Northwest Registered Agent vs. BizFilings

If you’re looking to start a registered business, then you might be considering using a business formation service like Northwest Registered Agent or BizFilings. These business formation companies (and others like them) can be very helpful if you feel overwhelmed by all the business paperwork you’re facing.

But in the Northwest Registered Agent vs. BizFilings 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 BizFilings, comparing how these two options compete in terms of value, customer service, customer reviews, and more.

Let’s get started.

About BizFilings and Northwest Registered Agent

At first glance, BizFilings and Northwest Registered Agent may look alike — both provide services aimed at helping entrepreneurs form and maintain their businesses. That said, their histories and primary areas of focus set them apart.

As their name implies, Northwest Registered Agent specializes in registered agent services; it was their original service offering. But since opening, Northwest Registered Agent has broadened its offerings to include business formations, compliance filings, and other support services. Founded in 1998, the company remains family-owned and emphasizes a more personal, straightforward approach with its customers, even promising that they’re “not just annoying” to their clients.

BizFilings, meanwhile, is part of CT Corporation and ultimately owned by Wolters Kluwer, a Dutch multinational specializing in information, legal, and compliance services. Originally launched in 1996 by independent entrepreneurs, BizFilings was acquired by Wolters Kluwer in 2002. Since its start, the company has supported over 500,000 business filings, giving it a long track record in the incorporation services industry.

Key Facts About Northwest Registered Agent and BizFilings

Both BizFilings and Northwest Registered Agent have a lot of common ground since they’re both business formation service companies. But they do have their own key differences, too. We’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of how these brands differ throughout this guide, but here’s a quick glance at these companies.

BizFilings

• Backed by a large legal and information services company
• Basic LLC formation package is priced reasonably, but other tiers don’t add as much value for the cost
• Not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Northwest Registered Agent

• Good price for registered agent service in one state (and free first year if you use them to form your business entity)
• Offers bulk service for registered agent service in 52 jurisdictions, if needed
• Customer feedback is extremely polarized

Northwest Registered Agent vs. BizFilings: Our Full Review

In our assessment of Northwest Registered Agent and BizFilings, we evaluated each company 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.

Business Formation Services

Both BizFilings and Northwest Registered Agent can help you form a limited liability company, corporation, or nonprofit. But how much will it cost you? For most small business owners, that’s a very important question to answer.

In this section, we’ll compare how much it costs to create an LLC with these service providers. Granted, an LLC won’t be the right business structure for every budding entrepreneur. But since it’s a popular choice for new businesses, it’s a great point of comparison for a guide like this. If you intend to form a different business structure, keep in mind that those price points might look different from what we describe below.

BizFilings offers a few different LLC formation packages to choose from, each with a different number of services to choose from. Here are your choices:

• Basic ($99 plus state fees): BizFilings will check if your business name is available and then form your LLC on your behalf. This package includes three months of free registered agent service.
• Popular ($199 plus state fees): Formerly called the “Standard Package,” the Popular plan includes everything in Basic, plus expedited filing service, an employer identification number (EIN), and certified copies.
• Premium ($399 plus state fees): Formerly called the “Complete package,” premium includes everything in the popular plan, plus a Certificate of Good Standing and the brand’s business license research package.

It’s worth noting that, as of this writing, BizFilings updated their packages and pricing quite recently. You may see other prices and packages advertised elsewhere, but this is the most up-to-date information we could find for LLC pricing. Pricing differs for other business structures (they even have a different cart experience, too). All told, the basic package isn’t too expensive, but the higher-tier plans are priced pretty high for the value you get.

Unlike many competitors — including BizFilings — Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t bundle its LLC formation service into multiple packages. Instead, they offer a single straightforward option: for $39 plus state fees, they’ll file your LLC paperwork. This package also comes with one year of free registered agent service. In addition, it includes access to several trial-based extras, such as a business address service, a website builder, and domain registration tools.

That said, these added features are short-term trials rather than ongoing services. Most of them renew within 90 days to a year, so it’s important to track renewal dates and cancel anything you don’t plan to use long-term. Otherwise, the low upfront price could turn into a much larger bill once the trial periods end.

If you’re looking for a free LLC formation service, you won’t find it with these brands. In contrast, here at ZenBusiness, we’ve got a free formation package; just pay your state fees, and we’ll form your LLC on your behalf.

Registered Agent Service

Every registered business entity, whether an LLC or a corporation, is required to designate a registered agent — an individual or service responsible for receiving service of process and other official state communications on behalf of the business. While it’s possible to act as your own registered agent, there are strict conditions: you must be a resident of the state, maintain a physical street address there, and be available at that address during all regular business hours.

