Best Registered Agent Services in 2023: Top 5 Comparison and Contrast

The world of online registered agent services is as diverse and puzzling as the issues small businesses face.

Hundreds of registered agent services vow to provide the best and most comprehensive variety of services at affordable prices with the industry’s most reliable and knowledgeable customer support. However, only some online registered agent providers can comfortably tick all the right boxes.

Hiring a registered agent service can make your business operation less tedious and smooth. A professional registered agent service employs experts who understand every state law and deadline. They will ensure you never miss any deadline, government correspondence, or service of process – meaning you will always stay in compliance with state laws.

Ensure that you hire the top registered agent services to support your business operation. We’ve reviewed the best five registered agent services of 2023, outlining their key features, advantages, and disadvantages.

Definition & Meaning of Registered Agent Service

A registered agent service — also known as a resident agent, agent for service of process, or statutory representative — is a firm or individual chosen by a business, including L.L.C.s, S Corps, or any other business structure type, to accept and manage crucial legal paperwork, or government correspondence on their behalf. When choosing a registered agent, the business must pick a service with a physical location in every state they wish to operate in.

So why do you need a registered agent? In all 50 states, a resident agent must receive government correspondence or service of process in person. With one, you will be able to form your business anywhere.

That said, according to Cornell law school, “An agent for service of process [registered agent] is the person designated by a business entity, such as a corporation or limited liability company (L.L.C.), to receive legal documents and lawsuits on behalf of the business entity within the state in which the agent’s address is located. The person may be an officer of the corporation or a third party, such as the corporation’s lawyer.”

Reasons to Use A Registered Agent Service

A registered agent receives and sends legal paperwork from the government and companies on your behalf. Although it’s entirely possible to act as your own registered agent — if you’re above 18 and fulfill other criteria — there are numerous reasons why you should purchase registered agent services. Below we will discuss some of these reasons:

Save time and money

Compliance requirements may be time- and labor-intensive, requiring the submission of lengthy and often complicated documents based on data from several sources. Like most business owners, you might want someone else to handle the burden of compliance so they can concentrate on growing and operating their company.

Compliance

Your registered agent should help you stay compliant always. Like most business owners, you might be busy all the time, so there’s a possibility of forgetting specific deadlines. They will help you stay compliant because they will ensure you always meet all deadlines they could result in a disastrous punishment for non-compliance. Professional registered agent services are also familiar with the necessary laws and requirements; therefore, they could send you notifications when it is time to submit the required paperwork.

Peace of mind

Your registered professional agent won’t miss any essential documents by being available all day during business hours. This makes you feel better because you’ll know crucial documents won’t be ignored or forgotten. They will also ensure that you promptly receive and respond to this mail correspondence.

Nationwide coverage

Imagine you run a business that operates nationwide–by law, and you must have a registered agent physical address in every state nationwide– this makes acting as your registered agent impossible. Meanwhile, if you’re choosing a registered agent service with Nationwide coverages, you would have a single point of contact that is conversant with your business.

Privacy

Acting as your registered agent could be better for people running home-based businesses. Your address will be public information and may be accessed by anybody. And this can cause stalkers to know where you live, and you indeed do not also want to receive junk mail. Plus, law enforcement agencies are the ones who hand deliver Service of Process to businesses. When your business is sued, the last thing you would want is for police officers to show up on their doorstep. This could embarrass you in front of customers, employees, or neighbors.

Top 5 Best Registered Agent Services 2023

• ZenBusiness: Best Overall

• Harbor Compliance: Most Affordable

• Northwest: Best for privacy

• IncFile: Best Value

• Rocket Lawyer: Best for ongoing legal services

Features Of The Best Registered Agent Services - Zenbusiness

• Create L.L.C.s, companies, single proprietorships, and other entities.

• Fast formation - regular processing takes 2-4 weeks, while expedited processing takes as short as 3-7 days.

