ZenBusiness reviews its own products and services and compares them to others in the industry.
ZenBusiness reviews and compares Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks for LLC formation. Both companies can help you start an LLC, but neither brand has a particularly strong history of customer reviews.
Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes“Northwest Registered Agent” is the registered trademark of Northwest Registered Agent, LLC “MyCompanyWorks” is the registered trademark of MyCompanyWorks, Inc.
Last Updated: September 27, 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 MyCompanyWorks. 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 MyCompanyWorks 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 MyCompanyWorks, comparing how these two options compete in terms of value, customer service, customer reviews, and more.
Let’s get started.
At first glance, MyCompanyWorks and Northwest Registered Agent appear similar — both provide services that help entrepreneurs form and maintain their businesses. However, their backgrounds and focus areas set them apart.
Northwest Registered Agent, true to its name, is best known for its registered agent services, but the brand also offers business formation and other related services. The company was established in 1998 and remains family-owned, emphasizing its long-standing presence and experience in the industry.
MyCompanyWorks, founded in 2001 under the original name MyNewCompany.com, Inc., entered the market with a clear goal: to make starting a business simple and affordable. Over the years, they’ve assisted in forming thousands of companies. Today, MyCompanyWorks operates as part of Wolters Kluwer, a global information technology, legal, and compliance services corporation with an international footprint.
Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks 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 them throughout this guide, but here’s a quick glance at these companies.
In our assessment of Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks, 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.
MyCompanyWorks can help you form a limited liability company or corporation, and Northwest Registered Agent can help you form an LLC, corporation, or nonprofit. But how much will it cost you? For most small business owners, that’s an important question to answer.
In this section, we’ll compare how much it costs to start an LLC with these brands. While not every business will organize as an LLC, it’s a popular choice for many entrepreneurs, making it a great comparison point for a guide like this.
MyCompanyWorks actually offers a variety of packages for LLC formation. Here’s a look at the pricing and features included in each package:
Meanwhile, Northwest Registered Agent takes a somewhat different approach by centering its offerings around a single core product: their LLC formation package. This package is priced at $39 and covers the filing of your formation documents. It also comes with one year of free registered agent service. In addition, the bundle includes access to several trial offers, such as their business email address service, a website builder, and the option to set up a domain name.
That said, these trial offers are temporary — most renew within 90 days to a year. It’s important to keep track of the renewal dates and cancel any services you don’t plan to continue using, as costs can add up quickly once the trial periods expire.
MyCompanyWorks provides a decent variety of extras and perks in their Basic package, and Northwest Registered Agent has a competitive $39 price point. But if you’re looking for free LLC formation services (plus state fees), you won’t find it with these brands. ZenBusiness does offer a free LLC service, though; pay your state filing fee, and we’ll file your formation paperwork on your behalf.
Every business entity, whether an LLC or a corporation, must appoint a registered agent. This role involves receiving service of process and other official notices from the state on the company’s behalf. While you can technically serve as your own registered agent, you must meet strict requirements: you must live in the state, maintain a physical street address there, and be available at that address during standard business hours.
For most entrepreneurs, meeting those conditions consistently isn’t realistic. That’s why many choose to hire a professional registered agent service instead. Both Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks provide these services for business owners.
Northwest Registered Agent includes one year of free registered agent service when you use them to form your LLC; after that, registered agent service costs $125 per year. They also give bulk discounts if you hire them as your agent in five or more states. Meanwhile, MyCompanyWorks charges $119 per year; the included registered agent service (for the first year) is only available in the Entrepreneur package and Complete package.
All told, these brands have pretty similar registered agent offerings, but the free year of service is a little easier to access with Northwest Registered Agent.
Both MyCompanyWorks and Northwest Registered Agent provide more than just formation services, allowing business owners to handle multiple business needs under one roof. Still, their service menus aren’t identical. We won’t list every option in this MyCompanyWorks vs. Northwest Registered Agent comparison — that would take far too long — but here’s an overview of what each company offers.
Northwest Registered Agent is best known for its registered agent service, but they also cover a range of additional business tasks. They can file annual reports, obtain an employer identification number (EIN), and handle S corporation elections. They also provide tools for building your business’s online presence, including web hosting, website builders, SSL certificates, and domain registration. Other services include mail forwarding and virtual office addresses (in specific states), as well as trademark registration support.
MyCompanyWorks also offers a variety of tools for business compliance and documentation. They provide a business license package to help identify the permits and licenses your company may need, as well as annual report service, customizable business forms, and assistance with amendments or dissolutions. In select states — including Nevada, California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Texas, and Wyoming — they also offer virtual office services. While their catalogs are smaller than some competitors’, MyCompanyWorks and Northwest Registered Agent still cover many of the essentials entrepreneurs need to get started.
When reviewing online service providers, we like to look at independent platforms such as Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau because these third-party review sites give us a clearer sense of customer experiences. With that in mind, we examined online customer reviews for both MyCompanyWorks and Northwest Registered Agent.
Northwest Registered Agent has a limited presence on Trustpilot, with only 134 reviews at the time of this writing. The feedback they do have is highly polarized: about 49% of reviews are five stars, while 40% are one star. This split shows that while some customers have a positive experience, a significant portion do not. Common complaints in negative reviews include confusing pricing, charges for services customers didn’t intend to purchase, and unhelpful interactions with support staff.
