Statutia › Best registered agent
The best registered agent service for what you need
A registered agent is a recurring bill, so the price that matters is what you’ll pay over the years you keep your LLC, not the first-year deal. Here’s how the main providers compare on five-year cost, cancellation and refunds, and which fits which need.
Short answer: for the lowest five-year cost, Northwest Registered Agent ($625, $125 every year). For annual reports filed for you, Registered Agents Inc ($200 a year, filing included). Forming a new LLC? A formation package that includes the first agent year is usually cheaper: see our formation comparison. And you can skip the service entirely by being your own agent if you meet your state’s rules.
How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.
Five-year cost compared
For a business buying agent service on its own, including an existing LLC switching in. State fees are the same whoever you use.
| Provider | Year one | Renews at | 5 years | Cancelling | Refunds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agent$100/yr per state at 5+ states. | $125 | $125/yr | $625 | portal, any time, no fee | Purchases are final after 90 days; state fees are never refunded. northwestregisteredagent.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Harbor Compliance | $99 | $159/yr | $735 | 90 days’ written notice before renewal | Its terms say all fees are non-refundable. harborcompliance.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Bizee$149/yr standalone; first year free only when Bizee forms the LLC. | $149 | $149/yr | $745 | appoint a new agent, then notify Bizee before expiry | Agent auto-renewal fees can’t be reversed. bizee.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| ZenBusiness$99 first year (“50% off”) when you switch; renews at $199/yr. | $99 | $199/yr | $895 | by phone, with proof the state shows your new agent | Not verified |
| Registered Agents IncPrice includes filing your annual report; its site doesn’t say whether the state fee is covered. | $200 | $200/yr | $1,000 | Not verified | Not verified |
| LegalZoomLegalZoom says it renews at the purchase rate, and that rate can change. | $249 | $249/yr | $1,245 | account or phone, with proof of the new agent | Its general guarantee allows a refund within 30 days of a new subscription. legalzoom.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
See Northwest’s agent service ↗ (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Why the renewal matters more than year one
Harbor and ZenBusiness both start at $99. By the end of year five, Harbor has cost $735 and ZenBusiness $895, against $625 for Northwest. A first-year discount saves $26 once; a higher renewal costs more every year after. More on renewal increases.
Provider by provider
Northwest Registered Agent: Lowest five-year cost
Choose it if you want the lowest cost over time and simple online cancellation. Watch for: Its annual-report service is added automatically ($100 + state fee per report) unless you opt out. Five years: $625. northwestregisteredagent.com (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Harbor Compliance: Lowest year one (tie)
Choose it if you want the lowest first-year price and can give 90 days’ notice if you leave. Watch for: Renews at $159, needs 90 days’ notice to leave, and fees are non-refundable. Five years: $735. harborcompliance.com (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Bizee: Free year if Bizee forms your LLC
Choose it if you’re forming a new LLC with Bizee. Watch for: For an existing LLC it’s a flat $149. Five years: $745. bizee.com (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
ZenBusiness: Lowest year one (tie)
Choose it if you already use ZenBusiness for other services and want one account. Watch for: Renews at $199; agent service can only be cancelled by phone, after the state shows your new agent. Five years: $895. zenbusiness.com (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Registered Agents Inc: Annual reports included
Choose it if you want your annual report filed for you without paying per report. Watch for: Price shown without a billing period (reported); ordinary-mail scanning is an add-on. Five years: $1,000. registeredagentsinc.com (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
LegalZoom: Files and pays for your switch
Choose it if you value LegalZoom’s other services and don’t mind the price. Watch for: Highest renewal we track ($249); charges continue until you prove a new agent. Five years: $1,245. legalzoom.com (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Stay, switch or be your own agent
- Stay if your plan includes something you use (such as annual-report filing), you prepaid, or the saving is smaller than your state’s change fee.
- Switch if you pay $159 or more a year for agent service alone. See the ranking for switchers and the state-by-state change fees.
- Be your own agent if you have a qualifying in-state address, can be there during business hours, and don’t mind your address on the public record. It costs $0 a year.
The calculator gives a stay / switch / be-your-own-agent verdict with your state’s fees.
Common questions
Do I need a registered agent?
Every state requires an LLC to have someone officially designated to receive legal papers. In New York that is the Secretary of State for every LLC, so a separate registered agent is optional there.
Can I use a free registered agent?
Free usually means the first year bundled with a formation package (Bizee and Northwest both do this when they form your LLC). After that you pay the renewal.
What does a registered agent actually do?
It receives legal papers and official state mail for your LLC at a public address in the state and passes them on to you. The providers here also scan documents to an online account.
How did you pick these providers?
They are the national providers whose prices and terms we could read and date on their own sites. We list three more in our price index, unranked, because they don’t publish a renewal price.
What this page can’t tell you
We read prices and terms on each provider’s own site and dated them. We haven’t bought these services, so we can’t rate support, speed or accuracy, and we don’t publish star ratings. “Not verified” means we couldn’t confirm it on the provider’s site; it is never counted as free. Anything not re-checked within 120 days is removed at the next weekly rebuild. Commissions are not an input to any ranking (methodology). This is general information, not legal advice.
How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.