5 Best Registered Agent Services of 2024

Finding the best registered agent service is a key step in starting a successful business.

Registered agents play a vital role as the entity between your business and the government, providing you with a layer of privacy and protection.

They handle several essential tasks, like receiving legal or regulatory documents, and are important to keeping your business compliant. Businesses must have a registered agent in every state in which they operate, and a company cannot be its own registered agent (for more on registered agents, refer to our guide: Everything you need to know about registered agents). 

As such, a responsible and cost-conscientious founder will take care to work with the best agent service. But with so many to choose from, how can one know which rises above the rest?

Let’s take a look at our Firstbase guide to the Top Registered Agent Services for 2024:

5. Bizee (formerly Incfile)

Pros

Bizee may be familiar to some under its previous name, Incfile.

With Bizee, founders get the basics: The starting package includes a name and address to receive documents, along with mail forwarding.

Bizee’s website is easy to use, and customer reviews speak highly of the service’s customer support. 

Best of all, Bizee is light on the pockets. The first year of their Silver package is free, so long as you form your company with them. After that, the same services cost $119 per year.

Cons

With Bizee, you get what you pay for. The free, basic package is aimed at giving budget-conscious founders the tools they need to incorporate their business — but that’s about it. 

Other services are available at an upsell. Founders will need to pay extra to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) (which all businesses are required to have), file Form 2553, or create an Operating Agreement.  

Standout Features

• Low annual fee
• Free registered agent services for the first year
• Easy user interface

4. LegalZoom

Pros

With more than two decades of experience, LegalZoom is a legacy brand known for its robust suite of business legal services.

Some businesses, like those dealing with trademarks, copyrights or complicated contracts, may require a broader range of legal support. LegalZoom’s long-standing expertise may be attractive to founders of these types of companies, and this registered agent service is a logical add-on.

Cons

LegalZoom’s registered agent service is among the most expensive on the market.

Their current rate is $249 per year, while many other companies provide similar services for much less.

And unlike other names on this list, the price of LegalZoom’s registered agent services is not included in their LLC formation plan.

While the ability to turn over most of the legal work over to LegalZoom may be appealing to business owners, start-up founders may struggle to budget for the steeper cost.

Standout Features

• Decades of experience across legal fields
• Strong reputation and positive customer feedback for wide range of legal services

3. Northwest Registered Agent

Pros

Northwest Registered Agent, like LegalZoom, is another legacy name in this space.

Founded in 1998, Northwest is widely renowned for their customer service. Their 6am-4pm PST customer service hours are convenient for anyone in the continental United States, and their web chat feature is often more convenient than a phone call.

Cons

While Northwest Registered Agent is clear and transparent about their add-on fees and services, these can get costly fast. Northwest offers mail forwarding for $20 per month, trademark application services for $499 per application, and a virtual office service for $29 per month. You will also need to pay extra to get an EIN. 

These add-ons come on top of their registered agent service, priced at $125 per year, which is one of the more expensive stand-alone plans.

Standout Features 

• Family office feeling with strong customer support
• Staff of hundreds of “Corporate Guides” lend expertise regardless of where you do business

2. ZenBusiness

Pros

ZenBusiness specializes in helping founders incorporate their company, but they offer much more than just formation services.

They’ll also help you acquire an EIN, and handle some of the other essentials to help you get started.

And if you decide to form your company with ZenBusiness, they’ll also provide one year of worry-free compliance services at no cost. This service automates your annual reports with the states in which you operate, and keeps your business in good standing. 

ZenBusiness also makes a “100% Accuracy” guarantee, backed up by thousands of positive customer reviews.

Cons

Like LegalZoom, the starter plan does not include registered agent services. This will run you an additional $199 per year, regardless of the base plan you’ve selected.

Filing speeds can be on the slow side if you’re only subscribed to the basic plan, with filing times in the 2- to 3-week range.

Standout Features

• Public benefit corporation, binding the company to meet its social obligations in addition to profit
• Free worry-free compliance service for one year

1. Firstbase

Pros

Firstbase's Firstbase Agent is the best all-around registered agent service.

As an all-in-one compliance box, Firstbase Agent handles all the essential registered agent functions. Our easy-to-use dashboard makes it simple to keep track of outstanding tasks, while our automated compliance notification system means you never have to worry about missing a deadline.

For businesses that grow and begin to operate in different states, Firstbase Agent will also handle foreign qualification. Just let us know which states you want to expand to and we’ll take care of the rest.

Under Firstbase Agent’s “Autopilot” tier, we’ll also handle functions like compiling state annual reports and filing state franchise taxes (required for most businesses). This tier also includes required beneficial ownership information filings.

With plans beginning at $149 per year, Firstbase Agent offers the best value-for-money thanks to a robust suite of services and support.

Standout Features

• Visual compliance dashboard
• Payroll tax registration (under “Payroll” tier)
• Multi-state support

Takeaways

With so many registered agent services on the market, it can be a challenge to navigate which registered agent service is best for you and your business.

While Bizee's low price may catch the eye, it loses its edge for businesses that have already incorporated. Alternatively, other platforms offer superfluous features like website building and domain registration, even though those services can be acquired for cheaper elsewhere.

Firstbase Agent, meanwhile, provides all the essential tools, with flexible pricing plans to meet the business owner regardless of where they’re at in their journey. Click here to learn how Firstbase Agent can help streamline your operations.