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ZenBusiness reviews and compares Direct Incorporation and Northwest Registered Agent. Both brands can help you form and maintain a business, but mixed customer feedback might have you seeking alternatives.
Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes“Direct Incorporation” is a registered trademark of Enitia Corporation “Northwest Registered Agent” is the registered trademark of Northwest Registered Agent, LLC
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
*Mr. Cuban may receive financial compensation for his support.
If you’re looking to start a registered business, then you might be considering using a business formation service like Direct Incorporation or Northwest Registered Agent. These business formation companies (and other companies like them) can be very helpful if you feel overwhelmed by all the business paperwork you’re facing.
But in the Direct Incorporation vs. Northwest Registered Agent matchup, who comes out on top? Are there any alternatives you should consider instead? In this guide, we’ll review both Direct Incorporation and Northwest Registered Agent, comparing how these two options compete in terms of value, customer service, customer reviews, and more.
Let’s get started.
Northwest Registered Agent and Direct Incorporation are both providers that assist entrepreneurs with starting and maintaining businesses in the U.S. At first glance, the two companies appear similar, but their histories and focus areas reveal some distinctions.
Direct Incorporation, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been operating since 2003. In that time, the company reports serving more than 80,000 clients with a range of services that include business formations, trademark registrations, and related business filings.
Northwest Registered Agent, on the other hand, built its name on registered agent services, which remains a cornerstone of its business. Since its founding in 1998, the family-owned company has broadened its catalog to cover formations, compliance filings, and other business support. Northwest Registered Agent promises their customers that they’re “not just annoying,” a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement that sometimes, business management can be a hassle, but they try to make it less of one.
At first glance, Northwest Registered Agent and Direct Incorporation might seem to be really similar, but there are lots of distinctions to keep in mind. We’ll dive into the nitty-gritty details throughout this Northwest Registered Agent and Direct Incorporation review, but for now, let’s take a quick glance at these companies.
In our assessment of Direct Incorporation and Northwest Registered Agent, we evaluated each LLC formation business on the basis of several different categories: business formation services, registered agent service, additional service offerings, customer feedback, and customer support.
Let’s take a closer look at those categories.
Northwest Registered Agent can help you form a limited liability company, corporation, or nonprofit. Direct Incorporation can help you start an LLC or corporation. But how much will these services cost you?
For most small business owners, that’s an important question to answer. That’s why, in this section, we’ll compare how much it costs to start an LLC with either of these brands. While an LLC won’t be the best business entity structure for every new company, it’s a popular pick. That makes it a great comparison point for a guide like this. If you’re going to form something other than an LLC, keep in mind that the service pricing might be different from what you see here.
Let’s start with Direct Incorporation. This brand offers a variety of different LLC formation service packages to choose from. Here are the options:
Northwest Registered Agent takes a more straightforward approach compared to many competitors, including Direct Incorporation. Instead of offering multiple package tiers, they provide a single LLC formation package. For $39 plus state fees, they’ll prepare and file your LLC paperwork and include one year of free registered agent service. This formation package also includes temporary access to extras such as a business address service, a website builder, and domain registration tools.
That said, these added features are trial-based rather than permanent. Most renew within 90 days to a year, so it’s important to track the renewal dates and cancel any you don’t plan to keep. Otherwise, what starts as an inexpensive package could become significantly more costly once the trial periods end.
Some of Direct Incorporation’s packages have pretty robust features, but they’re pretty pricey. In terms of sheer value, Northwest Registered Agent definitely has a more competitive price point.
Looking for a free LLC formation service? Unfortunately, you won’t find it with either of these brands. Instead, check out ZenBusiness. We have a free LLC service offering; just pay your state filing fees, and we’ll file your LLC for you.
Every registered business entity, whether an LLC or corporation, is required to appoint a registered agent — someone responsible for receiving service of process and official notices from the state on the company’s behalf. Technically, you can act as your own registered agent, but you must meet specific requirements: you need to live in the state, maintain a physical street address there, and remain available at that address during standard business hours.
