| Ownr simplifies business registration, incorporation, and management in Canada. The platform provides a cost-effective and user-friendly alternative to traditional legal incorporation services while offering ongoing support for business compliance and governance. Price: $49 for sole proprietorships, $199 per month for corporations Visit Ownr Website | |
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ User-friendly interface ✅ Backed by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) ✅ Onetime fee of $49 for sole proprietors ✅ More affordable than traditional legal assistance | ❌ Corporation fees start at $199 per year ❌ Poor reviews for customer service ❌ Limited customization ❌ Extra annual fees per additional service |
*Prices are in CAD.
Setting a business up the traditional way can be time-consuming, confusing, or expensive. Your traditional options are navigating complicated paperwork or shelling out thousands of dollars for legal assistance. Ownr helps businesses in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia make registration or incorporation more accessible by providing guidance, document preparation, and electronic filing services at an affordable price point.
What is Ownr?
Ownr is a digital services platform that helps businesses start and manage sole proprietorships or corporations in Canada. It simplifies multiple areas of business formation and management, including business registration, incorporation, corporate governance, document storage, and compliance. With Ownr, you can:
- Create a legal entity for a sole proprietorship or corporation in select Canadian provinces
- Manage company governance (for directors, shareholders, and officers)
- Store important legal documents (such as formation paperwork, agreements, and contracts) digitally
- Receive ongoing reminders and support for compliance tasks
Ownr, which receives most of its backing from the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) subsidiary RBC Ventures, aims to make business formation a more accessible process by providing affordable support services. A report by RBCx, RBC’s innovation banking platform, showed that the platform has helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs in Canada launch their businesses.
Why Choose Ownr?
Traditionally, entrepreneurs forming sole proprietorships or corporations could choose one of two routes. The first route was to file legal paperwork without outside assistance. Though this process spared you from costly legal fees, it was often time-consuming, confusing, and liable to error. You needed to research how to complete each form correctly, increasing the risk of data entry errors and application rejections.
The second route was to work with a lawyer. While this option ensured that your documents properly complied with legal requirements, it was usually very costly. Legal assistance for corporate incorporation often carries hourly rates in the $200 to $600 range, and simple incorporation services sometimes cost from $800 up to $1,500 or more.
Ownr combines the advantages of both approaches: it offers guided, reliable business formation at a fraction of traditional legal costs. You simply provide your business details, and the platform handles the rest, making setup fast and straightforward. With additional
Ownr Plans and Pricing
| Sole Proprietorship | Online Minute Book | Managed Corporation |
| $49 (one-time fee) | $199 per year | $599 per year |
| – Government fees covered by Ownr – Business name searches – Business registration number – Business registration documents – Business document storage – Access to Ownr Perks, which includes business discounts worth up to $12,000 in value – Chat support | – Incorporation and filings with the government (articles of incorporation and certificate) – Company name registration – Company organization (bylaws, director appointments, resolutions, and more) – Initial share issuances and company ownership register – Business name searches – CRA business number – Annual compliance – Online minute book management – Secure document storage and legal document uploads – Register of individuals with significant control – Fully featured capitalization table – Core company data repository – Legal agreement summariese – Signatures and audit trails | – All online minute book plan features – GST/HST program account registration – Amendments to a federal corporation’s name or structure – Automated registered head address changes – Unlimited director updates – Unlimited officer updates – Website and e-commerce agreements – Intellectual property agreements – Legal contracts |
There are three types of Ownr plans: A basic plan for sole proprietors, a basic plan for corporations, and an advanced plan for corporations.
Ownr’s Sole Proprietorship plan is a practical option for sole proprietors who are just starting out. Although Canada imposes fewer legal requirements on sole proprietors compared to corporations, Ownr’s sole proprietorship package still provides value by keeping your documents organized while requiring minimal effort and investment. Additionally, since Ownr is backed by RBC, opening an RBC business bank account waives the $49 fee.
Ownr’s Online Minute Book Plan also provides decent value for money. At $199 per year, it is considerably cheaper than incorporation services from legal corporations. The plan sets your business up efficiently while also providing access to useful ongoing services, such as annual compliance, legal document storage, and digital document signing.
The Ownr Managed Corporation Plan is significantly more expensive, but provides multiple valuable features. By default, it comes with all Online Minute Book Plan features, plus advanced company management features like assistance with legal contracts, intellectual property agreements, and website terms of service. You can also buy add-ons for shareholder management, employee and contractor management, and employee stock options.
Upgrading to the Managed Corporation Plan is only worth the investment if you are a large business. Otherwise, the Online Minute Book Plan would suffice. Fortunately, Ownr offers flexible add-on plans, which allow you to pay only for the additional services that you need.
Ownr Key Services
Ownr primarily offers business formation services, helping upcoming sole proprietors with business registration and corporations with business incorporation. Depending on your business type, their packages may include multiple sub-areas of business formation, including name registration, company organization, and business name searches.
