Northwest Registered Agent review 2024: Cost, features and more

Brynne Conroy

BLUEPRINT

Updated 5:49 p.m. UTC Jan. 3, 2024

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Blueprint Rating

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Via Northwest Registered Agent's website

Pros

Available in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
Live chat and phone support with human customer service representatives available.
Same-day document delivery.

Cons

No app.
Customer service hours are inconsistent depending on your location.
While Northwest Registered Agent isn’t the most expensive option, it’s not the cheapest, either.

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12 companies reviewed.
21 hours of product testing.
408 data points analyzed.

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LegalZoom

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ZenBusiness

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Northwest Registered Agent

Learn More

Via Northwest Registered Agent’s website

Cost

$125

Same-day document delivery

Yes

Phone support

Yes

Northwest Registered Agent overview and facts

Northwest Registered Agent is a privately held, family-owned company that has been offering its services since 1998. The company is known for its excellent customer service and tongue-in-cheek marketing.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) gives Northwest Registered Agent an A+ rating with 4.5 out of 5 stars. Reviews note exceptionally friendly customer service with complaints primarily focused on auto-renewal fees.

On TrustPilot, the company doesn’t fare as well, with only 3.1 out of 5 stars. Reviews are polarized, with 44% of reviewers expressing five-star service, and 42% of reviewers giving it one star. Of the one-star reviews, most focus on billing issues or frustrations with the customer service experience, which so many other reviewers glowingly endorse.

Tip: Be sure to review your purchase and understand the auto-renewal fees associated with your service to avoid any surprise charges down the road.

Northwest Registered Agent pricing

COMPANY	COST
Better Legal	$90
Harbor Compliance	$99
Bizee	$119
Northwest Registered Agent	$125
InCorp	$129
Rocket Lawyer	$150
Sundoc Filings	$159
Inc Authority	$179
Swyft Filings	$199
ZenBusiness	$199
Incorporate.com	$235
LegalZoom	$299

Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 per year for each singular state registration. However, if you need registered agent services in five or more states, the price goes down to $100 per state when you purchase them all at once. For business owners in this situation, this brings the price low enough that it’s competitive with many of the cheapest alternatives on our list of the Best Registered Agent Services. The price does not go up after the first year.

If you already have a registered agent and need to switch providers, Northwest Registered Agent will pay the state filing fees required for the switch in addition to filing all the paperwork on your behalf.

If you’re purchasing a registered agent package, you’ll get access to limited mail forwarding for free. Northwest Registered Agent will forward five pieces of mail to you annually (10 pieces in select states). If you exceed five pieces of mail, you will be charged $15 per piece or you can sign up for unlimited mail forwarding for $20 per month.

“One of the top things you want to look at when considering registered agent services is privacy,” says Marlene van Nelson, a small business lawyer at Trellis Legal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Northwest Registered Agent does not sell your information, and it doesn’t put your personal information on any forms unless it’s legally required by state law.

On top of mail forwarding, your documents will be scanned into an online portal the same day they are received so you can view them before they’re physically in your hand.

In addition, if you run a transportation or logistics company and need specialized BOC-3 process agent services, you can also get everything you need from Northwest Registered Agent for a total of $125 per year plus state filing fees.

Northwest Registered Agent customer support and experience

Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t have a mobile app, which may be a major detraction for those who like to handle business on the go.

However, it makes up for it in other areas. All customer service avenues ensure you will reach a person, not a bot. You can reach out via the chat function on the website, email or phone.

Hours of operation for customer service are blurry and vary depending on where you are in the country. When we reached out to Northwest to learn these hours, we were given the times of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST by one company representative, and the times of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST by another.

Despite these confusing hours, when you call customer service on a weekday within the hours for your time zone, a representative is likely to pick up your call immediately with no hold time. When one of our researchers called to set up registered agent services, they were greeted by a friendly representative who offered them a free operating agreement in addition to the paid registered agent services.

Northwest Registered Agent vs. Harbor Compliance

	PRICE PER YEAR	NUMBER OF STATES WITH REGISTERED AGENT SERVICES AVAILABLE	APP AVAILABLE	CUSTOMER SERVICE OPTIONS	SAME-DAY DOCUMENT DELIVERY
Northwest Registered Agent	$125 per state, $100 per state if you purchase 5 or more states	50 plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico	No	Phone and live chat – human	Yes
Harbor Compliance	$99 per state, as low as $89 per state when you purchase 2 years or more	50 plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico	No	Phone and live chat – bot	Y

On our list of the Best Registered Agent Services, Harbor Compliance is second only to Northwest Registered Agent. Harbor Compliance can be slightly cheaper if you’re only purchasing services for one state, or you’re purchasing for a time period of two years or more.

Other than that, the biggest difference between the two services is the customer service experience. Both companies provide phone support, but only Northwest Registered Agent provides live chat with a human.

While Harbor Compliance has zero complaints over the past three years and an A+ BBB rating, it doesn’t do the same volume as Northwest Registered Agents. It only has seven reviews versus Northwest’s 132 reviews. On TrustPilot the company also fares worse. There are only two reviews, but they’re both negative, and the company has an overall score of 2.9 out of 5.

Northwest Registered Agent vs. BetterLegal

	PRICE PER YEAR	NUMBER OF STATES WITH REGISTERED AGENT SERVICES AVAILABLE	APP AVAILABLE	CUSTOMER SERVICE OPTIONS	SAME-DAY DOCUMENT DELIVERY
Northwest Registered Agent	$125 per state, $100 per state if you purchase 5 or more states	50 plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico	No	Live chat and phone	Yes
BetterLegal	$120 per year if you pay monthly, $90 per year if you pay annually	50 plus Washington, D.C.	Yes – Android only	Live chat and phone	No

While it doesn’t have the same clout as Northwest Registered Agent, BetterLegal does offer an Android app that gets great reviews, while its competitor does not. Both services provide customer service via phone or live chat with human beings.

The pricing difference with BetterLegal is only better if you pay annually. If you pay monthly, you’ll end up paying just $5 less than you would with Northwest Registered Agent for single-state registered agent services.

If you want a guarantee of same-day document scanning — or you need a registered agent in Puerto Rico — you’ll want to go with Northwest Registered Agent over BetterLegal.

Is Northwest Registered Agent right for your business?

The price-to-value ratio at Northwest Registered Agent is one of the best. It has important features like same-day document uploads and free limited mail forwarding, and is available across the country. It might not be the best for you if you like managing your documents on the go as there is no app. But on the plus side, when you interact with customer service you’ll get a real human each and every time.

Registered agent services are ideal for people working across state lines, like those hiring remote employees or otherwise setting up a small footprint in another state. The fact that Northwest offers BOC-3 process agent services is an added bonus for those who work in transportation and logistics.

While Northwest Registered Agent is our top recommendation, everyone’s situation is different. Shopping around for the best registered agent services can help you find the best match for your situation.

Methodology

We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.

We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the Best Registered Agent Services.

Featured registered agent service offers

LegalZoom

Learn More

Via LegalZoom’s website

Cost

$199

Same-day document delivery

Phone support

Yes

ZenBusiness

Learn More

Via ZenBusiness’ website

Cost

$199 annually

Same-day document delivery

Phone support

Yes

Northwest Registered Agent

Learn More

Via Northwest Registered Agent’s website

Cost

$125

Same-day document delivery

Yes

Phone support

Yes

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Northwest Registered Agent’s registered agent services are available in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. The same is true of business formation services like LLC formation or incorporation.

If you need additional services like mail forwarding from a dedicated business address rather than a registered office address, the number of states covered is significantly more limited.

Northwest Registered Agent does not provide a worry-free guarantee. If you’re not happy with your services within the first 90 days following purchase, you can ask for a refund although a refund isn’t guaranteed.

If you purchase a product that requires state filing fees, those fees can’t be refunded — even within the first 90 days.

There are no hidden fees with Northwest Registered Agent. If you’re purchasing registered agent services, you’ll pay the flat charge of $125 per state (or $100 per state if you purchase five or more at once).

Other services may require state filing fees, which vary depending on where you’re setting up shop.

Northwest Registered Agent gives you 90 days from the date of purchase to request a refund. Bear in mind that while you can request a refund in this time period, it only applies for the fees that went directly to Northwest Registered Agent itself. The wording on Northwest’s site also implies that asking for a refund doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be granted one.

State filing fees are always non-refundable, but you won’t run into these if the only product you’re purchasing is registered agent services.

You can cancel registered agent services with Northwest Registered Agent by logging into your client portal. Customer service representatives are also available via chat, email or phone at varying hours depending on your time zone.

Outside of registered agent services, Northwest Registered Agent also:

Offers phone services.
Offers mail forwarding from a dedicated business address that works with Amazon Verification Cards.
Establishes LLCs and nonprofits.
Incorporates businesses.
Processes annual state filings.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Brynne Conroy

BLUEPRINT

Brynne Conroy has over 12 years of experience writing about money, with a particular focus on women's finances and small business lending and credit products. Her debut book was an Amazon #1 New Release across multiple categories, and she has been awarded a PEN America grant for the body of her work in the field. Find her bylines on LendingTree, Her Agenda, GoBankingRates, and Business Insider, and features on MSN Money, Jean Chatzky's HerMoney, and Yahoo Finance.

Bryce Colburn

BLUEPRINT

Bryce Colburn is a USA TODAY Blueprint small business editor with a history of helping startups and small firms nationwide grow their business. He has worked as a freelance writer, digital marketing professional and business-to-business (B2B) editor at U.S. News and World Report, gaining a strong understanding of the challenges businesses face. Bryce is enthusiastic about helping businesses make the best decisions for their company and specializes in reviewing business software and services. His expertise includes topics such as credit card processing companies, payroll software, company formation services and virtual private networks (VPNs).