What is the best registered agent service in 2026?
A legal address in your state, papers scanned to your account, and a price that doesn't double in year two.
Every LLC and corporation in the US needs a registered agent: a person or company with a physical address in the state, ready to accept lawsuits and state notices. You can do it yourself, but your address goes on public record. Prices run from $99 to $249 a year, and the first-year price is rarely the one you keep. We compared five services on the cost after the promo, what gets scanned, and multi-state pricing.
The short answer: Northwest Registered Agent is our top pick at a flat $125 a year. Bizee is cheapest for year one if you form your LLC with them. Harbor Compliance is cheapest over three years if you prepay. Whatever you pick, compare the renewal price, not the promo.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best registered agent for your situation
5 registered agent services compared on the real price
The price column shows what you pay per year once any first-year deal ends. That is the number that stays on your card.
| Best for | What it does best | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwest Registered Agent | Best overall | Flat price every year | 4.5/5 | $125 per year per state | — | LLC, small corporation | Visit → |
| 2 | Bizee | Cheapest first year | Year one free with formation | 4.1/5 | $149 per year after year one | — | New LLC | Visit → |
| 3 | Harbor Compliance | Best multi-year prepay | $99 a year locked for 3 years | 4.0/5 | $99 year one, then $159 | — | Owner planning 3 years | Visit → |
| 4 | ZenBusiness | Best first-year promo | Compliance dashboard | 3.9/5 | $99 year one, then $199 | — | ZenBusiness customer | Visit → |
| 5 | LegalZoom | Best known brand | LegalZoom network | 3.7/5 | $249 per year, renewal not published | — | LegalZoom customer | Visit → |
Prices read on each provider's official page in 2026, in US dollars, per state. State filing fees are extra.
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How we compared and scored
A registered agent is a boring service, which is why pricing tricks hide so well in it. The first-year price gets the headline. The renewal price shows up on your card twelve months later.
We read each provider's official pricing page, its terms, and user reviews, starting with the negative ones. We then put every service on the same footing: what you pay in year two, for one state. Over three years, that gap is real: $375 at Northwest, $298 at Bizee if you formed with them, $497 at ZenBusiness, $747 at LegalZoom at its first-time rate, $297 at Harbor Compliance if you prepay three years.
Northwest, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom keep the scores from our LLC formation ranking: a tool has the same score on every page we publish. Harbor Compliance gets its score on this page. Virtual office networks like Regus and Davinci are left out because they sell a business address, not a registered agent, and their prices depend on the city.
- Two-year costYear one and year two price for one state.35 %
- Renewals and upsellsPublished renewal price, promos tied to other purchases.25 %
- What's includedPrivacy on filings, document scanning, mail allowance.20 %
- SupportWho you can reach, and how.10 %
- Ease of orderingHow clear the checkout is.10 %
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest charges $125 a year per state for its registered agent service. That price does not jump in year two, which is the main thing most rankings forget to check. If you need an agent in five states or more, the price drops to $100 per state.
Northwest puts its own address on your public state filings, so your home address stays off the record. Service of process and state notices are scanned and uploaded to your account, and the plan includes 10 scans of regular mail a year.
Its limit: 10 regular-mail scans a year is a small allowance. If your registered address is also where customers and vendors write to you, you'll want a real virtual mailbox next to it. It also has far fewer Trustpilot reviews than the big formation brands.
Tip: keep your registered agent and your business mailing address as two separate things. The agent handles legal papers. A virtual mailbox handles everything else, for a few dollars a month.
- Flat $125 per year, no first-year teaser
- Northwest address on public filings
- Volume price from 5 states
- ✓Renewal price equals the entry price
- ✓Privacy by default
- ✓Legal documents scanned to your account
- ✗Only 10 regular-mail scans a year
- ✗Fewer Trustpilot reviews than big formation brands
- ✗No discount for a single state
The default pick: one honest price, the same every year, and your home address kept off public records.
Bizee
Bizee, formerly Incfile, sells its registered agent service at $149 a year. If you form your business through Bizee, the first year is free. That makes it the cheapest option for year one.
