A competent registered agent will help your company fulfill its legal responsibilities, safeguard your privacy, and protect your personal assets.
An unsuitable registered agent can result in unnecessary expenses and expose you to legal risks or exploitation by fraudsters and cybercriminals.
I examined 64 registered agent services, evaluated the top 12, and created detailed reviews of the leading three based on five key criteria in my thorough four-stage review process.
Here are my top recommendations for the best registered agent services:
1. Northwest Registered Agent Review — 9.10/10 (Top Provider)
Northwest Registered Agent stands out as my top recommendation for the best registered agent service. In addition to offering comprehensive services at the second-lowest price, their customer support is unparalleled in the industry.
Pros
There are numerous advantages to choosing Northwest Registered Agent.
They provide a full spectrum of services expected from a registered agent, including a business address, an online access portal, and crucial compliance alerts. They are unique among national registered agents in that they scan and forward every piece of mail sent to your company, including service of process documents, whereas most competitors only scan government and legal documents.
Their user-friendly sign-up system allows you to purchase registered agent services across multiple states simultaneously, making it ideal for businesses that are expanding or plan to expand in the future.
The system is designed for those with limited technical knowledge, enabling easy management of multiple state registrations within the same portal—a feature that is not commonly found among registered agent services.
However, what truly sets them apart and secures their #1 ranking is their customer support team.
In an era where many companies outsource support to foreign call centers with inadequately trained staff, Northwest has taken a different approach.
Their US-based support team, comprised of former accountants, lawyers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs, provides not only efficient and patient assistance with any issues related to your registered agent service but also answers questions about your small business journey.
With extensive experience in starting, building, and running businesses, they can address (or find answers to) the challenges you face.
No other registered agent service offers this level of customer support, making Northwest Registered Agent an easy choice for the top spot. Their support team is available every weekday during regular business hours.
Considering their exceptional service and the fact that they charge only $125 per state, per year—just $26 more than the cheapest registered agent service I reviewed—Northwest Registered Agent is highly commendable.
Cons
While Northwest Registered Agent excels in many areas, their greatest strength—customer support—can also be considered their biggest drawback.
When you call their support team, you won’t experience a brief 15-second exchange to get quick information. Their dedication to providing top-notch support means that even when you need a quick answer, the process can take longer than anticipated.
The support team’s approach involves asking detailed questions about your specific issue to fully understand the nuances of your situation. This ensures they provide the most accurate and helpful advice, but it can extend the duration of the call beyond a simple Google search.
Although this is a high-quality issue, it can be a minor inconvenience for those times when you just need a swift response to a straightforward question.
Overall
Northwest Registered Agent stands out as the top registered agent service for several reasons. Firstly, they offer a comprehensive and user-friendly system that includes all essential services at a highly competitive price, being the second most affordable option available. What truly sets them apart, however, is their exceptional customer support. The representatives at Northwest Registered Agent are dedicated to thoroughly understanding each client’s unique circumstances, ensuring they provide accurate and personalized advice.
For those seeking a reliable registered agent service to support their business growth at a cost of only $125 per state per year, Northwest Registered Agent is the go-to choice. To learn more or get started, visit Northwest Registered Agent.
2. Harbor Compliance Review — 7.92/10 (Best Full-Service Registered Agent on a Budget)
Harbor Compliance ranks second on my list of the best registered agent services. They offer a full suite of essential services at the most affordable price available, making them the top choice for those seeking comprehensive support without breaking the bank.
Pros
Similar to Northwest Registered Agent, Harbor Compliance offers a comprehensive range of services as a full-service registered agent. Their offerings include online document access, scanning and forwarding of critical documents (such as service of process), and compliance alerts. The sign-up process is straightforward, and registering in multiple states is user-friendly.
Where Harbor Compliance truly excels is in their pricing. At just $99 per state per year, they are the most affordable full-service registered agent available, making them $26 cheaper per state per year compared to Northwest Registered Agent. For a more detailed analysis, refer to my “pricing” section.
Cons
The main disadvantage of Harbor Compliance is that while they perform well in all areas, they don’t particularly excel in any specific aspect. Their services encompass all the necessary basics, but they lack any premium features. Additionally, although their customer support team is competent and will address your questions about the registered agent service, they do not offer the small business support that Northwest provides.
In essence, Harbor Compliance is competent across the board but doesn’t stand out in any particular area.
