — Montana Secretary of State business fee sheet, retrieved 2026-09-29

Year two for the LLC that bought the business

Pick by year-two cost and what you will actually use. The state fee is fixed, and the yearly duties stay yours whoever did the typing.

Montana's own year-two bill is zero for a report filed on time. What renews is whatever you added: a registered agent service, a compliance add-on, or nothing at all. The purchase itself may carry its own calendar — salon and pesticide licenses renew annually — so write those dates down before you pick.

April 15Montana requires LLC annual reports by April 15 each year, waiving the fee for on-time filings. — Montana Secretary of State business fee sheet, retrieved 2026-09-29

Questions