6 Registered Agent Services Compared (2026 Costs)

Every US LLC requires a registered agent -- no exceptions, all 50 states (Wyoming § 17-28-101, Delaware § 18-104). The agent receives legal documents, state correspondence, and compliance notices on behalf of your LLC. If you live outside the US, the registered agent is likely the only physical presence your business has in the country.

This comparison covers six services: Northwest, ZenBusiness, Bizee (formerly Incfile), Registered Agents Inc, Tailor Brands, and MyCorporation. Each bundles the RA function differently -- formation services, compliance monitoring, add-ons -- and those bundles change the effective annual cost significantly.

Related: Stripe Atlas vs Firstbase vs Doola (formation), Delaware vs Wyoming LLC (state choice), US LLC Cost for Non-Residents (total costs).

What a registered agent does

A registered agent does three things:

1. Receives service of process — If the LLC is sued, the registered agent receives the legal papers. This is the primary legal function.
2. Receives state correspondence — Annual report reminders, franchise tax notices, administrative dissolution warnings, and other state filings are sent to the registered agent address.
3. Provides a physical address — The registered agent's address becomes the public-facing address on state records for receiving legal and tax correspondence. This keeps the founder's personal address off public filings.

If you live outside the US, the registered agent is your early warning system. Miss a state notice about a filing or overdue franchise tax? If your agent is unreliable, you may not find out until the state has already dissolved your LLC.

I switched registered agents twice in the first five years of my US entity. The first one doubled its price at renewal -- exactly the trap this comparison maps. The second time, a missed renewal notice nearly knocked us out of good standing, which would have cascaded into banking and payment processor problems. I stopped treating the RA as a line item to minimize and started treating it as infrastructure.

Pricing comparison

Year-1 prices are bait. Renewal prices are the real cost. Here is what each service actually charges.

Registered agent (standalone)

Watch the renewals. ZenBusiness lures you in at $99, then charges $199/yr from year 2. MyCorporation is worse: $120 year 1, $249/yr after. Over three years, Northwest ($375) and Bizee ($357) cost the least because their pricing stays flat. Registered Agents Inc ($200/yr) is consistent but higher. Tailor Brands ($199/yr) matches ZenBusiness on renewals without the lower entry.

LLC formation bundles

Most non-resident founders need both formation and a registered agent, so the bundle pricing matters more than the standalone RA fee.

State fees are separate. Wyoming charges $100 for LLC formation + $60/yr for annual reports (Wyoming Secretary of State). Delaware charges $90 for formation + $300/yr franchise tax (Delaware Division of Corporations). These state costs apply regardless of which service handles the filing. See Delaware vs Wyoming LLC for the full state cost comparison.

Total cost of LLC ownership: year 1 through year 3

The registered agent fee is one line item. The actual annual cost of keeping a US LLC alive includes state fees, tax filing, and compliance -- and the differences compound fast.

Note: Bizee's 3-year total above reflects the Basic tier ($0 formation). Bizee Standard ($149 formation) brings the 3-year total to $607. Standard and Premium tiers include additional features such as expedited filing and compliance tools. MyCorporation's 3-year total may reach $1,055+ when mandatory shipping fees ($34-84 per order) are included. The table above reflects service fees only.

Not included above: Form 5472 + pro forma Form 1120 preparation ($300-1,000/yr via CPA), FBAR filing if applicable (see FBAR for Digital Nomads), and any state-specific taxes. These costs are CPA-driven, not registered agent-driven.

Non-resident specific considerations

Most registered agent reviews are written for US-based founders. If you are forming from outside the US, the requirements look different.

Remote setup

All six work fully remote -- no US presence required at any step. The EIN application for foreign-owned LLCs goes via IRS Form SS-4 by fax to (855) 215-1627 or mail (IRS Instructions for Form SS-4). The IRS charges nothing for EIN assignment.

Northwest, ZenBusiness, and Bizee have documented non-resident workflows. The other three accept non-US addresses but don't say much about the international process on their sites. See EIN vs ITIN for Non-Resident Founders for a walkthrough.

Mail forwarding

This trips people up: your registered agent address is for legal documents and state filings. It is not a general business mailing address. If you need a US address for bank applications, vendor accounts, or customer mail, that is a separate service.

Mercury does not require a US address, but some traditional banks do. For a dedicated mailing address with scan-and-forward, look at a virtual mailbox -- Earth Class Mail, iPostal1, or Traveling Mailbox.

Compliance monitoring

If you are not in the US, compliance monitoring is not a nice-to-have -- it is the difference between catching a missed filing and waking up to a dissolved LLC.

The compliance gap is federal. None of these services touch Form 5472 ($25,000 penalty under IRC Section 6038A(d)), estimated tax payments, or FBAR reporting (triggered when foreign account balances exceed $10,000 at any point, per 31 USC § 5314). Those are CPA responsibilities. Your registered agent handles state-level compliance only. See the compliance guide for the full picture.