Business Formation
Ownr offers full business formation services. For sole proprietors, this means business registration, while for corporations, this means incorporation. The service covers everything required to legally form a business, which differs depending on your business type.
Sole proprietors registering their businesses through Ownr receive assistance in filling registration paperwork and generating government-issued registration documents. These include:
- Business Registration Certificate
- Master Business License (for Ontario businesses)
- Proof of Business Name Registration
- Business Registration Number
Meanwhile, corporations receive guidance on incorporation. The service helps new businesses create a legal corporate entity by handling incorporation filings, generating standard legal templates, and providing digital documentation. Ownr provides guidance through each requirement, including setting up share structures, defining directors and officers, and reviewing organizational documents before submission.
This service allows new business owners, regardless of business structure, to complete the business formation process quickly and accurately while ensuring that the legal entity they form complies with federal or provincial regulations.
Company Name Registration
Ownr helps new business owners validate and register their business names with minimal effort. The service ensures that the business name meets provincial or federal requirements by checking the name for availability and compliance with relevant naming rules. It also submits the name to the appropriate government authority.
Business Name Searches
Ownr’s company name registration services include unlimited business name searches. This service compares your chosen business name against relevant databases to identify conflicts or similarities with existing business names. This helps you identify whether your chosen business name is eligible for registration, reducing the costly risk of rejection.
CRA Business Number
The CRA (Canadian Revenue Agency) Business Number is essential for tax filings, payroll accounts, import/export activities, and many other business functions. Ownr can obtain a CRA Business Number on your behalf, eliminating the need to apply separately through government portals.
Company Organization
Corporations registering through Ownr get access to company organization services. This service helps you prepare key internal legal documents that define how your corporation operates. Ownr helps you draft bylaws, initial resolutions, director and officer appointments, and corporate records that form the company’s minute book. This support ensures that your corporation starts with a proper legal structure and maintains compliance from day one.
Initial Share Issuances and Company Ownership Register
Ownr can also help you document who owns what portion of your corporation. The platform will issue share certificates, record shareholder information, and maintain a digital share ledger. This service creates a detailed ownership register that allows you to maintain legal compliance for future transactions.
GST/HST Program Account Registration (Optional)
Business that collect sales tax can also work with Ownr to register a GST/HST program account with the CRA. This service, available with the Managed Corporation Plan or for an additional fee, ensures that your business can legally charge and remit taxes from the beginning. This helps you maintain compliance with tax rules and maintain smooth commercial operations.
Ownr Additional Services
Users subscribed to the Online Minute Book Plan get access to basic company management services. However, upgrading to the Managed Corporation Plan also provides access to advanced company management, managed shareholders, managed employees and contractors, and employee stock option services.
Basic Company Management
The Online Minute Book Plan comes with a number of ongoing company management features. These include:
- Annual Compliance: Ownr helps you complete tasks that federal or provincial laws require annually. These tasks include annual return filings, shareholder and director resolutions, and waiver of auditor resolutions.
- Online Minute Book Management: Ownr assists you in digitizing and managing your official corporate records. It creates secure digital versions of important documents, including your articles of incorporation, bylaws, resolutions, meeting minutes, shareholder and director registers, share certificates, and other documents related to major company decisions.
- Secure Document Storage and Legal Document Uploads: This service provides a secure cloud for storing important legal documents, such as legal agreements, contracts, shareholder or investor documents, government forms, and other business-related digital files.
- Register of Individuals with Significant Control: Ownr helps you track which individuals have significant legal control or ownership over your business. It maintains a Register of Individuals with Significant Control, which stores the details of individuals who own more than 25% of shares, individuals who have direct or indirect control, and changes in ownership. This register is a legal requirement and failure to maintain it can result in fines or penalties.
- Fully Featured Capitalization Table: Ownr further outlines your company’s ownership breakdown by creating a digital capitalization table that tracks who owns what percentage of the company. It shows shareholders and percentage ownership, share classes, share issuances, transfers, cancellations, dilutions per new share created, and total shares outstanding.
- Core Company Data Repository: This service places all key details about your company in one easy-to-find location. Information included in the data repository includes your registered office address, directors and, share structure, incorporation details, and business numbers and filings.
- Easy-to-understand Summaries for Legal Agreements: Ownr also generates clear summaries of your legal documents, including resolutions, shareholder agreements, by-laws, and articles of incorporation. This allows you to keep track of your contracts without sifting through lengthy documents.
- eSignatures and Audit Trails: Finally, Ownr lets you sign corporate documents digitally, supporting fast and paperless workflows. This feature timestamps your signatures, shows you who signed what and when, and provides verification logs.
