How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer publish their dissolution filing prices upfront ($299 and $125 plus state fees), which makes budgeting simple if your startup is a plain LLC or corporation with no loose ends.
- SimpleClosure is the only option built specifically for shutting down venture-backed startups, with a sequenced plan that covers tax compliance and stakeholder notices, not just the state filing.
- Bizee, Northwest Registered Agent, ZenBusiness, doola and MyCompanyWorks all handle dissolution as an add-on filing service, which suits founders who already formed the company on one of those platforms.
- None of these services replace an accountant for the final tax return. Budget separately for that, because the IRS treats the state filing and the tax wind-down as two different jobs.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Bizee | Startups that formed on Bizee and want the same dashboard | See website | No |
 Northwest Registered Agent | Privacy-minded founders who value straight answers | See website | No |
 LegalZoom | Founders who want published pricing and a big support team | $299 + state filing fees | No |
 ZenBusiness | Existing ZenBusiness customers closing an LLC | See website | No |
 doola | Non-US founders winding down a US entity | See website | No |
 Rocket Lawyer | Startups that also need legal documents reviewed | $125 + state fees (Pro membership required) | No |
 SimpleClosure | Venture-backed startups with investors and tax complexity | See website | No |
 MyCompanyWorks | Budget-focused founders who want a flat fee | See website | No |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best business dissolution software for startups
#1
Bizee
Best for: Startups that formed on Bizee and want the same dashboard
Visit bizee.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Closing a company on the same platform that opened it has a real advantage. Bizee keeps your formation documents, registered agent records and compliance history in one dashboard, so the dissolution filing pulls from information the company already has on file. The service prepares and files the articles of dissolution with the state, and its guides walk through the companion steps like notifying the IRS and canceling licenses.
The honest catch is pricing transparency. Bizee lists dissolution as an add-on service but does not show the fee on its public pages, so you will only see the number inside the checkout. Third-party reviews put the add-on around $149 plus state fees, but treat that as a signal, not a quote. If your startup has multiple members or outstanding debt, call their support line before ordering and ask exactly what the flat fee covers.
What we like- Flat-fee dissolution add-on
- Guides founders through IRS and license steps
- Phone support on weekdays
Watch out for- Dissolution price is not published on the site
- Upsells are frequent in the checkout flow
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Northwest built its name on registered agent service with a no-nonsense tone, and that carries into shutdowns. The company handles dissolutions alongside amendments and other state filings, and its support staff are known for giving direct answers about what a given state actually requires. For a startup that cares about keeping owner information out of public filings during the wind-down, Northwest's privacy-by-default posture is a genuine plus.
The tradeoff is that dissolution is one line item in a broader filings menu, not a guided product. You get the paperwork filed correctly, but you should not expect a sequenced shutdown plan or tax guidance. Founders with simple single-member LLCs will find it refreshingly plain. Anyone with investors, convertible notes or multi-state registration should pair it with an accountant.
What we like- Dissolution handled as part of its business filings service
- No upsell-heavy checkout
- Strong privacy practices
Watch out for- No published dissolution price
- Smaller brand means fewer public reviews of the dissolution process itself
#3
LegalZoom
Best for: Founders who want published pricing and a big support team
Visit legalzoom.com
Starting price$299 + state filing fees
Free planNo
LegalZoom is the most upfront of the bunch about what dissolution costs. Its Dissolution Standard tier starts at $299 plus state filing fees: you answer questions online and LegalZoom prepares and files the paperwork. The Business Dissolution Manager tier, starting at $799 plus state fees, assigns a dedicated manager who checks your Secretary of State standing, hunts down gaps or missed filings, and stays on the case through confirmed closure, with unlimited phone and email support.
That managed tier is the interesting one for startups. A company that raised money, hired employees and operated in several states usually has exactly the kind of loose ends, a missed annual report here, a foreign qualification there, that stall a DIY filing. Paying more for someone to find those problems before the state does can be the cheaper move. The standard tier, meanwhile, is priced above budget filers, so compare it against the flat-fee add-ons before you commit.
What we like- Two service tiers including a managed option
- Published starting price
- Evening and weekend support hours
Watch out for- Higher entry price than filing-service competitors
- Managed tier jumps to $799 plus state fees
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
ZenBusiness is primarily a formation platform, and its dissolution offering reads the same way: a filing service for customers already inside its system. If your startup formed its LLC through ZenBusiness, ordering the dissolution from the same dashboard keeps your documents and compliance history together, and the company's state-by-state dissolution guides are genuinely useful for understanding what your state requires.