Incfile → Bizee: what happened

ZenBusiness acquired Incfile in 2023 and rebranded it as Bizee later that year. They now run as separate brands under one parent -- different pricing, different websites, same underlying infrastructure.

The oddity: you are comparing two products from the same company. Bizee keeps Incfile's old pricing model (free formation + free year-1 RA). ZenBusiness has its own tier structure. Pick whichever is cheaper for your situation -- the backend is the same.

Registered Agents Inc

Registered Agents Inc charges a flat $200/yr -- no introductory discount, no renewal increase. The pitch is compliance: they actually file your annual report, not just remind you about it.

Formation: $100 + state fees with year-1 RA included. The most expensive formation fee here (Northwest is $39; ZenBusiness, Bizee, and Tailor Brands are $0).

At $200/yr you get: registered agent in any state, same-day document scanning, annual report filing (actual filing, not reminders), and compliance deadline tracking.

You don't get: EIN obtainment (you will need to file Form SS-4 separately), or much non-resident-specific guidance. They accept non-US addresses but do not market to international founders.

The annual report filing is the real differentiator. If you are in a different time zone and unfamiliar with state filing portals, having someone handle this for you is worth something. Whether it is worth the $75/yr premium over Northwest ($200 vs $125) depends on how much you trust yourself to file on time.

3-year cost (Wyoming): $720. That is 41% more than Northwest ($509) and 57% more than Bizee Basic ($458).

Tailor Brands

Tailor Brands came from logo design, not legal services. It expanded into LLC formation, but the registered agent is always a separate add-on -- never included in any tier. That matters.

Formation: $0 (Lite plan) + state fees, but add $199/yr for the RA on top. The "free formation" framing hides the real cost: a Wyoming LLC with Tailor Brands costs $299 in year 1, compared to $139 with Northwest or $100 with ZenBusiness.

The branding bundle (logo, basic website builder, digital business cards) is genuinely unique here -- no other RA service offers design tools. If you need both a logo and an LLC, there is a case for it. If you already have branding, the extras just inflate the price.

At $199/yr you get: RA service in any state, digital dashboard, annual report reminders (reminders only -- they do not file for you).

Not included: EIN ($99 extra), annual report filing, compliance calendar.

One structural quirk: the RA is tied to the Tailor Brands platform. You cannot buy it as a standalone product without the broader subscription. If you want only a registered agent, you are paying for a platform you may never use.

3-year cost (Wyoming): $817 ($916 with formation plan subscriptions). Second-most expensive of the six.

MyCorporation

MyCorporation has been around since 1998, now owned by Deluxe Corporation (NYSE: DLX). The longevity is real. The pricing is also the most aggressive renewal trap on this list.

Formation: $99 + state fees. RA is $120 year 1, then $249/yr -- a 108% jump, the steepest here. At $120, it looks competitive with Bizee ($119). By year 2, it is the most expensive RA on the list: $50/yr more than ZenBusiness, nearly double Northwest.

What makes MyCorporation structurally different:

• Apostille services — the one genuinely unique capability here. If you need LLC documents recognized in a foreign jurisdiction (Hague Convention countries), MyCorporation handles apostille and authentication in-house. Useful for local banking, visa applications, or business registration abroad. See the compliance guide for more on documentation.
• Deluxe Corporation backing — publicly traded parent company means MyCorporation is unlikely to vanish overnight (unlike Incfile, which got absorbed into ZenBusiness).
• Mandatory shipping fees — $34-84 per order, including formation documents. Not optional, not always visible at checkout. Some user reviews also report state fee over-quoting.

3-year cost (Wyoming): $937 in service fees alone — formation ($99 + $100 state + $120 RA) + year 2 ($249 RA + $60 state) + year 3 ($249 RA + $60 state). With mandatory shipping fees, the total can reach $1,055+. This makes MyCorporation the most expensive option by a significant margin — more than double Bizee ($458) and 84% more than Northwest ($509).

The apostille question: If you need apostilled LLC documents (for foreign banking, visa applications, local business registration), MyCorporation's integrated service saves real hassle. Getting apostilles separately through the US Department of State or a third-party expediter runs $50-150 per document plus weeks of processing time. If you do not need apostilles, MyCorporation's cost premium is hard to justify.

The structural choice

What the registered agent does not solve

The registered agent keeps your LLC legally alive. That is it. Everything else is a separate layer:

• Federal tax compliance -- Form 5472, estimated taxes, FBAR. CPA territory.
• Banking -- Mercury vs Wise vs Relay
• Accounting -- Xero vs QuickBooks
• Payment processing -- Stripe vs PayPal vs Paddle
• Structural risk -- Whether your LLC structure fits your situation at all. Free risk check.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a registered agent if I formed my LLC through Stripe Atlas or Firstbase?