Overall
Harbor Compliance is a dependable choice that meets all your registered agent needs. They offer a full range of essential services at the lowest price available, without any extra frills.
If you’re willing to sacrifice exceptional customer support to save $26 per year, Harbor Compliance is worth considering. Explore their services here.
3. LegalZoom — 6.59/10 (Best Premium Service)
For those seeking a premium registered agent service, LegalZoom is the top choice among a limited selection of less-than-ideal options.
Pros
LegalZoom is a premium national registered agent that provides all the standard services you would expect from a full-service registered agent, such as online document access, mail forwarding, and compliance alerts. Additionally, they offer a premium feature of identity theft protection up to $1 million.
Cons
There are two major drawbacks to LegalZoom.
The first is the cost. At $299, their service is more than twice the price of Northwest Registered Agent, and the $175 difference exceeds the cost of a $1 million identity theft protection policy.
The second issue is that registered agent services are a small part of LegalZoom’s overall business, which focuses mainly on legal document templates. As a result, their registered agent service is neither well optimized nor highly prioritized. This makes their system more difficult to use, and their customer support for registered agent services is not as efficient, effective, or helpful as other options on my list.
Overall
LegalZoom is a well-known company offering a premium registered agent service, but it comes at a higher cost than buying premium services separately and provides less support compared to other top full-service agents.
Unless you are already using LegalZoom for other services or specifically want the included (and overpriced) identity theft insurance, you will find better value with Northwest Registered Agent.
To learn more about LegalZoom, visit their website here: LegalZoom.
Below are brief overviews of the remaining nine registered agent services I evaluated in my search for the best registered agent service.
4. ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is a reputable national registered agent service. Their basic registered agent package costs $199 per year, which includes alerts for important compliance dates, quick filing of your business documents, and two free filing amendments if you need to change any details.
However, their support doesn’t quite match the level provided by Northwest Registered Agent.
For a comprehensive list of their services, check out my ZenBusiness Review.
5. IncFile
IncFile is another LLC service that provides the bare minimum for a registered agent service, lacking compliance alerts. They charge $119 per year (plus state fees) for their services. If you’re willing to pay more for less, IncFile might be an option for you.
They also offer a free registered agent service for the first year, but similar to ZenBusiness, you end up paying more while receiving less.
To learn more, visit IncFile here: IncFile.
6. Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer is a more affordable alternative to LegalZoom, with their registered agent service being a minor part of their overall product offerings. They charge $149 for basic business formation packages, but the support provided for their registered agent service is less comprehensive than one might expect.
7. SunDoc Filings
SunDoc Filings is another LLC formation service that provides the essential registered agent services without any additional features, charging $159 per year.
8. InCorp
InCorp is another LLC formation service with a unique registered agent offering. They charge $99 per year, the same as Harbor Compliance, and provide similar business formation packages. However, their system is very difficult to use, with a poorly designed, clunky, and hard-to-navigate interface. While their support is adequate, it isn’t sufficient to compensate for the challenging user experience, preventing them from making my list of top recommendations.
9. Swyft Filings
Swyft Filings includes compliance alerts as part of their registered agent service, charging $149 per year (plus state fees). They also provide a range of other services, which you can learn more about in my Swyft Filings review.
10. CSC Global
CSC Global is another premium registered agent service that lacks notable premium features. While they cover any state fees associated with switching to their service, their annual fee of $299 makes it more cost-effective to switch to Northwest Registered Agent and cover the switching costs yourself.
11. Registered Agents Inc.
Registered Agents Inc. charges $200 per year for the same features that Northwest Registered Agent provides for $125 per year (plus state fees). However, they do not offer the same level of support that Northwest does.
12. Jumpstart Filings
Jumpstart Filings is an LLC formation service that provides a basic registered agent service, charging $150 per year. Unlike some competitors, they do not offer a free registered agent service for the first year when you use their business formation packages.
Registered Agent Review Summary
Northwest Registered Agent is my top recommendation, offering all essential services for $125 per state per year.
Their US-based support team, composed of former lawyers, accountants, small business owners, and entrepreneurs, will enthusiastically and patiently address any questions you have about your registered agent service. Additionally, they can provide valuable advice on your small business queries.
With an easy registration process and a user-friendly interface, Northwest Registered Agent is an excellent choice for meeting legal obligations and protecting personal details.
