Are you ready to create a new limited liability company (LLC), but you don’t have the budget to hire a lawyer to assist you with your formation? Are you also uninterested in all the legwork involved with the DIY route?
Thankfully, companies like Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation can fill the middle ground by providing LLC formation service at reasonable prices. But how do you figure out which one is the best option for your business?
In this Northwest Registered Agent vs MyCorporation comparison guide, we’ll discuss all the major pros and cons of each service as they relate to each other. By the time you’re done reading, you should have a good idea of which one would best serve your company.
Do Northwest and MyCorporation Offer Good Value?
Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation are both reliable and trustworthy LLC formation service providers. We believe that you’ll be pleased with your decision regardless of which one you pick. Still, each company has its advantages and disadvantages.
On one hand, MyCorporation can save you some money over Northwest’s $225 LLC formation fee, although Northwest includes more features. On the other hand, Northwest has personalized customer support that most competitors can’t match.
Overall, MyCorporation is a decent alternative to Northwest Registered Agent, if that’s something you’re looking for.
Do you need some more information before making your decision? Read on as we break down their major differences and common points.
7 Things They Have In Common
1) Affordable: With either Northwest Registered Agent or MyCorporation, you’ll receive LLC formation service at a fraction of the price it would cost to hire an attorney. These services are good bargains, especially considering the fact that the LLC is not an especially complex business structure, so you may not require a lawyer’s expertise.
2) Customer Support: Even though you’re saving lots of money compared to hiring a lawyer, you’re not going it alone either. Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation both have extensive customer service departments, so if you have any questions or problems, they’re only a phone call or an email away.
3) Experience: Both of these companies have formed thousands of LLCs already, so you can be certain that they know exactly what they’re doing. Experience matters, and these service providers both have plenty of it.
4) Efficiency: If you want your LLC to be formed in a hurry, these companies can definitely help. MyCorporation and Northwest Registered Agent both offer expedited services that can speed up your formation from a matter of weeks down to just a few days in some states.
5) Positive Customer Reviews: MyCorporation and Northwest Registered Agent both receive good customer reviews. If you appreciate reading feedback from existing clients before you make a purchase, you’ll be quite pleased by what these companies have to offer.
6) Additional Services: Do you also need a federal tax ID number (EIN), foreign qualification, LLC operating agreement, or other business services? MyCorporation and Northwest Registered Agent both offer a wide variety of additional services. They’re truly one-stop shops for your business needs.
7) Educational: There’s a lot to learn on both of these websites, even if you don’t decide to become a customer. MyCorporation has an extensive learning center full of helpful articles on all sorts of business topics, and Northwest Registered Agent has many how-to guides that teach you how several different aspects of the business compliance world work.
Best LLC Service Alternative
| Service | Price | Value | Legit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 ZenBusiness | $0 + state fee | Excellent | Absolutely |
If you’d like to explore other LLC services, choose ZenBusiness. We have formed 400,000+ businesses and accumulated thousands of positive reviews. We'll form your LLC for free — just pay your state's required fee!
Side-by-Side Comparisons
Pricing
Northwest: In comparing many of the best LLC services available, Northwest emerged as one of the most popular options. At $225, their price point is quite high compared to many of their competitors. Still, the inclusion of a full year of their registered agent service is a good feature that makes their pricing more attractive. Once the first year is up, the registered agent service will renew at $125 per year.
MyCorporation: Their prices look better on the surface than they really are because they charge an additional $34 for shipping and handling, a fee we’ve added to their package prices to make them easier to compare.
While their $133 Basic package is overpriced for a formation package with such minimal features, their $158 Standard package adds a year of annual report service, which is a valuable feature that few competitors offer in LLC or corporation formation packages. They only include registered agent service with their $258 Deluxe and $358 Premium packages ― other than that, their registered agent service costs $120 per year.
Experience
Northwest: Northwest Registered Agent opened in 1998, and since then they’ve become a reliable midsize LLC formation service with millions of customers.
MyCorporation: As for MyCorporation, they have a similar track record of success ― they’ve been around since 1995, and they’ve served more than 1 million business clients in that time.
Customer Support
Northwest: Northwest offers phone and email support. We first tested their email support, and while it took nearly 24 hours to receive an email back, the response was detailed, and the rep went beyond simply answering our question and checking off an email response. We also called and received similarly impressive service. The representative who answered the phone took the time to ask for details so that he could give us the most accurate answer.
MyCorporation: MyCorporation offers customer service via phone and email. We submitted a question by email and received a response by mid-afternoon the next day. Our question was answered but not greatly elaborated upon. We also called, and our response was slightly more detailed. We did not wait on hold for long, and it was easy to navigate through to a customer service representative.
Turnaround Times
Northwest: When you select your state from the dropdown menu of the application, an estimated turnaround time will display on the screen. Most states have expedited service available for an additional fee, so you’ll see two turnaround times on the order form.
MyCorporation: MyCorporation isn’t very clear regarding turnaround times for forming a corporation or LLC. Depending on your state, it could take a few days, or it could take six weeks. Near the end of the application process, they invite you to pay an extra $100 to expedite processing “up to 85%” compared to standard filing, but if we’re spending that much extra money, we would like to know specifics.
Customer Reviews
Northwest: Northwest Registered Agent has roughly 400 reviews scattered across the web, and they’re mostly positive.
MyCorporation: MyCorporation has a very similar reputation in this regard, with 400+ reviews and high average ratings.
