Prices · retrieved 30 August 2026
Registered agent cost, counted to year 3
Year-one promos are not a price. Below are vendor fees for one LLC in one state, with year 1 / 2 / 3 in separate columns and promo versus renewal flagged. State formation fees are not in the totals.
Registered agent only
Buy the statutory role without a formation package. Northwest is flat. Bizee is flat. ZenBusiness sells an intro year that does not repeat.
| Vendor / product | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | 3-year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthwestRegistered agentFlat $125/year. $100/year per state if five or more. | $125List | $125List | $125List | $375 |
| BizeeStandalone registered agentStandalone $149/year. | $149List | $149List | $149List | $447 |
| ZenBusinessStandalone registered agentIntro $99 year 1, then $199/year. The $99 rate cannot be re-upped. | $99Promo | $199Renewal | $199Renewal | $497 |
Formation plus registered agent
Formation packages change the year-1 arithmetic because some vendors throw in a free agent year. That free year ends. Zen Starter is $0 and does not renew; the RA add-on is $199 from day one, not a $99 intro. Zen Starter/Pro add-on is $199 from day one; the $99 intro is standalone RA only.
| Vendor / product | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | 3-year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthwestFormation + RAFormation $39; RA free in year 1, then $125/year. | $39Free year 1 | $125Renewal | $125Renewal | $289 |
| BizeeStandard + RAStandard $199 one-time; RA free year 1 with formation, then $149/year. | $199Free year 1 | $149Renewal | $149Renewal | $497 |
| BizeePremium + RAPremium $299 one-time; RA free year 1 with formation, then $149/year. | $299Free year 1 | $149Renewal | $149Renewal | $597 |
| ZenBusinessStarter + RA add-onStarter is $0 + state and does not renew. RA add-on is $199/year from day one. | $199List | $199List | $199List | $597 |
| ZenBusinessPro + RA add-onPro $199/year plus RA add-on $199/year. | $398List | $398Renewal | $398Renewal | $1,194 |
| ZenBusinessPremium (RA included)Premium $399/year includes RA and renews at $399. | $399List | $399Renewal | $399Renewal | $1,197 |
| LegalZoomBasic + RA (foil)Basic $0 does not include RA. RA is $249/year separate. | $249List | $249Renewal | $249Renewal | $747 |
| BizeeBasic + RA — not a headline figureBasic is $0 + state, one-time. RA free year 1 then $149/year. Listed last on purpose: do not treat $0 as the comparison. | $0Free year 1 | $149Renewal | $149Renewal | $298 |
List prices behind the totals
| Vendor | SKU | Amount | Cadence / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agent | Registered agent | $125 | Per year. $100/year per state if 5+. |
| Northwest | Formation | $39 | Plus state fees. RA free year 1, then $125/year. |
| Northwest | EIN | $50 / $200 | With SSN / without SSN. Not in the 3-year RA tables. |
| ZenBusiness | Starter | $0 | Plus state. Does not renew. |
| ZenBusiness | Pro | $199 | Per year. RA add-on $199/year extra. |
| ZenBusiness | Premium | $399 | Per year. Includes RA. Renews at $399. |
| ZenBusiness | Standalone RA | $99 then $199 | Intro year 1; cannot re-up at $99. |
| ZenBusiness | Starter/Pro RA add-on | $199 | From day one. Not the $99 intro. |
| Bizee | Basic / Standard / Premium | $0 / $199 / $299 | One-time + state. Do not hero Basic $0. |
| Bizee | RA with formation / standalone | Free year 1, then $149 / $149 | Standalone is $149/year with no free year. |
| Bizee | EIN standalone | $70 | Included in Standard/Premium. Not in RA tables. |
| LegalZoom (foil) | Basic / Pro / Premium | $0 / $249 / $299 | Basic has no RA. |
| LegalZoom | Registered agent | $249 | Per year, separate. They cover state change fees. |
| LegalZoom | Attorney trial / LZ Books | $49 / $9.99 | Per month. Pro trial auto-renews; Premium includes Books. |
How the 3-year arithmetic is done
| Stack | Arithmetic | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest RA-only | 125 + 125 + 125 | $375 |
| Bizee RA-only | 149 + 149 + 149 | $447 |
| Zen standalone RA | 99 + 199 + 199 | $497 |
| Northwest formation + RA | 39 + 125 + 125 (RA free in year 1) | $289 |
| Zen Starter + RA add-on | 0 + 199 + 199 + 199 (Starter does not renew) | $597 |
| Zen Pro + RA add-on | (199 + 199) × 3 | $1,194 |
| Zen Premium | 399 × 3 | $1,197 |
| Bizee Basic + RA | 0 + 149 + 149 (not a headline) | $298 |
| Bizee Standard + RA | 199 + 149 + 149 | $497 |
| Bizee Premium + RA | 299 + 149 + 149 | $597 |
| LegalZoom Basic + RA | 0 + 249 + 249 + 249 | $747 |
Mail is a separate bill
Mail forwarding and virtual offices are not registered-agent fees. Northwest starts mail forwarding at $20/mo and virtual office at $29/mo. Bizee virtual address is $29/mo and cannot be the RA. Traveling Mailbox is $15/$25/$55 per month. See virtual business address and agent vs mailbox.
Questions
Why are state fees missing from the 3-year totals?
State formation fees, franchise taxes, and annual reports vary by state and, for one vendor, conflict across pages. Filing Address keeps vendor SKUs in one table and SOS fees in another so a Texas formation is not compared to a Wyoming one by accident.
Is Bizee’s $0 Basic the cheapest way to form an LLC?
Basic is $0 + state and is a one-time formation fee, not a subscription. Registered agent is free in year 1 with formation and $149/year after. The 3-year vendor total is $298. We list that row last and do not use $0 as a headline, because the year-one checkout number is not the bill.
Why is Zen Premium ($1,197) almost identical to Zen Pro + RA ($1,194)?
Pro is $199/year plus a $199/year RA add-on ($398/year). Premium is $399/year and includes RA. Over three years those stacks are $1,194 and $1,197. Starter does not renew; its RA add-on is $199 from day one ($597 over three years).
Sources
Official vendor, secretary of state, or statute pages. Third-party “best of” lists were not used. Retrieval dates are on each row.
- Northwest Registered Agent — registered agent Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- Northwest — LLC formation Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- Northwest — incorporation service Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- Northwest — EIN / tax ID Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- ZenBusiness — formation plan pricing Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- ZenBusiness — registered agent Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- ZenBusiness help center Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- Bizee Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- Bizee — LLC Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- Bizee — registered agent Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- Bizee vs Northwest Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- LegalZoom formation / registered agent pages Retrieved 2026-08-30.