ZenBusiness reviews its own products and services and compares them to others in the industry.
ZenBusiness reviews and compares Inc Authority and Northwest Registered Agent for LLC formation. Inc Authority offers free formation (plus state fees) with extensive positive customer reviews, while Northwest charges $39 (plus state fees) but has polarized customer feedback with many complaints about billing and support issues.
Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes“Inc Authority” is the registered trademark of Inc Authority, LLC “Northwest Registered Agent” is the registered trademark of Northwest Registered Agent, LLC
Last Updated: September 12, 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 Northwest Registered Agent or Inc Authority. 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 Inc Authority 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 Northwest Registered Agent and Inc Authority, comparing how these two options compete in terms of value, customer service, customer reviews, and more.
Let’s get started.
On the surface, Inc Authority and Northwest Registered Agent seem to be really similar: both companies can help you form and manage a business. But each company has its own unique pros, cons, and company history.
According to their website, Inc Authority (and its family of related brands) has over thirty years of experience in the business formation industry. For what it’s worth, though, “Inc Authority, LLC” was first incorporated in Nevada in 2015, so some of that longevity stems from its affiliated companies. Since its founding, Inc Authority has helped form over 250,000 business entities.
Northwest Registered Agent, as their name implies, offers registered agent service as one of their primary products, but they also provide a variety of other business services. Founded in 1998, Northwest Registered Agent has a long history in the industry. They’re a mid-sized company that’s proud to be family-owned.
Northwest Registered Agent and Inc Authority have a fair bit of common ground as two reputable companies in the business formation and legal services sector. We’ll dive into the distinctions between these brands throughout this guide, but here’s a quick glance at these companies.
In our assessment of Northwest Registered Agent and Inc Authority, we evaluated each company based on several different categories: business formation services, registered agent service, additional service offerings, customer feedback, and customer reviews.
Let’s take a closer look at those categories.
Both Northwest Registered Agent and Inc Authority can help you form a limited liability company, corporation, or nonprofit. But how much will it cost you? For many small business owners, this is an important question to answer. In this section, we’ll compare the costs to create an LLC with either brand (since LLCs are the best fit for many entrepreneurs).
Unlike many competitors, Northwest Registered Agent and Inc Authority don’t offer a long list of LLC formation packages to choose from. Instead, each brand highlights one primary LLC formation product.
Northwest Registered Agent’s LLC formation service costs $39 (plus state fees). For that price, you’ll get your Articles of Organization filed on your behalf, and you’ll get a year of free registered agent service, too. You’ll also receive access to a variety of free trials, including a domain name, a website builder, a business address service, and more. All of these trials are limited, with renewals ranging between 90 days and a year. You’ll need to pay attention to renewal dates if you don’t intend to continue using these services; the price will quickly exceed that $39 mark after the trials run out.
Inc Authority takes a pretty similar approach, but their LLC formation package is free; you just pay state fees. Like Northwest Registered Agent, they include a year of free registered agent service. You also get to choose one of their “premium services” for free; at the time of this writing, this meant you could choose between a free employer identification number (EIN) or free expedited processing.
At first glance, you might get the impression that Inc Authority offers a variety of other services for free in this package, too: the main LLC landing page makes it seem like you get both free expedited processing and a free EIN along with a free website. But this is a bit misleading; in reality, you have to pick between a free EIN or free expedited processing during the formation process (and pay an extra $49 or forgo the other option). Their website offering isn’t completely free, either. Yes, you’ll get temporary access to domain registration tools and a website builder, but those trials are pretty limited.
Both Northwest Registered Agent and Inc Authority have affordable startup LLC services, but you’ll need to carefully read the renewal terms for the free trials and subscriptions so you don’t get surprised by fees later on.
Every registered business (such as an LLC or corporation) needs to designate a registered agent: someone (or a business entity) who will accept service of process or other important state communications on behalf of the company.
Technically, it might be possible to serve as your own registered agent, but only if you meet certain criteria: you’re a resident of the state, you have a physical address in the state, and you are present at that address during all normal business hours. For most business owners, those requirements aren’t sustainable, so many opt to hire a registered agent service instead. And both Inc Authority and Northwest Registered Agent offer these services.
With either brand, you’ll get one year of free agent service if you use them to form your business. After that first year, Northwest Registered Agent will charge you $125 per year for service. Inc Authority doesn’t publish their registered agent fees on their website. When we asked their customer service team, they told us the cost would be “around $199” per year, but that price is subject to change.
Both brands have an appealing introductory offer if you use their formation services, but after the first year, Northwest Registered Agent is a little cheaper.
Both Inc Authority and Northwest Registered Agent offer a variety of products beyond basic business formation services, which can be helpful if you’re looking to handle several business tasks in one place. But each brand has a unique service menu. While we won’t cover the full catalog for each company here (this Northwest Registered Agent vs. Inc Authority guide would be far too long if we did), we can give you a decent idea of what to expect.
The bulk of Inc Authority’s service library focuses on business-related services, including help getting an EIN, drafting bylaws or an LLC operating agreement, setting up legal forms like ownership certificates, creating minutes and resolutions, crafting business plans, and more. They also offer Compliance360, a yearly subscription for compliance services, including two free amendments per year and customized reminders about state deadlines. Inc Authority also offers a variety of website-building tools, including a do-it-yourself tool or a plan where a professional builds a site for you. They also offer a couple of personal services, including a revocable living trust and tax preparation (tax prep is available for both business and personal returns). Inc Authority also partners with a few other service providers to offer things like a business bank account for separating personal and business finances, business insurance, and more.
