If you want to form an LLC in the USA, you need to designate a registered agent (also known as a statutory agent or resident agent).
The role of the registered agent involves the usage of their address as your official business address, and receiving important document deliveries on your behalf. This includes court summons and other official state/federal correspondence.
Other than being a requirement to operate a compliant business entity, there are many benefits of hiring a registered agent service, like the ability to keep your personal information out of the public record, receive less junk mail, and have more flexibility with your ongoing requirements.
This review will outline the 18 best national registered agent services.
ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is a recent addition to the registered agent service industry, as we opened in 2015. We’re trying to flip the online business services market on its head by offering inexpensive LLC and corporation formation services, while still including valuable features to help you get your business off the ground.
Registered agent service from ZenBusiness is affordably priced, and we receive excellent customer feedback. If you’d rather get involved with a hungry young company instead of a big-business legacy service provider, give ZenBusiness a look.
Pricing & Features
Registered agent service from ZenBusiness costs $199 per year, although your first year costs just $99. Aside from the basics of serving as your registered agent, this service includes access to an online dashboard where you can view and download all of your important documents. If you still need to form your business as well, we have an excellent deal that includes your full business formation process and a year of annual report service for $49.
Strengths
- First year for $99
- Outstanding customer reviews
- Annual report service included with formation packages
Weaknesses
- The $199 annual rate isn’t the cheapest available
- Not as much experience as some competitors
Company Stats and Track Record
ZenBusiness opened our doors in 2015. Since then, we’ve helped thousands of customers, and our goal for the next few years is to form one million LLCs and corporations. Client feedback is a big plus for ZenBusiness, as we have 10,000+ reviews available online, and almost all of them are positive. It’s difficult to find any negative reviews for ZenBusiness.
Customer Service Quality
With ZenBusiness, customer support is available by phone, email, or web chat. We take great pride in continuously improving our customer service offering and providing each customer with accurate and responsive support. If you need assistance in any way, ZenBusiness is here to help!
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest Registered Agent is always a good option for any business seeking reliable registered agent service.
In addition to their reasonable pricing, they have personalized customer support, and they were the first major national registered agent service that locally scans every document they receive as your agent. Most competitors only scan government forms that they’re legally required to, but Northwest goes the extra mile.
Pricing & Features
Northwest has a flat rate of $125 per year for registered agent service, although if you require service in five or more states, they’ll drop that rate to an even more affordable $100 price point.
Their local scanning is a selling point, and they also include free online tools like annual report compliance reminders that can be quite helpful. However, if you haven’t yet formed your LLC or corporation, Northwest will handle your formation for the rather high price point of $225, while including a full year of registered agent service to at least somewhat justify their pricing model.
Strengths
- All documents scanned locally
- Volume discounts for service in multiple states
- Personalized customer support
- 12 months free registered agent service with any formation package
Weaknesses
- Cheaper options are available for registered agent service
- Business formation service is expensive
Company Stats and Track Record
Northwest opened for business in 1998 and they’ve served around 2 million clients since then. They have about 400 customer reviews (most of which you can find on Google), and nearly all of them are positive. We were unable to find more than a small handful of critical reviews when it comes to Northwest’s services and reputation.
Customer Service Quality
Northwest is well-known for their Corporate Guides, which is what they call their support representatives. Each Northwest client is connected with one of these representatives, and you can contact that person directly if you ever have any questions or concerns. Their Corporate Guides are quite knowledgeable about a variety of issues that you may come across as a client.
Incfile
Incfile offers a similar bundle to Northwest Registered Agent, in that they will provide a full year of registered agent service if you purchase LLC formation or incorporation service from them. The difference? Incfile actually offers this combination of features for free, as long as you pay your own state fee.
They also have good customer feedback, with thousands of positive reviews available across the internet.
Pricing & Features
Incfile’s registered agent service costs $119 per year. Aside from the basics of being your registered agent, they don’t include any additional features.