• Nationwide coverage

• Contact Zenbusiness customer service via phone or email.

• Convenient online dashboard

Our choices

Top 5 Best Registered Agent Services Worth Your Money in 2023

ZenBusiness

Pros

• Free one-year registered agent services

• Impressive online customer reviews

• Great customer service

• Convenient Online dashboard for easy access to documents

• Annual filing report included

• A wide range of services offered

Cons

• Low brand awareness due to being a relatively new company

Zenbusiness is our choice for your registered agent service for numerous reasons, including its ease of use, a wide range of offerings, and fantastic customer feedback.

Zenbusiness is an online business formation and registered agent service working out of Austin, Texas. Since its establishment in 2017, the company has become renowned for its limited liability company formation services; however, it will also do a magnificent job handling your registered agent services.

Their first year of registered agent service is $99 (plus state fees), followed by $199 for the following years. For an additional $50 per year, ZenBusiness’s Complete plan includes a Worry-Free Compliance Guarantee. ZenBusiness manages your annual filing with its worry-free compliance package, notifies you of important compliance dates, and ensures you always stay compliant with the state.

Zenbusiness is also a socially conscious company. Ensuring their main objective is to generate a profit while having a beneficial influence. Every year, they provide grants and loans to randomly chosen customers.

Harbor Compliance

Pros

• Same-day processing times and delivery

• Affordable prices with no hidden costs

• No price increase for renewal

• specializes in legal services for highly regulated sectors

• Utilizes cutting-edge compliance technologies

Cons

• No refund policy

Harbor Compliance is one of the most reputable compliance experts in the industry. Customers online praise their bulk discount offers, which let you order multiple years of registered agent services for a discount. Plus, they also offer small business owners discounts if they own multiple businesses.

Harbor Compliance provides rapid response times, making them an excellent choice if you need to get your company up and running as quickly as possible. If you choose to deal with them, you will be allocated a compliance expert who will oversee all elements of your L.L.C. formation and answer any questions you may have

This service, unfortunately, is not cost-effective, costing $399 (plus state costs). Competitors provide more flexible pricing and tailored service alternatives, but Harbor Compliance does not. There is no pared-down version available.

Northwest Registered Agent

Pros

• Dedicated and knowledgeable customer support

• Fast turnaround times

• 90-day money-back guarantee

• Prioritizes privacy and security

• Documents are locally scanned immediately, and Mail forwarding is also an option.

Cons

• Not as affordable as others

Northwest Registered Agent provides a professional, dependable service with no upselling or hidden costs. They have been professionals in the registered agent service market for decades and operate under the tagline “privacy by default .” They are also recognized for their personalized customer support and good track record.

As the name suggests, Northwest Registered Agent services are one of the leading registered agent services nationwide. Northwest Registered Agent stands out from the competition by offering free digital mail forwarding and local scanning, which scans all your company’s incoming and outgoing business emails. Plus, Northwest offers a stringent privacy protection policy, which means the supplier will not resell your company data.

You get exceptional service, which begins as soon as you join up. Northwest gets all papers sent to you and scans them for you to review. In comparison, most of their rivals scan government papers legally bound to be scanned. Northwest additionally does not charge extra for additional scanned papers.

Northwest immediately transmits the scans to your dashboard, so you can view them minutes after the registered agent gets the papers.

Northwest charges $125 per state per year for one to four states and $100 per year for five or more states for registered agent services.

IncFile

Pros

• Convenient online dashboard

• Free registered agent service for all L.L.C. service packages

• Quick turnaround time

• Affordable and clear pricing

• Automatic mail forwarding

Cons

• Limited customer support

Incfile is a renowned registered agent service with reasonable pricing, a convenient online dashboard, and fast processing times that makes it perfect for a broad range of business entities.

Incfile is one of the most affordable online registered agent services, with tiered pricing makes it affordable to a wide range of corporate organizations. If you are beginning a new company on a tight budget, the corporation’s free registered agent services is one of the most outstanding options.

