Swyft Filings vs Incfile

Are you looking to form a limited liability company, corporation, or nonprofit but are stuck trying to settle on the best formation service to use?

Choosing the right service can be difficult. That’s why we’ve evaluated over a dozen of the top services, looking at metrics in a number of categories, such as pricing and turnaround time, in order to give you a clear idea of each services’ strengths and weaknesses.

We took an in-depth look at Swyft Filings and Incfile in their respective individual reviews. In this article, we will compare them head-to-head!

Here are our results:

Swyft Filings vs Incfile: Verdict 

Swyft Filings came out on top in this head-to-head match-up.

Incfile offers some competitively priced services – their free Silver Package formation bundle is an excellent value, their registered agent service is inexpensive, and their full formation costs are reasonable too. 

Swyft Filings didn't do great on price, but they far outshone Incfile when it came to customer satisfaction. Whereas Incfile has just a couple hundred reviews and very poor averages (~2.5 out of 5), Swyft Filings has tens of thousands of reviews and boasts excellent averages (~4.5 out of 5). 

Swyft Filings’ and Incfile’s review histories also affected their scoring on other categories, such as turnaround time and help & support. While we were able to trust most of Swyft Filings’ claims, due to their many positive, verified reviews, we found lots of negative reviews contradicting Incfile’s service claims.

Though Swyft Filings won this particular matchup, we did not find them to be without faults. 

Swyft Filings offer straightforward basic formations, but there are other, more competitive options. Their turnaround times are above-average, but there are other, faster options. And, perhaps most importantly, Swyft Filings rely very heavily on third-party partnerships and do a lot of pushy upselling of unnecessary services.

If you want to learn more about our most highly-rated formation companies, we recommend checking out our reviews of ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agents, and Active Filings. All three of these companies scored much better overall than both LegalZoom and Swyft Filings

Still have some questions about whether forming an LLC is the right move for your business? Or maybe you just need some clarification about the process as a whole? Before going over our service provider reviews, you may want to check out our How to Start an LLC article. 

If you want to learn more about how we came to our conclusions in this particular side-by-sideservice provider match-up, read on!

Swyft Filings vs Incfile: Pricing

When you’re just starting your new LLC or C-corp, every dollar counts. It’s no surprise, then, that price is one of the most important factors that business owners consider when shopping for an online formation provider.

Given how standardized the formation process is, you’d think prices would be fairly standardized too. But they’re not. In fact, we’ve seen formation bundle prices range everywhere from $0 to nearly $800! Service costs for add-ons vary widely as well.

Simple, apples-to-apples comparisons between LLC formation services’ bundles can be tricky. That’s because every LLC formation package is different. Some are bare-bones, and some come with tons of add-ons, such as tax id number filing, annual report filing, business license searches, and banking resolutions.

Some of these add-ons are useful and relevant… but many are not.

We’ve tried to keep things tidy and straightforward with our Swift Filings vs Incfile comparison by just highlighting the prices of three major services: the price of a “basic” formation, the price of a “full” formation, and the price of an annual registered agent service. 

Confused about the difference between a “basic” formation and a “full” formation? Here’s how we define each:

Basic Formation: Covers the essential business entity creation. Includes – at minimum – filing of Articles of Organization and the drafting of an Operating Agreement for an LLC or corporate bylaws for a corporation.

Full Formation: Additionally includes – at minimum – a registered agent service, which most LLC owners will find essential

Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings’ formation prices for basic formations are fairly average. Their registered agent prices, on the other hand, are a deal-breaker. Their best value package is their Basic package. 

Priced at $49, it includes Articles of Organization filing and a few other add-ons:  a free domain name for your business for one year, compliance updates and tracking through Swyft Filings’ ComplianceGuard system, and a 30-minute business tax consultation.

Of these add-ons, the ComplianceGuard, which creates company alerts and lets you know about key filing dates and deadlines, is the only one that adds any value. Missing out on key deadlines can cause your business’ good standing with the state to lapse.