Do not come here expecting a startup-specific shutdown product. There is no investor-notice workflow, no tax wind-down checklist and no dedicated shutdown team. It files the articles of dissolution and leaves the rest to you. That is fine for a simple LLC that never took outside money, and thin for anything more complicated.
What we like- Dissolution filing available inside the existing customer dashboard
- Large library of state-specific guides
Watch out for- Not positioned as a standalone wind-down product
- Pricing is only visible after login
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
doola's customer base skews toward international founders running US LLCs, and its dissolution service reflects that. You create an account, upload basic company information, and doola prepares the articles of dissolution, follows up for anything missing, and notifies you when the state confirms. For a founder closing a US entity from another country, having one party manage the state correspondence is worth a lot.
The limitation is scope. doola's dissolution pages and process are written around LLCs, which matches most of its customers but leaves Delaware C-corps, the standard venture-backed structure, with a less tailored experience. Pricing is quote-based, so get the number in writing before you start. And as with every option here, the final tax return is a separate engagement with an accountant.
What we like- Dissolution service designed around remote founders
- Handles the full filing from uploaded documents
- State-specific guidance
Watch out for- Price not published
- Aimed at LLCs, so C-corps get less tailored help
Starting price$125 + state fees (Pro membership required)
Free planNo
Rocket Lawyer approaches dissolution as a legal task rather than a pure filing. The articles of dissolution filing costs $125 plus state fees with a Pro membership, and the membership brings attorney consultations, which matters when the shutdown involves things like a partnership dissolution agreement, contractor disputes or IP assignment cleanup. Its legal guides on dissolving LLCs and corporations are solid background reading before you file.
Watch the membership mechanics. The filing price assumes an active Pro membership, and memberships renew automatically, so calendar the cancellation for after your dissolution is confirmed. Also note that the $125 covers the filing service, not the legal advice time; attorney consultations beyond the membership allowance are billed separately. For a startup with actual legal loose ends, the bundle still compares well against hiring a lawyer hourly.
What we like- Published $125 filing price
- Bundled attorney access for wind-down questions
- Dissolution agreements and guides included
Watch out for- Requires a Pro membership
- Membership auto-renews if you forget to cancel
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
SimpleClosure is the only entry on this list that exists solely to close companies. Instead of selling you a filing, it builds a sequenced shutdown plan after assessing your structure, liabilities and obligations, then runs the process with a dedicated team: legal filings, tax compliance, creditor and stakeholder communications, all tracked in a dashboard until the closure is documented and complete. Stripe points its Atlas founders here, with Atlas users getting 10 percent off, which tells you who the target customer is.
This is the right shape for a startup that raised capital, issued stock options or operated across states. It is the wrong shape, and almost certainly the wrong price, for a solo founder closing a dormant LLC with no debts. SimpleClosure does not publish pricing, which fits a high-touch service but means you should get a written quote and compare it against a flat-fee filing plus an accountant before deciding.
What we like- Purpose-built shutdown process with a dedicated team
- Covers tax compliance and stakeholder steps
- Stripe Atlas partner with founder discount
Watch out for- Custom pricing only
- Overkill for a simple single-member LLC
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
MyCompanyWorks is a long-running formation service that keeps its prices low and its process plain. Third-party reviews regularly name it among the cheapest dissolution filers, and the company processes orders placed before 3pm Eastern the same business day. Support is US-based and reachable by phone, which is more than some budget competitors offer.
Set expectations accordingly. You are buying a filing: articles of dissolution prepared and submitted, confirmation forwarded to you. There is no shutdown plan, no tax checklist and no hand-holding through creditor notices. For a simple LLC with no debts and no employees, that is all you need, and paying more would be waste. For anything with real complexity, the money saved here will be spent on the accountant and lawyer you still need.
