5 Best Registered Agent Services of 2024

If you’ve started a company or are starting one, congratulations! You’re on a path few dare to tread, and it’s not going to be an easy one. Expectedly, it comes with some legalities.

For example, choosing the right registered agent is one of the many legal hoops you’ll have to jump through. And to make that a lot easier, we sifted through all the options and put together this list of the best registered agent service providers.

Let’s start with a bird’s-eye view of the options.

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Top Registered Agent Companies in 2024

1. SwyftFilings

SwyftFilings has a fantastic track record in its primary service area. Among other features, the vast array of tools makes this registered agent service one of the best available for the price. Full Review

  • Compliance calendar
  • Straightforward dashboard
  • Norton identity theft protection
$149.00/year
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SwyftFilings has a fantastic track record in its primary service area. Among other features, the vast array of tools makes this registered agent service one of the best available for the price. Full Review

2. Northwest Registered Agent

If excellent customer service and transparency are what you want, look no further than Northwest Registered Agent. This company goes above and beyond for its clients, and you'll never pay a dime over what it advertises. Full Review

  • No hidden fees
  • Award-winning customer service
  • Privacy by default
$125.00/year
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If excellent customer service and transparency are what you want, look no further than Northwest Registered Agent. This company goes above and beyond for its clients, and you'll never pay a dime over what it advertises. Full Review

3. LegalZoom

If you've ever sought legal advice online, you must already know about LegalZoom. Its services aren't low-cost, but it offers by far the best perks, including unlimited cloud storage and identity theft protection. Full Review

  • Experienced legal professionals
  • Identity theft protection from Experian
  • Unlimited cloud storage for legal documents
From $299.00/year
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If you've ever sought legal advice online, you must already know about LegalZoom. Its services aren't low-cost, but it offers by far the best perks, including unlimited cloud storage and identity theft protection. Full Review

4. Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance is all about no-frills streamlined service. You can get your registered agent address sorted out in record time and for an excellent price. But you'll have to sacrifice some benefits. Full Review

  • Fast and easy
  • Volume discounts on multi-year purchases
  • Inexpensive
$99.00/year
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Harbor Compliance is all about no-frills streamlined service. You can get your registered agent address sorted out in record time and for an excellent price. But you'll have to sacrifice some benefits. Full Review

5. Incfile Registered Agent Service

If you're trying to get a startup off the ground, Incfile is an excellent choice. By incorporating your company with Incfile, you'll get a free year of registered agent services. Full Review

  • Free first year when you form your company through Incfile
  • Monthly compliance checkups through Legalinc
  • Online dashboard for document viewing
$0.00/the first year
Try Now

If you're trying to get a startup off the ground, Incfile is an excellent choice. By incorporating your company with Incfile, you'll get a free year of registered agent services. Full Review

Registered Agent Service Reviews

SwyftFilings

SwyftFilings

SwyftFilings

MOST SUITED FOR

High-budget business projects

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  • Rating: 10
  • Price: $149/year
  • Correspondence Processing: Same-day
  • Mail Forwarding: Yes
  • Service area: Nationwide
  • Customer support: Via phone and live chat

SwyftFilings pricing

SwyftFilings’s biggest claim to fame is a glut of positive reviews from every corner of the web. It’s famed as the best online registered agent with full-package pricing. And it’s not shy about flaunting its approval ratings. 

Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell how many of those ratings specifically relate to the registered agent services. Swyft Filings is primarily an LLC formation company, and if you’re curious about it, you can explore its features in our full review here.

The only apparent drawback is the price. But you’ll find that it aligns with other services in terms of cost to value.  

Here are some of the registered agent services Swyft Filings provides:

  • Online dashboard—Whether you incorporate with Swyft Filings or not, you’ll have a secure account that allows you to view documents as soon as they’re available. 
  • Norton security—The Swyft Filings website and services are secured with Norton’s shopping guarantee. This feature gives you $10,000 identity theft protection, a purchase guarantee, and price protection. 
  • Compliance reminders—You’ll receive notifications in advance when you need to file essential state documents. Plus, SwyftFilings allows you to avoid the hassle and handle your paperwork too. 

Unfortunately, Swyft Filings doesn’t offer a package deal. Even if you choose them to help start your company, the cost of registered agent services remains the same.

Pros Cons
All-inclusive pricing Registered agent service provided by third-party
Outstanding customer reviews
24/7 online access to documents
Helps you switch registered agent if needed
Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent

MOST SUITED FOR

Small businesses

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  • Rating: 9.8
  • Price: $125/year
  • Correspondence Processing: Same-day
  • Mail Forwarding: Yes, some fees
  • Service area: Nationwide
  • Customer support: Via email, phone support, live chat, and online form

Northwest Registered Agent pricing

Northwest is entirely dedicated to providing registered agent services, unlike most other companies on this list. It’s not the fanciest option, but it’s a strong contender for the best registered agent in the United States,  barring a couple of minor details. 

