Are you looking for the best registered agent service online in 2022, but not sure where to start?
We researched the plethora of available options online to figure out which are best.
In this buyer’s guide, we’ll take an in-depth look at all five top companies to outline what sets them apart from each other. If you want to learn more about any of these options, click through to their websites.
Why Use a Registered Agent Service? A professional service can help you maintain your privacy, cut down on your junk mail, and ensure that you never miss a delivery because you stepped out of the office. However, there are so many companies offering this service that it can be difficult to figure out which one is the best choice for you.
Overview (Our Favorites)
We know you’re busy and don’t have unlimited time or money to spend online. If you’d like to skip the research and choose between the two entrepreneur-favorites and ‘best’ options, check out ZenBusiness and Northwest Registered Agent.
These are the top registered agent services that help you keep your information private while including time-saving features. Both are excellent deals and can save you $200+ rather than using other options on this list.
Best Registered Agent Services Reviewed
Now that we've briefly outlined the two top-rated registered agent services, let's dive into the more in-depth part of this guide and compare all five.
- ZenBusiness = $199/year
- Northwest Registered Agent = $125/year
- Incfile = $119/year
- Rocket Lawyer = $149.99/year
- LegalZoom = $159-299/year
ZenBusiness | $199/year
The claim to fame for ZenBusiness is that they offer LLC and incorporation service for just $49, which is a lower price point than most competitors charge, and that package includes a full year of annual report service. You can see that deal here.
While they don’t include it with their LLC formation services, their registered agent service is rather appealing as well, as ZenBusiness prices this service at a reasonable $199 per year.
Aside from their affordably priced business formation packages, the best attribute of ZenBusiness is their incredible customer feedback. We found more than 10,000 reviews of their services online, and almost all of them were positive. Their clients love to talk about how much money ZenBusiness saved them, and how easy it is to leverage their services.
Pros of ZenBusiness
- Reasonable prices for registered agent service
- Offers free annual report service with their incorporation service
- Outstanding customer reviews
- Solid customer support network
- Socially conscious company
Cons of ZenBusiness
- Cheaper options are available
Fast Facts About ZenBusiness
- ZenBusiness has only been around since 2015, but they’ve already served thousands of business customers. They state on their website that they aim to form over one million new business entities in the next five years, which would quickly elevate them to the upper echelon of experienced companies in this industry.
- Customer feedback is a significant advantage for ZenBusiness. We found thousands of reviews for their services online, and 95% of those reviews were either four or five stars (out of five). Their clients clearly appreciate what ZenBusiness has to offer.
Northwest | $125/year
Northwest Registered Agent has top-quality offerings that are easy to leverage for entrepreneurs looking to form a business online. This company has no nonsense and no upsells, and does a much better job with customer service than any other provider.
Guru Tip: If you haven't yet formed your business, Northwest will register your company (LLC, Corporation, or Nonprofit Corporation) and include one year of free registered agent service for just $39 + state fee. Visit their website for more info.
Their services are delivered in a simple, direct manner, and there is a significant focus on their registered agent service, which is one of their top offerings.
While you can get cheaper options, Northwest does offer volume discounts that drop their price point to just $100/year per state if you require service in five or more states. Also, they actually started out as a registered agent service company over 20 years ago, and they’ve continually refined their service ever since.
For instance, they were the first national registered agent service provider that offers local scanning of every single document they receive on your behalf ― their competitors only scan the government docs they’re legally required to.
Pros of Northwest Registered Agent
- Reasonable prices
- Volume discounts
- 12 months free registered agent service with any formation
- All documents locally scanned
Cons of Northwest Registered Agent
- There are less expensive options available for standalone registered agent service
Fast Facts About Northwest Registered Agent
- Northwest got their start in this industry in 1998, and they’ve served about two million business clients since then.
- They provide customer support using their “Corporate Guides” system. This essentially means that anytime you call or email them, you'll receive a reply from an extremely knowledgeable support rep.
- We found right around 400 customer reviews for Northwest’s services, and the majority of them were perfect five-star scores.
Incfile | $119/year
Incfile offers an impressive set of features with their business formation packages, and one of those is registered agent service. They include 12 months of registered agent service for no additional fee with any of their incorporation packages, and they also have one of the lowest annual renewal fees available.
Guru Tip: If you haven't yet formed your business, Incfile will register your company (LLC, Corporation, or Nonprofit Corporation) and include one year of free registered agent service for just $0 + state fee. Visit their website for more info.
Incfile is definitely a top contender for anyone seeking reliable, affordable registered agent service. Plus, if you’re looking to form a company online, they have many add-on features that can really enhance your business (for example, they offer many custom documents, business contract templates, and more).
One other attractive aspect of Incfile is their customer feedback. They have thousands of reviews available online, and nearly all of them are absolutely glowing. With just a small handful of negative feedback by comparison, customer reviews are a major strength for Incfile.