What we like- Consistently cited as one of the cheapest dissolution options
- Same-day processing on orders placed early
- US-based phone support
Watch out for- Bare-bones online experience
- Dissolution is a simple filing with no wind-down guidance
How we chose
We started from the startup use case, not the generic small business one: a company that may have investors, a Delaware C-corp structure or founders outside the US. We checked each vendor's own site and help center to confirm it actually offers dissolution help right now, which is how Clerky dropped out (its help center says it has no dissolution product, only guidance for companies it formed). Pricing comes from vendor pricing and service pages where published; where it is not published we say so instead of repeating third-party numbers. We weighed public reviews on Trustpilot, G2 and founder forums for support quality, and we favored services that address the full wind-down, taxes, licenses, stakeholder notices, over pure filing shops, while keeping budget options for simple cases. Nobody on this list paid for placement, and we did not test the services by dissolving a real company.
What to check before you pay for a dissolution filing
Start with your entity type and state, because both change the job. Dissolving a Delaware C-corp with investors is a different project from closing a single-member Wyoming LLC, and the cheapest filing service is only cheap if your situation matches its template. Ask the service three questions before paying: does the quoted fee include state filing fees or sit on top of them, does it cover tax guidance or just the state paperwork, and what happens if the state rejects the filing.
Then look at what is not included. Every service on this list files state paperwork. Almost none prepares your final federal and state tax returns, and the IRS treats a dissolved company as still obligated to file until it does. Budget for an accountant separately, and do not consider the company closed until both the state confirmation and the final returns exist. Also cancel business licenses, close the company bank account after final distributions, and revoke any software seats billed to the company card, because zombie subscriptions are the most common surprise cost we see in founder post-mortems.
Timing matters too. Some states let you file online with same-day processing; others take weeks by mail, and a few require publishing notice or settling franchise tax before they accept the dissolution. A service that files fast in Delaware may move slowly in a paper-only state, so ask about your specific state rather than trusting a headline turnaround time.
Mistakes that keep a dead company alive
The most expensive mistake is filing the dissolution and assuming you are done. Until the final tax returns are filed, the company still exists in the eyes of the tax authorities, and penalties keep accruing. The second is forgetting foreign qualifications: if your Delaware C-corp registered to do business in California or New York, you must withdraw in each of those states too, and each has its own fee.
Founders also routinely forget to tell their registered agent. If the agent keeps receiving legal notices for a company you think is closed, you can miss a lawsuit or a tax notice. Notify the agent in writing as part of the wind-down. And keep every dissolution document, the state confirmation, final tax returns, creditor notices, for at least seven years. If a creditor or tax authority comes asking later, that folder is your defense.
Frequently asked questions
Is dissolution software enough to close a startup legally?
For a simple LLC with no debts, usually yes, paired with a final tax filing. For a venture-backed C-corp, treat the filing service as one piece: you will also need an accountant for final returns and often a lawyer for stock, IP and contract cleanup.
How much does it cost to dissolve a startup?
State filing fees run from under $50 to a few hundred dollars depending on the state. Service fees on this list range from a $125 filing with Rocket Lawyer to $299 plus state fees at LegalZoom, with managed and full-service options higher. Final tax preparation is extra everywhere.
How long does dissolution take?
The state filing itself can take anywhere from same-day online processing to several weeks by mail. The full wind-down, settling debts, distributing assets, filing final taxes, usually takes one to three months for a simple company and longer for anything with investors or employees.
Do I need to dissolve in every state where the company operated?
If the company foreign-qualified in other states, yes, you must withdraw or dissolve in each one. Skipping this leaves the company on the hook for annual fees and penalties in those states.
What happens if I just stop operating without dissolving?
The state keeps treating the company as active: annual report fees, franchise taxes and penalties accrue, and owners can lose liability protection. The IRS still expects tax returns until a final return is filed. Formal dissolution is almost always cheaper than the alternative.
Can a non-US founder dissolve a US company remotely?
Yes. Services like doola and SimpleClosure are built for exactly this, handling state correspondence without you being present. You will still need to settle US tax obligations, so line up a CPA familiar with nonresident founders.
Sources we checked (10)
- https://bizee.com/business-management/dissolution
- https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/llc/puerto-rico/dissolve
- https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/articles-of-dissolution-llc-corporation-overview.html
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/georgia-dissolution/
- https://www.doola.com/blog/how-to-dissolve-an-llc-in-Nevada/
- http://www.rocketlawyer.com/business-and-contracts/starting-a-business/close-or-dissolve-a-business/filing/articles-of-dissolution
- https://simpleclosure.com/
- https://support.stripe.com/questions/closing-your-stripe-atlas-account
- https://www.mycompanyworks.com/
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/legalzoom-llc-dissolution-service-review/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.