The tax consultation, on the other hand, is really more of an upsell opportunity. And domain names are better purchased directly through specialized providers.

Notably, Operating Agreement drafting is absent from Swyft Filings’ Basic package. You’ll have to purchase it as an add-on to get a “basic” formation, and that’ll cost an extra $35, bringing your total to $84.

For a full formation, you’ll need to also tack on Swyft Filings’ registered agent service, which is $149 per quarter.

At $596 per year, Swyft Filings' registered agent service is one of the most expensive registered agent services we have encountered. This exceptionally high cost is the main reason for Swyft Filings' low pricing score. It is also the reason why we do not recommend Swyft Filings for full formations.

Swyft Filings’ more expensive bundles – their Standard and Premium Packages, priced at $149 and $299 respectively – don’t add enough valuable services to justify their increased costs, so we don’t recommend them.

As far as non-bundle, additional services go, Swyft Filings’ prices tend to put them right in the middle of the pack. 

Incfile

Incfile is one of only a few formation companies to offer a truly free formation bundle. 

The company’s Silver Package is $0 (not including state fees) and includes the filing of your Articles of Organization, a business name availability search, and a free full year of Incfile’s registered agent service (if you choose to stick with the service, you’ll be charged $119 annually after your first year).

Unfortunately, with Incfile, you’re not able to simply add on an LLC Operating Agreement to your purchase. You have to upgrade to the Gold Package, which costs $149.

Since the Gold Package comes with a year of free registered agent service as well, it meets both our “basic” and “full” formation qualifications – that’s why both formation types share the same price on our chart.

Incfile also has a $349 Platinum package, but it adds little of value on top of what’s already provided through the Silver and Gold packages, so we don’t recommend purchasing it. 

With regard to additional services, Incfile, like Swyft Filings, offers decent, industry-standard prices.

Pricing Winner: Incfile

Incfile’s and Swyft Filings’ prices for basic formations are fairly similar. Both are reasonable, but neither is the most affordable option out there either. 

In the end, we gave this category to Incfile for a couple of reasons. 

First, Incfile, unlike Swyft Filings, offers a free LLC bundle – an excellent option for those looking for a truly bare-bones formation. 

Incfile’s registered agent service is also significantly cheaper, being $119 per year (vs. $596 per year). Considering that registered agent costs will be incurred year after year and that you’ll need multiple registered agent services if you end up doing business in multiple states, it is very hard to accept Swyft Filings' exceptionally high cost.

Swyft Filings vs Incfile:  Turnaround time

If you’re starting a new Limited Liability Company, a C corporation, or a non-profit, you’re probably eager to get going as soon as possible. 

Officializing your status with the state is not only an important step in and of itself; it’s necessary to completing other crucial tasks, such as opening a business bank account and hiring employees.

Some aspects of the formation process will be out of your, and formation companies’, hands. How long your state government takes to process your application, for instance, is largely beyond your control (unless you opt for expedited state filing, which some states do offer).

Still, we expect formation companies to do everything in their power to keep the process speedy on their ends. That means turning over your documents to the state as soon as possible while keeping errors and misfilings to an absolute minimum (application errors can add weeks or months to your overall processing time).

We give extra weight to turnaround times within our ranking system, knowing how important they are to most new startup owners. 

Here’s how Swyft Filings and Incfile did on some important turnaround time metrics:

Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings’ turnaround times are generally decent. Though they do not promise same or next-day filing on standard orders, they do claim a standard overall processing time of 1-2 weeks for most states.

Expedited options are also available for most states, with prices varying by state. 

Swyft Filing offers both state expedited filing and internal expedited filing, and it’s important to know the difference between the two. State expedited filing means that the state government will prioritize your order, in exchange for an extra fee. Internal expedited filing means Swyft Filings will prioritize your order – again, in exchange for an extra fee.

While we love seeing companies offer state expedited services, we’re not big fans of internal expediting. Essentially, you’re paying extra money to gain a service – same or next-day filing – that should really be standard anyway.