Pros of Incfile
- Reasonable registered agent pricing
- FREE business formation service
- Stellar customer reviews
- 12 months free registered agent with formation purchase
Cons of Incfile
- Lots of add-ons and upsells
Fast Facts About Incfile
- Incfile has been around since 2004, and over the years they’ve served 500,000+ business clients.
- Customer feedback is a huge advantage for Incfile, as they might actually have the most impressive reviews of any company in the industry. With thousands of reviews available online, and only a small handful of negative feedback, it’s clear that the majority of their clients are highly satisfied with the service they receive from Incfile.
Rocket Lawyer | $149.99/year
Visit Their Website
Rocket Lawyer’s registered agent service doesn’t really stand out in any one way, but they do everything fairly well when it comes to providing reliable service.
Their $149.99 price point isn’t great, but if you subscribe to their Premium legal services membership for $39.99/month, Rocket Lawyer will provide a 25% discount on registered agent service, as well as free formation service.
Rocket Lawyer does have a few points in their favor, starting with their high level of experience. In fact, they’re one of the most experienced business services companies in the industry, as they’ve served a whopping 20 million customers since they opened for business back in 2008.
Aside from Incfile and ZenBusiness, Rocket Lawyer probably has the next-most impressive customer feedback in this guide, as they have thousands of reviews online, and the majority of them are quite positive. Their one major drawback though is that they do not include registered agent service in a bundle with incorporation service.
Pros of Rocket Lawyer
- Strong customer feedback
- High customer volume
- Legal services subscription is a unique, valuable feature
Cons of Rocket Lawyer
- Fairly high prices for registered agent service on its own
- No registered agent service included with formation packages
LegalZoom | $299/year
Visit Their Website
LegalZoom is another contender for the top registered agent service, especially considering they have a truly impressive volume of customers. As one of the most well-known incorporation services, LegalZoom gives you the opportunity to partner with a company that has significant experience in the legal services field.
Another aspect of their service that we appreciate is their 100% satisfaction guarantee. This guarantee is one of the best in the entire industry, as you have 60 days to request a refund for any reason, and they’ll refund your fee.
The downside, however, is that they charge much more for registered agent service than the other options in this guide, and LegalZoom also doesn’t include a registered agent as a feature with their formation packages (even their $349 Express Gold package lacks registered agent service). In addition, their pricing can be confusing, as they charge $159 to add a year of registered agent to a formation plan, but $299 as a standalone feature.
Pros of LegalZoom
- Tons of experience
- Satisfaction guaranteed
Cons of LegalZoom
- High prices
- Registered agent not included with any formation package
Fast Facts About LegalZoom
- LegalZoom opened back in 2001, and they’ve helped over 3.6 million clients over the years. They have a volume of customers that only a select few companies in this industry can compete with.
- Customer feedback is not a strength for LegalZoom. They have more than 6,000 reviews available online, but those reviews are a roughly equal mix of positive and negative feedback.
- Their customer support team has the longest availability hours we’re aware of in this industry. You can get assistance from LegalZoom at any time between 10 am and 8 pm ET on weekdays, and 10 am to 7 pm ET on weekends.
Final Verdict
All of these companies have their own advantages, and to be perfectly honest we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of them. These services are all highly reputable and trustworthy, and they have price points that deeply undercut any of the “leading” companies in this industry.
However, we prefer and recommend ZenBusiness or Northwest Registered Agent if you're looking for the most affordable registered agent services and great overall value. Out of all the major online business services, they offer the best deal.
Other Good Options
Of course, there are many companies offering registered agent service these days. While the above companies may be the most popular options for independent entrepreneurs, there are a couple of other services we would like to highlight for their impressively low price points.
If you felt like the five top options we presented are a bit lacking for one reason or another, perhaps Harbor Compliance or InCorp can better serve your needs.
Harbor Compliance ($89-99/year)
Interestingly enough, Harbor Compliance is regarded as more of a premium service when it comes to business formations, as they only offer business formation service to their large enterprise clients.
However, they provide outstanding value in the area of registered agent service, with one of the lowest national price points we’ve seen. Is their service worth using?
Advantages
In addition to their excellent price point, Harbor Compliance provides annual report reminders well in advance of your due date, which is a welcome bonus feature for their registered agent service. Harbor Compliance also receives strong reviews from their clients, and they even offer volume discounts.
Disadvantages
If you want to purchase LLC formation service and registered agent, Harbor Compliance is not an option for small businesses. Beyond that, while the quality of their reviews is quite good, the quantity is a bit lacking, as we only found around 100 reviews online.
Pricing
Harbor Compliance has a rate of just $89-99 per year for registered agent service, depending on the state, which is an excellent price point. Even better, they offer volume discounts for service in multiple states, or if you prepay for multiple years.
They will knock $10 off your total cost for prepaying two years of service, $30 off for three years, $50 off for five years, and $100 off for ten years. Furthermore, if you need service in four or more states, they’ll provide a $5 discount for your 4th-9th states, and a $10 discount for registered agent service in 10+ states.