Ease of Use
Northwest: The application process with Northwest is streamlined and easy to follow. You simply enter your personal info and business details and pay for the order. It doesn’t get more straightforward than this.
MyCorporation: The application was easy to fill out, and we made it from the first page of the order form to the last screen within about ten minutes. You select your add-on options from the package selection screen before entering the application, but there is a series of upsells right before you pay. The additional services at this stage of the application are offered based on the choices you made earlier, and your price adds up on the screen as you go, including state-specific fees.
Additional Services
With either Northwest Registered Agent or MyCorporation, you have access to a wide variety of additional services that can help you start, build, and expand your business operations. They offer many of the same services as well, including annual reports, foreign qualifications, EIN acquisitions, operating agreements, registered agent service, and more.
On the other hand, there are some services that you can only get from one of these companies or the other. For instance, MyCorporation actually has many services available that Northwest doesn’t offer, including promotional products and apparel, retail packaging, logo design, and print marketing services. Northwest also offers a service that MyCorporation doesn’t have though, as you can order BOC-3 process agent service for motor carriers from Northwest.
Best Service for LLC Formation?
With Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation, we’re talking about two of the most popular LLC formation service providers available online. They’re both highly respected and experienced, and we’re confident that you’ll be happy with either of them forming your new LLC.
Still, some of you may remain undecided, so to close this comparison, we’ll run down a few of the main reasons why people choose one or the other. No matter which service provider you choose, we wish you the best in your business future!
➥ Choose Northwest Registered Agent if You Are:
Do you want registered agent service bundled with your formation? How about personalized customer support? These are a couple of the reasons consumers choose Northwest Registered Agent.
➦ Choose MyCorporation if You Are:
Are you looking for lower overall prices? Perhaps you want managed annual report service? MyCorporation is well worth a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? We’ve got answers.
If I Decide to Use Northwest Registered Agent, Which Package Should I Choose?
Northwest’s prices are higher than many competitors, as they charge $225 plus your state’s required fee. They only offer one package for LLC formations, but it includes everything you need to get your business off the ground — a name availability check, the preparation and filing of your formation documents, and a year of registered agent service.
How Does Northwest Registered Agent Compare to Other LLC Websites?
Northwest Registered Agent, one of the most popular LLC websites, has formed more than two million businesses since 1998. Check out the comparison reviews below if you’d like to see how this company stacks up to other good LLC websites.
Northwest Registered Agent compared to:
Does Northwest Handle Extra State Requirements Like New York Publication?
While they don’t offer to entirely complete this sort of additional requirement, Northwest does provide a significant level of assistance.
For example, let’s say you’re forming an LLC in New York and need to comply with their publication requirement. Northwest provides their Albany, NY address for you to use as your “principal office” or “address for service of process,” then gives you detailed instructions to complete your publication requirement. However, you’ll still need to do all of the legwork yourself. For what it’s worth, MyCorporation doesn’t offer publication services either.
If you’re looking for a company that takes care of this entire process on your behalf, look at either ZenBusiness or BizFilings. If you’d like more information on the best options for New York LLC publication services, check out our full guide on this topic.
Which Service Has Fewer Upsells?
We’ll give Northwest a slight advantage in this category simply because they really don’t attempt any upsells at all.
To be clear, we also have no problem with the way MyCorporation presents its service options, but they do have quite a few features in the “optional services available at checkout” list.
Does Either of These Services Have a Refund Policy?
MyCorporation has an impressive satisfaction guarantee that gives you 60 days to request a refund for any reason. If they cannot resolve the matter to your satisfaction, they will provide a refund of your service fee. If they’ve already sent you your completed documents, there is a $25 fee for reprocessing.
Northwest has a flat fee of $25 which applies to all refunds, and they humorously refer to this charge as a “You changed your mind fee.”
Which LLC Formation Website Is Faster?
Both of these service providers base their turnaround times on the requirements of each state, so they can vary from just a few days all the way up to several weeks.
One company or the other might be a day or two quicker in some states, but for the most part, they’re quite even in this category.
Can I Just Form an LLC On My Own, Without a Service?
You always have this option, and many entrepreneurs do form their own businesses every day. The main reason we caution against this is that each state has its own set of rules and regulations for LLC formations, and therefore there is no single set of directions to follow when forming one ― you’ll need to learn all the little wrinkles that make your state unique.
In addition, we place a large amount of value on the peace of mind we receive from using a service like Northwest or MyCorporation because we know each step is completed correctly.
What Is the Biggest Advantage of Each Service?
MyCorporation’s biggest advantage is the fact that they provide a year of their managed annual report service in all but their cheapest formation package.
Northwest has a significant advantage of its own in the form of its highly personalized customer support. Very few companies in this industry can compete with Northwest in this area.
Which Company Offers More Help With Ongoing Compliance Requirements?
We’ve already discussed Northwest’s namesake registered agent service, which costs $125 per year after your free first year. They also have annual report service available for $100 (plus state fee).
As for MyCorporation, their annual report service costs $99, and they offer registered agent service for $120 annually. If you want to receive both of these features from MyCorporation, along with your business formation service, you can choose their Deluxe package for $258.
In Conclusion
Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation are two of the most popular LLC formation services available, and they both have plenty of strong attributes.
We wouldn’t blame you for preferring one over the other — either way, you’re using one of the best companies in the industry.
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