Our method
How the lessons and picks are made
Sources
State facts come from fee schedules, forms and laws published by the state, each cited by month.
Inside a lesson
A lesson starts with the answer, teaches the steps in order with the state's form and fee, then lists costs, questions and references. The three-year figure is filing plus reports in years two and three plus any minimum tax; publication and other variable costs are left out.
How services are graded
- Three-year cost (30%). What the service charges in years one, two and three, from its published first-year and renewal prices. State fees are the same whoever files, so every lesson prints them but the grade leaves them out.
- Lesson steps handled (35%). How many of the lesson's steps the price does for you: the formation or registration filing, the registered agent, the recurring state report and the EIN application.
- Renewal price (10%). The price from year two onward and whether it matches year one.
- Fit with the state's steps (15%). How the plan matches that state's own steps: its report cadence and late fees, its agent address rule and whether the company may need a second state.
- Clear pricing for beginners (10%). Whether a first-time founder can see the full price before paying, with the state's fee listed separately and charged at cost.
When two services grade within a few points, the lesson names the criterion that separated them and what the runner-up does better.
Grades are Founder Classroom's own editorial assessment from these criteria, not customer ratings.
Who appears in the picks
Every list is short: Mainstay Filing and the state-focused agent services, each priced from its own pages.
What we avoid
You will not find ratings or quotes from customers here, and the lessons are not legal advice.