1st Formations vs Your Company Formations
1st Formations and Your Company Formations are both Companies House-authorised company formation agents offering company registration and address services. The difference is what comes after. 1st Formations adds a full compliance service and accounting by ACCA-qualified accountants, with packages from £39.99 and over 28,000 reviews, 90%+ verified. Your Company Formations focuses on formation only, from £102.48, and may suit you if you'll arrange accounting and compliance yourself. Here's an honest, side-by-side look at both.
1st Formations vs Your Company Formations
A side-by-side look at what each provider includes.
Starting price
£39.99
when you take our accounting service
(includes the £100 Companies House Fee)
£102.48
for the Digital Package
(includes the £100 Companies House Fee)
Formation-only package available
Company formation specialist
Choice of banking referrals
Telephone support
Live chat with UK team
Mobile app
Business startup resource hub
B Corp certified
Same day incorporation service available
Free ID verification and personal code
Non-resident support available
Accepts multiple shareholders
Accepts multiple directors
Printed company documents
Business document templates
Address services
In-house digital mailroom
Business telephone number
Various company types supported
Limited by shares
Limited by guarantee
Limited by guarantee (for charities)
Limited liability partnerships
Multiple share class
Public limited company
Compliance services
Confirmation statement
Director appointments and resignations
Issue of shares
Transfer of shares
Persons with significant control filings
Change of company address
Company name change
ICO registration
Company dissolution
Certificate of Good Standing
Apostilled documents
Accounting services
Support from real accountants
Year-end accounts
Corporation tax return
VAT registration and returns
VAT Registration only
PAYE registration and payroll
PAYE Registration only
Self assessments
Tax efficiency reviews
Accounting software
Dormant accounts
Which should you choose?
Choose 1st Formations if you:
- Want a company formation package from £39.99, including 12 months of address services and one month of accounting
- Want a full compliance service after incorporation, with a Business Document Template Library to run your business day to day
- Want accounting managed by ACCA-qualified accountants
- Want all your mail, including business mail, scanned and emailed the same day
- Prefer a Covent Garden address over EC1
- Want support by live chat, phone and email from a UK-based team
- Want to work with a certified B Corp and certified carbon-neutral business
Consider Your Company Formations if you:
- Only want company formation, with no accounting subscription – its formation-only package is £102.48 against our £102.99
- Want printed copies of your formation documents
- Are happy with phone and email support only
- Are happy for business mail to be forwarded by post rather than scanned
How do real customers rate 1st Formations and Your Company Formations?
Both score 4.8 on Trustpilot. Look closer. 90% of 1st Formations' 23,800+ Trustpilot reviews are verified, meaning Trustpilot confirmed a real purchase. For Your Company Formations, it's 15% of around 10,000. A rating is only as good as the reviews behind it. On Google, both are rated 4.9 – 1st Formations from 4,924 reviews, Your Company Formations from 5,839.
We'd always encourage you to read reviews for any service before you commit. Customer experience can tell you more than any comparison table.
A deeper dive
What does each company specialise in?
Both are dedicated company formation agents offering company registration, address services and company secretarial support. The difference is what comes after: 1st Formations adds a full compliance service and accounting by ACCA-qualified accountants. Your Company Formations stops at formation and secretarial work.
UK's top company formation specialist since 2014
Over one million companies successfully formed
Rated 4.9 / 5 on Google, and 4.8 / 5 on Trustpilot (90%+ verified, fewer than 1% of reviews are 1-star) from over 28,000 reviews
Company formation packages for most company structures and types
Ongoing address and company secretarial services
Full compliance service beyond incorporation, keeping your company compliant and supporting you day to day with our Business Document Template Library
Full accounting service managed by ACCA-qualified accountants, including tax efficiency advice, corporation tax returns and annual accounts
Comprehensive range of company formation packages for different company types and structures
Rated 4.9 / 5 on Google, and 4.8 / 5 on Trustpilot (15% verified, 2% of reviews are 1-star) from over 16,000 reviews
Ongoing address and company secretarial services
No expert-led compliance support or accounting service, which can mean extra costs after incorporation
Which offers the best customer support and resources?
1st Formations offers support by live chat, telephone and email – many founders, particularly those based overseas, prefer live chat for immediate answers. Your Company Formations offers telephone and email, but no live chat. 1st Formations also has a dedicated Help Centre, answering the questions customers ask most, alongside a more extensive library of blogs and video guides. Your Company Formations has a smaller resource hub and no Help Centre.
Support by live chat, telephone and email
UK-based support team
Dedicated Help Centre answering the questions customers ask most
Extensive resource hub of blogs and video guides, written by leading company formation experts with credentials listed on-site
Support by telephone and email
No live chat
No Help Centre
Smaller company formation resource hub
Which provides the best address services?
Both offer the same three address services: registered office, service address and business address (Your Company Formations calls it a trading or virtual office address). 1st Formations bundles all three into its formation packages from £39.99 for 12 months, at a Covent Garden address, and scans and emails all mail the same day – statutory mail free, business mail at 50p per item. Your Company Formations' cheapest package with all three is £144.48, at an EC1 address, and only scans registered office and service address mail. Trading address mail goes by post with a 40% surcharge.
Three address services: Registered Office, Service Address and Business Address
All three included in formation packages from £39.99 for 12 months, with the All Inclusive with Accounting Package
Prestigious Covent Garden address at 71-75 Shelton Street
All mail scanned and emailed the same day by our in-house digital mailroom – statutory mail free, business mail 50p per item. Items that can't be scanned are posted with a 15% handling fee
Three address services: Registered Office, Service Address and Trading Address
All three only included in company formation packages, with prices from £144.48
London EC1 address
Registered Office and Service Address mail scanned and emailed. Trading Address mail forwarded by Royal Mail with a 40% handling fee
Price comparison
For company formation only, the two are 51p apart. With the services most companies go on to need, they're not. For £39.99, 1st Formations includes company formation, 12 months of address services, our compliance service and the first month of accounting. Your Company Formations' equivalent with all three addresses is £144.48, with no compliance or accounting available.
Company registration starting price
£39.99
All Inclusive with Accounting Package. Includes the £100 Companies House fee, 12 months of address services, compliance service and first month of accounting.
Formation only: £102.99 (Digital Package)
£102.48
Company formation only, including the £100 Companies House fee.
Address Services
Included from £39.99
All three – Registered Office, Service Address and Business Address – included for 12 months in the Privacy, All Inclusive, All Inclusive with Accounting and Non-Residents Packages. Renews at £161/year.
Standalone: Registered Office £39, Service Address £26, Business Address £96.
Included from £144.48
All three – Registered Office, Service Address and Business Address – included for 12 months in the Fully Inclusive, Entrepreneurs, and Non Residents Packages. Renews at £155/year.
Standalone: Registered Office £29, Service Address £28, Business Address £98.
Compliance services
£149.99/year
Business Document Template Library, discounted company changes, expert support and your confirmation statement filed.
No compliance service – individual filings such as confirmation statements available as add-ons.
Accounting services
£49/month
Full accounting service, including year-end accounts, Corporation Tax and Self Assessment returns, VAT registration and returns, and expert support from ACCA-qualified accountants. Free Xero (worth up to £600/year).
Not available
All information regarding pricing, services, and ratings was accurate when last reviewed on 9th October 2026.
1st Formations is more than a
company formation agent
Compliance support
Stay compliant with Companies House all year with our Hassle-Free Compliance Service - your confirmation statement prepared and filed, 50% off company changes, expert support, and 460+ legally reviewed business document templates to run your business day to day.
Hassle-Free Compliance ServiceFull accounting service
A full accounting service by ACCA-qualified accountants - annual accounts, Corporation Tax returns, VAT, payroll and tax efficiency advice, at a fraction of the cost of a traditional accountant. Delivered by BSQ Accounting, our sister company in the BSQ Group.
BSQ AccountingSocial impact
We're a certified B Corporation and certified carbon neutral business. We partner with the Wonder Foundation, LSE and Imperial College to open doors for young people, and give 3,000 sq ft of our Covent Garden HQ to seven local charities, completely free of charge.
Impact HubFrequently Asked Questions
Is Your Company Formations cheaper than 1st Formations?
On formation only, by 51p: its Basic Package is £102.48 against our Digital Package at £102.99, both including the £100 Companies House fee.
On everything else, no. Our All Inclusive with Accounting Package is £39.99 and includes the fee, 12 months of address services, our compliance service and the first month of accounting. Your Company Formations' package with all three addresses is £144.48, with no compliance or accounting service.
Does Your Company Formations offer live chat support?
No. It offers phone and email support only.
Does Your Company Formations' filing service cover company secretarial needs?
It files individual items such as confirmation statements, director changes and share transfers as paid add-ons, but has no overarching compliance service. 1st Formations' compliance service, £149.99 a year, includes your confirmation statement, discounted company changes, expert support and the Business Document Template Library.
Is Your Company Formations the most reviewed and best rated UK company formation agent?
No. Both score 4.8 on Trustpilot, but 1st Formations' score is based on over 23,800 reviews (more than 90% verified), against around 10,000 for Your Company Formations (only 15% verified). On Google, both are rated 4.9: 1st Formations from 4,924 reviews, Your Company Formations from 5,839.
Is Your Company Formations a certified B Corporation?
No. 1st Formations is currently the only UK company formation agent with B Corp certification and is also certified carbon neutral.
Does Your Company Formations provide any accounting services?
No. 1st Formations does, with ACCA-qualified accountants, from £49 a month.
What is the best alternative to Your Company Formations for company formation?
1st Formations, if you want live chat, same-day mail scanning, a full compliance service and accounting under one roof, from £39.99. It's also the most reviewed company formation agent on Trustpilot.