Northwest’s whole image is one of transparency and directness, as evidenced in our dedicated review. The company’s slogan is “We’re Just Not Annoying,” and it mostly lives up to that. It’s also an excellent choice for businesses not looking to expand significantly.

The Northwest team takes great pride in its customer service, and for a good reason. Phone support staff are highly trained, they answer emails within a day, and if you can’t reach phone support by chance, they promise a call back within two hours. 

Here’s what you get for the annual price:

  • Privacy by default ®—Northwest tries its best to minimize the availability of your data. Your information will be as limited as possible on any public documents whenever filings are submitted on your behalf. 
  • Streamlined change of agent—If you want to switch from your current agent to Northwest, this company takes care of the filing for you and covers the change-of-agent filing fee. 
  • Free document checks—If you’re getting ready to file official documents, you can always send them to Northwest for a checkup. Its team of experts will look them over and let you know if you missed anything. 
  • No third-party agents—Your contract for registered agent services is tied with Northwest and never other companies. Northwest has officially registered agent addresses in every state.

Northwest’s data protection policies, customer service, and overall down-to-earth feel place it among the best registered agent companies for small businesses worth checking out.

Pros Cons
Best-in-class customer support Not a cheap registered agent service
Free document review
Corporate guides
Will never sell your data
LegalZoom Registered Agent

LegalZoom Registered Agent

LegalZoom Registered Agent

MOST SUITED FOR

Large businesses

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  • Rating: 9.5
  • Price: From $79/month
  • Correspondence Processing: Same-day
  • Mail Forwarding: Yes
  • Service area: Nationwide
  • Customer support: Via phone, live chat, and online form

LegalZoom pricing

LegalZoom is a well-known provider of legal solutions in a wide variety of areas. Some also consider it the best LLC filing service around, and one of its most attractive offers relates to business formation services. For more on that, it’s best to read a full LegalZoom review

But is this provider the right choice for you? Take a look at the list of services to find out:

  • Business data protection—If you’re a US resident, you qualify for up to a million dollars in identity theft protection coverage from Experian. This protection also includes data monitoring services. 
  • Free compliance alerts—LegalZoom will notify you ahead of any important filing dates, such as annual report filing or state tax returns.  
  • Unlimited cloud storage—LegalZoom partners with Box to provide unlimited cloud storage for your legal documents.

Although it may seem like an expensive service, LegalZoom’s registered agent offer provides a ton of value. 

Its unlimited cloud storage is genuinely exceptional, and LegalZoom is the only service we found that offers it. If you’re already using other LegalZoom’s services, it may be a good idea also to make them the registered agents for your LLC.

Pros Cons
Compliance calendar included in the price Expensive
Courtesy call when forwarding court documents Some services available to US residents only
Up to $1 million identity theft protection
Unlimited cloud storage for legal documents
Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance

MOST SUITED FOR

Medium-sized businesses

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  • Rating: 9.7
  • Price: From $99/year
  • Correspondence Processing: Same-day
  • Mail Forwarding: Yes, for items under state statutes
  • Service area: Nationwide
  • Customer Support: Via email, phone, fax, and snail mail

Harbor Compliance is an excellent no-frills option if you need a registered agent to form your LLC fast. It’s the best registered agent service for the price and provides enough features to keep you worry-free. 

It’s also the perfect choice when you need to get everything set up quickly. As soon as you complete your order, you’ll get pre-filled state forms that only require your signature for finalization.

Here are some of the key features you get with Harbor Compliance as your registered agent:

  • Annual report reminders—Harbor Compliance’s software has automatic alerts that’ll remind you to file annual reports on time.  
  • Same-day access to documents—Documents are scanned and uploaded for online viewing as soon as they arrive. Harbor Compliance will also call the primary contact listed on the account before forwarding court documents.  
  • Volume discounts—If you pay for multiple years of service in advance, you can get up to a 10% discount. Moreover, Harbor Compliance offers bulk rates for multiple entities, which is excellent for those looking to register agents in several states. 

As you can see, nothing too elaborate, but it gets the job done if you need a cheap commercial registered agent address. And, if you need additional assistance filing with the state, Harbor Compliance can take care of it for a flat fee.

Pros Cons
Excellent starting price No legal or tax advice
Volume discounts Third-party subcontracting in some states
Same-day document access
Fast and simple process
Incfile Registered Agent Service

Incfile Registered Agent Service

Incfile Registered Agent Service

MOST SUITED FOR

Startups

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  • Rating: 9.4
  • Price: $0.00/the first year, $119.00/the following year
  • Correspondence Processing: Same-day
  • Mail Forwarding: Yes
  • Service area: Nationwide
  • Customer support: Via phone, email, online form, and fax

Incfile is arguably the best registered agent service for startups, and like many other options, it sells registered agent services through a partner. In the case of Incfile, that partner is Legalinc. 

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and there’s a big incentive to work with Incfile. If you incorporate your business with Incfile, you’ll get a free year of registered agent services

Here’s what those services entail:

  • Registered agent dashboard—You get 24/7 access to an online dashboard where you can view and manage information received on behalf of your company. If you use Incfile to incorporate your business, you’ll also be able to manage other elements about your company. 
  • Instant notifications—Every time Incfile receives court correspondence on your behalf, you’ll get an SMS alert and an email notification.   
  • Monthly compliance checks—Legalinc’s software checks your company’s status and notifies you of any status changes automatically. 