Strengths
- Positive customer feedback
- 12 months registered agent included with business formation
- Free business formation package
Weaknesses
- Registered agent service includes no additional features
- Incfile is not the most affordable registered agent service provider
Company Stats and Track Record
Incfile has been around since 2004. Over the years, they’ve helped more than 500,000 clients form and maintain their businesses. In 2018, Entrepreneur Magazine named Incfile one of the 360 best entrepreneurial companies in the United States.
Customer Service Quality
Incfile offers customer support by phone or email. We have plenty of experience with both options, and we think they’re a bit hit or miss. Their response times are always fast via phone, and their answers are accurate. Sometimes we wish they would expand on their responses a bit, but it’s a minor complaint. That said, in our experience, Incfile does not always respond to emailed support inquiries. If they do, it’s often just a form response that doesn’t answer our questions.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom is probably the most recognizable name in the online business services market, as they’ve served millions of customers and they have an enormous advertising budget. They offer a wide array of products and features that can make your life easier as an entrepreneur, including registered agent service.
Pricing & Features
LegalZoom charges an annual fee of $299 to serve as your registered agent. However, you can get your first year for $249 if you add this service onto a business formation package. In addition to the essentials of registered agent service, they also include a compliance calendar for annual reports and tax deadlines.
Strengths
- Unparalleled name recognition and client volume
- Wide variety of services available
- Solid customer feedback
Weaknesses
- High prices
- No registered agent service included in formation packages
Company Stats and Track Record
LegalZoom was founded in 1999. Since then, they’ve served around 6 million customers and formed more than 2 million business entities. We found roughly 6,000 reviews of its services, and many more of these reviews were positive than negative.
Customer Service Quality
LegalZoom is somewhat inconsistent in this area. In our experience, their phone support is always solid. They have quick response times, and their representatives are knowledgeable. However, it’s a different story for their email support. We have experienced wait times exceeding one full week to hear back after emailing a question to LegalZoom, and when they finally responded, they only sent a form email that did not address our question.
Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer processes an even larger client load than LegalZoom does, as they’ve helped around 20 million customers since they opened in 2008. Registered agent is just one of many services provided by Rocket Lawyer. The centerpiece of their offerings is their legal services subscription, which provides access to qualified business attorneys and several other perks.
Rocket Lawyer receives strong customer feedback, indicating that most of their clients are pleased with their service, and they also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Pricing & Features
They charge an annual fee of $149.99 for registered agent service. However, customers who subscribe to their legal services plan (for $39.99/month) receive 25% off that rate, along with many other perks. Rocket Lawyer’s registered agent service is quite basic, providing the essentials but little else.
Strengths
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Massive client volume
- Strong customer feedback
Weaknesses
- Higher pricing for registered agent service
Company Stats and Track Record
Rocket Lawyer opened their doors in 2008, and they’ve served 20 million customers in those years — the largest client volume of any company in this guide. In fact, they’re the largest company operating in the business and legal services industry.
Customer Service Quality
Rocket Lawyer provides support by phone, email, or web chat. A major advantage they have in this area is their extended support hours. You can reach them from 9am to 9pm ET on weekdays. The quality of their support is quite good, as they respond quickly with accurate information, in our experience.
InCorp
InCorp offers affordable registered agent service pricing, which starts at just $129 per year. You can also receive significant discounts by paying for additional years of service in advance. They have plenty of experience and a large roster of active registered agent clients.
Pricing & Features
If you purchase one year’s worth of registered agent service from InCorp, they will charge you a flat rate of $129. However, if you prepay for future years of service, they’ll cut their rates as follows:
- 2 Years – $117/year
- 3 Years – $105/year
- 5 Years – $87/year
One unique feature of InCorp is their EntityWatch system, which provides real-time information regarding the status of your business entity, and also helps prevent corporate identity theft. They also provide access to a convenient compliance calendar.
Strengths
- Reasonable prices with volume discounts
- 125,000+ active registered agent clients
- Customer support with long operating hours and bilingual service
- EntityWatch anti-identity theft program
Weaknesses
- Not many customer reviews online
- Prices used to be lower (started at $99)
Company Stats and Track Record
InCorp was founded in 1998, and with more than 125,000 active registered agent clients, they’re the fourth-largest national registered agent service in America. We were only able to find about 170 customer reviews on third-party websites, and while they’re mostly positive, InCorp’s average rating scores aren’t quite as high as some competitors.
