Statutia › ZenBusiness vs Northwest
ZenBusiness vs Northwest: which is cheaper for you?
ZenBusiness and Northwest Registered Agent both sell LLC formation and registered agent service, but they price them very differently. The right pick depends on whether you’re forming a new LLC or already have one, and how long you’ll keep it.
Short answer: for registered agent service, Northwest is cheaper from year two. ZenBusiness is $99 in year one, then $199 a year; Northwest is $125 every year. Over five years that’s $895 vs $625, a $270 difference.
Forming a new LLC with agent service included, Northwest’s $49 Basic package totals $549 over five years against $995 for ZenBusiness Starter plus its agent service. ZenBusiness can still suit you if you want its Pro plan’s bundle, covered below.
How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.
Registered agent service: year by year
For an existing LLC switching in, or a business that formed on its own. ZenBusiness advertises its $99 first year (“50% off”) to businesses switching in.
| Northwest | ZenBusiness | Cheaper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through year 1 | $125 | $99 | ZenBusiness |
| Through year 2 | $250 | $298 | Northwest |
| Through year 3 | $375 | $497 | Northwest |
| Through year 4 | $500 | $696 | Northwest |
| Through year 5 | $625 | $895 | Northwest |
ZenBusiness saves $26 in year one, then costs $74 more every year after. Sources: northwestregisteredagent.com ↗ (opens in a new tab) · checked Oct 11, 2026; zenbusiness.com ↗ (opens in a new tab) · checked Oct 11, 2026.
Forming a new LLC: packages compared
Service cost before state fees, which are the same whoever files. Five years = package + agent service in year one if not included + four years of renewals (agent, plus the package itself where it renews).
| Package | Price | Agent, year one | EIN | Operating agreement | Then | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Basic | $49 | Included | No | No | $125/yr | $549 |
| Northwest Deluxe | $149 | Included | Yes | Yes | $125/yr | $649 |
| ZenBusiness Starter | $0 | +$199 | No | No | $199/yr | $995 |
| ZenBusiness Pro | $199 | +$199 | Yes | Yes | $398/yr | $1,990 |
Annual reports: ZenBusiness Pro includes annual-report filing while the plan renews ($199/yr, on top of agent service). Northwest charges $100 per report plus the state fee, and enrolls agent customers automatically unless they opt out. Either way you can file the report yourself on the state’s site for just the state fee (fees by state).
Beyond price: terms and service
| Northwest | ZenBusiness | |
|---|---|---|
| Switching in | Says it files the change-of-agent form for you for free and pays the state fee (we read the Alabama version of its page). northwestregisteredagent.com ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Its switching guide tells you to file the change with the state and pay any state fee; it says it “can help ensure” the forms are filed correctly. zenbusiness.com ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Cancelling | Online in the client portal, any time. No cancellation fee. northwestregisteredagent.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) | By phone only, not online. You update the state’s record yourself and send proof; cancellation is complete only when the state’s records show your new agent. zenbusiness.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Renewal | Billed automatically (auto-pay). Agent customers are also enrolled in its annual-report service unless they opt out. northwestregisteredagent.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) | $99 for the first year when you switch, then renews at $199 a year. zenbusiness.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Refunds | Purchases are final after 90 days; state fees are never refunded. northwestregisteredagent.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Not verified |
| Price-change terms | Says its price “never goes up” and hasn’t risen in 20 years. That is a published claim, not a contractual price lock. northwestregisteredagent.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Renews at $199/yr, “subject to change”. zenbusiness.com terms ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Its address on your public filings | Yes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Yes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Mail scanning | All state and legal mail; 5 ordinary documents a year included source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | All documents scanned to your dashboard source ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Phone support | Phone number listed; hours not stated source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Mon–Fri 8am–8pm CT, Sat–Sun 9am–6pm CT source ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Data selling | Says it never sells your data source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Not stated |
Which should you pick?
- Existing LLC, agent service only: Northwest, on price ($74 a year less after year one), and you can cancel it online.
- New LLC, lowest five-year cost with agent service: Northwest Basic. If you need the EIN and operating agreement done for you, Northwest Deluxe ($149) still totals less over five years than ZenBusiness Pro.
- New LLC, nothing up front: ZenBusiness Starter is $0, but it has no agent service; you’d add $199 or be your own agent. Bizee’s $0 package includes the first agent year (formation comparison).
- Want everything bundled and auto-filed: ZenBusiness Pro covers EIN, operating agreement and annual reports in one plan, at a higher five-year cost.
See Northwest’s agent service ↗ (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Forming a new LLC: Northwest formation packages (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0 · ZenBusiness formation plans (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Already with one of them?
On ZenBusiness: you pay $199 a year from year two. Moving to Northwest saves $74 a year before your state’s change fee (Northwest says it files the change and pays the fee; we read its Alabama page). ZenBusiness agent service can’t be cancelled online; its cancellation completes when the state shows your new agent. See how to cancel ZenBusiness.
On Northwest: there’s no price reason to move to ZenBusiness; after the first-year discount it costs more each year.
Common questions
Does ZenBusiness’s $99 agent price apply if I already have an LLC?
Yes. Its change-agent page offers 50% off when you switch: $99 plus state fees for the first year, then $199 a year, subject to change.
Has Northwest ever raised its agent price?
We found $125 in every source we checked, and Northwest says it hasn’t raised the price in 20 years. That is its claim, not a contractual guarantee.
Which is cheaper in my state?
State fees are the same with either company, so the service cost decides it. Our calculator adds your state’s fees: new LLC or existing LLC.
What this page can’t tell you
We read prices and terms on each provider’s own site and dated them. We haven’t bought these services, so we can’t rate support, speed or accuracy, and we don’t publish star ratings. “Not verified” means we couldn’t confirm it on the provider’s site; it is never counted as free. Anything not re-checked within 120 days is removed at the next weekly rebuild. Commissions are not an input to any ranking (methodology). This is general information, not legal advice.
How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.