Best Registered Agent Service

Before we look at the best registered agent service in the United States, let’s clarify why registered agent services like that provide by National Registered Agents, Inc. are so important to your small business.

Let’s say you’d like to set up a limited liability company (LLC), but you feel overwhelmed by all that paperwork you have to take care of. Or perhaps you are afraid you may forget to pay all of your taxes on time?

Why don’t you sign up for a year of registered agent services? They act as a legal radar, scanning the horizon for claims and lawsuits and notifying their clients as soon as such occur.

 If the registered agent overlooks even a single legal action initiated against any of their clients, the consequences to the business owners can be dire.

Registered agents receive subpoenas, tax-related correspondence, and other business documents and forward them to the respective company’s legal department.

Best Registered Agent Service

ZenBusiness – The Best Registered Agent Service

Set up in 2015 in Texas, ZenBusiness quickly became the country’s best registered agent service available online. One of the reasons for their rapid growth is that they offer a comprehensive portfolio of services.

ZenBusiness goes beyond the standard registered agent service

As the best registered agent service, ZenBusiness takes care of its clients’ domain name registration and administration, and its team can even build your LLC’s site.

Depending on your registration plan, ZenBusines can also open a business bank account for your company or find a suitable business insurance broker.

How much does ZenBusiness cost?

As the top registered agent service on our list, ZenBusiness offers attractive pricing plans, each including a wide variety of services. State fees apply to each plan.

Starter – $49 per year

This plan includes a standard registered agent service and document filing speed. They will also write your LLC’s Operating Agreement, where the business’ ownership and primary duties are listed. The plan also includes a standard accuracy checkup.

Pro – $249 per year

You get everything in Starter, plus a worry-free compliance guarantee and an EIN. The Employer Identification Number is your company’s primary identification document and something you can’t do without.

It is possible to apply for and get one yourself, but the process is both nerve-racking and time-consuming. Typically, EIN handling is not included in a registered agent’s standard service.

The Pro plan also includes a banking resolution. This is a document authorizing one of your employees to manage the company’s bank accounts.

Premium – $349 per year

The highest price point includes everything in the Pro package, plus thesetup and administration of a domain and a business website. I think this plan provides the best value for your money, because you do not need to hire a separate company to get your business online.

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Weak spots:

Rocket Lawyer

Rather than a free registered agent, Rocket Lawyer is a legal service website. Rocket Lawyer offers a business formation service, along with contracts and legal documents preparation, regular paper reviews and analyses, and one-to-one sessions with a lawyer: online or over the phone.

How much does Rocket Lawyer cost?

Rocket lawyer’s legal services are available a-la-carte. For example, you need a legal form created on behalf of your business, which will cost you just over $40.

A 30-minute consultation with a lawyer over the phone costs $60. The business formation service of Rocket Lawyer costs just under $100 per business entity, plus any state fees that may apply. This best registered agent service costs $150 per year.

Membership plan – $40 per month

Rocket Lawyer’s membership plan is a far better deal. It comes with a 7-day free trial. If you are not happy with your purchase, you can take advantage of the company’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

 The registered agent service is 25% cheaper, your first LLC will be set up for free, and you’ll only have to cover the government fees.

The membership plan also includes one 30-minute phone consultation with a layer per month. Unfortunately, Rocket Layer’s plan does not give you online access to a business tax specialist, which is a serious drawback.

Stellar customer care

Rocket Lawyer is known for its outstanding customer support. You can reach their customer service agents via email, phone, or live chat. The phone lines are open Mon-Fri from 6 am to 6 pm P.T.

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Incfile

Incfile was one of the best registered agent services in 2020, and their business formation service is also at a very high level. The company was founded in 2004 in Houston, TX. Since then, it has developed a strong network of loyal clients across the country.

Worry free compliance guarantee

With Incfile, you can rest assured that all of your corporate documents and tax declarations will be filed on time. This will give you the peace of mind to focus on your small business’s growth.

While forming an llc, this incorporation service gives its clients free guidance and tips during the sign-up process. Every step is personalized based on the client’s location and the type of small business they wish to start.

Incfile registered agent has many affiliates

As you progress through the registration process, you’ll see promotional offers from Incfile’s partners. The Bank of America will offer you a cheaper business account, while SnapWeb will offer to build your company’s site at a bargain price.

With every add-on, your membership fee will go up because of the added affiliate commissions. Let us now have a look at Incfile’s membership plans.

How much is Incfile per month?

The Incfile registered agent is free for one full year. That’s right, their Silver plan costs $0, and you’ll pay only the business registration fee in the respective state. After the first year, the registered agent service will cost you $119 a year.

Incfile offers two paid pricing options: Gold and Platinum. To determine how much each of these packages will cost you, you have to specify what type of business you’d like to open and where.

Let’s say you’d like to open an LLC in Alabama; then you’ll get the following quotes:

The Gold and Platinum packages include a fee operating agreement and banking resolution. Still, only the most expensive plan includes a business contract template and a free domain name, and email service.