Fast Facts About Harbor Compliance
- We found 101 reviews for Harbor Compliance on Google, along with another 25 on Facebook. Overall, they average 4.75/5 stars between the two sites, so it’s obvious that their clients find their services to be well worth purchasing.
- Customer support is a major strength for Harbor Compliance. Each client receives access to a “dedicated Account Manager and Compliance Specialist” who can help you navigate a variety of issues related to registered agent services.
- Harbor Compliance is one of the more recently formed companies in this industry, as they’ve only been around since 2012. Still, they’ve served more than 10,000 business clients in those years, and they’re an up-and-coming player in this industry.
InCorp ($129/year)
If you’re looking for the lowest possible prices for nationwide registered agent service, InCorp might be the right choice for you. Their base rate is already quite impressive, but with their volume discounts, you can drive your annual cost all the way down under $87 per year.
Let’s see what else they have to offer for registered agent customers.
Advantages
With their prepaid discount system, you can access some of the lowest price points we’ve ever seen for registered agent service. In addition, they have a large volume of clients that makes them one of the most popular registered agent providers in the nation. They also provide customers with a compliance calendar, along with their exclusive EntityWatch program which monitors your business for signs of identity theft.
Disadvantages
InCorp has just a few dozen reviews available online, and their average ratings are less than impressive. Their LLC formation service is a la carte and costs $99.
Pricing
If you just want to buy one year of registered agent service from InCorp, they will charge a reasonable rate of $129. If you’re willing to prepay for additional years of registered agent, they’ll provide deep discounts that drive your annual fees down to $117/year for two years, $105/year for three years, and $87/year for five years.
Fast Facts About InCorp
- They have over 125,000 currently active registered agent customers across the country, making InCorp the fourth most-popular registered agent service provider in America.
- You can find 42 InCorp reviews on the Better Business Bureau website, with an average score of 3.3 out of 5. They have another 30 reviews on Facebook, where they average just 2.7/5 stars. Customer feedback isn’t a major disadvantage for InCorp, but it’s not a strength either.
- InCorp was founded in 1998, and they started offering registered agent service in 2001. Since then, they’ve served hundreds of thousands of customers from across the country.
Common Questions
Can I Form an LLC or Corporation Without a Registered Agent?
Nope. If you try to form an LLC or Corporation without designating a registered agent, the state will reject your filing as being incomplete. You would then need to get a registered agent and re-file your business formation documents to be able to form a compliant company.
Does a Registered Agent Service Include Compliance Assistance Tools?
While not all registered agent services provide ongoing compliance assistance, many of them do. Usually, this is in the form of an online compliance dashboard, where you can track due dates for your important business filings, and access digital copies of scanned documents. Some companies will even help you with your annual reports as well.
Can’t I Just Serve as My Own Registered Agent?
You are allowed to serve as your own registered agent, which has its pros and cons. On the positive side, you can save some money by not paying fees to a registered agent service.
On the other hand, if you serve as your own agent you’ll need to make your address a matter of public record, and you’ll also need to be present and available to receive deliveries during standard business hours every Monday through Friday. If you’d like to look into the pros and cons of this option, check out our guides for designating a registered agent for your company.
Should I Hire an Attorney or Accountant to Be My Registered Agent?
Some entrepreneurs like to use their accountant or lawyer as their registered agent because they’re already comfortable with them as a business partner.
However, this can be a much more expensive option than hiring a registered agent service, and because most accountants and lawyers only have offices in one state, they can’t really help you if you want to expand beyond your company’s state of origin.
Can I Change My Registered Agent After I Form My Company?
You can change your registered agent at any time. Each state has its own method for changing registered agents, but there are generally three different ways this can be accomplished.
- First off, the vast majority of states have “change of registered agent” forms that you can file, which are simple documents that usually have a nominal fee attached.
- Another option in many states is to indicate your registered agent change as part of an annual report filing.
- Finally, some states also allow you to make this change as part of an amendment to your articles of organization.
Still Not Sure?
Choose ZenBusiness:
ZenBusiness has outstanding customer feedback, and their pricing for business formation service is competitive. Especially if you still need to form your business and want the free year of annual report service, ZenBusiness is well worth a look for registered agent service too.
Choose Northwest:
For the last 20 years, Northwest Registered Agent has been focusing on providing the best registered agent service available, and they continue to refine their offering. You’re guaranteed to get great customer service and timely responses from their team of professionals.
Choose Incfile:
If you are seeking more than just a registered agent service, and also need to form a corporation, Incfile offers the best pricing and features on incorporation packages.
Choose Rocket Lawyer:
If you’re interested in their legal services subscription program, Rocket Lawyer provides discounted registered agent service and free incorporation service, making them a good option if you need all of these features.
Choose LegalZoom:
If you think you will need any kind of legal advice or services, it could be a benefit to partner with a company like LegalZoom that offers these advanced features.
Best Registered Agent Services By State
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana