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Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer are two of the most respected and popular LLC formation services available online today. They’re both capable and trustworthy, and either of them can form a compliant LLC. That said, there are some important differences between them.
To begin with, Northwest includes 12 months of registered agent service at no extra charge with any LLC formation package. Overall though, Rocket Lawyer has lower prices for LLC service and is a decent alternative to Northwest Registered Agent.
Do you need some more information before making your choice? Let’s get to the bottom of what sets these services apart from each other and the competition. But first, what do they have in common?
1) Affordable: If you want to save some money compared to hiring a lawyer to draft and file your Articles of Organization, these service providers can help. Both Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer can save you hundreds of dollars over an attorney’s fees. Furthermore, the LLC isn’t a complicated business structure, and you may not need the lawyer’s expertise anyway.
2) Customer Support: Saving money is one thing, but it’s not everything. If you don’t want to handle your own LLC formation process, these companies have customer service departments that can be a big help. If you ever have questions, you can call or email them to quickly receive an accurate answer.
3) Experience: Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer have formed millions of LLCs, so you can trust them to get the job done right. Experience matters, and these service providers have plenty of it.
4) Efficiency: Do you need your LLC formed sooner rather than later? That’s not a problem for these providers. Rocket Lawyer and Northwest Registered Agent both have expedited services available that can speed up your formation from a matter of weeks down to just a few days in many states (for an additional fee, of course).
5) Positive Customer Reviews: We always prefer to read plenty of positive customer reviews before making a purchase, and both of these companies receive good reviews from their clients. It seems that the customer experience with either Northwest Registered Agent or Rocket Lawyer is usually a positive one.
6) Additional Services: LLC formations aren’t the only services offered by these companies. If you need other services like foreign qualifications or document prep, Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer can help.
Northwest: At $225, their price point is high compared to many competitors. Still, the inclusion of a full year of their registered agent service is a good feature that makes their pricing more attractive. Once the first year is up, the registered agent service will renew at $125 per year.
Rocket Lawyer: Rocket Lawyer only offers one LLC formation service package. It costs $99 (+ state fee) and includes no features beyond the basics. However, it offers this package for free for new members to its $39.99/month legal services subscription.
Northwest: Northwest Registered Agent has been around since 1998, and since then, they’ve served 2+ million customers.
Rocket Lawyer: Rocket Lawyer has been in business since 2008, and they’ve served 25+ million customers since then, although it’s unclear how many of those are business clients as opposed to individual customers.
Northwest: Northwest offers phone and email support. We first tested their email support, and while it took nearly 24 hours to receive an email back, the response was detailed, and the rep went beyond simply answering our question and checking off an email response. We also called and received similarly impressive service. The representative who answered the phone took the time to ask for details so that he could give us the most accurate answer.
Rocket Lawyer: Rocket Lawyer offers phone, chat, and email support, with operating hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. We’re pleased with the responsiveness and helpfulness of their phone and email support. The chat feature is a bit convoluted in its presentation (it starts as more of a searchable FAQ before connecting you with a representative) but it does work once you figure it out.
Northwest: When you select your state from the dropdown menu of the application, an estimated turnaround time will display on the screen. Most states have expedited service available for an additional fee, so you’ll see two turnaround times on the order form.
Rocket Lawyer: If you’d like to get an estimate for turnaround times for your state of formation, click through the order form to the page where you decide whether or not to expedite your order. On this page, you can access estimates of the number of days required for both expedited and standard processing times. It would be nice to have these turnaround times listed in a more convenient spot, as opposed to several pages into the order form.
Northwest: Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t have a ton of customer feedback, but they do have around 800 reviews, and they’re mostly positive.
Rocket Lawyer: This company receives solid customer feedback. We found nearly 10,000 reviews on reputable third-party review sites, and the majority of them were positive.
Northwest: The application process with Northwest is streamlined and easy to follow. You simply enter your personal info and business details and pay for the order. There aren’t any upsells, and Northwest only offers one LLC formation service package.
Rocket Lawyer: Ordering business formation with Rocket Lawyer can be easier or harder than other services, based on your perspective. They don’t have tiered packages as many of their competitors do. Instead, you walk through a handful of add-ons before checking out. Still, it only took us about 10 minutes to walk through the form, make our selections, and reach the checkout screen.