Year two is where you need to pay attention. At $149, Bizee costs $24 more than Northwest every year after the free one. Over three years, Northwest at $375 and Bizee at $298 (one free year, two paid) end up close.
Its limit: support and refunds are the complaints that come up most in user feedback. Bizee's ratings stay strong overall, but plan on handling problems by ticket rather than by phone.
Tip: put a reminder in your calendar a month before the free year ends. That is your moment to switch agents if a better price exists.
- First year free with formation
- $149 per year after
- Bundled with LLC packages
- ✓Cheapest first year
- ✓One provider for formation and agent
- ✓Clear yearly price
- ✗Pays more than Northwest from year two
- ✗Support complaints in user reviews
- ✗Free year only if you form with Bizee
A smart pick if you're forming a new LLC with Bizee. Compare again before the free year runs out.
Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance charges new customers $99 for the first year of registered agent service, then $159 a year. Its twist: prepay two years for $198 or three years for $297, and you keep the $99 rate for the whole term.
That makes it the cheapest three-year option here at $297, just ahead of Bizee and well below Northwest's $375. The plan includes same-day document delivery, unlimited document storage, pre-filled forms, no per-delivery fees, and its Entity Manager software. When someone serves your company, you also get a phone call.
Its limit: after the prepaid term, the price renews at $159, higher than Northwest. The page says nothing about scanning regular mail, so plan on a separate mailbox for everyday letters.
Tip: only prepay three years if you're sure the company will stay active. Mark the renewal date: that is when $99 becomes $159.
- $297 for three years prepaid
- Phone alert on service of process
- Unlimited document storage
- ✓Cheapest three-year cost here
- ✓No per-delivery fees
- ✓Compliance software included
- ✗$159 a year after the promo
- ✗No regular-mail scanning mentioned
- ✗Prepay locks your money in
The best deal if you prepay and stay three years. Compare again before the $159 renewal.
ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness advertises its registered agent service at $99 for the first year, a 50% discount tied to forming your LLC with them. The renewal price is $199 a year. That is the number to compare.
At $199, ZenBusiness costs $74 more per year than Northwest. Over three years, that adds up to $497 against $375. The difference pays for an easy checkout and a compliance dashboard that bundles reminders and filings.
Its limit: renewals. User reviews are very positive overall, but complaints about renewals costing more than expected come up again and again.
Tip: turn off auto-renew right after you sign up, then decide at month eleven with the real price in front of you.
- $99 first year with formation
- Easy ordering
- Compliance tools in the same account
- ✓Low entry price
- ✓Smooth checkout
- ✓One dashboard for filings
- ✗$199 per year at renewal
- ✗Renewal complaints in user reviews
- ✗Discount tied to formation
Fine if you live inside ZenBusiness already. Budget $199 a year, not $99.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom charges $249 a year for its registered agent service. That is the highest price on this list, double Northwest's.
Read the small print: the $249 applies to first-time registered agent customers, and LegalZoom says its renewal rate is subject to change. You don't get a published price for year two.
What you get is the LegalZoom network: attorney plans and formation in the same account. If you already pay LegalZoom for other services, keeping everything there is simpler.
Its limit: price and visibility. You pay the most and can't plan your second-year cost.
Tip: if you choose LegalZoom, ask for the renewal price in writing before the first year ends. And when you leave, expect to show that a new agent is on file with the state before the service is closed.
- Large legal services network
- Attorney plans in the same account
- Known brand
- ✓One account for legal services
- ✓Easy to add attorney help
- ✓Widely used
- ✗$249 a year, the highest here
- ✗Renewal rate not published
- ✗Price only for first-time customers
Only if you already rely on LegalZoom. Otherwise, you pay double for the same legal job.
What registered agent rankings leave out
Nearly every top result for this search is paid by the providers it ranks. They compare first-year prices. Here's what changes the bill.
The renewal price is the real price
ZenBusiness goes from $99 to $199. Bizee goes from free to $149. LegalZoom doesn't publish a renewal rate at all. Northwest charges $125 in year one and year two. Always do the three-year math before you pick.
