Do you want to incorporate but don’t know which incorporation service is the best choice to help you handle the paperwork?
ZenBusiness and Northwest Registered Agent are both reputable and trustworthy options, with many similarities and several noteworthy differences.
This comparison guide walks through the five most important factors that you need to keep in mind when selecting your incorporation service. Let’s find out if ZenBusiness or Northwest Registered Agent is the best option for you.
Key Comparison Points
In our review and comparison of each online incorporation service, we performed a “stress test” on each based on five key factors:
- Compared pricing and features to determine overall value.
- Researched their track record.
- Assessed the quality of customer service.
- Tested their ordering process and service’s ease of use.
- Reviewed the turnaround times for incorporating online.
As you’ll see in this comparison review of ZenBusiness and Northwest Registered Agent, they are both very good incorporation services. In fact, they’re two of our most-recommended options if you’re incorporating online and want the best overall value.
Overall Pricing and Value
ZenBusiness: With a low rate of just $39, ZenBusiness has one of the lowest sticker prices in this industry. Not only is this an excellent price point, but it’s a fully-featured package as well, including registered agent service, a corporate bylaws template, and an accounting assessment. If you want to also bundle in annual report service and compliance monitoring, along with a federal tax ID number (EIN) and a banking resolution template, their $149 Pro plan is also a good value.
Northwest: In comparing many of the best incorporation services (and LLC services) available, Northwest ended up topping our list as one of the elite options. At $39, their price point is very low compared to many of their competitors. Still, the inclusion of a full year of their premium registered agent service is a great feature that makes their pricing even more attractive. Once the first year is up, the registered agent service will renew at $125 per year.
Winner = ZenBusiness
Both of these companies impressed us with their entry-level packages, which both come with a year of registered agent service. However, ZenBusiness edges out Northwest Registered Agent in this category, thanks to the fact that they include so many highly important features for people incorporating a business. Very few other companies in this industry can compare with this solid deal.
Company Track Record & Experience
ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness has only been around for a few years, as they formed in 2015. Even though they’re a relatively new addition to the industry, they’ve already served thousands of customers with business formation services. They also receive excellent customer feedback, with 8,000+ positive reviews and minimal negative feedback.
Northwest Registered Agent: Founded in 1998, Northwest has formed around two million business entities, which is a truly impressive volume of clients. On their website, they also note that they’re currently working with 200+ new businesses every day. With such a high volume of clients, you might expect to see more reviews, but we were only able to find just over 100 of them. Still, nearly all of those 100+ reviews are positive in nature.
It’s a tie!
Each company has its own advantage in this area. Northwest has a much longer track record, but ZenBusiness has many more positive customer reviews. Therefore, this category is a toss-up in our eyes.
Customer Service
ZenBusiness: With ZenBusiness, you can access their customer support team via phone, email, or their web-based chat portal. We have experience with all of these options, and we’ve found that no matter which one you choose, you’ll receive timely, accurate, and friendly service from their representatives. They typically reply to emails within one business day, and we’ve never waited for more than a few minutes by phone or chat.
Northwest Registered Agent: This category is actually Northwest’s biggest strength. Northwest assigns a dedicated representative (which they refer to as a Corporate Guide) to each client account, and that employee assists you with every step of your formation process. They even provide you with their direct contact info so that you may call or email them whenever you encounter a question or concern.
Winner = Northwest Registered Agent
ZenBusiness has perfectly acceptable customer support, but they’re no match for Northwest’s high degree of personalization in this area. Out of all the companies we’ve tested/reviewed, they have by far the most helpful reps around.
Ease of Use
ZenBusiness: Ordering business formation service from ZenBusiness is simple. You start by selecting which incorporation package you’d like to build from, then you provide some basic information about yourself and your business, before choosing which add-on features you want. It’s a streamlined process that never gets confusing.
Northwest Registered Agent: It doesn’t get much easier than ordering business formation service from Northwest. We were able to make it from the beginning of their order form through the payment screen in around 10 minutes, and we didn’t notice any third-party info-selling attempts or upsells throughout the entire process.
It’s a tie!