Advanced Company Management
Upgrading to the Managed Corporation Plan grants you access to additional company management features. Most of these features accommodate extraneous tasks related to legal documentation, such as updates, online agreements, and intellectual property agreements, helping you keep your records accurate with little effort.
Included in these services are:
- Amendments to a Federal Corporation’s Name or Structure: Ownr helps you update your federal corporation’s name or make structural changes. It prepares the required forms, files the updates with the government, and keeps your corporate records aligned with the new information.
- Automated Registered Head Address Changes: Ownr automatically updates your registered office address with the appropriate government registry.
- Unlimited Director Updates: You can add, remove, or update directors as often as needed. Ownr prepares the required resolutions, filings, and records to keep your records up-to-date as your business evolves.
- Unlimited Officer Updates: Ownr also supports unlimited changes to your officers. It prepares and stores the necessary documents to reflect each update in your official records.
- Website and E-Commerce Agreements: Ownr provides customizable agreements for your website or online store. These may include terms of use, privacy policies, refund policies, and other essential documents that protect your business online.
- Intellectual Property Agreements: Ownr offers agreements that help you safeguard your IP. These may include assignment agreements, confidentiality agreements, and agreements that ensure your business owns the work created for it.
- Legal Contracts: Ownr supplies a library of common business contracts. These may cover services, contractors, partnerships, and other day-to-day needs, giving you reliable templates that cut down on legal guesswork.
Managed Shareholders
Managed Corporation Plan subscribers can pay an additional $297 fee per year for access to shareholder management services for up to three shareholders. The fee per additional shareholder is $99 per year.
This service helps you issue shares, manage shareholder agreements, and maintain compliance with provincial and federal regulations. The package consists of the following support features:
- Share Issuances after Incorporation: Ownr prepares the documents you need to issue new shares after company incorporation. It updates your cap table and minute book so your ownership records stay accurate and compliant.
- Share Transfers: Ownr guides you through transferring shares from one person to another. It creates the required agreements, resolutions, and register updates to ensure that you record the transfer cleanly and in compliance with legal requirements.
- Vesting Agreements: Ownr helps you set up vesting schedules for founders, employees, or contractors. These agreements define when individuals earn ownership, which protects both your company and your team.
- Unanimous Shareholder Agreements: Ownr helps you create a Unanimous Shareholder Agreement that sets the rules for decision-making, dispute resolution, and shareholder rights. This agreement strengthens your company’s long-term structure.
- Financing Documents: Ownr provides the core documents you need when you raise money. These documents make it easier to bring in new investors and keep your legal records organized.
- Share Splitting: Ownr supports share splits by preparing the resolutions and register updates you need to reorganize your share structure. This keeps your ownership records neat and consistent.
Managed Employees and Contractors
Ownr provides another dedicated add-on for employee and contractor management, which costs $99 per year for up to three employees, then $39 per year per additional employee.
This package helps you manage legal documentation related to employees and contractors. It includes the following services:
- Employment Agreements: Ownr prepares clear, customizable employment agreements that define each employee’s role, responsibilities, and rights. These agreements help you set expectations and protect your business from misunderstandings.
- Contractor Agreements: Ownr creates contractor agreements that outline project scope, payment terms, and intellectual property ownership. These agreements ensure that you and the independent contractors you work with are on the same page.
- Managed Employee and Contractor Details: Ownr organizes key information about your team in one place. It keeps records of agreement dates, roles, and responsibilities up-to-date as your team changes.
Employee Stock Options
Finally, Ownr also provides an add-on that helps you share stocks with your employees. It costs an additional $999 per year if you have the Managed Corporation Plan.
This package includes the following services:
- Create an Employee Stock Option Plan: Ownr helps you establish a clear and compliant employee stock option plan. It guides you through defining eligibility, vesting terms, and exercise rules, allowing you to fairly reward your employees.
- Access to Ownr Shares Employee Portal: Ownr gives your employees access to a simple online portal where they can view their grants, track vesting, and understand their equity.
- Award Options to Employees: Ownr prepares the documents you need to issue stock options. It records each grant, updates your cap table, and keeps your corporate records accurate.
- Exercise Options Directly Within Ownr: Employees can exercise their options through the Ownr platform. It manages the required paperwork and updates your ownership records automatically, keeping the process smooth and organized.
Bottomline
- Cheaper than legal incorporation services: At just $199 per year, Ownr is significantly more accessible than legal incorporation services, which can run higher than $800.
- Ensures peace of mind: Leaving business registration to Ownr helps you avoid data entry errors and application rejection.
- Easy setup: Registering a business with Ownr allows you to skip deep research. You simply type your information into the platform and let Ownr take care of compliance.
Ownr is an accessible, cost-effective alternative to legal incorporation services. By offering support for business setup, it helps new business owners start corporations or sole proprietorships with confidence. It also provides additional value through ongoing business management support, enabling time-saving and stress-free compliance.
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