Customer Service Quality
You can access InCorp’s customer support representatives via phone, email, or web-based chat. If you prefer support in Spanish, they have bilingual reps available during all standard operating hours, which at InCorp run from 9am to 9pm ET every weekday. No matter which method you prefer for contacting their support department, they have quick response times, and their representatives are friendly and helpful.
Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance offers affordable pricing for registered agent service. They also have positive customer feedback on several third-party review websites, volume discounts based on prepaying multiple years or purchasing service in multiple states, and a strong customer service reputation.
Pricing & Features
Their registered agent service is available for $89-99 per year, depending on the state. If you pay for more than one year in advance ― or purchase service in at least four states ― Harbor Compliance will provide a discount of up to 10%. Additionally, you’ll receive access to software that helps you track and file your annual reports, making it easy to remain compliant with your state government.
Strengths
- Volume discounts (multiple years and/or states)
- Annual report assistance
- Good customer feedback
- Helpful and professional customer service
- Large collection of white papers, webinars, and how-to guides
Weaknesses
- Most other services only available for large companies
- Not as much experience as some competitors
Company Stats and Track Record
Harbor Compliance is a relatively recent addition to the registered agent industry, as they’ve served 25,000+ organizations since opening in 2012. They have customer feedback available on Google, Facebook, and the Better Business Bureau. On all three sites, their reviews are almost universally positive. They don’t have as much experience as many of the other companies discussed in this guide, but they have a solid reputation nonetheless.
Customer Service Quality
Similar to the way Northwest handles customer support, Harbor Compliance assigns a dedicated account manager (they call them Compliance Specialists) to oversee your registered agent service. These well-informed employees draw from their considerable knowledge base to help you navigate the nuances of business ownership and compliance. You can reach them via phone or email, or simply fill out the contact form on their website.
However, we will note that, unless you operate a major company that has a long-term contract with them, Harbor Compliance offers very few services aside from registered agent service. For example, they will most likely turn down the opportunity to form your LLC, if you haven’t already done so.
MyCompanyWorks
MyCompanyWorks has an annual fee of $99 for registered agent service. Aside from that, the most impressive aspect of MyCompanyWorks as a company is their favorable customer feedback, as nearly all of their 3,900+ online reviews are positive.
Pricing & Features
MyCompanyWorks has a low rate of $99 per year for registered agent service. Their registered agent service doesn’t include any additional features.
Strengths
- Positive customer reviews
- Solid pricing model
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
Weaknesses
- Registered agent service only included with top-tier formation packages
- Not as much customer support availability
Company Stats and Track Record
Originally known as MyNewCompany, MyCompanyWorks opened back in 2001. To date, they’ve helped over 60,000 companies. In 2017, they were named to the Inc5000 rankings of the fastest-growing private companies in America.
Customer Service Quality
With MyCompanyWorks, you can access their customer support team by phone or email. With either of these options, you’ll receive prompt service and knowledgeable assistance from their representatives. However, they have one of the shortest windows for customer support availability in this industry, as they’re only available from 11am-7pm ET on weekdays.
MyCorporation
MyCorporation has been around for over 20 years, and they’ve served more than a million business clients. They receive solid customer reviews, and they also offer good support. While their LLC formation service offering has some flaws, we appreciate their registered agent service’s reasonable price point.
Pricing & Features
MyCorporation charges an annual fee of $120 for registered agent service, which does not include any additional features beyond the basics of registered agent service.
Strengths
- Strong track record
- Competitive registered agent pricing
- Good customer feedback
Weaknesses
- Fewer features compared to some competitors
- Expensive business formation service
Company Stats and Track Record
MyCorporation has served an impressive client volume, with more than 1 million customers since they opened in 1998. Their CEO lists her Twitter handle (@deborahsweeney) on their website, which is a nice level of transparency for customers with questions or concerns.
