Quick answer

When comparing registered agent companies, look at five things: whether the service fills the legal role in the entity's state, the ongoing price rather than the first-year price, what the price bundles, whether the provider's address replaces a home address on the public record, and what the renewal and exit terms are. A good agent states its ongoing price in public and makes the rest easy to confirm in writing. A weak one leads with a discount or leaves the ongoing figure unpublished. As of 2026-10-06, the published ongoing prices are 125 USD per year for Northwest Registered Agent, 159 USD per year for Harbor Compliance and 199 USD per year for ZenBusiness. Bizee includes one free year but does not publish its renewal price, and CSC quotes per engagement.

What should be compared first when choosing a registered agent company?

The first test is whether the arrangement meets the legal requirement at all. Registered agent law is state law, and it differs from state to state. This page covers Texas and California. For any other state, the rule varies, and the filing office is where to confirm it.

In Texas, the Secretary of State's registered agent FAQs say an entity may not serve as its own registered agent. An officer, owner or employee may serve in an individual capacity, but the entity itself cannot be its own agent. The same guidance says that failing to maintain a registered agent may result in involuntary termination of a domestic entity, or revocation of a foreign entity's registration.

In California, the Secretary of State's service of process page states that a California entity cannot act as its own agent for service of process. The Secretary of State's business entities FAQs add that corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships are required by statute to designate an agent for service of process.

That sets the baseline for what a bad agent looks like. It is one that leaves the entity without a working agent, because the consequence in Texas is not a fine on the side but possible termination or revocation. Everything below is about how to tell the options apart once the baseline is met.

Is the ongoing price published?

This is the single most useful filter, and it is where providers differ most. A registered agent is an annual service, so the number that matters is what it costs in the second year and every year after. A first-year price is a promotion, and the ongoing price is the cost of keeping the role filled.

Harbor Compliance shows how this works. As of 2026-10-06 its registered agent service is 159 USD per year ongoing, with a promotional first year at 99 USD. The two and three year terms hold 99 USD per year before renewing at 159 USD, so a reader who compares only the 99 USD figure is comparing the wrong number.

Bizee shows the opposite problem. Every package includes one free year of registered agent service, but the renewal price is not published on its pricing page. A free year is real value, yet it says nothing about the second year, and the second-year figure is the one a reader needs to plan around.

Where a price is not published, the honest comparison is to say so and ask for it in writing before committing. That applies to LegalZoom and Tailor Brands as well, whose pages used for this article do not state a registered agent price. It applies to CSC too, which quotes enterprise service per engagement.

What is actually bundled into the price?

Two providers can charge similar amounts and deliver very different things. The role itself is the same: a named agent and an address on the filing. What differs is everything around it.

Northwest Registered Agent's 125 USD per year includes a free domain, website, business address, phone line and mail scanning, as of 2026-10-06. ZenBusiness's 199 USD per year sits inside a wider formation and compliance offering, where the registered agent service is sold as an add-on across the formation packages. A bundle is good value only if the extras are things the entity would otherwise buy separately.

A useful habit is to ask what would be paid for anyway. An entity that needs a business address and a phone line may find the bundle replaces other purchases. An entity that needs neither is paying for features it will not use, and a cheaper standalone agent fits better.

Why does the address on the filing matter?

Because it is public. The California Secretary of State's business entities FAQs describe the Business Search as holding the most current filings of record, including the name and address of the agent for service of process. That is a matter of record, not an opinion, and it is the whole basis of the privacy argument.

An owner who serves as their own agent in an individual capacity, where the state allows it, puts a personal address on that record. A commercial agent's business address takes its place. For some owners that is the main reason to pay at all.

Whether another state publishes the agent's address in the same way is a state-by-state question, and that state's filing office is the place to check. The practical point for comparison is to ask which address will appear on the filing, and whether that suits the owner.

Does the entity operate in one state or several?

A single-state entity and a multi-state entity are different buyers. The first needs one agent in one place. The second needs coverage wherever it is registered, and the provider's structure then matters a great deal.

Harbor Compliance describes its registered agent price as one national figure rather than a per-state price, and CSC is built for enterprise and regulated multi-state filings. Those are the options that suit compliance-heavy operations. A reader running a small single-state business is unlikely to need that scale and may be paying for capability that goes unused.

Foreign registration is part of this. The Texas guidance on revocation of a foreign entity's registration is a reminder that an entity registered in a second state carries a second set of obligations. The U.S. Small Business Administration's guide to registering a business is a general starting point for that wider picture, though the state filing office has the specifics.

What are the warning signs of a weak provider?

None of these is proof of a bad service, but each is a reason to ask more questions before paying:

  • The ongoing price is not stated, and only a first-year or free-year offer is shown.
  • A promotional rate is presented as if it were the standard rate.
  • The bundle is described in general terms, with no list of what the registered agent fee covers.
  • It is unclear which address will appear on the public filing.
  • The terms for the provider's multi-state coverage, if any, are not spelled out.

How quickly an agent forwards documents is also worth raising, but it is not something this page can verify for any provider. The sources used here do not publish forwarding times, so the question belongs in the pre-purchase conversation, with the answer in writing.

How do the options compare, listed alphabetically?