For most entrepreneurs, keeping up with those obligations isn’t realistic. That’s why many turn to professional registered agent services instead. Both Northwest Registered Agent and Direct Incorporation offer this service, giving business owners a reliable way to stay compliant without handling the task personally.
Northwest Registered Agent gives you free registered agent service for a year if you hire them to form your LLC. After the first year, the service costs $125 per year. They also offer some bulk discounts if you need to hire them as your agent in five or more states.
We had to do a little digging to find Direct Incorporation’s pricing for registered agent services, as they don’t make the information readily available. If you navigate partway through the LLC formation process, you’ll see that you get six months’ worth of registered agent service included in your package, and then you’ll pay $159 per year. You can also get that same six-months-free perk if you use their registered agent amendment service (which costs $149 at the time of this writing).
Direct Incorporation charges a fair price point for their registered agent service, but Northwest Registered Agent edges them out a bit in this category.
Both Northwest Registered Agent and Direct Incorporation provide more than just registered agent and incorporation services. While we won’t cover every single option available, here’s a general overview of what each company brings to the table.
Northwest Registered Agent is most widely recognized for its registered agent service, but its catalog covers a broad range of business support needs. They handle annual report filings, EIN applications, and S corporation elections. They also provide online tools such as website builders, hosting, SSL certificates, and domain registration. Mail forwarding comes with their registered agent service, and they also offer virtual office addresses in certain states, as well as trademark protection services like registration. Customers also get access to free legal forms, including operating agreements and resolutions, which can be useful for small business compliance.
Direct Incorporation also extends beyond standard incorporation services. Their menu includes foreign qualifications, amendments, dissolution services, and corporate kits. They can also assist with filing for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, annual report filings, and trademark registration and protection services. Many of these services are bundled in their different incorporation service packages, but you can buy them separately, too. Their service library is a little smaller than some of their competitors, but they do have a good number of the basics to get you up and running.
When we evaluate service providers, we like to look at third-party sources such as Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau, as they provide a more neutral view of customer experiences. With that in mind, we reviewed feedback for both Direct Incorporation and Northwest Registered Agent.
Northwest Registered Agent has a relatively small footprint on Trustpilot, with only 135 reviews at the time of this writing. That feedback is sharply divided: roughly half of the ratings are five stars, while a substantial portion are one star. This split suggests that while some customers are satisfied, many others report negative experiences. The most common complaints focus on confusing pricing structures, unexpected charges for services, and difficulty getting effective support.
Direct Incorporation struggles even more in this area. The company has very few third-party reviews overall — no Trustpilot reviews, only four on the BBB, and about two dozen on Yelp. For a business that’s been operating since 2003, that’s a surprisingly low number of reviews.
What makes matters worse is that the reviews that do exist are overwhelmingly negative. While the testimonials on Direct Incorporation’s own site are positive, those don’t provide an unbiased picture since the company controls which reviews are displayed. On independent sites, the BBB reviews are all one star, and Yelp feedback frequently criticizes slow service, poor communication, and unhelpful customer support.
Direct Incorporation also lacks BBB accreditation, and its BBB profile currently holds an F rating due to unresolved complaints.
If you’d prefer to work with a brand with a long history of great customer reviews, check out ZenBusiness. We’ve currently got a 4.8/5 star average score across 24,971 reviews on Trustpilot.
At some point in running your business, you’re bound to have questions — whether about your company itself or one of the services you’ve purchased. In those cases, having reliable customer support can make all the difference. That’s why we examined the support options offered by Northwest Registered Agent and Direct Incorporation.
Northwest Registered Agent provides phone and email support (via their website’s contact form). One downside is that they don’t publish set support hours, so it’s unclear when you’re most likely to reach someone. That said, in our own test during normal business hours, we received clear, thorough responses, including an email reply within a single business day. Still, customer feedback shows that the quality of service isn’t always consistent. While some users describe smooth, helpful interactions, others report slow responses or unhelpful representatives.
Direct Incorporation, on the other hand, has a much weaker track record in this area. A large portion of their negative reviews point to poor customer service, with complaints that support was difficult to reach or unhelpful once connected.