Customer Service Quality
MyCorporation offers customer support by phone or email. We’re impressed by their quick response times with either option, as we’ve never waited long to hear back from them. Their reps are friendly and knowledgeable. Overall, we have no complaints about their support system.
Harvard Business Services
Harvard Business Services is a popular provider of registered agent service in the state of Delaware, although they do not provide service in any other state. They provide a full year of registered agent service with all of their formation packages, and they also receive positive customer reviews.
Pricing & Features
Their annual fee of $50 per year is impressive, especially when you consider that if you prepay multiple years, they’ll provide volume discounts (2 years for $90, 3 years for $125). Their registered agent service does not include any additional features, but at this price point, it doesn’t need to.
Strengths
- Affordable pricing
- Positive customer reviews
- Lots of experience
Weaknesses
- Only provides services in the state of Delaware
Company Stats and Track Record
Harvard Business Services has been around since 1981 when their founder opened the business out of his own home. Over the years, they’ve grown considerably as a company, and they’ve formed more than 300,000 businesses in Delaware.
Customer Service Quality
Harvard Business Services offers customer support via phone, email, chat, or Skype. With any of these four options, you’ll receive prompt assistance from knowledgeable representatives. They’ve always been able to answer our tough questions.
Swyft Filings
Swyft Filings has low price points for business formation service, but its rates are less impressive for registered agent service, which is priced at $149/year.
They’re a recent addition to the business formation services industry, but they serve a high volume of clients. Their best selling point is their positive customer feedback, with thousands of reviews and high average rating scores.
Pricing & Features
Swyft Filings charges a flat rate of $149 per year for registered agent service. This rate includes regular compliance reminders so that you never miss an important filing due date.
Strengths
- Solid customer reviews
- Low price points for business formations
Weaknesses
- Higher registered agent pricing
Company Stats and Track Record
Oddly enough, there simply is not much information about Swyft Filings online. We know that they were formed by a lawyer in 2012, and that they’ve helped form thousands of businesses, but that’s about it.
Customer Service Quality
With Swyft Filings, you can access their customer service team by phone, email, or chat. They live up to the “Swyft” part of their name by always responding quickly to our queries, and their friendly and helpful support reps are always able to assist us with whatever we might need.
BizFilings
BizFilings has plenty of experience, with more than 500,000 business filings since they were founded in 1996. All of their LLC formation packages include six months of registered agent service. BizFilings isn’t an industry leader for registered agent service, but they do enough things right that they’re worth your consideration.
Pricing & Features
BizFilings provides registered agent service for $220 per year, and they offer six months for free if you purchase any of their LLC formation packages. They also include their BizComply online compliance monitoring tool, as well as franchise tax and annual report filing alerts.
Strengths
- Tons of experience
- 6 months registered agent service included with formation packages
- Extended customer support hours
Weaknesses
- Not much customer feedback
- Higher pricing
Company Stats and Track Record
BizFilings has helped form more than 500,000 businesses since they opened their doors in 1996. These days, BizFilings is owned by Wolters Kluwer, one of the world’s leading compliance and information services companies.
Customer Service Quality
BizFilings offers customer support via phone or email. They have some of the industry’s longest availability hours, as you can contact them from 7am to 9pm ET every weekday. Their support is usually timely, and their representatives have always been able to answer our questions.
Legalinc
Legalinc just recently joined the registered agent service industry, as they opened for business in 2012. This Texas-based company is rather unique in the way they provide this service, as they’re a fully automated, entirely digital registered agent service.
In addition to standard registered agent service, Legalinc also offers independent director service for large real estate transactions, and specialty representation services for businesses that are required to acquire specialized registered agent service due to federal or state statutes.
Pricing & Features
Legalinc provides registered agent service for $149 per year. Their registered agent service is fully automated, which makes them an effective middleman in the process ― for business services providers looking for a backend registered agent service, Legalinc makes for a solid option.