Incfile

Incfile claims that nearly all formation packages purchased through them are filed within one business day. We consider same-day and next-day filings to be the gold standards for turnaround times. It’s good to see Incfile meeting (or, almost meeting) that standard here.

Incfile also refrains from offering an internal expediting option. We see this is a plus – as mentioned above, we don’t believe you should be charged extra just for prompt service. 

We were also happy to find that Incfile provides a handy online tool for figuring out how long your overall application should take (in most states, 2-3 weeks). 

Unfortunately, reviews of Incfile (see our “Customer Satisfaction” section) lead us to believe that the company is not meeting all their turnaround time promises. We saw quite a few complaints about slow or error-ridden applications.

Turnaround time winner: Swyft Filings

On paper, Incfile should be the turnaround time winner. Though Swyft Filings has above-average turnaround times, Incfile trumps them by offering next-day filing without an extra fee. 

However, Incfile’s poor review history led to our docking them several points, so Swyft Filings takes this category. 

Swyft Filings vs Incfile: Customer satisfaction

If we could take everything that formation companies claimed at face value, our jobs – and your shopping experience – would be a lot easier. Unfortunately, there are oftentimes big differences between what companies say they will do and what they actually do.

Customer reviews help us figure out the truth of the matter. Since we can’t form a new LLC, c-corporation, or nonprofit with every business we review, we rely on customer reviews to give us a better idea of how it really is to deal with a given business.

We look at overall customer feedback averages, of course, but we also look at feedback volume. Four thousand reviews give us a great deal more confidence than four reviews. 

We try to keep a lookout for patterns or repeated phrases in reviews. That helps us figure out where, specifically, specific companies are doing really well or really poorly. 

Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings boasts solid averages across several reliable review platforms. On Trustpilot and Sitejabber alone, they have ratings in the 4.5 out of 5 range and have accumulated over 36,000 reviews. That’s more than even some of the biggest competitors in the industry, such as LegalZoom. 

As indicated by their strong averages, the Swyft Filings reviews we found were overwhelmingly positive. We saw happy clients praising the helpfulness and knowledgeability of Swyft Filings’ support staff in particular. 

Review records like these help bolster our confidence that Swyft Filings does what it promises – and that’s a big plus.

Incfile

We were quite disappointed to see that Incfile had poor averages on several review sites. Although their review volume, at just 150+ reviews across independent, reputable sites was fairly low, we saw a lot of negative comments.

On Trustpilot, a full 44% of reviewers gave Swyft Filings one out of five stars – not a great sign. 

We also found common themes among reviewers’ comments. They tended to complain about Incfile’s poor customer service, their lack of availability, and errors or delays with their filings. 

Incfile’s review record really made us reconsider the promises they made regarding their services, especially their turnaround times.

Customer satisfaction winner: Swyft Filings

This category’s match-up was really no contest. Swyft Filings has more independent reviews than Incfile, by an order of magnitude. Their averages are far higher than Incfile’s, and we found reviewers consistently praising Swyft Filings’ speed and professionalism.

Swyft Filings vs Incfile: Ease of use

Ordering a formation online should be a quick and stress-free process. Formation websites should, ideally, be intuitive and easily navigable. 

The services a company provides, and the prices they charge, should be clearly spelled out. You should not be hit with hidden fees or find yourself paying for a recurring service you didn’t know you ordered.

More than just providing clear info on pricing and available services, though, formation companies should also give you the context information you need to make informed decisions about your business.

That’s why we like seeing concise, well-written articles and FAQs along with service listings. 

Not sure what it means to elect for “S-corporation” status? Wondering whether you’ll need to file for a  federal tax id (EIN) with the IRS? Or, maybe you’re thinking about changing your business name but aren’t sure how to do it? 

A good formation website should answer all these questions, and more. 

Here’s now Swyft Filings and Incfile did when it came to ease of use:

Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings scores high marks for their informative articles and their clear pricing info.