For the most part, Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer have similar offerings when it comes to business services. They both offer registered agent services, LLC operating agreements, certified copies, and more. However, Rocket Lawyer has a collection of specialty and personal services that Northwest doesn’t provide.
For example, Rocket Lawyer can help you with some real estate services like drafting a lease agreement or quitclaim deed. In addition, they offer last will and testament service, divorce settlement agreements, child care authorization forms, and more.
Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer are two popular options for LLC formation service. They both have plenty of experience, and they can save you lots of money compared to hiring a lawyer to form your LLC.
We understand that some of you may still be undecided, so to finish this comparison, we’ll point out a few of the common reasons for choosing each service provider. Regardless of which service you end up using, we wish you the best of luck!
Do you like the idea of having registered agent service included with your formation? Do you want their personalized customer support? Northwest could be worth a look.
Do you want to save some money? Are you interested in their legal services subscription? These are a couple of reasons to consider Rocket Lawyer.
If you’d like to form your LLC with ZenBusiness, we’re here to help. We offer LLC formations starting at $0 (+ state fee), and we have more than 12,000 positive customer reviews available online. Form your LLC quickly and get more tools to start your dream business.
Recommended article: Inc Authority vs. Rocket Lawyer
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If I decide to use Northwest Registered Agent, which package should I choose?
They only offer one package for LLC formations, but it includes everything you need to get your business off the ground — a name availability check, the preparation and filing of your formation documents, and a year of registered agent service for a total of $225 (+ state fee).
How does Northwest Registered Agent compare to alternatives?
Northwest Registered Agent, one of the most popular LLC websites, has formed 2+ million businesses since 1998. Check out the comparison reviews below if you’d like to see how this company stacks up to other good LLC websites.
Northwest Registered Agent compared to:
Does Northwest handle state-specific requirements like New York publication?
Sort of. Northwest doesn’t offer to fully take care of additional state-specific requirements, but they do provide some assistance. For instance, if you form an LLC in the state of New York, you need to comply with the state’s publication requirement. To handle this requirement, Northwest lets you use their Albany, NY address as your “principal office” or “address for service of process.” After you designate their address as your own, they provide you with step-by-step instructions to complete the requirement on your own.
Rocket Lawyer does offer publication service, and we provide this service as well. If you need help with NY publication requirements, check out our New York publication service for more information.
Which service has fewer upsells?
Northwest Registered Agent has basically zero upsells on its website. As for Rocket Lawyer, they aren’t too bad about pushing upsells either, but they do make a few attempts to sell you their $39.99/month legal services subscription plan. On one hand, it could be somewhat annoying if you’re not interested in it, but they provide a seven-day free trial and free LLC formation service for new subscribers, so it’s at least worth considering for most of our readers.
Does either of these services have a refund policy?
Rocket Lawyer processes refunds requested within 30 days of purchase, but they also specify that they “do not offer refunds on payments we have collected for incorporation-related services.” As for Northwest, they’ll provide a refund upon request, less a $25 processing fee which they refer to as a “You changed your mind fee.” Neither of these companies can compete with us in this area, as we offer a 60-day 100% satisfaction guarantee with no processing fees.
Which LLC formation website is faster?
Turnaround times with Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer are very similar, usually only varying by a day or two one way or the other. This is because both service providers base their turnarounds on how quickly each individual state processes orders. One company or the other may be slightly faster in your state, but it’s likely not a significant difference.
Can I form an LLC on my own, without a service?
You can, and many entrepreneurs do form their own LLCs every day. However, we appreciate the peace of mind we receive from using a reputable formation service. In addition, each state has its own rules and regulations for LLC formations, so there can often be more legwork than people might expect.
What is the biggest advantage of each service?
Northwest’s most significant advantage is its personalized customer support. Rocket Lawyer has more of a standard “call center” approach to customer service. As for Rocket Lawyer, its big advantages are its high level of experience and large collection of positive client feedback.
Which company offers more help with ongoing compliance requirements?
Northwest offers registered agent service for $125 per year. They also offer annual report service, which is available for $100 plus state fee. You can purchase Rocket Lawyer’s registered agent service for $149.99 per year, but they don’t offer annual report service, so their level of assistance with ongoing compliance requirements is less than impressive.
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 Team ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 700,000 dream companies. The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.
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