Our own experience reflected those frustrations. Of the service providers we’ve reviewed, Direct Incorporation’s customer support team has been the least responsive. When we attempted to reach them by phone, we were told to leave a message, and it took several hours before we received a callback. Our attempt to connect through live chat was even worse — we waited more than 40 minutes, and no agent ever joined the conversation.
The only circumstances that yielded reliable responses came when we opened their LLC order form (to see registered agent pricing, which isn’t readily available on the Direct Incorporation website outside of the order form). In that scenario, Direct Incorporation’s team was very quick to follow up, pushing us to complete the order. Although their posted hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on weekdays, our tests suggest that contacting them during those hours does not guarantee timely assistance.
Both Northwest Registered Agent and Direct Incorporation can help you start a business, but should you use these services? Maybe you want to get a free year of registered agent service with Northwest Registered Agent. Or maybe you like the robust features included in some of Direct Incorporation’s packages.
But perhaps Northwest Registered Agent and Direct Incorporation’s lackluster customer reviews have you looking for alternatives. If that’s you, check out ZenBusiness. We’re proud to offer our customers the best value and service. We’ll form your LLC for free (plus state filing fees). But we can also provide you with reliable registered agent service at a great value ($99 for your first year and $199/year afterwards). Plus, we’re BBB accredited, and our customer feedback is fantastic: out of 24,971 Trustpilot reviews, we’ve got a 4.8/5 average score. We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer support whenever you need it.
Here at ZenBusiness, we pride ourselves on providing reliable services for a variety of small business needs at a great value. Whether you need registered agent service for a good price, help starting your LLC, a Money Pro app for managing your business finances, or something else, we’ve got your back. We’ll help handle the red tape for you so you can focus on what you love: running your dream business.
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Neither Northwest Registered Agent nor Direct Incorporation offers help with New York’s publication requirements. If you need help with NY publication requirements, check out our New York publication service for more information.
Direct Incorporation doesn’t present a lot of upsells during their ordering process, since their different packages already include a good number of their services. However, their packages do include some free trials, so you might incur some expenses you didn’t expect if you don’t cancel those services before the trial expires.
Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t have as many upsells as some competitors, but they do have some. With either brand, you should carefully read the fine print for all the services and trials you opt into. That way, you won’t be surprised by renewal fees.
Direct Incorporation does say that you can cancel your order and request a refund, but only if your paperwork hasn’t been sent to a government office yet. If you request the refund in time, Direct Incorporation will deduct a $40 service fee from your refund. After your paperwork is submitted, no refunds are granted.
Northwest Registered Agent’s stated refund policy is a bit confusing. The policy states that refunds can only be given if you request one within 90 days of purchase. Even then, their terms of service page doesn’t promise any refunds; the site explicitly states that all refunds are granted at their sole discretion, so refunds come on a case-by-case basis (if they happen at all).
Direct Incorporation posts its turnaround times on its LLC ordering form, including the standard processing windows and expedited ones (if available in your state). Northwest Registered Agent also bases their turnaround speeds on state speeds (while still offering expedited processing if you want it). Ultimately, the two brands have similar speeds.
You absolutely can form an LLC on your own. Using a professional formation service can be really helpful, though. Services like ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agent, and Direct Incorporation can all take some of the paperwork off your plate. These services can also help you navigate your state’s business compliance rules and regulations, which might be trickier than you expect.
Running a compliant business entity isn’t always easy, and these brands have services to help you stay compliant with state requirements. Northwest Registered Agent offers registered agent service for $125 per year, and their annual report service costs $100 plus state fees. Direct Incorporation offers their annual report service as a standalone product or a subscription service for $97 per report they file for you. They also charge $159 per year for registered agent service.
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Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
Written by ZenBusiness Editorial Team
The ZenBusiness Editorial Team has more than 20 years of combined small business publishing experience and has helped over 850,000 entrepreneurs launch and grow their companies. Our writers and business formation experts are dedicated to providing accurate, practical, and trustworthy guidance so business owners can make confident decisions.
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