For most business owners, those requirements are difficult (if not impossible) to meet consistently. That’s why many opt to use a professional registered agent service instead. Both Northwest Registered Agent and BizFilings provide this service, giving entrepreneurs a reliable way to remain compliant without taking on the responsibility themselves.

Northwest Registered Agent offers registered agent service for $125 per year, but you’ll get a year of free registered agent service if you use them to create your LLC. Mail forwarding is included in their registered agent service, too. They also offer bulk discounts if you hire them in five or more states.

Meanwhile, BizFilings charges a base fee of $220 per year for registered agent service (for an additional fee, you can hire them to file the paperwork to change your registered agent, too). This brand also offers temporary free registered agent service if you use their formation services, but the free trial is only three months long.

It’s intriguing to see that both of these brands offer temporary deals on registered agent service, but Northwest Registered Agent definitely offers a better value in this category.

Additional Services

Business formation and registered agent services aren’t the only offerings from these providers — both BizFilings and Northwest Registered Agent also supply additional tools to help entrepreneurs manage other aspects of running a company. We won’t cover every possible detail in this BizFilings vs. Northwest Registered Agent review (this guide would be unnecessarily long if we did), but here’s an overview of what you can expect.

Northwest Registered Agent is best known for its registered agent services, but its catalog extends into a wide range of business support options. They can file annual reports, obtain EINs, and handle S corporation elections. They also provide tools to establish an online presence, including website builders, hosting, SSL certificates, and domain registration. Mail forwarding service is included in their registered agent service, but they also offer virtual office addresses in select states, and help with trademark registration. They even provide access to some free legal forms, such as LLC operating agreements or resolutions.

BizFilings, on the other hand, offers a narrower set of services but still covers several important compliance needs. Their team can assist with filing amendments, submitting annual reports, researching license requirements, and registering for sales tax or payroll tax accounts. They can also help with business amendments, dissolutions, and a few other services. While their service library is smaller compared to some competitors, it still addresses a number of the core needs small businesses often face.

Customer Reviews

When evaluating business service providers, we turn to third-party sources like Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau to get a clearer, more impartial sense of customer experiences. With that in mind, we reviewed feedback for Northwest Registered Agent and BizFilings.

Northwest Registered Agent has a limited presence on Trustpilot, with only about 135 reviews at the time of this writing. The feedback is sharply divided: around 49% of reviews are five stars, while 40% are just one star. This polarization suggests that while some customers are satisfied, a large number are not. Negative reviewers often mention confusing pricing structures, being charged for services they didn’t intend to purchase, or frustrating experiences with customer support.

BizFilings has a similar number of reviews, but their overall ratings are stronger. At the time of this writing, they have 144 reviews on Trustpilot with an average score of 4.7 out of 5 stars (they don’t have any reviews on their Better Business Bureau profile). In the reviews they do have, most customers praise the helpfulness of support representatives and describe the formation process as straightforward. Negative reviews are far less common but tend to mention billing problems or delays with paperwork.

It’s worth noting, however, that BizFilings is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. For business owners who consider BBB accreditation important, this may be a drawback.

Customer Support

At some point, you’ll almost certainly need help — whether it’s with your business itself, a service you’ve purchased, or something else. In those situations, dependable customer support can make a big difference.

Northwest Registered Agent provides support via phone and an email contact form. The downside is that they don’t list official support hours, so it’s not always clear when assistance is available. In our test during standard business hours, we received detailed responses, including an email reply within one business day. Still, customer reviews suggest mixed results: while some users report positive interactions, others describe unhelpful or unresponsive representatives, showing that, in some cases, Northwest Registered Agent needs to provide better customer support.

BizFilings, on the other hand, offers support by phone, email (through an online contact form), and a chat feature accessible through the “Leave Us a Message” button found on their website. When we tested their channels, we connected with a phone representative quickly, and our email inquiry received a response within one business day. Many customer reviews also highlight BizFilings’ support team as helpful and attentive, suggesting that their customer service experience is generally strong.

Want to compare Northwest Registered Agent to more companies? Check out: Inc Authority vs. Northwest Registered Agent

Which LLC formation service is best?

Both BizFilings and Northwest Registered Agent offer various business services to help you start and manage a business. But which service is right for you? Maybe you’re interested in the free registered agent service for a year Northwest Registered Agent provides. Or perhaps you want the business license package included in BizFilings’ top-tier package.

But maybe BizFilings’ lack of BBB accreditation or Northwest Registered Agent’s mixed customer feedback has you looking for alternatives. If that’s you, check out ZenBusiness. We’re proud to offer our customers the best value and service. We even 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 25,256 Trustpilot reviews, we’ve got a 4.8/5 average score. We pride ourselves on providing great customer service whenever you need it.

We can help!

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.