MyCompanyWorks, on the other hand, has very little feedback on Trustpilot or the Better Business Bureau — only five reviews across both platforms, with most being one-star ratings. The one exception is ShopperApproved, where MyCompanyWorks holds a much stronger profile with around 4,500 reviews averaging 4.9 out of 5 stars. However, because ShopperApproved is a paid reputation management service (MyCompanyWorks pays the brand to help them collect reviews), we view those reviews more cautiously than feedback from independent sources.
The positive customer feedback MyCompanyWorks does have mention a smooth, fast process. Negative reviews, however, cite issues such as problems with tax payments, recurring charges customers didn’t expect, and difficulty reaching customer support.
If you’re looking for an LLC formation service with a long history of positive customer reviews, you won’t find it with Northwest Registered Agent or MyCompanyWorks. In contrast, ZenBusiness has a glowing reputation on Trustpilot: we’ve got a 4.8/5 star average across 24,971 reviews.
At some point, you’ll probably need help — whether it’s with your business, a service you’ve purchased, or something else entirely. In those situations, having reliable customer support can make a big difference.
Northwest Registered Agent assists by phone and email via a contact form on its website. However, they don’t publish customer support hours, so it isn’t always clear when to contact them. When we tested their channels during standard business hours, we did receive detailed responses, including an email reply within one business day. That said, many customer reviews tell a different story. Negative feedback often mentions unhelpful or unresponsive representatives, suggesting the experience can vary widely.
MyCompanyWorks also offers support by phone, email, and an online contact form. Their posted hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT, with closures on federal holidays. The lack of weekend availability may be inconvenient for some. In our latest test of their support channels, we found that phone support was quick and easy to connect with, and email responses arrived in just over a business day.
It’s worth noting that when we first tried using the contact form, our message bounced back with an error, allegedly due to the email provider we were using at the time (Yahoo). The representative explained it was a glitch when we followed up directly by email. Hopefully, this issue has since been fixed, but calling them may be the most reliable option in practice.
Both MyCompanyWorks and Northwest Registered Agent are well-known incorporation services that can help you form your LLC or corporation. But are they the right service for you? You might find yourself drawn to the first year of registered agent service that you can get with either brand. But these brands’ mixed customer reviews may have you looking into alternatives.
If that’s you, check out ZenBusiness. To help you get started, we offer a free package for basic LLC formation (pay your state fees). 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 24,971 Trustpilot reviews, we’ve got a 4.8/5 average score. We pride ourselves on providing truly excellent customer support whenever you need it.
Here at ZenBusiness, we’re dedicated to 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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Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t currently promote a variety of packages. Instead, they offer one LLC service for $39 plus state fees. That said, you can add on services as needed, so in a way, you can build your own package.
Northwest Registered Agent, a popular LLC website, is perhaps best known in the registered agent industry (not surprisingly, given their name), but they aren’t the only option. Check out the comparison reviews below if you’d like to see how this company stacks up to other LLC websites.
Northwest Registered Agent compared to:
We asked MyCompanyWorks’ customer support team if they handle any publications services in New York. They said they do offer publication services, but you’ll have to contact them for a quote, as the prices vary depending on the county you’re operating in. Northwest Registered Agent offers no assistance with the NY publication process.
If you need help with NY publication requirements, check out our New York publication service for more information.
Northwest Registered Agent keeps the upsells to a minimum during the business formation process. Yes, you’ll find a few throughout the order form, but they aren’t as obtrusive as some brands. Similarly, MyCompanyWorks does offer a few upsells, but they’re primarily located on the package selection screen, so they aren’t too distracting.
Northwest Registered Agent does have a refund policy, but it’s fairly limited. Purchases are generally considered final after 90 days. Refunds or credits for charges older than 90 days won’t be issued unless required by law or specifically agreed to in writing. Even within the 90-day window, refunds aren’t guaranteed — they’re granted at the company’s discretion and may be prorated depending on the situation. It’s also important to note that state filing fees are always non-refundable.
MyCompanyWorks has a 100% satisfaction guarantee where they promise to give you a resolution or a refund for any purchase that happened in the last 90 days. You can request a refund within those 90 days under their satisfaction guarantee, though it only applies to the first month of recurring services. Refunds also include processing fees of $25–$75 depending on how far your order has progressed, and once documents are filed with the state, they’re non-refundable.
MyCompanyWorks bases its turnaround times on the state’s processing speeds, so formation speeds will vary. The brand has same-day processing for their part of the process, and you can upgrade to expedited service with the state on the package selection screen (if it’s available in your state). Northwest Registered Agent has very similar turnaround times since they also base their formation speeds on state speeds.
You absolutely can form an LLC on your own. Using LLC services can be really helpful, though. Services like ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agent, and MyCompanyWorks 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.
Northwest Registered Agent regards itself as one of the best registered agent services, and they do have the main advantage of a free year of registered agent service if you form your LLC with them. MyCompanyWorks’ biggest advantage is probably that they’ll process your LLC formation paperwork on the same business day (or next business day if it’s after 3 p.m. EST).
MyCompanyWorks includes free compliance alerts about annual report due dates with every LLC formation package. They also offer registered agent service for $119 per year or annual report service starting at $99 plus state fees. Meanwhile, Northwest Registered Agent offers registered agent service for $125 per year. They also offer an annual report service, which is available for $100 plus state fees.
Northwest Registered Agent Comparisons
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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