Strengths
- Specialty services available for large clients
- Tech-savvy services
- Automated service reduces waste
Weaknesses
- Confusing website design
- Complex ordering system
Company Stats and Track Record
There isn’t much information available about this company. The “About” page on their website doesn’t tell us much, aside from some general statements about their purpose, and a few pictures of key employees. By looking at their LinkedIn page, we discovered that they opened in 2012 in Frisco, Texas, and that they currently have 37 employees.
Customer Service Quality
Legalinc offers customer support by phone, email, or chat. Regardless of which option you choose, their response times are fast in our experience. Legalinc’s representatives are polite and helpful. Overall, we have no complaints about the effectiveness of their customer support department.
Nationwide Incorporators
Nationwide Incorporators’ claim to fame is that every document they prepare is either drafted or reviewed by an experienced business attorney. While their registered agent service isn’t available online and operates on a variable pricing model, their “Attorney-Powered” slogan is more than just a catchphrase.
Pricing & Features
Nationwide Incorporators does not publish pricing models for their registered agent service online. Instead, if you would like to get a quote, you’ll need to call them. Their registered agent service does not include any additional features.
Strengths
- All documents drafted or reviewed by a business lawyer
- Decades of business law experience
Weaknesses
- Unclear pricing model for registered agent service
- Registered agent service not available online
Company Stats and Track Record
Nationwide Incorporators has been around since 1997. Company owner Robert E. Stenson has more than 25 years of experience working as a certified business attorney. They don’t have a massive client volume like some of their competitors do, but Nationwide Incorporators reminds visitors to their website that you shouldn’t “confuse volume with quality.”
Customer Service Quality
Customer support is an advantage for Nationwide Incorporators. You can reach their support reps via phone or email. When we’ve called them, we’ve found that Robert E. Stenson often answers the phone himself. We certainly don’t know of any other companies in this industry that have experienced business attorneys answering the phone.
Incorporate.com
Incorporate.com is one of the oldest companies in the business services industry, as they opened for business well over a century ago, in 1899. Unfortunately, their registered agent service is expensive, costing twice as much as many competitors without adding enough valuable features to make their price point worthwhile.
Pricing & Features
Incorporate.com charges $235 per year for registered agent service, with no volume discounts available. As for additional features, they do include access to their online compliance dashboard that helps you keep track of important filing due dates.
Strengths
- Many years of experience
- Compliance dashboard included with registered agent service
Weaknesses
- High price points
- Mediocre customer feedback reputation
Company Stats and Track Record
Incorporate.com is one of the oldest companies in this industry, as they were founded way back in 1899. Since then, they’ve helped more than 750,000 clients. They’ve changed their name several times through the years — from Corporation Service Company to The Company Corporation to Incorporate.com — but the company has stayed the same at its core.
Customer Service Quality
Incorporate.com offers customer support via phone, email, or web-based chat. With any of these three options, we’ve always received accurate advice from well-trained representatives. Their support agents expand on their answers nicely, giving comprehensive responses to our questions.
CT
CT is one of the oldest and most trusted companies in the online business services industry. They’ve been in business since the 19th century, and they’re the largest registered agent service company in the world today, with several hundred thousand customers. However, all of that experience comes at a cost, as their registered agent service has one of the highest price tags in the industry.
Pricing & Features
CT charges a flat rate of $320 per year for registered agent service. This also includes access to their online portal, which includes a variety of compliance assistance tools.
Strengths
- #1 largest registered agent service provider
- Most experience in this industry
- Worldwide business services provider
- Solid customer support
Weaknesses
- High pricing model
- Not many customer reviews
Company Stats and Track Record
CT Corporation has been around since 1892. Today, they’re the largest active registered agent service provider in the world, with roughly three times as many clients as any other registered agent. CT also has 800+ employees located in 46 cities, so it’s clear that they operate on a massive scale.
Customer Service Quality
You can reach CT’s customer support department by phone, email, or chat. CT is known for their solid customer service, and we’re happy to report that this is our experience with them as well. They have a few different phone numbers to choose from, based on what type of support you need. If you’d prefer, you can also fill out a form on their website to schedule a call with one of their reps. They have quick response times, and their agents definitely know what they’re talking about.
