Updated August 9, 2026
Northwest is our pick: $39 + state fee with a year of agent service. ZenBusiness suits a guided setup.
By Jon Morgan · Fact-checked by Jon Tobin, Business Attorney · How we test
Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + state feeAgent included year 1Form my LLC for $39 (opens in a new tab)
ZenBusiness
$0 + state feeAgent $199 first year, then $199/yrSee ZenBusiness plans (opens in a new tab)Prices checked October 15, 2026. State filing fees are extra.
ZenBusiness fits founders who want the more modern dashboard, with Velo AI flagging problems before you log a ticket. Northwest Registered Agent fits founders who want a bundled first year of registered agent and a named onboarding contact instead.
The comparison below stacks the two side by side on formation cost, agent renewal price and how fast each one files. These are the numbers that decide most year-one budgets.
| Feature |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Venture Smarter rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★½ |
| Formation fee | $39 + state fee | $0 + state fee |
| Registered agent year 1 | Free (included) | $199/year |
| Registered agent year 2+ | $125/year | $199/year |
| Year 1 total with agent | State fee + $39 | State fee + $199 |
| Operating agreement | Included | Pro and up |
| Website/domain bundle | Free while agent active | 30-day trial, then $15/mo |
| Filing Speed | Standard, ~3 business days | 7-10 business days (1 business day on Pro/Premium) |
| Money-back guarantee | 90 days | 60 days |
| Get started | Form my LLC for $39 (opens in a new tab) | See ZenBusiness plans (opens in a new tab) |
Prices checked October 15, 2026. State filing fees are extra.
ZenBusiness Starter is $0 plus the state fee, and registered agent is not part of it. Adding the service costs $199 the first year and $199 a year after, starting on day one.
Starter also bundles a 30-day trial of ZenBusiness's domain, email and website tools. Miss the cutoff and it quietly renews at $15 monthly.
Pro costs $199 a year, layering in an EIN, an operating agreement and a full year of Worry-Free Compliance, though registered agent is still excluded at that tier.
Premium, at $399 a year, is the only ZenBusiness plan that folds registered agent into the price.
Northwest Registered Agent's $39 formation package covers Articles of Organization, a free operating agreement and a full year of agent service at no extra charge.
Our invoice showed that first-year service discounted from its $125 regular price down to $0.
The same package throws in a Business Identity bundle, a domain, hosted website, email and phone line, but only while the registered agent subscription stays active. Cancel it and those perks stop renewing free.
The real question is how long you plan to keep the agent service. Cancel after year one and Northwest Registered Agent's free first year is the whole advantage. Keep it running and the gap widens every renewal.
By year three you've paid Northwest Registered Agent $250 and ZenBusiness $597 for the identical job, for registered-agent service alone. Formation fees and other subscriptions are separate.
Both checkouts keep the order summary visible, though the two flows are built quite differently. ZenBusiness’s website-builder trial is preselected but removable before purchase.
ZenBusiness's cart displayed Starter at $0, a 30-day free trial of its website bundle and Montana's $35 fee, with a phone number and live chat visible on every screen.
Northwest Registered Agent walks through named steps instead of a single cart: company purpose, a privacy address choice, then a final review screen labeled "Looks Good" before payment.
After confirming our details, the one real upsell we saw was $150 for three-day-faster rush processing, which we skipped without any delay to our filing.
State law requires naming someone as your LLC's registered agent. Almost any adult with an in-state address can take that job for free instead of paying a provider.
Northwest Registered Agent bundles that job into its formation fee for year one, while ZenBusiness treats it as a paid add-on you choose separately during or after checkout.
ZenBusiness's opt-in screen is headed "Appoint your state-required Registered Agent" and offers two choices: appoint ZenBusiness or name someone else, with no charge until the LLC itself is formed.
Northwest Registered Agent pre-fills its own Anchorage address as agent of record the moment you pick its "keep yours private" option during formation.
Velo AI, the assistant built into ZenBusiness's account area, checked our formation status, flagged a missing EIN and confirmed the website package the moment we first logged in.
Northwest Registered Agent's dashboard leads with three plain sections instead: Active Services, Active Orders and Your Businesses. It flagged our Alaska LLC's Initial Report deadline automatically, with no setup required on our side.
ZenBusiness handles questions by phone, chat and email. Northwest Registered Agent paired ours with a named onboarding contact who emailed within minutes of payment.
For the wider field beyond these two, including our overall top pick, see the full best LLC services guide.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
ZenBusiness Starter is genuinely free itself, and you only pay your state's filing fee, $35 on our Montana order. Registered agent is a separate charge, $199 the first year and $199/year after, if you want ZenBusiness to hold that role.
Northwest Registered Agent really does include a free year of agent service: our $39 formation invoice showed the $125 regular price discounted to $0 for year one, then renewing at $125 starting year two.
Velo AI is ZenBusiness's built-in assistant, active from your first login. Ours came back already noting the missing EIN and the unpurchased compliance plan before we touched a single button.
Buying a registered agent service isn't required to form an LLC. States require you to name someone as your agent, and you can appoint yourself or another adult with an in-state address for free.
A paid service like these two just takes the job off your plate.
ZenBusiness and Northwest Registered Agent split this matchup cleanly. ZenBusiness wins on dashboard polish and AI guidance, and Northwest Registered Agent wins on what registered agent costs over time.
We tested both with real filings to see exactly where that line falls.
We formed Meridian Retail LLC through ZenBusiness's Starter plan in Montana and paid $35, the state fee alone.
Separately, our Alaska filing, Kebab Caravan LLC, went through Northwest Registered Agent for $289 total, made up of its $39 formation fee plus Alaska's $250 state fee.
Northwest Registered Agent wins this matchup on what the LLC costs to keep. Its $39 package, plus the state fee, includes a full year of registered agent service.
From year two the agent service is $125 a year. ZenBusiness charges $199 for its agent when your formation is complete, then $199 a year after that.
Northwest also keeps your home address off the public filing (Privacy by Default). Pick ZenBusiness Pro instead if you want an EIN, an operating agreement and compliance tracking bundled with the Velo AI dashboard.
Beyond the agent year, 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 (then $125/yr) and business identity tools included. 90-day money-back guarantee.
Prices checked October 15, 2026. State filing fees are extra.