Northwest Registered Agent offers a variety of business services. They can help you file your annual report, get an EIN, and more. They also offer a few of their own services for building and maintaining your brand identity, including tools for website building and web hosting, domain name registration, SSL security, and even business phone service. They can even help you register a trademark. Businesses in select states might also appreciate their mail forwarding services and virtual office services.
When we’re assessing a company, we like to look at third-party review sites like Trustpilot or the Better Business Bureau (BBB); we find that these are great sources to get an unbiased view of what customers are saying about their experiences. So we took a look at some of the reviews for Inc Authority and Northwest Registered Agent.
Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t have a strong showing on Trustpilot. To start, they don’t have many reviews (just 130 of them at the time of this writing). But more importantly, the reviews they do have are very, very polarizing. Sure, 47% of the reviews are 5-star positives, but a concerning 41% of the reviews are scathing one-star indictments. While not everyone has a poor experience with the brand, plenty of customers do. Negative reviewers frequently mention that they were confused by the pricing structures, were billed for unwanted services, or received unhelpful customer support.
In contrast, Inc Authority has a strong showing on Trustpilot. At the time of this writing, they’ve garnered a 4.9/5 star average score across nearly 43,000 reviews. Positive reviews frequently mention an easy business setup process and helpful customer service representatives. Inc Authority doesn’t have many negative Trustpilot reviews, but those that do exist often mention issues like upsells, being billed for the same product twice, or getting overcharged for services.
We did find one notable downside, however: Inc Authority isn’t accredited by the BBB. In fact, their profile receives an F rating for unanswered customer complaints. We did have to do a little digging to verify this; at first glance, the profile listed for the brand (linked earlier) is labeled with the name “Inc for Free.” However, “Inc Authority, LLC” is listed as an alternate name on the profile. Plus, customer service representatives have replied to negative reviews and cited the name Inc Authority in their responses, so it’s safe to say that Inc Authority acknowledges this profile (and the negative feedback there) as their own.
While Inc Authority reviews are very positive at first glance, both brands have room for improvement in this category. In contrast, ZenBusiness is BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and we’ve got a 4.8/5 star average across 24,381 reviews.
Somewhere along the way, you’ll probably need to ask questions. Maybe you’ll need answers about growing your business or about one of the business services you’re subscribed to. But you want the assurance that you’ll get answers promptly (and from a helpful and knowledgeable representative). That’s why we’ve taken a look at the customer service departments from Northwest Registered Agent and Inc Authority.
Northwest Registered Agent offers three channels for customer support: phone, email, or a contact form on their website (they don’t have any posted customer support hours, though). We’ve tested their support channels by asking a few of our own questions. Typically, we got detailed answers, and even our emailed question was responded to within one business day.
Judging by customer reviews, Northwest doesn’t provide that same excellent support for every single customer. If you read some of their negative customer reviews, you’ll see person after person complaining that customer support was unhelpful (or worse, nonexistent) when they needed help. If you need help with your business, you don’t want to be in their shoes, stuck waiting for assistance.
Inc Authority offers customer support through phone, chat, or email. Their support team is based in the U.S., so you’ll be able to get help from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT on weekdays. They don’t have weekend availability, unfortunately. When we reached out with questions, we got a quick response within a matter of minutes.
Customer reviews strongly suggest that Inc Authority’s support team consistently provides prompt, helpful service. Many reviewers mention how helpful support reps were, especially during the business formation process. That said, negative reviewers sometimes cite duplicate charges as a major complaint, a scenario that sometimes occurred after support reps reached out to correct filing issues.
Want truly exceptional customer service? Check out ZenBusiness as a great Northwest Registered Agent or Inc Authority alternative.
There are perks to both Northwest Registered Agent and Inc Authority, especially since both brands have affordable startup packages and a year of registered agent service for free. But the mixed feedback for both Northwest and Inc Authority might have you hesitating and looking for alternatives.
If that’s you, check out ZenBusiness. Like Inc Authority, we have a free LLC formation service package (just pay state filing fees). But we can also provide you with 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 24,381 Trustpilot reviews, we’ve got a 4.8/5 average score. We pride ourselves on helpful, personalized 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 business.
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Both brands highlight only one formation package: Northwest Registered Agent has their $39 formation service (plus state fees), and Inc Authority has their free LLC package (plus state fees). Both brands also include a year of registered agent service for free with the business formation service.
Inc Authority doesn’t offer to handle New York publication requirements, and neither does Northwest Registered Agent. If you need help with NY publication requirements, check out our New York publication service for more information.
Compared to some competitor services, Northwest Registered Agent keeps the upsells to a minimum. Yes, they do present extra services that you can opt into, but most of the offers are presented in one place as opposed to constantly nagging you with extra services. Inc Authority does present a fair number of upsells during the LLC formation process, so you’ll need to carefully read the terms and conditions to know the prices and renewal fees for any services you opt into.
Northwest Registered Agent’s stated refund policy is somewhat vague. 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).
Inc Authority used to have a stricter refund policy, but as of this writing, they do offer a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Note: With any business formation service, you can’t get a refund on money paid for state filing fees. Those fees are always non-refundable.
Northwest Registered Agent bases their turnaround times on state filing speeds, so in some states, LLC processing times would take just a few days, and in other states, it could take weeks. Inc Authority has a similar approach, but they do offer expedited service (24-hour processing) if you need a quicker turnaround.
You absolutely can form an LLC on your own. Using LLC services can be really helpful, though. Services like ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agent, and Inc Authority 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.
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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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