The one big drawback of this type of service is that your information gets passed on to another company. 

However, a year of free service is a great value, especially if you’re just starting, and you need to make every penny count. 

Pros Cons
The first year is free when forming with Incfile No automatic renewal
Easy-to-use dashboard
SMS notification when you receive mail
Excellent pricing options

How to Choose the Best Registered Agent Service for Your Company

At some point in your business formation process, you’ll come across the term “registered agent.”

If you’re like most people, that will be the first time you’ll have heard it. But there’s nothing complicated about it—you just have to pay attention to several aspects. 

Let’s check them out.

Service Area

Ideally, a registered agent service will have addresses in every state. But that’s not always the case, so it’s a good idea to dig into the registered agent service cost comparison and reviews to discover the location of available business addresses. 

It goes without saying that you need an agent with a registered address in the state where you formed your company.

Additionally, you should bear in mind that you may need to do business in other states, or your business might expand in the future. Even if you don’t plan on expanding immediately, you should be prepared for that. 

As soon as you start moving to other states, you’ll need to get a registered agent in each one. So, it’s wise to ensure nationwide coverage from the start to avoid paying for several registered agent services later.

Selling Service VS. Direct Contract

Very few companies are dedicated to being registered agent service providers. Most sell the services of a dedicated provider or at least partially rely on partners (you’ll find information about your contract in each company’s terms of service). 

The drawback of this kind of setup is that your information gets shared with the company’s partners. So, in essence, you’re not only exposed through the company you buy services from but also the ultimate provider. 

We included both types in our registered agent service reviews in case the information sharing isn’t an issue for you. 

Typically, the companies that sell these services have some sort of discount or incentives baked into the deal. If you need other services from the company, such as LLC filing, it usually makes sense to take advantage of the deals. 

However, if you only need a registered agent and nothing else, it makes sense to find one with direct service. So, if you find the best LLC formation services provider and it also happens to provide registered agent service, it’s often a good idea to take it. 

One of the most notable providers that don’t farm out your contract is Northwest Registered Agent. It has addresses in every state and doesn’t use partners to cover any part of the country.

Compliance Monitoring

In general, all you really need from a registered agent is to receive state documents and get them to you promptly. Everything else is a bonus. 

But the bonuses can also be hugely beneficial, and one of the most useful ones is compliance monitoring. 

The top registered agent services will all have a monitoring system to ensure your company is in good standing with the state.   

Additionally, they’ll notify you when important dates are coming. It’s common for business owners to miss filing deadlines. And missing annual report deadlines can cost you hundreds of dollars in reinstatement fees, which you can avoid by getting notified.

Value

Prices vary widely from one registered agent to the next. And since the differentiators are so specific, it’s more appropriate to talk about value than registered agent cost

If you’re just interested in having a registered agent in a particular state and not much else, go for the cheapest option. 

Otherwise, pay close attention to the ancillary benefits when you compare registered agent services. It may very well be worth paying a little more for the value you receive from some. 

The options on this list are all nationwide providers. If you’re sure you’ll stay within state lines forever, it may be more affordable to find a registered agent restricted to your state.

Conclusion

At this point, you should be able to choose the right registered agent service for your needs. The best national registered agent services choices are all pretty close, so it comes down to a few basic questions:

  • Do you need to protect your information?
  • Will you ever need to register your business in other states?
  • How much are you willing to pay for peace of mind?

A registered agent service may be a needless expense for a small business with no intention of ever moving past its storefront. Still, in most other scenarios, you’ll be glad you invested in a quality service.

FAQ

How do I choose a registered agent?

If the service you used to form your business also offers a registered agent resource, it’s simplest to choose both options. Take a look at the providers on our list to find the one that suits you best. 

In most other cases, you’re best off going with the least expensive service. Just make sure it has these three features:

  1. It’s a national registered agent service rather than local to your state. 
  2. It provides free or low-price mail forwarding. 
  3. It notifies you instantly about service of process correspondence. 

Some registered agent services may also offer identity theft protection, filing assistance, etc.

Do I need to pay a registered agent for my LLC?

No. If you hire a registered agent service, you’ll be paying for that company to receive official correspondence on your behalf. 

The LLC incorporation process is entirely separate, and you’ll pay for it independently of your registered agent.

Should I act as my own registered agent?

It’s certainly possible. However, this is not a good idea for many business owners. So, using a registered agent service that provides a host of advantages is often a better solution. 

Why?

You’re going to be busy running your business. So having to think about when this or that document is due only serves to distract you. 

Having a registered agent service lets you rest easy, knowing you’ll never miss anything important. Additionally, a registered agent service also prevents your address and personal information from becoming public.

What is the best registered agent service?

If you’re willing to pay a little extra for a more personalized service, Northwest Registered Agent is likely the best registered agent service for you.