ZenBusiness vs Northwest on Annual Cost (2026)

Quick answer

On annual cost alone, Northwest Registered Agent is the cheaper of the two. It charges $125 a year, and ZenBusiness charges $199 a year, both as of October 6, 2026, so the gap is $74 every year. Among the six providers on this page, Northwest also has the lowest published ongoing price for a standalone agent in one state.

ZenBusiness is worth the difference for one kind of reader: someone forming an LLC now who wants the agent, the EIN, the operating agreement and compliance handled in one account.

Why does annual cost matter more than the first-year price?

A registered agent is not a one-time purchase. The California Secretary of State notes that corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships must designate an agent for service of process by statute. The Texas Secretary of State warns that failing to maintain a registered agent can lead to involuntary termination of a domestic entity or revocation of a foreign entity's registration.

The fee therefore recurs for as long as the entity exists, so the renewal price matters more than the first-year price. A $99 introductory year that renews at $159 costs more over five years than a flat $125. Every comparison below gives the ongoing price first and labels any promotional rate as promotional.

ZenBusiness vs Northwest: what do the numbers say?

Northwest charges a flat $125 a year for one state. ZenBusiness charges $199 a year on an ongoing basis.

At the ongoing rates, five years cost $995 with ZenBusiness and $625 with Northwest, so the difference is $370.

The two fees cover different things. Northwest's $125 includes a business address, mail scanning, a domain, a website and a phone line. ZenBusiness's $199 includes compliance monitoring.

Formation prices sit alongside these fees, and the state's filing fee is always separate.

ZenBusiness's formation packages are Starter at $0 plus state fees, Pro at $199 (renewing at $199 a year) and Premium at $299 (renewing at $299 a year). The registered agent is a $199-a-year add-on to any of the three.

How do six providers compare on annual cost?

The table lists providers in alphabetical order, not by ranking. Prices come from each provider's own pages as of October 6, 2026. State filing fees are set by each state and are not included.

Bizee

Bizee includes one free year of registered agent service with every formation package. Those packages are Basic at $0 plus state fees, Standard at $199 and Premium at $299. Bizee's LLC pricing page does not publish the renewal price after the free formation year, so it is worth confirming at checkout.

Best for: a founder who wants the lowest possible first-year cost and is willing to revisit the agent choice after year one.

Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance charges $159 a year on an ongoing basis. New customers pay a promotional $99 for the first year. Prepaid two-year and three-year terms keep that $99 rate, at $198 and $297 in total, before renewing at $159. Harbor is built for organizations managing entities and filings across many states, which is a scale ZenBusiness does not target.

Best for: multi-state or regulated businesses, and owners willing to prepay three years to keep near-term costs down.

LegalZoom

LegalZoom does not publish its registered agent price on its LLC pricing page. Its LLC packages are Basic at $0 plus state fees, Managed Service at $249 and Expert Service at $999.

Best for: owners already using LegalZoom for other legal work who prefer to keep everything with one vendor.

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 a year, the lowest ongoing standalone price here for one state. Privacy is its whole proposition. It says it lists its own address on public filings by default and never sells client data.

For an owner whose priority is keeping a home address off the public record at the lowest recurring cost, Northwest is the stronger choice. That is the main way it differs from ZenBusiness.

Best for: the lowest ongoing price for a single state, and owners for whom address privacy matters most.

Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer does not list a registered agent price on its pricing page. Its memberships are Standard ($34.99 a month or $149 a year), Plus ($49.99 a month or $249 a year) and Pro ($64.99 a month or $349 a year). Members get their first LLC registration free, then pay $99 plus state fees, and there is a 7-day free trial.

Best for: owners who want ongoing attorney access anyway and treat the agent as part of that membership.

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness charges $199 a year for registered agent service, sold as an add-on to every formation package. Any introductory terms on the first year should be checked on the ZenBusiness page on the day of purchase, and the service renews at $199.

Best for: a founder forming an LLC now who wants formation, the EIN, compliance and the agent in one place.

When is ZenBusiness worth the extra $74 a year?

The case for ZenBusiness rests on what surrounds the agent, not on the agent fee itself. A new LLC needs a formation filing, an EIN, an operating agreement and an annual report on the state's schedule. ZenBusiness's Pro package includes the EIN and an operating agreement. On Starter, the EIN and the operating agreement cost $99 each.

ZenBusiness Pro plus its agent comes to $398 a year, before state fees.

After formation, the next steps are usually a separate business bank account and a way to keep the books. ZenBusiness sells Money Pro bookkeeping at $30 a month and offers ZenBusiness accounting services. That means the same account that holds the registered agent can carry the business into its first tax year.

That consolidation is what the extra $74 buys: one provider and one renewal date instead of several vendors to track. An owner who already has an entity and only needs an agent gets none of that benefit. For that owner, Northwest's $125 is the better value.

What does state law say about the cost of getting this wrong?

In Texas, an entity may not serve as its own registered agent. An officer, owner or employee may serve in an individual capacity instead. As noted above, the Texas Secretary of State warns that failing to maintain an agent can lead to involuntary termination or revocation of registration.

Texas charges $15 to change the registered agent or registered office, using Form 401. That fee is part of the real cost of leaving a provider when a promotional rate ends.

In California, an entity cannot act as its own agent for service of process. The Secretary of State's Business Search shows the agent's name and address alongside each entity's filings of record. An owner who serves as agent from home is putting that home address in a public search, and this is a matter of record rather than opinion. Avoiding that is the whole basis of the privacy argument for paying a commercial agent.

Outside Texas and California, rules on who may serve, and what happens when an agent lapses, vary by state. The state's business filing office is the authority for each state's requirements.

This is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and registered agent requirements vary by state and change over time.