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Weak spots:

Northwest Registered Agent

The Northwest Registered Agent is your best registered agent service if you’d like to set up an LLC and contract a registered agent to represent it before the taxation authorities at the same time. You can be sure that your HQ address will remain off public records.

How much does Northwest Registered Agent Charge?

This registered agent offers two pricing options:

If you hire Northwest to set up your LLC, you’ll get one year of free registered agent services. The fee of $125 applies for every year after that.

We’re just not annoying

This is Northwest Registered Agent’s pledge of transparency. As one of the market leaders in business formation, Northwest does not rely on upselling to increase its profit. Instead, they have a steadily growing number of loyal customers.

The best thing about setting up your first limited liability company through Northwest is that you will be using their physical address from the onset. Keeping your H.Q. address off public records means that you aren’t going to receive junk mail.

Personal approach to every customer

Northwest Registered Agent does not use an external customer care agency. Instead, every official takes incoming calls from current and potential customers.

They are ready to answer all questions that you may have patiently. To say that Northwest’s customer support is the best in the field certainly isn’t an overstatement.

While writing this post, I called them several times to inquire about different aspects of their service and test their customer support’s response time.

I was pleasantly surprised because not once was my call put on hold. The standard for good customer service is between three and five minutes wait time. 

All documents emailed to you

When Northwest receives a document on your behalf, they scan it and email it to you as a pdf file. At the same time, you’ll get a reminder on your mobile that new mail has arrived.

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LegalZoom

Launched in 1999, LegalZoom is one of the veterans in the registered agents’ business. This online provider of legal services can help you set up an LLC, act as your registered agent, and take care of your trademark and copyright protection.

The largest trademark filer in the U.S

Legal Zoom CEOJohn Suh says his company’s the largest trademark filer in the U.S. and has also registered the largest number of small businesses since its establishment.

If you are a LegalZoom’s client, you can turn to them for legal help whenever life throws you a curveball. You can be sure that their reaction will be swift and adequate.

Their legal experts can handle the unexpected – draft wills and write divorce claims, but also proactively help you stay on top of your company’s paperwork, including taxes, licenses, and permits.

The LegalZoom controversy

In 2008, the North Carolina State Bar declared LegalZoom’s services illegal and requested that they be discontinued immediately.

It is already possible to open an LLC in N.C. with LegalZoom’s assistance. In 2015, the company published a statement saying that they no longer were at loggerheads with the state regulator. Currently, LegalZoom is among the most popular registered agent service providers in North Carolina.

How much does LegalZoom cost?

LegalZoom offers three pricing options:

Whichever you may choose, state fees always apply. Given the negligible difference between the Standard and the Gold plan, I think the latter is their best deal. It has the shortest delivery times, and all of your orders are handled with the highest priority.

Regardless of the plan you choose, LegalZoom will take care of the business filing procedure as your best registered agent service. Their team will also handle articles of organization and conduct their Peace of Mind review before the registration of your business is finalized.

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 Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance is a top provider of LLC formation, registered agent services, and compliance solutions in the United States. Since the company was founded in 2012, Harbor Compliance has helped over 25,000 businesses overcome various legal challenges.

Sign up for an introductory phone call

Harbor Compliance has developed a unique sign-up process. The registered agents reviewed above ask you to fill in an online questionnaire or an order form.

By contrast, Harbor Compliance asks you to sign up for an introductory phone call with one of their representatives. This personal approach makes the company’s potential clients feel really special. Once you sign up, you can expect a call within 24 hours.

Harbor Compliance’s most popular services

The company is mostly famous for its compliance services. These include compliance documents, foreign qualifications, licensing, and annual reports.

Of course, they can set up your LLC, and their registered agent service costs just $99 a year. You can cancel the subscription at any time without any penalties.

If you’d like to set up an NPO, Harbor Compliance is your best choice of an online legal consultant. They have tailored a unique portfolio of services for NGOs and not-for-profit entities.

These include consultations with a third-party team of attorneys and patented software that automatically notifies the user of oncoming license renewals. Harbor Compliance guarantees that all of the filed nonprofit applications will get a 501(c)(3) approval.

How much does it cost?

Harbor Compliance offers two pricing plans:

Each plan includes a free registered agent service for the first year. After that, you can add it to your plan for $99/year.

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Incorp

The superpower of this affordable registered agent service provider is business formation. And if you need a long-time registered agent service, you can take advantage of Incorp’s fantastic volume discounts. If you sign up for five years, your fee gets as lows as $67 a year.

If you suspect this may be a hoax, consider that Incorp has been given an A+ rating of credibility by the Better Business Bureau. Incorp’s customer support is OK, but the waiting times are a bit longer than what I expected.

On the downside, most online registered agent services provide business formation in their membesthip plans. Incorp charges an extra $18 for shipping, which brings the total price up to $117. Apart from that, Incorp is very good at handling business documents in a timely manner.