Incfile, like most registered agent services, will accept important tax and legal paperwork on your behalf. They offer a dashboard from which you can verify and recover your papers.

The first year of registered agent services is free if you pick Incfile to incorporate your new firm. After that, you will be charged $119 every year. Incfile is an excellent option for those on a tight budget. Since 2004, they have helped over 200,000 clients, and their Learning Center is full of helpful information for small business owners.

Rocket Lawyer

Pros

• Seven-day free trial period

• They offer ongoing legal services and consultations with actual attorneys

• Good customer support

• Solid reputation

• 25% discount with a premium subscription

Cons

• Expensive service

Rocket Lawyer registered agent is the ideal option for your small business if you need extra legal services, such as their attorney consultation service or access to their extensive database of legal documents.

Most customers online rave about premium subscription discounts and legal advice. Another one of their benefits is that they have an exceptional customer support crew that is available twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Also, their registered agent services are free for a year when you create an L.L.C. with them, which is an extra plus.

Depending on your needs, Rocket Lawyer offers both a la carte service options and a subscription plan. Memberships are $39.99 monthly and include complete paperwork, legal advice, and 30-minute consultations on new concerns. Non-member prices vary from $39.99 for a single document to $59.99 for a 30-minute consultation, which may rapidly pay for itself.

How to Choose the Right Registered Agent?

The ideal way to choose a registered agent is to find out which companies provide everything your business needs to function correctly—exceptional customer service, quick turnaround times, an online dashboard for easy document access, and timely deadline alerts.

Consider the pricing, customer reviews, and other features offered by the registered agent service of your choice. Below are some other factors to consider:

Pricing

You must ensure that the company provides all the necessary registered agent services for your business at an affordable price. You also need to investigate to determine if they’re hidden costs thoroughly.

Extra Features

When most small businesses research registered agents, they put more emphasis on what other features they have to offer. Therefore, before you choose the right registered agent, ensure you pick one offering everything the formation services your business might need.

Customer service

Is the registered agent’s customer support team knowledgeable, polite, and reliable? Will they ensure you have a stress-free business formation journey? You must answer these questions before you pick a particular service.

Ease of use

Only some small business owners are tech-savvy or have the time to dig for information on a registered agent service. If you don’t find yourself in this situation, ensure you choose an easy-to-use registered agent service – with easy-to-navigate websites and transparent pricing.

Customer reviews

This could be the most potent way of determining an excellent registered agent service. Be it your relative, friend, or from online customer reviews, endeavor to ask or seek answers about the company’s services. How was the service rated and reviewed? Did they have more positive or negative reviews online and from people you know? Answering these questions will assist you in making a better choice.

Final Thoughts

Online registered agent services are cheaper and more convenient than acting independently or hiring an attorney. There’s no need to pay hundreds of dollars to a legal firm when for instance, you can pay about 50-400 dollars for a better and more effective option. Also, most online registered agent services offer other services that can go a long way in helping your business grow. That said, Zenbusiness is our recommended registered agent service.

FAQs

Is a Registered Agent Required?

If your company is registered in the state, you will need a registered agent for your L.L.C. creation or corporation. Depending on the state of your company, it is known as a statutory or resident agent.

Is it permissible for a Registered Agent to have a virtual address?

No, a registered agent may not have a virtual address. The company must choose a registered agent with a physical location in the state where it is licensed to operate.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of becoming my own registered agent?

The significant advantage of listing yourself is the cost. It is entirely free to list yourself. However, you risk losing important paperwork or communication and exposing your personal information to public records, which will publish the address you designate as part of your L.L.C. or business.

Who may become a Registered Agent?

A registered agent might be a corporation or an individual over 18. The agent must have a physical address and be present during business hours in the state where the company is created.

Resources

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/agent_for_service_of_process.

https://www.uschamber.com/co/start/strategy/how-to-start-llc

McClatchy newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.