If you need a registered agent that not only ensures your business meets legal requirements but also supports your growth, visit Northwest Registered Agent now.
Best Registered Agent Review Methodology
With so many registered agent services available online, the abundance of information can be overwhelming. That’s why I created this article as a quick reference guide to help you find the best registered agent services for your LLC or corporation. Here’s how I reached my conclusions.
Why You Should Trust Me
You can trust my recommendations for the best registered agent service because I have spent an extensive amount of time navigating the complexities of the registered agent industry.
My journey began when I needed to find the best registered agent services for my own businesses—a health website and a café. After selling those businesses, I sought a new venture. Through conversations with friends in both the online business and café sectors, I realized they lacked the time and energy to evaluate various service providers for small businesses. Given my existing knowledge, I began offering them advice.
This eventually evolved into an online company, and now I’m here to share registered agent service advice with you, my new internet friends.
How I Selected the Best Registered Agent
I followed a four-stage process to determine the best registered agent service, narrowing down over 60 options to my top three choices.
Here’s how I did it.
Stage 1: Reviews
The first step in identifying the best registered agent was to sift through thousands of online reviews. These reviews were spread across platforms like Facebook, TrustPilot, and the Better Business Bureau, among others. Although the number of reviews was overwhelming, I undertook this task to save you the hassle.
I’ll be honest—I didn’t read every single review (that would have taken years). However, I focused on those that were more detailed than a paragraph or two. This approach provided sufficient insight to weed out obvious scams and misleading offers (more on that in the “Rating Factors” section below).
Stage 2: Website Analysis
After filtering out the obvious B-grade (and sometimes D-grade) options, the next step was to thoroughly review the websites of the remaining registered agent services.
I examined various elements such as the range of products and services offered, the different contact methods available for customer support, the company’s history, any awards they had received, and their locations.
This process provided a deeper understanding of each company, revealing who they truly are and what they offer.
Stage 3: Speaking With Real Customers
While online reviews and website analysis provide valuable insights, they can only take you so far. To truly understand how a company operates, it’s essential to speak directly with its customers. This was the third stage of my analysis.
To gather unbiased and diverse opinions, I reached out to satisfied readers who had used my recommendations, as well as website visitors who were already using a registered agent.
I inquired about how well their needs were being met, and their feedback provided intimate details on the quality of service and support each company offers—beyond what is claimed on their websites.
Stage 4: Speaking With Their Sales Teams
The final stage of my analysis involved getting on the phone with the sales teams of the remaining companies. I compiled all the complaints, issues, and negative feedback I could find and asked them tough questions about their shortcomings and how they were addressing these problems.
This step provided incredible insight into how each company is evolving and improving its offerings in response to customer feedback. Some companies dismissed critical customers as “crazy” and downplayed their complaints, while the top-rated companies explained how they had integrated such feedback into their product development process to eliminate these issues.
This step truly distinguished the good from the bad and allowed me to have complete confidence in the companies I recommend.
Rating Factors
Each of the final 12 registered agent services for your LLC was evaluated based on five key factors.
Factor 1: Offerings
The first factor I analyzed was the range of services provided by each registered agent on my list.
No matter how affordable or user-friendly a service is, or how good their customer support might be, if they don’t offer the services you need, they’re not worth considering.
I evaluated several aspects: whether they provide online access to your legal documents or just mail them to your registered address, whether they personally alert you about upcoming compliance deadlines or merely provide a calendar, whether they offer identity theft insurance or just ensure the protection of your personal information, and whether they provide affordable or top-quality LLC formation services.
Companies with the most comprehensive offerings rose to the top of my list, while those offering the bare minimum sank to the bottom.
Factor 2: Value
The second factor I assessed was the value for money, which varied significantly among registered agent services.
Our investigations revealed three distinct pricing categories: budget, full service, and premium.
Budget offerings were priced around $39–$59 per year.
Full-service offerings ranged between $99–$129 per year.
Premium services started at $299 per year and increased from there.
The registered agents offering the best value for money ranked highest on my list, while those providing little value were pushed to the bottom.
Our analysis of these pricing tiers showed that while budget registered agent services appear appealing, their deceptive pricing makes them less attractive. Although the initial cost may be as low as $39, you end up paying much more to receive basic benefits such as compliance alerts, document scanning, and same-day forwarding. These deceptive advertising tactics and additional costs make budget services, with fewer features, ultimately more expensive than the full-service offerings from the best registered agent services.