Key services & add-ons

Incorp’s subscription plan of $99 a year.It includes a company name availability check and articles of incorporation filing. Obviously, business owners will have to add some a-la-carte legal services to their business formation packages.

LLC Kit and Seal ($69 + $18-24 shipping): You definitely can do without this overpriced slipcase binder. There are cheaper ways to organize your business documents. As to your company’s seal, you can have it made elsewhere either.

Federal Tax ID Number or EIN ($69): This is something your business just can’t do without. You will be using your company’s EIN to hire or dismiss employees, file tax papers, and open business bank accounts.

Limited Liability Companies For Dummies” Book ($24.99): Really?! I mean, this is one of the most shameless upsells I have seen online.

The “For Dummies” book series is in every bookstore across the globe. I suspect that most of their staunch readers are jacks of all trade, but masters of none. If you want some professional advice on LLC formation, just ask Incorp’s experts.

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Swyft Filings

As its name suggests, this registered agent offers a super fast filing service. Swyft Filings guarantees same-day filing of all forms. Yet, it sits at the bottom of our list because none of their pricing plans includes a registered agent service. It costs an extra $149 per year.

Is Swyft Filings worth it?

This online legal services provider has been around since 2012. Their customer support is reachable via chat, email, or phone. The agents are available Mon-Fri from 10 am to 7 pm E.T. The response times are great, but the advice you can expect is somewhat superfluous.

They have three pricing options:

Choose the basic plan if you only need an LLC formation service. All of the Standard and Premium plans’ services can be added to the Basic plan with a one-time payment.

The Standard plan includes an EIN and a Banking Resolution. Depending on whether you’d like to have an LLC or a corporation set up, this plan also includes a Custom operating agreement or Custom bylaws.

With the Premium plan, you get a free business site and web hosting, and electronic delivery of state documents. You’ll find an ownership ledger in the Customized Digital Corporate Kit, a customizable digital seal, and 20 custom stock certificates.

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 Registered Agent Service FAQ

Let me answer some of the most critical questions about the best registered agent services in the United States.

Who should be my registered agent?

The first option is to name an employee as your business’ registered agent. You will thus save a lot on fees, and any business documents will be delivered straight to your office.

The obvious downside of this option is that you can receive a subpoena in the middle of your meeting with a very promising customer. You probably wouldn’t like it if all of your employees learned that someone had filed a lawsuit against your business.

To avoid such awkward situations, you should pick up a registered agent of sound reputation and a well-established track record. In the field of registered agent services, ZenBusiness is the market leader.

Is a registered agent service worth it?

Maintaining a physical office in every state where your company operates can be quite expensive. So, contracting a top registered agent like ZenBusiness is worth every cent.

If you miss a legal notice, you can lose a lawsuit by simply not appearing in court, and some claims are for millions of dollars. Hire a free registered agent and get the peace of mind you’ve always wanted.

Is LegalZoom the best registered agent service?

There are at least three reasons why LegalZoom is among the best registered agent services.

LegalZoom has been around for a long time

This registered agent service has been serving customers since 1999. They have earned a reputation as a responsible, predictable, and reliable legal representative.

With the Compliance Calendar, you’ll never miss a deadline

LegalZoom does not just forward legal correspondence to your business’ headquarters. They make sure that you keep track of all critical oncoming events.

LegalZoom’s unique Compliance Calendar automatically sends notifications of any important filing deadlines. Should a court subpoena arrive, a LegalZoom agent will immediately give you a ring.

Money-back guarantee

If you are not happy with LegalZoom’s services within 60 days of signing up, they will refund all charges you paid, no questions asked.

 Is Northwest Registered Agent legit?

Northwest Registered Agent has been in this business since 1998. Not only is Northwest Registered Agent going to represent your business before tax authorities and courts of law, but they can also help

you set up your LLC.

No hidden fees

Most of the other registered agents I’ve reviewed occasionally sneak in a fee here or there. However, all of the Northwest’s prices are clearly listed on their website. They won’t push you to upgrade to a more expensive package to access a particular set of services.

Excellent customer service

Few registered agents across the U.S. have a customer service as efficient as Northwest’s. You can call them during regular business hours and the response times are also great.

Northwest registered agent protects your data at all costs

While other registered agents brazen-facedly sell data bundles to third parties, Northwest spares no effort to make sure that their clients’ corporate data is well-protected at all times.

In that sense, this is one of the most trustworthy registered agent services online. Given the above information, I’d say that the Northwest registered agent is pretty legit.

Conclusion

When choosing a registered agent service, keep in mind that most free registered agent services does not provide EIN handling. A business owner would rather pay more for the services of a consistent registered agent with a perfect track record.

Business owners know that changing their registered agent service every couple of years is bad for their corporate image, so they make sure to pick up a top registered agent from the onset.

Before signing up for registered agent services, you should ensure that the online legal consultant you have chosen offers a registered agent service. It should also have good customer reviews and transparent fees.

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