We had no trouble figuring out exactly what services Swyft Filings offered and at what price point – a big plus, as a surprising number of companies hide prices on even basic services until you’re in the checkout process.

We also found Swyft Filings’ write-ups to be engaging, clear, and accessible to new business owners. FAQs are provided alongside articles for most services, too.

One thing which irked us a bit was Swyft Filings’ upselling of third-party services during checkout. A lot of other companies do this as well, but we still docked Swyft Filings some points here.

Incfile

Incfile earned high marks across the board in this category.

They have an excellent, user-friendly website that is chock full of helpful information. Prices for formation bundles and one-off services are always clearly listed, and you can start the order process from just about any page.

As was the case with Swyft Filings, Incfile’s FAQs were well-written and highly relevant. 

Incfile also boasts an excellent customer dashboard, though you’ll only see this feature if you order certain services through the company.

Ease of use winner: Incfile

Though both companies have informative, well-designed websites that allow for painless ordering, we gave the win to Incfile here.

Their website was just a bit more impressive, and they also don’t push as many third-party offers onto their customers during checkout.

Swyft Filings vs Incfile: Help & Support

Most business formations are relatively simple and go through without a hitch.

However, if an issue arises – e.g., you find an error with your filing, your need to make an amendment, or you need to drop or add a service – it’s important to have a customer support team you can count on.

That means having support staff who are available at convenient times and who have a solid track record of actually helping customers. 

Being able to promptly talk to a real human is also a big plus if you have questions about your formation.

With that being said, we also like to see companies provide consolidated help sections on their websites. That way, you have the best chance of finding the answers to your questions without the hassle of calling in.

Here’s how both Swyft Filings and Incfile did on a few key help and support metrics:

Swyft Filings

Refreshingly, Swyft Filings’ contact information is very accessible. Unfortunately, we have found that it’s common practice for formation companies to bury their email addresses on hard to find pages or not provide them at all. Often, they’ll instead make you fill out an online form to send a message or question.

But Swyft Filings has their support phone number and email clearly listed on their contact page. They have a live chat option too.

Swyft Filings’ website also has a full-fledged help section filled with general FAQs.

One area where we’d like to see some improvement with Swyft Filings was the company’s support hours – they are available from 9 am to 6 pm, CST and only on weekdays. 

We prefer seeing companies offer at least some weekend hours or extended weekday hours. New small business owners tend to be plenty busy during the week as it is.

Incfile

Incfile has an easy-to-find phone number as well as a webchat feature. Unfortunately, they make their email address a lot harder to find, offering up an online form to fill out instead.

Just as is the case with Swyft Filings, Incfile offers its support from 9 am – 6 pm, CST, Monday through Friday. No weekend support is available.

Incfile’s help section, included a search function, which we really liked to see – few other websites do this. The page also had well-written FAQs, contact info, and links to some of their Incfile’s most-read articles. 

Incfile’s help and support resources seem solid – but we also must remember that the company sports a very poor review track record. And, many of those reviews specifically mentioned customers having difficulty reaching support staff, or receiving poor service when they did.

Help & support winner: Swyft Filings

On paper, Incfile and Swyft Filings seem to be very similar with regard to help and support. 

But review records tipped our judgment in Swyft Filings’ favor – because of their thousands of customer reviews (the vast majority of them positive), we have confidence that Swyft Filings provides the support it claims to provide. Unfortunately, we just can’t say the same about Incfile.

Do we recommend Swyft Filings or Incfile?

No, we do not. 

Swyft Filings has a solid website, and has above-average turnaround times. But other companies offer even faster turnaround times at even lower prices. Plus, Swyft Filings provides a lot of its services through third parties and upsells a lot of unnecessary add-on services.

Incfile has a great website and very reasonable prices, but their very poor review history is just too large a red flag to ignore. Other companies offer the same services, with faster turnaround times and at lower prices, and are not marred by poor reviews.

Interested in learning more about the companies that we do recommend? Take a look at our Best LLC Services or our Best Incorporation Services articles.