Inc Authority Review (2026): Free Formation, Aggressive Upsells
The $0 price tag is real. Whether you walk out paying $0 is another question.
Contents 6 sections
ur score: 6.8 / 10 Our pick for: Cheapest formation (if you can resist upsells) Starts at: $0 + state fee
Inc Authority Review (2026)
Inc Authority has been forming US companies since 1989, which makes it one of the oldest players in this market. Its pitch is simple: formation itself is free. You pay the state filing fee and nothing else for the filing.
That part is true. The rest of the story is more complicated.
The free-formation trade
Free formation is not a loss leader. It's a customer acquisition cost that Inc Authority recoups through a checkout flow that steers you into paid add-ons. In our testing, the checkout walked us through six separate upsell screens between 'start formation' and 'checkout complete':
- Business name check (free but surfaces paid domain + trademark add-ons)
- EIN filing service ($49-$99)
- Operating agreement template ($99)
- Registered agent upgrade ($99-$299/yr after year one)
- Corporate kit and seal ($79)
- Banking / funding referrals
You can say no to all of them. Most customers don't.
The EIN upsell is the one to watch. The IRS EIN application is free and completes in 15 minutes if you have a US Social Security number or ITIN. Paying $99 for that filing is paying for convenience, not access. We dock points any time a service markets a free federal action as a premium feature; the Federal Trade Commission's guidance on pricing transparency is clear that opaque add-ons cross lines.
Where it's genuinely good
- The base price is real. If you click 'skip' on every upsell, you pay only the state fee. That's an honest $0; rare in this market.
- Registered agent (year one). Included free, which is worth $100-$200 depending on the state.
- Longevity. Inc Authority has been doing this for 35+ years. They will not disappear next quarter.
A free sticker price is worth something only to a founder who can read a checkout page like a contract and leave every optional box unchecked. For anyone else, Inc Authority is cheaper in the headline than at the register.
Where it's not good
- Year-two registered agent renewal. Jumps to roughly $200/yr, above market rate. Northwest charges $125.
- EIN upsell is gratuitous. You can get an EIN from the IRS for free in 15 minutes if you have a US SSN. Inc Authority charges up to $99 for the same filing.
- Pricing is opaque. Specific bundle prices are hard to find without going through checkout.
- Support quality is inconsistent. Reviews run hot and cold; expect queue times.
How the pricing maps to state reality
Free formation looks different in different states because the state fee varies so much. In Kentucky it's $40; in California it's $70 for the filing plus an $800 annual franchise tax that the California Franchise Tax Board enforces regardless of revenue; in Delaware it's $110 for the certificate of formation per Delaware's Division of Corporations. Inc Authority charges the same $0 service fee on top of any of those numbers, so the percentage you save over a bundled competitor ranges from 'meaningful' in low-fee states to 'barely a rounding error' in California.
Practically, if your state fee is under $100, Inc Authority's free tier is genuinely the cheapest path. If your state fee is $300 or more, the $100 or $150 you would pay a transparent bundler like Northwest or ZenBusiness is a smaller share of total cost, and the extra scrutiny at checkout is worth avoiding. We also recommend reviewing the SBA's overview of business formation before picking any tier so you know whether you actually need the add-ons Inc Authority is pushing.
Who it's for
If you're cost-sensitive, disciplined about declining upsells, and know what you actually need (usually: just the formation and an EIN you file yourself), Inc Authority is genuinely the cheapest route.
If you're not disciplined; if checkout-flow nudges work on you; you will spend more at Inc Authority than you would at ZenBusiness or Northwest, both of which price their bundles transparently up front.
How we rated it
Base price: A+. Upsell pressure: D. Pricing transparency: C-. Customer support: C. Longevity: A.
Verdict: A good pick for a specific customer: the one who knows what they want, will say no six times in a row, and then never pay for the renewal. For everyone else, the sticker price is misleading.