An agent is not a mailbox
Your registered agent handles legal papers and state notices. Northwest includes 10 regular-mail scans a year, which is not enough to run a business address. If customers and banks write to you, add a virtual mailbox. Our virtual mailbox ranking compares them.
Multi-state costs add up
Register in a second state to do business there and you need a second agent. At $125 per state, three states cost $375 a year at Northwest; from five states, the price drops to $100 each. At LegalZoom's $249, the same three states cost $747 a year.
- Write down the year-two price, not the promo.
- Check whether the agent's address replaces yours on public filings.
- Ask how many regular-mail scans are included.
- Count the states where you're registered.
- Turn off auto-renew and set a reminder.
- Change agents only after the state accepts the new filing.
Set up your registered agent in six steps
The order that keeps your company covered at every moment.
Decide if you'll be your own agent
BeforeYou can act as your own agent if you have a physical address in the state and you're there during business hours. If you work from home, that address becomes public. For $125 a year, a service keeps it private.
- Cost of doing it yourself
- $0, plus your privacy
List your states
ScopeCount every state where your company is formed or registered to do business. Each one needs an agent. That number decides whether volume pricing matters to you.
- Northwest volume price
- $100 per state from 5
Run the three-year math
PriceAdd year one, year two and year three for each provider. Promos tied to formation only help if you form with that company.
- Three-year range
- $297 to $747
Sort out your everyday mail
AddressDecide where customers, banks and vendors will write to you. If it's not your home, add a virtual mailbox. Keep it separate from the agent so you can switch either one alone.
- Mail scans at Northwest
- 10 a year
Name the agent in your filing
FilingPut the agent's name and address in your articles of organization, or file a change form if your company already exists. Keep the confirmation from the state.
- Proof to keep
- State confirmation
Set a renewal reminder
AfterPut a reminder one month before renewal. That is when you can still compare, switch, and file the change before the old service ends.
- When to review
- Month 11
Keep going
These pages pick up where this one stops.
Registered agents · FAQ
Do I need a registered agent for my LLC?
Yes. Every state requires an LLC or corporation to name a registered agent with a physical address in that state, available during business hours to receive legal papers and state notices. You can serve as your own agent, but your address then goes on public record.Can I be my own registered agent?
Yes, if you have a physical address in the state and you're there during business hours. The trade-off is privacy: your address shows up on public filings, and a lawsuit can be served at your door. A service at $125 a year solves both.What is the cheapest registered agent service?
For year one, Bizee: free when you form with them, then $149 a year. From year two on, Northwest at $125 a year is the cheapest of the five services here, and drops to $100 per state from five states.Is a registered agent the same as a virtual office or virtual mailbox?
No. A registered agent receives legal papers and state notices. A virtual mailbox handles your everyday mail and gives you a business address for customers and banks. Most small companies end up using both, and they can come from different providers.How much does a registered agent cost per year?
Between $125 and $249 a year per state at renewal among the services we compared: Northwest $125, Bizee $149, Harbor Compliance $159, ZenBusiness $199, LegalZoom $249. Always compare year-two prices, not the first-year promo.Do I need a registered agent in every state?
You need one in each state where your company is registered, including states where you registered as a foreign LLC to do business. That's why multi-state pricing matters: Northwest drops to $100 per state once you need five states or more.What happens if my LLC has no registered agent?
You risk losing your good standing with the state, and a lawsuit served while no agent is on file can go ahead without you knowing. Agents can't drop you overnight: in Delaware, an agent who resigns without a successor must warn you in writing at least 30 days before filing, and the resignation takes effect 30 days after filing. Use that window to name a new agent, and never cancel the old one before the state accepts the new one.Does the state charge a fee to change registered agents?
Yes, in most states, and it is separate from your agent's price. In Florida, a statement of change of registered agent costs $25 for an LLC and $35 for a corporation. Other states set their own amount on the Secretary of State fee schedule. Some states also let you change agents on your annual report, which can spare you the separate filing: check before you switch to save $20 or $30 a year.How do I change my registered agent?
Pick the new agent first, then file a change of registered agent form with your state, which usually comes with a state fee. Only cancel the old service once the state has accepted the change, so you never go a day without an agent.