Updated October 29, 2026
Northwest Registered Agent wins this matchup on the numbers that keep mattering after checkout, with one flat $125 yearly renewal, a privacy option built into every plan, no separate fee to track down.
By Jon Morgan · Fact-checked by Jon Tobin, Business Attorney · How we test
Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + state feeForm my LLC for $39 (opens in a new tab)
LegalZoom
$0 + state feeSee LegalZoom plans (opens in a new tab)Save 20% with code: venturesmarter20
Prices checked October 29, 2026. State filing fees are extra.
LegalZoom pulls ahead in exactly one place, and that's licensed attorney access.
We formed Kebab Caravan LLC in Alaska with Northwest Registered Agent, paying $289 total, a $39 service fee plus Alaska's $250 filing fee.
A second filing through LegalZoom's Basic plan, Maine Spoons LLC, cost $175, entirely Maine's own fee since the plan itself is free.
After the paperwork clears, the two services diverge on what recurs. Northwest Registered Agent renews its registered agent at $125 a year.
LegalZoom takes the opposite path. It charges $249 first year, then $249/yr for that same registered agent service and never once mentions it during checkout.
Choose Northwest Registered Agent if you want every fee named before you pay. Choose LegalZoom when a licensed attorney on call is worth trading checkout transparency for.
The table below lines up formation cost, registered agent pricing, support hours and our own rating side by side.
| Feature |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Venture Smarter rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★½ |
| Formation fee | $39 + state fee | $0 + state fee |
| Registered agent year 1 | Free (included) | $249/year (not included) |
| Registered agent year 2+ | $125/year | $249/year |
| Operating agreement | Included | Pro and up ($249) |
| Free bundled extras | Domain, website, email, phone (while active) | None until Pro tier |
| Attorney/AI legal tools | Not offered | AI contract review + attorney access (Pro/Premium) |
| Support | Phone and email, Monday-Friday | Phone and chat, 7 days a week |
| Money-back guarantee | 90 days | 60 days |
A single $39 package covers Northwest Registered Agent's formation service, plus the state fee, including a full first year of registered agent coverage, an operating agreement and a Privacy by Default option that keeps a home address off the public filing.
Renewing that registered agent from year two runs a flat $125, a price that holds steady no matter which extras get added later.
LegalZoom charges nothing beyond the state fee on Basic, yet none of its three tiers bundles a registered agent.
Pro moves the price to $249 a year and throws in an operating agreement, an EIN and a short trial window of ASSIST attorney consultations.
Miss the cancellation window on Pro and it bills $49 every month afterward. Premium layers on LZ Books bookkeeping for $299.
Invoicing and client tools stay free once the trial ends, but mileage tracking and proposal-building move behind a $9.99 monthly charge.
Get 20% off eligible LegalZoom LLC formation and other services with Venture Smarter code venturesmarter20.
A short sequence walks new owners through member details, then business purpose, then a direct choice between listing the company's Anchorage address on the public filing or a personal one.
Picking the company's address keeps a home address off the state record for good, since most states will not remove one once filed.
A final review screen lists every entered detail before payment. What follows is an optional $150 rush filing plus a short menu of add-ons, all clearly labeled and easy to skip.
LegalZoom's checkout collects payment before asking for the actual LLC details. Instead of a form up front, a banner reading "ACTION REQUIRED" greeted us in the dashboard, asking for the same details after the charge went through.
Registered agent never came up anywhere in that sequence, and a trademark-search offer followed with a "today only" discount that cut the listed prices in half.
Naming a registered agent is a legal requirement for every LLC, though the job itself costs nothing if an owner appoints themselves. The paid version is what these two providers sell instead.
Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 a year after a free first year bundled with formation. LegalZoom's version costs $249 annually, the pricier of the pair, and it also stays absent from the checkout flow entirely.
LegalZoom leans toward attorney-grade services rather than a starter web presence.
An AI tool in its Documents section reads an uploaded contract and flags the clauses worth noticing, and licensed attorneys are available to review documents or field new legal questions.
No free extra from Northwest Registered Agent replaces that kind of legal access. Once the trial lapses, LZ Books keeps tax projections and client invoicing free, while mileage tracking and proposal tools shift to a paid plan.
Northwest Registered Agent answers with its Business Identity bundle instead of a subscription, including a domain name, a hosted website, up to ten email addresses and a local business phone line, all free while the registered agent stays active.
None of it requires a separate signup or a card on file, and canceling the registered agent is the only thing that ends the bundle.
LegalZoom staffs phone and chat seven days a week, running well into the evening on weekdays. Northwest Registered Agent answers by phone and email Monday through Friday during standard business hours, with no weekend coverage.
Both companies back their formation fee with a refund window that runs ninety days at Northwest Registered Agent and sixty at LegalZoom.
Northwest Registered Agent
Pros
Cons
LegalZoom
Pros
Cons
Neither company covers every founder's situation; browse more registered agent and LLC formation options in our best LLC services guide.
You can only get legal advice through LegalZoom. Licensed independent attorneys review documents and answer new legal questions through its ASSIST plan. Northwest Registered Agent has no equivalent legal-consultation option in its plans.
You are not required to pay for a registered agent service to form an LLC. States require naming one, but an owner can serve as their own for free in most states.
Northwest Registered Agent and LegalZoom both sell the paid version as a convenience, not a necessity.
Right after payment, Northwest Registered Agent shows a confirmation screen and sends a named welcome email within minutes.
LegalZoom instead greets new customers with an "ACTION REQUIRED" banner, since it collects LLC details after the charge rather than before it.
You can get a refund from either service if it's the wrong fit. Northwest Registered Agent offers a ninety-day money-back guarantee on formation, and LegalZoom's window runs sixty days on its service fees.
Most founders forming a first LLC care about what recurs every year once the paperwork clears. Northwest Registered Agent wins this matchup because it keeps that fixed.
Its $39 package, plus the state fee, includes a full year of registered agent service, then $125 a year. Your home address stays off the public filing (Privacy by Default).
LegalZoom sells registered agent service separately and adds extras that auto-renew. Pick LegalZoom if you will use its legal firepower, such as unlimited 30-minute attorney consults on the Pro plan.
For most first LLCs, Northwest is the simpler bet: a basic operating agreement is included. A domain, website, business email and phone line stay free while the agent service is active.
We formed a real LLC with Northwest in June 2026 for $289 all in ($39 plus Alaska's $250 state fee). Forming yours costs $39 plus the state fee.
Our verdict
$39 + state fee with the first year of registered agent service (then $125/yr) and business identity tools included. 90-day money-back guarantee.
Prices checked October 29, 2026. State filing fees are extra.