The order below is alphabetical. It is not a ranking, and no preference is implied by position. All prices are as of 2026-10-06 and were read from each provider's own pricing page. Where a formation price is quoted plus state fees, the state fee is set by the state, is not the provider's price, and varies.

Bizee: Bizee formation packages are Basic at 0 USD plus state fees, Standard at 199 USD and Premium at 299 USD. Every package includes one free year of registered agent service. The renewal price is not published on its pricing page, so the ongoing yearly cost cannot be stated. Best for: a reader forming a new entity who wants the first agent year bundled in and is willing to get the renewal price confirmed in writing.

CSC: CSC is built for enterprise and regulated multi-state filings. Its registered agent service is quoted per engagement and the price is not published, so no yearly figure can be given. Best for: large or regulated operations that expect a negotiated engagement.

Harbor Compliance: Harbor Compliance charges 159 USD per year ongoing, with a promotional first year at 99 USD. This is one national price rather than a per-state price. Best for: multi-state operations that want a single published figure.

LegalZoom: LegalZoom formation packages are Basic at 0 USD plus state fees, Managed Service at 249 USD and Expert Service at 999 USD. The registered agent price is not published on its LLC pricing page. Best for: a reader who wants a formation package from a large name and will confirm the agent price separately.

Northwest Registered Agent: Northwest Registered Agent charges 125 USD per year, including a free domain, website, business address, phone line and mail scanning. Its whole proposition is privacy. Best for: anyone whose priority is keeping a home address off the public record, and the lowest published ongoing price on this page.

Rocket Lawyer: Rocket Lawyer sells membership rather than a standalone agent service. Standard is 34.99 USD per month or 149 USD per year, Plus is 49.99 USD per month or 249 USD per year, and Pro is 64.99 USD per month or 349 USD per year. The first LLC registration is free with a membership, then 99 USD plus state fees. There is a 7-day free trial, and attorney consultations are 149 USD for 30 minutes or 249 USD for 60. Best for: a reader who wants legal documents and attorney access alongside formation.

Tailor Brands: Tailor Brands lists formation from 0 USD plus state fees. The individual tier prices are not published on its formation page, and no registered agent price appears there. Best for: a reader who wants to start from its formation flow and will confirm what the agent costs.

ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness publishes its registered agent price at 199 USD per year. The formation packages are Starter at 0 USD plus state fees, Pro at 199 USD and Premium at 299 USD, with Pro and Premium renewing at their annual prices. The EIN and operating agreement are included from Pro up and cost 99 USD each on Starter. Best for: a reader who is forming anyway and wants formation, EIN, operating agreement, registered agent service and compliance monitoring from one provider.

Where does ZenBusiness fit in this comparison?

The case for ZenBusiness is not that it is the cheapest agent. Northwest and Harbor Compliance both publish lower ongoing prices, and Northwest is the name to reach for on address privacy. A reader who needs only an agent, at the lowest ongoing cost, or who runs a multi-state regulated operation, will be better served by one of those or by CSC.

Where ZenBusiness holds up is for the reader who is forming anyway. One provider covers the formation filing, EIN, operating agreement and registered agent service, with one renewal to track rather than two vendors. At 199 USD per year it also sits below the enterprise end of the market, where pricing is quoted rather than published, and it includes compliance monitoring.

No free registered agent year is claimed here for ZenBusiness. Introductory offers move and carry conditions, so the 199 USD figure should be treated as the ongoing price and any promotional terms confirmed on the day of purchase.

Does the choice of agent connect to the rest of the setup?

It does, because the agent is one early step among several. A new entity needs the formation filing, an EIN, a separate business account and then bookkeeping, in that order. The IRS says in Publication 583 that opening a business checking account is one of the first things to do, and that comes before choosing any software.

That sequence is why a single provider appeals to people who feel overwhelmed. ZenBusiness covers the first three steps and offers a free accounting consultation to customers who form with it. It also runs ZenBusiness accounting for the bookkeeping that follows.

For a reader at the start, the practical order is to form, get the EIN, open the account and then pick a bookkeeping tool. For an established entity that only needs an agent, none of this applies, and the decision comes down to price, privacy and renewal terms.

What does it cost to leave a provider?

Changing the registered agent is a state filing, and the state sets the fee. In Texas, the Secretary of State's Form 401 instructions put the fee for changing the registered agent or registered office at 15 USD. That is a state fee, separate from whatever a provider charges.

It matters when comparing because a low exit cost makes an unpublished renewal price less risky. A reader who can leave for 15 USD in Texas has a real fallback if the second-year price is higher than expected. Other states set their own fees and forms, and the filing office is the place to confirm them.

The point for comparison is simple: the cost of changing providers is small next to a surprise in the ongoing price, and it is worth knowing before the first year ends.

What should be asked in writing before choosing?

A short list covers most of the decision:

  • What is the ongoing yearly price, as opposed to the first-year price?
  • Is the renewal price published, and where?
  • What exactly does the fee include?
  • Which address will appear on the public filing?
  • Does the entity operate in more than one state, and does the provider cover them?
  • How are documents delivered, and how quickly?

If the answer to the first two is "not published", that is information in itself. A provider that will not state an ongoing price in public has not made the comparison easy, and the reader is entitled to ask for it in writing. The last question has no published answer on this page for any provider, which is exactly why it belongs on the list.

Sources

This is general information rather than legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary and change.