Entered both sides
What you keep, and what you hand over
Filing yourself and buying the service are not better and worse versions of the same thing. They are a trade: money against time, control against convenience, and a public address against a private one.
The account
Two columns, no total
Nothing is published yet. These are the entries the write-ups will work through. There is no total at the foot because nothing here adds up to an answer that holds for everyone.
You pay the state fee and nothing on top of it.
An afternoon reading your state's requirements, and another if the name is rejected.
Your own address on the public record, unless you arrange an agent separately.
Every renewal date is yours to track, for as long as the entity exists.
The state fee, plus a service fee that varies more than the work does.
The form completed for you, from details you supply anyway.
An agent address included for the first year, then charged annually.
Reminders that arrive whether or not you would have remembered.
Ruled off. No balance is struck — which side wins depends on the business asking.
Posted on both walls
What holds on either side
Nothing is scored
No ratings, no tier boards. Where one route suits a case, it is argued in words with the reasoning on the page.
Neither column is the default
The layout gives both the same width on purpose. The site does not have a house answer.
Fees are quoted and dated
State charges and service prices both move. Anything specific carries the date it was read.
Affiliate links are disclosed
Some links earn a commission. It never decides which column a write-up favours, and it is stated wherever it applies.