Both of these companies provide services that are easy to use. They both offer streamlined websites and simple ordering processes. That makes this category another tie between ZenBusiness and Northwest Registered Agent.
Speed of Formation
ZenBusiness: Whereas most companies in this industry base their turnaround times on the actual processing speeds of each state, ZenBusiness instead chooses to structure your formation speed based on the package or rush filing you choose. Overall though, when compared to other formation services, they are either just as fast or slightly faster. To find out your turnaround time, simply plug in your state and immediately see your turnaround time.
Northwest Registered Agent: Northwest’s turnaround times vary depending on which state you’re forming in. Some states can process business formations in just a few days, while others take several weeks.
It’s a tie!
We have a strong preference for companies that base their turnarounds on each state’s abilities to process a business formation, rather than depending on what package is chosen. However, on average, Northwest and ZenBusiness can register a business online at the same speed.
Conclusion & Final Verdict
Each of these companies secured one win in this competition, with ZenBusiness winning our pricing and features category, while Northwest Registered Agent took home the customer support category.
If you’re looking for the most affordable overall incorporation offerings, ZenBusiness is your best choice. Other than that, Northwest has the edge for experience, and their customer support is second to none in this industry.
Common Questions
What Is the Biggest Advantage of Each Service?
ZenBusiness isn’t the absolute cheapest incorporation service available, but at $39, there are very few companies that can beat their pricing. All you need to do is pay your state fee and your $39 ZenBusiness service fee, and they’ll handle the rest.
Meanwhile, Northwest’s most significant advantage over ZenBusiness is its customer support. Northwest Registered Agent has the best support in this industry, with a high level of personalization that ZenBusiness can’t quite match.
Which Is the Best Package From These Services?
We typically advise our readers to choose the cheapest formation package that includes registered agent service. In this situation, ZenBusiness is the clear winner, as they provide this combination of features for just $39.
Overall, these are both great formation packages, it just comes down to your priorities (affordability vs. customer support) to determine a preference.
Which Company Offers More Help With Ongoing Compliance Requirements?
Regardless of which company you choose to form your business, they can both help you when it comes to keeping your business in good standing down the line. ZenBusiness charges $99 per year for registered agent service, which is better than the $125 annual fee charged by Northwest Registered Agent. As for annual reports, Northwest offers this service for $100, whereas ZenBusiness has a fee of $75.
Can I Get a Refund if I Need One?
Take a look at ZenBusiness’ refund policy in their own words: “Once ZenBusiness has submitted your business for filing with the State under no circumstances can you charge-back or dispute the fees associated with forming your business. If you contact ZenBusiness before your business has been submitted for filing with the State, ZenBusiness may refund the charge, less a $50 cancellation fee, if certain conditions are met.”
Northwest has a much more generous refund policy, as they have a 60-day window to request a refund. If you request it within that window, they will provide a refund with no questions asked, although they do have a $25 cancellation fee that applies to all refunds (they call it a “You changed your mind” fee).
Which Is the Better Option if I Need Publication Service?
In some states, you need to publish your company’s formation in a regional newspaper. For example, Arizona and Nebraska require publication for LLCs and corporations, New York requires it for LLCs only, and Pennsylvania and Georgia have this requirement for corporations only.
If you’re forming a business in one of these five states, you may prefer ZenBusiness, because they provide publication service, whereas Northwest Registered Agent does not.
Do Either of These Services Go Overboard With Upsells or Third-Party Partnerships?
One of the many inviting aspects of Northwest’s services is the fact that they don’t offer any upsells or third-party partnership offers on their clients. Instead, Northwest focuses on providing their own high-quality services to the best of their abilities, without any distractions. On the other hand, ZenBusiness does have upsells, mainly in their cheapest package.
Am I Required to Use a Business Incorporation Service?
There is no legal statute that dictates the usage of a professional formation service to create a new business entity. If you would rather give the DIY option a try, we have how-to guides on this website to help you form a corporation or nonprofit corporation.
That said, we do have some reservations about forming your own business. With LLCs, every state has its own guidelines, so you’ll need to figure out what your specific state requires in this regard. As for corporations, they’re generally a rather complicated business type, and we only recommend the DIY option for those of you who are already comfortable with the