Best Free Registered Agent Services: Top 5 Compare 2024
Reviewed by Randolph Vialva, MBA
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If you own a small business or you’re thinking about starting one In the United States, then you will certainly need a registered agent for your company. This is a requirement within all 50 states and there’s no way to start without it.
Some business owners choose to be their own registered agents, while others opt to use registered agent services such as the ones we will be discussing in this article.
Using a third party to serve as your registered agent has many benefits. However, if you choose to go that route, you should use the best possible provider. And today, you’re in luck since this article is designed to help you do just that.
Top 5 Best Free Registered Agent Services in 2024
- Zenbusiness – Editor’s Choice
- Incfile – Most Experienced Team
- Northwest Registered Agent – Best Customer Service
- Rocket Lawyer – Most Popular
- LegalZoom – Best Guarantee
5 Best Free Registered Agent Services in 2024
Zenbusiness
ZenBusiness is the perfect combination between affordability and value. It’s the best choice for any start-up or small business that needs help with Limited Liability company formation and registered agent services but doesn’t have a ton of resources to spend.
- All plans are very affordable
- Free registered agent services with every Limited Liability company formation package
- High ratings by all customers
- Perfect for any company that’s just starting out
- All advanced services are featured only in the more expensive plans.
ZenBusiness offers the best-registered agent services in 2021, in our opinion. It offers almost everything you need to start a business, and all of its services are fast and reliable.
Along with that, it’s cheaper than most other options on the market. Expect to pay $49 for an LLC incorporation that includes one year of free registered agent services. If you want to have more advanced services, you will have to pay for the Pro plan ($199 per year) or Premium ($299 per year).
Incfile
Incfile is a terrific choice if you want a blend of experience and affordability. All their team members are seasoned veterans in the industry and can provide reliable help, while most of their plans are fairly affordable.
- They impressively have over 15 years of experience in the industry
- All team members have more than five years of relevant work experience
- Offers free business formation and a year of free registered agent services
- Overall affordable plans across the board
- Many add-ons that may end up vastly increasing the costs.
Additionally, the registered agent service is included with all LLC formation plans and remains relatively cheap even as a standalone service.
Incfile offers all new customers one full year of free registered service and charges them only $199 per year after that. And while Incfile is cheap, it still offers incredible services and, on top of that, gives you a ton of add-ons that you can pay for in order to create custom, official documents or run compliance reports.
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest stands out as a company that is very focused on keeping its customers happy. Additionally, they hide nothing from you, so you won’t ever get surprised by the additional costs.
- Incredible customer support team that is ready to assist at any time.
- Puts great emphasis on data privacy and security
- Business incorporation comes with one year of free registered agent services
- Zero hidden fees.
- Can be viewed as expensive in comparison to the other companies offering similar services.
Northwest prioritizes great customer services and security, its “privacy by default” motto shows its dedication to data privacy. While a bit more expensive, costing $229 + state fees for LLC incorporation, Northwest still offers one year of registered agent services for free.
However, if you only need registered agent services, they charge a flat rate of $125 per year. And while this fee may seem a little too high, at least you won’t have to worry about any hidden costs.
Rocket Lawyer
If working with an established, proven name is vital to you, then Rocket Lawyer has to be your top choice. They’ve been in the industry for a little over 13 years. During that time, they’ve managed to work with more than 20 million customers, and their ratings are very high overall.
- Has more than 20 million customers
- Offers fast, safe, and reliable services
- Their premium plan comes with many additional services and discounts
- You can conveniently try their service free for seven days
- Limited customer support
Compared to the other companies we just discussed, Rocket Lawyer is a fairly new one. It was launched in 2008 and has been steadily growing ever since.
When it comes to their registered agent service – it’s fast and reliable and will definitely make sure your business is compliant and data safe. The only issue is the pricing. Rocket Lawyer charges $149.99 just to act as your registered agent.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom is the choice for any business owner that wants to work with a company that is an industry leader and can guarantee the services they offer. Their services are especially worthwhile if you believe you will need more legal advice and not just registered agent service help.
- 20 years of experience
- Vast data storage and emphasis on security
- They are one of the biggest names in the industry
- Incredible refund policy
- Expensive standalone services
- Registered agent services are not a part of the business formation plans
Legal Zoom is p the most established company in the market and an industry leader for the last 20 years. It offers many legal services, including individual attorneys, writing contracts, and filing for copyrights.
Along with that, it also helps with registered agent services. The company can store unlimited important business documents and ensure your data is always secure, furthermore, it uses a compliance calendar that alerts you about all the important filing deadlines.
LegalZoom has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and if you’re unhappy with their services, you can request a full refund within 60 days after you’ve made your purchase. With all that said, the biggest downside of LegalZoom is how expensive it is. Just one year of registered agent services costs $299.
Who Can Serve as a Registered Agent?
Any individual over 18 years old can serve as a registered agent. The only requirement is that they have to be located in the same state as the company they represent.
That’s why you have to provide their physical address and name to the Secretary of State. This is done so all legal documents can be delivered personally to a business address.
Benefits of Hiring a Registered Agent Service
Even though practically any adult can act as a registered service agent, there are still plenty of reasons why you might want to use a dedicated service for that role. Let’s look at some of them:
- Availability during normal business hours: Having a service guarantee that your business will be able to meet all of the legal requirements of being on the premises throughout regular business hours.
- Stability: It saves you the trouble of having to remember all the deadlines and all the changes that have to be made in order to keep the business compliant.
- Reliability: You know that someone is taking care of all the legal activities so that you don’t have to worry about messing up important business documents or forgetting to submit them on time.
- Privacy: Ensures business data protection and makes sure that all your documents are kept safe.
- Work in multiple states: If your business operates in more than one state, having a registered agent service will make it easier to handle all the legal documents you will need for each location.
How much does it cost to hire a registered agent?
Typically, registered agent service costs between $100 – $300, depending on the company you choose to work with.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When you start a company, you have to choose a designated registered agent. That being said, once your business is an incorporated entity with a registered agent, you can reassign the role to your liking, however, the process varies from state to state.
When you use a registered agent service for your business, you’re telling the state to send all your legal and governmental notices to that person/company. This includes all possible lawsuits, subpoenas, or correspondence from different state agencies. Then it’s the registered agent’s job to forward these documents to the responsible person in your company.
If you want to start a company in the United States, you need a registered agent. This is a requirement that all 50 states have for any business entity, including LLCs and corporations.
As difficult as it is to pick just one registered agent service, we chose 2021 ZenBusiness as the best, as it offers the perfect blend of value and affordability for business owners seeking to register their business name.
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