CSC
CSC is one of the oldest and largest compliance service providers in the world, and today they operate all across North America, Europe, and Asia. CSC serves 90% of all Fortune 500 companies with their wide-ranging business solutions, one of which is their registered agent service. However, their prices certainly reflect this level of experience, as they have one of the most expensive registered agent services we’ve ever seen.
Pricing & Features
CSC has an extremely high price point for registered agent service, at $381 per year. Along with the basics of registered agent, CSC has a thorough record-keeping and compliance reminder tool that keeps track of your business documents, and also sends you email alerts when it’s time to file your annual report, franchise tax payments, business license renewals, and more.
Strengths
- Award-winning service
- Impressive longevity
- Large roster of Fortune 500 clients
- Registered agent service includes record-keeping and compliance tool
Weaknesses
- High prices
- Few customer reviews online
Company Stats and Track Record
According to their website, CSC provides services to 90% of all Fortune 500 companies, nearly 10,000 law firms, and more than 3,000 financial institutions. They have won so many awards over the years that they have an entire page of their site dedicated to displaying some of these awards.
Customer Service Quality
CSC says that you can access their support department via phone or email, but when we emailed them, they actually called back instead of replying to our email. Overall, if you call them, you’ll receive solid support from friendly and knowledgeable reps, but we don’t recommend their email system.
National Registered Agents, Inc.
National Registered Agents, Inc. (NRAI) is a widely trusted registered agent service provider. They have completed more than 1 million service of process deliveries over the years, which is an impressive volume. However, their pricing is terrible ― they’re the only registered agent company we’re aware of that charges over $400 per year for their services.
Pricing & Features
National Registered Agents, Inc. charges $405 per year to provide registered agent service in your company’s home state. For each additional state, they have an annual fee of $319. NRAI also provides secure access to your business info, along with customized reporting tools, and your company’s service of process history.
Strengths
- Tons of experience
- High client volume
- Good customer support
Weaknesses
- Very high pricing
- No customer reviews available
Company Stats and Track Record
NRAI was founded in 1995, and they’ve completed more than a million service of process deliveries since then. Today, NRAI is part of the CT Corporation, as a subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer. This means that their services are backed by two of the biggest brands in this entire industry.
Customer Service Quality
We have experience with NRAI’s customer support through email and phone. They respond quickly either way, as they answered our emails within 24 hours, and we’ve never waited on hold for more than a minute or two via phone. Their representatives are very knowledgeable, and have never had any trouble answering our questions.
More Registered Agent Resources
How Do Online Registered Agent Services Work?
With any of the registered agent services discussed in this guide, you’ll need to provide them with some essential information about yourself and your business. You will also need to designate which state you need service for, and pay the service fees. From there, you can sit back and relax.
Whenever your agent receives government documents on your behalf, they will alert you of the delivery and immediately forward you the forms. Once per year, you will need to renew your registered agent service. Aside from that, there aren’t many requirements to keep this service going.
How to Designate Yourself as Your Registered Agent
Designating yourself as your company’s registered agent is a simple process. First, you’ll need to fill out your own information when asked to provide registered agent info in your articles of organization.
Of course, you’re only eligible to do so if you have a physical street address within the same state your business operates in. Just enter your own name and address in this space, and you’re ready to go.
Once your business is formed, you’ll need to be present and available to receive document deliveries every weekday during standard business hours. If you’re not present, you run the risk of missing a service of process delivery. This could result in a lawsuit progressing against your business without your knowledge.
If your business is already formed, and you want to replace your current registered agent with yourself, the process looks a little bit different. In this scenario, you’ll need to file what’s usually called a “statement of change of registered agent” form. Just like with forming a new business, you’ll need to enter your own name and address on this form to become your own registered agent.
Keep in mind that we do not typically advise that you serve as your own registered agent. In addition to needing to be present at your listed location during all standard business hours, serving as your own agent means that your address will become part of the public record.
You’re also likely to receive much more junk mail than you ever have before. Especially considering how low-cost many of these services are, we strongly recommend hiring one instead of being your own agent.
Best Registered Agent Services in Each State
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri