Harvard Business Services Review 2026

Ready to form a limited liability company (LLC)? Many business owners choose to use a professional formation service to form their new business, ensuring the process is smooth, accurate, and efficient.

Harvard Business Services offers LLC formation as well as affordable registered agent services. But, is it the right LLC formation service for your new venture? This guide outlines the features, pricing, and pros and cons of Harvard Business Services’ LLC formation packages to help you determine if this is the right provider for you.

What Is Harvard Business Services?

Harvard Business Services is a business formation service that has helped thousands of entrepreneurs form LLCs and corporations since 1981. The service only offers formation services for the state of Delaware, making it a stronger choice for incorporation than LLC formation.

It is important to note that because Harvard Business Services only offers business formation in Delaware, you will have to form a foreign LLC if you are not doing business in the state of Delaware. This will require:

• Two LLC filings (one in each state)
• Payment of two state filing fees
• Maintenance of two registered agents (one in each state)

With this in mind, we’ve compiled the must-know details of this formation service below to help you make the best choice for your business formation needs.

Jump Ahead:

• Pros & Cons
• Harvard Business Services Pricing
• Customer Reviews
• Harvard Business Services Alternatives

Pros and Cons of Harvard Business Services

Pros

• State fees are included in the package cost.
• One free year of registered agent fees included in all packages.
• Same-day electronic filing included in all packages.

Cons

• Higher cost than most competitors.
• Misleading pricing and features for plans.
• Only forms LLCs and corporations in Delaware.

Harvard Business Services Pricing and Features

Harvard Business Services offers three LLC formation packages: Green, Basic, and Standard. Each package includes different features at varying price points. However, for services like expedited filing, Employer Identification Number (EIN) registration, or mail forwarding and virtual offices, you will have to pay extra to include these services as an add-on feature.

These are the LLC formation packages offered by Harvard Business Services:

Green ($229)

The Green plan is Harvard Business Services’ most economical formation package. The plan includes all formation fees, business name checks, a digital corporate seal, and one year of free registered agent services.

Basic ($279)

The Basic plan includes all the features offered in the Basic plan. The only upgrade included in this plan is expedited shipping.

Standard ($379)

The Standard plan includes all services offered in the Basic and Green plans plus a corporate kit with templates and business documents, a corporate seal, and a gold embossed binder.

Harvard Business Services Reviews

Harvard Business Services has great reviews on Trustpilot, earning 3.8 stars out of five with 93% of the company’s reviews achieving a five-star rating. Positive reviews often cite helpful support features, such as live chat, and robust offerings included in the company’s formation packages.

Negative reviews, however, commonly cited slow or outdated technology, less customer support availability over time, and costly formation services. The company responds to both negative and positive reviews with most responses coming from the founder or president of the company.

Here are some verified reviews from Trustpilot by people who used Harvard Business Services to help launch their businesses:

“I had some questions the first time I tried to fill the form, and considering I'm creating a company, I didn't want to mess it up or get in trouble later. So maybe I would've appreciated a more extended explanation or a link to a blog about specific questions on the form. However, when I tried it again, I just used the live chat feature and all my problems were resolved right away. I know I won't need to research any other suppliers if they keep this kind of service quality. All thumbs up.”

“Reasonably priced service with good initial responses to questions, but that responsiveness tended to dissipate after a while. I now question whether HBS was the best choice, and [I] may transfer my representation to another company once I learn more about operating a non-profit and the legal requirements, which apparently I will have to do on my own.”

“Harvard once again responded expediently to form my new company (in a matter of days). As well, I take comfort in knowing that they will be equally responsive to any needs that I may have.“

Overall, Harvard Business Services boasts great customer reviews with a high number of verified customers giving the service five stars overall. However, compared to competitors, their total grade of only 3.8 stars out of five falls a little bit short.

Harvard Business Services Alternatives

Before you choose to form your company with Harvard Business Services, it is important to see how the company’s offerings match up to their competitors. Northwest Registered Agent, LegalZoom, and ZenBusiness are popular choices for LLC formation services. Here’s how each competitor compares to Harvard Business Services.

Harvard Business Services vs. Northwest

Northwest Registered Agent is our top choice for LLC formation overall. When directly compared to Harvard Business Services, Northwest offers a significantly higher value for the cost at just $29 plus state fees to form an LLC. This package also includes a year of free registered agent service and an Operating Agreement, making it a better deal overall.

Harvard Business Services vs. LegalZoom

LegalZoom is a well-known and trusted name in the business formation industry. The platform offers a free formation package, only requiring you to pay state fees to form your LLC with the company. They don’t, however, include registered agent services or an Operating Agreement in this package, which raises the price significantly if you choose to include those services as add-on features.

Harvard Business Services vs. ZenBusiness

Another well-known choice in LLC formation, ZenBusiness, also offers a free formation package. Like LegalZoom, this package does not include registered agent or Operating Agreement services. However, ZenBusiness offers a plethora of add-on features to customize your formation package, adding what you need and passing on anything you don’t.

To help you easily compare these top LLC formation services, we’ve compiled the following common costs associated with formation to help you determine the best service for your business. Keep in mind that it is free to obtain an EIN through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website so you may be able to avoid that additional cost.

The Bottom Line

The most notable benefit Harvard Business Services offers is its $50 annual fee for registered agent services. This is the lowest rate by far of any competitors. However, the company falls short in terms of value in other categories. Their formation packages are more expensive than most competitors without offering more value for the price. Plus, because the company only forms LLCs and corporations in Delaware, businesses that opt to form through Harvard Business Services will have to form as a foreign LLC unless they are doing business in the state of Delaware.

That being said, if a business would like to form their LLC with Harvard Business Services, we recommend the Green package. While the website lists Operating Agreement creation as a feature of the Basic and Standard packages only, the company reports that all paid plans include this template. That makes the Green package the best value of any plan offered by this provider.

Review Methodology

To provide a comprehensive and honest review of Harvard Business Services, we considered several key factors:

Pricing and Value

When reviewing platforms and services, we evaluate the price of each package as well as the value relative to the cost. This ensures our readers aren’t just receiving a low price, but comprehensive features as well.

Ease of Use

User experience is integral to our review methodology. We examine the service to determine the ease of use for both technical and non-technical users.

Customer Support

During the formation process especially, strong customer support is a necessity. We evaluate not only the type of customer support offered, but also the helpfulness of support team members and the duration of support provided.

Customer Reviews and Reputation

Finally, customer reviews offer insight into the true experience for customers who have used the product or service. This as well as the reputation of the company informs our review process, providing us with a more cohesive understanding of the customer experience.

Frequently Asked Questions