ZenBusiness vs Northwest Registered Agent
Plans, registered agent prices, three-year cost, fine print and ratings for Northwest Registered Agent and ZenBusiness, side by side, with what each costs in your state. We have not used these services ourselves; every figure is read from the company's own site or from the rating site named.
Northwest Registered Agent prices read from its own site on September 15, 2026; ZenBusiness prices read from its own site on September 22, 2026.
Last updated October 14, 2026
TL;DR: Northwest Registered Agent costs $39 in year one and $289 over three years; ZenBusiness costs $99 and $497. Those are our totals of each service's cheapest plan plus registered agent, state fees excluded. Northwest Registered Agent costs less in year one ($39 against $99), over three years ($289 against $497) and on registered agent renewal ($125/yr against $199/yr). On our computed score (55% three-year service cost, 25% BBB grade and 20% Trustpilot score), Northwest Registered Agent is higher at 94.3 out of 100, against 74.1 for ZenBusiness. Which fits you depends on the situation, set out below.
Who each fits
Each row names the service that comes out ahead on one figure printed on this page. Pick the row that matches what matters to you.
| You want the lowest bill in year one | Northwest Registered Agent$39 against $99 for ZenBusiness in year one. |
|---|---|
| You want the lowest total over three years | Northwest Registered Agent$289 against $497 for ZenBusiness over three years. |
| You will keep the registered agent for years | Northwest Registered Agent$125/yr against $199/yr for ZenBusiness on registered agent renewal. |
| You want the higher score on our formula | Northwest Registered AgentNorthwest Registered Agent 94.3 out of 100, ZenBusiness 74.1 out of 100 (55% three-year service cost, 25% BBB grade and 20% Trustpilot score). |
Side by side
Scroll sideways on a phone.
| Item | Northwest Registered Agent | ZenBusiness |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 94.3 out of 100, first of four | 74.1 out of 100, third of four |
| Plans | Formation: $39 + state (one-time)Reg. Agent: $125/yr | Starter: $0 + state (one-time)Pro: $199/yrPremium: $299/yr |
| Registered agent, year one | Included with $39 formation | $99, not included in any plan |
| Registered agent renewal | $125/yr | $199/yr |
| 3-year service cost | $289 ($39 + $125 + $125) | $497 ($99 + $199 + $199) |
| BBB | A, not BBB accredited | A, BBB accredited |
| Trustpilot | 4.1/5 (297 reviews) | 4.8/5 (32,500+ reviews) |
| Prices read | September 15, 2026 | September 22, 2026 |
| Ratings recorded | September 15, 2026 | September 15, 2026 |
The 3-year service cost is our total of each service's cheapest plan plus registered agent for a new LLC, state fees excluded. BBB and Trustpilot figures are as recorded on the date shown and not re-checked since.
Affiliate disclosure: Northwest Registered Agent and ZenBusiness pay us a commission if you sign up through our link, at no extra cost to you. We list only formation services we have an affiliate relationship with, so this is not a survey of the whole market. The score on this page is computed from 3-year service cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score, and the code that computes it never reads which service pays us.
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
What you'll pay in your state
Each service charges the same in every state; what changes is the state's own filing fee and report fee. Pick your state to add them up. The year-one figure is the cheapest plan plus registered agent plus the state filing fee, and leaves out the state report and any other state charge.
| Northwest Registered Agent in Alabama | $239 in year oneCheapest plan Formation: $39 + state (one-time); registered agent in year one: Included with $39 formation (the same in every state); plus the Alabama filing fee. |
|---|---|
| ZenBusiness in Alabama | $299 in year oneCheapest plan Starter: $0 + state (one-time); registered agent in year one: $99, not included in any plan (the same in every state); plus the Alabama filing fee. |
| Alabama filing fee | $200 |
| Alabama report fee | No annual or biennial report |
| Yearly state charges after year one | $0 a yearThe report fee per year plus any minimum entity-level tax we have checked for Alabama. |
Our estimated first-year state cost for an LLC in Alabama is $200, which is $32 less than the national average of $232. It counts a year's share of recurring state fees and taxes at their minimum, so what you pay in year one can differ.
Northwest in Alabama: Registered agent customers are enrolled by default in Northwest's renewal service, which charges your saved payment method $100, plus any state fee or tax it pays for you, each time it handles a state filing for you, cancellable any time.
Filing with Alabama yourself costs the state filing fee with no service charge. For your report's due date, use the annual report deadline tool.
Before you buy
What each record documents about automatic renewals, default enrollments and add-on prices, read from the company's own site. Check each one at checkout, because prices and defaults change.
Northwest Registered Agent
- EIN filing is a $50 add-on, and S-corp election is sold as a separate service.
- $39 formation fee vs $0 on starter plans elsewhere.
- Enrolls registered agent customers in report filing ($100 + state fees) by default.
- Registered agent in year one: Included with $39 formation; after that, $125/yr.
ZenBusiness
- Registered agent renews at $199/yr after year one.
- Registered agent is not included in any plan: $99 for year one when you form with them.
- Compliance package auto-renews. Read the fine print at checkout.
- Every plan adds an AI website builder that is free for 30 days, then renews at $15/month unless you remove it at checkout.
- Pro and Premium renew at $199/yr and $299/yr.
How the score works
The score is 55% three-year service cost, 25% BBB grade and 20% Trustpilot score, computed the same way for all four formation services on our ranking, and it never reads which service pays us.
- Northwest Registered Agent: 0.55 × 100 (cost) + 0.25 × 91.7 (BBB) + 0.2 × 82 (Trustpilot) = 94.3.
- ZenBusiness: 0.55 × 58.1 (cost) + 0.25 × 91.7 (BBB) + 0.2 × 96 (Trustpilot) = 74.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to compare plans?
Check each price at checkout: these were read on the dates above.
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.
Sources
The pages each price and rating on this page was read from. Prices are as read on the dates printed above, and ratings as recorded on the dates in the table; both can change after those dates.
- northwestregisteredagent.com/llcNorthwest Registered Agent: LLC formation
- northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agentNorthwest Registered Agent: registered agent service
- zenbusiness.com/llc/ZenBusiness: LLC formation plans and prices
- zenbusiness.com/registered-agent/ZenBusiness: registered agent service
- bbb.orgBetter Business Bureau business profiles (grades and accreditation)
- trustpilot.comTrustpilot company pages (scores and review counts)