Therefore, I excluded all budget offerings from my analysis.
Factor 3: Ease of Sign-Up
Hiring a registered agent that offers the necessary services at an affordable price is only beneficial if the sign-up process is straightforward and efficient. Spending days or even weeks getting set up in their system can be a significant drain on your business’s time and resources.
To ensure you receive the service you need at the price you want, with the ease and simplicity you expect, the sign-up process was the third factor I used to assess the best registered agent services.
Companies with streamlined, automated, and minimal-effort sign-up processes ranked at the top of the list, while those with clunky, labor-intensive, and time-consuming processes fell to the bottom.
Factor 4: Ease of Use
Getting set up in a registered agent’s system is just the beginning. Once you’re set up, you don’t want to waste hours navigating complex, outdated systems. That’s why the ease of using their systems was the fourth factor I considered in my registered agent review.
Companies with simple-to-use systems ranked high on this factor, while those with complex and difficult-to-navigate systems ranked low.
Factor 5: Customer Service
No matter how simple and user-friendly a system is, there will always be times when you need help. In these situations, good customer support is crucial.
Reliable support can mean the difference between quickly getting through your to-do list and wasting hours waiting for assistance.
Because of this, the quality of customer support was the final factor I used to assess the best registered agent services.
Companies that quickly and clearly answer your questions, allowing you to get back to your work, ranked highest on my list. Conversely, those that take hours or even days to respond with unhelpful explanations ranked lower.
The Best Registered Agent Results Summary
After evaluating the top 12 registered agent services using the five factors in my four-stage process, my top overall recommendation is Northwest Registered Agent.
Best Overall: Northwest Registered Agent (9.10/10)
Northwest Registered Agent secured the #1 spot on my list due to their comprehensive services, competitive pricing, and outstanding customer support.
For $125 per state, per year, Northwest Registered Agent provides a registered business address, online access to scanned copies of all documents (not just legal notices), and notifications of compliance requirements such as annual report filings. They also ensure your personal details are kept off the public record.
More importantly, their US-based team, which includes former accountants, lawyers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs, is available to answer not only your registered agent-related questions but also any queries you have about starting, managing, and growing your business. Their customer support team is available every weekday during regular business hours.
With over 3,000 positive reviews, you can trust that my positive experience is consistent with that of many others.
Get the best registered agent service for your small business here: Northwest Registered Agent.
Northwest Registered Agent also offers LLC formation services. To learn more, read my guide on the best LLC services.
Best Budget Registered Agent: Harbor Compliance (7.92/10)
If you’re looking for a registered agent service that offers essential services at a lower cost, Harbor Compliance is a great option.
They provide the same range of services as Northwest Registered Agent but charge only $99 per state, per year.
While their customer service team may not be as patient, polite, or helpful as Northwest’s, they will still answer your questions and assist you with any challenges you encounter.
There’s much more to Harbor Compliance’s service than what is mentioned here. For a detailed overview, read my full Harbor Compliance review.
If you prefer to save $26 per year and don’t require additional guidance and support, you can learn more about Harbor Compliance here.
Best Premium Registered Agent: LegalZoom (6.59/10)
If you’re seeking a registered agent that offers premium-level service, LegalZoom is an excellent choice. They provide all the services offered by Northwest, plus $1,000,000 in identity theft protection. Additionally, they will cover any costs associated with switching from your current registered agent to their service.
This premium protection comes at a cost of $175 more per state, per year than Northwest, totaling $299 per state per year. However, if you’re concerned about identity theft and want added protection, LegalZoom is a great option.
You can learn more about LegalZoom here: LegalZoom.
In Conclusion
Selecting the right registered agent service is crucial for protecting your assets, safeguarding your information, and ensuring compliance with state business regulations.
After investigating 64 registered agent services and thoroughly reviewing the top 12 through a four-stage process that analyzed five key factors, the conclusion is clear: Northwest Registered Agent is the best choice.
Northwest Registered Agent offers comprehensive full-service registered agent solutions with exceptional customer support to guide you through any situation. Their online document storage system is user-friendly, and their multistate management portal can scale with your business.
If you need a registered agent service that covers all your needs while providing industry-leading support from a US-based team of former lawyers, accountants, small business owners, and entrepreneurs, Northwest Registered Agent is the ideal choice.