Yes. Both Stripe Atlas and Firstbase include a registered agent for year 1. After that, it renews at their rate ($100-125/yr for Atlas, included in Firstbase's annual plan). You can switch to a cheaper standalone RA at renewal.

Can I use my registered agent's address as my LLC's business address?

It appears on state filings as the address for legal documents, yes. But most RA services discourage or prohibit using it as a general business mailing address. For actual business mail, you need a separate virtual mailbox.

What happens if I forget to renew my registered agent?

The state sends notices to the last known address. If you do not designate a new agent within the grace period (usually 30-60 days), the state can administratively dissolve your LLC. If you are outside the US and not receiving physical mail there, you may not find out until it is already done.

Is Northwest Registered Agent worth the higher year-1 price?

Northwest charges $125/yr from year 1 with no price increase at renewal. ZenBusiness charges $99 in year 1 but $199/yr at renewal. Over three years, Northwest costs $375 vs ZenBusiness at $497. The year-1 price difference of $26 reverses into a $122 cumulative savings by year 3. Northwest also includes EIN obtainment in its formation package at no extra charge, while ZenBusiness charges $99 for this service.

Can someone outside the US form an LLC and get a registered agent entirely online?

Yes. All six support fully remote LLC formation and RA setup -- no US presence needed, international credit cards accepted. The EIN goes through IRS Form SS-4 (fax or mail); most formation services can handle this for you. Northwest, ZenBusiness, and Bizee have the best-documented non-resident workflows. The other three accept non-US addresses but provide less guidance for international founders.

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Key Takeaways

• Northwest ($509 over 3 years) offers the most predictable pricing ($125/yr flat with no renewal increase). Bizee Standard ($607 over 3 years) is competitive with included year-1 registered agent. Bizee's Basic tier ($0 formation) exists but offers fewer features.
• MyCorporation ($937+ over 3 years) is the most expensive option, with the steepest renewal trap ($120 → $249/yr). Its apostille services are the one differentiator that may justify the premium for founders who need documents recognized abroad.
• Registered Agents Inc ($200/yr) includes annual report filing — not just reminders — in the base fee. This is a structural distinction from the other five services.
• Tailor Brands bundles branding tools (logo, website builder) but never includes the registered agent in any formation tier. The $199/yr RA fee is always additive.
• ZenBusiness and Bizee are owned by the same parent company but maintain separate pricing and service tiers.
• The registered agent handles state-level compliance only. Federal tax obligations (Form 5472, FBAR) require a separate CPA relationship.
• For non-resident founders, the compliance monitoring function of the registered agent is the early warning system for missed state filings and dissolution risk. See Do Non-Resident LLCs Need a Registered Agent? for the foundational requirements.

Related Reading

• Do Non-Resident LLCs Need a Registered Agent?
• US LLC Cost for Non-Residents: Full Breakdown
• EIN vs ITIN for Non-Resident Founders
• Stripe Atlas vs Firstbase vs Doola: Pricing Comparison (2026)
• Delaware vs Wyoming LLC: What Non-Residents Need to Know
• How to Form a US LLC as a Non-Resident (2026)
• Do I Need a US LLC? Non-Resident Decision Framework
• First Year Cross-Border Founder: Every Decision Map
• Mercury vs Wise vs Relay: Best Banking 2026
• FBAR for Digital Nomads: The $10K Threshold Trap
• Cross-Border Compliance Checklist 2026
• Entity Decision Framework for Cross-Border Founders

References

• Northwest Registered Agent — Registered agent and LLC formation services, pricing (accessed February 2026)
• ZenBusiness — LLC formation, registered agent, and compliance services
• Bizee — Formerly Incfile; LLC formation and registered agent services
• Registered Agents Inc — Registered agent with annual report filing included
• Tailor Brands — LLC formation with branding tools; registered agent as add-on
• MyCorporation — LLC formation and registered agent; Deluxe Corporation subsidiary
• Deluxe Corporation — Parent company of MyCorporation (NYSE: DLX)
• Hague Apostille Convention — International treaty for document authentication (125 contracting states as of 2024)
• Wyoming Secretary of State — LLC formation fees and annual report requirements
• Delaware Code Title 6 § 18-104 — Registered agent requirement for Delaware LLCs
• IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4 — EIN filing instructions and fax numbers
• IRS: Form 5472 — Information Return of a 25% Foreign-Owned US Corporation
• IRS: Form 1120 — US Corporation Income Tax Return
• IRS: Form SS-4 — Application for Employer Identification Number
• FinCEN: FBAR Filing — Foreign bank account reporting requirements
• Wyoming Secretary of State — LLC formation fees and annual report requirements
• Delaware Division of Corporations — Franchise tax and annual filing requirements
• Earth Class Mail — Virtual mailbox and mail forwarding service
• Mercury — US business banking platform

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