Northwest Registered Agent vs. MyCorporation key differences

Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation are both reliable and trustworthy LLC formation service providers. 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 MyCorporation can’t quite match. Overall, MyCorporation is a decent alternative to Northwest Registered Agent.

Do you need some more information? 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 isn’t an especially complex business structure, so you may not require a lawyer’s expertise.

2) Customer Support: Even though you’re saving money compared to hiring a lawyer, you’re not going it alone. Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation both have 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 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 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 (for an additional fee, of course).

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 pleased by what these companies have to offer.

6) Additional Services: Do you also need a federal employer ID number (EIN), foreign qualification, LLC operating agreement, or other business services? MyCorporation and Northwest Registered Agent both offer a variety of additional services. They’re 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 a 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.

Northwest Registered Agent vs. MyCorporation Comparisons

Pricing

Northwest: At $225, their price point is high compared to many 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 expensive for such a barebones formation package, their $158 Standard package adds a year of annual report service, which is a valuable feature. They only include registered agent service with their $258 Deluxe and $358 Premium packages, and after that, their registered agent service costs $120 per year.

Experience

Northwest: Northwest Registered Agent has been around since 1998, and since then, they’ve served 2+ million customers.

MyCorporation: They’ve served more than 1 million businesses since opening in 1998.

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 expanded on. We also called, and our response was slightly more detailed. We didn’t wait on hold for long, and it was easy to navigate through to a customer service representative. Its support reps are available from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET on weekdays.

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 an LLC. Depending on your state it could take a few days, or it could take several weeks. They invite you to pay an extra $100 plus the state’s fees to expedite processing “up to 85%” compared to standard filing, but they provide no specific timeframes beyond that.

Customer Reviews

Northwest: Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t have a ton of customer feedback, but they do have around 800 reviews, and they’re mostly positive.

MyCorporation: Of the 400 reviews we found for MyCorporation, the majority are high ratings, although their overall average score falls a bit short of some competitors.

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. There aren’t any upsells, and Northwest only offers one LLC formation service package.

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 another series of upsells and third-party partnership offers right before you pay. The additional services at this stage of the application are offered based on 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 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 has several 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.

Which is the best service for LLC formation?

With Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation, we’re talking about two popular LLC formation service providers. They’re both respected and experienced.

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:

Do you want registered agent service bundled with your formation? How about personalized customer support? These are a couple of the reasons consumers consider Northwest Registered Agent.

➦ Choose MyCorporation if:

Are you looking for lower overall prices? Perhaps you want managed annual report service? MyCorporation might be worth a look.

🎉 Choose ZenBusiness if:

If you’d like to form your LLC with ZenBusiness we’re here to help. We offer $0 (+ state fee) LLC formations, and we have 12,000+ positive customer reviews. Form your LLC quickly and get more tools to start your dream business.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Northwest Registered Agent and MyCorporation

  • 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 for a total of $225 (+ state fee).

  • Northwest Registered Agent, one of the most popular LLC websites, has formed more than 2 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:

  • Sort of. Northwest doesn’t offer to fully take care of additional state-specific requirements, but they do provide some assistance. For instance, if you form an LLC in the state of New York, you need to comply with the state’s publication requirement. To handle this requirement, Northwest lets you use their Albany, NY address as your “principal office” or “address for service of process.” After you designate their address as your own, they provide you with step-by-step instructions to complete the requirement on your own. For what it’s worth, MyCorporation doesn’t help with publication requirements at all.

    If you need help with NY publication requirements, check out our New York publication service for more information.

  • MyCorporation doesn’t drive us crazy in this regard, but it does have a list of add-on services on the first page of its order form and brings them back for a second round of upsells toward the end. On the other hand, Northwest essentially doesn’t have upsells at all.

  • Northwest charges a $25 fee for any canceled or refunded orders, which they call a “You changed your mind fee.” Meanwhile, MyCorporation provides refunds at any time within 60 days of your initial purchase date. There may be a $25 processing fee involved, so check with them to make sure before making your request.

  • MyCorporation and Northwest Registered Agent both base their turnaround times on each state’s processing speeds. In some states, it might only take a few days, but in others, it could take several weeks. In general, these companies offer very similar processing speeds.

  • You can, and many entrepreneurs do form their own LLCs every day. However, we appreciate the peace of mind we receive from using a reputable formation service. In addition, each state has its own rules and regulations for LLC formations, so there can often be more legwork than people might expect.

  • MyCorporation can save you some money on basic LLC formation service compared to Northwest Registered Agent, especially if you don’t care too much about getting registered agent service bundled with your formation. Northwest’s biggest advantage is its personalized customer support, which is a welcome feature compared to the more typical “call center” approach used by many competitors.

  • Northwest offers registered agent service for $125 per year. They also offer annual report service, which is available for $100 plus state fee. MyCorporation offers annual report service for $99 per year and registered agent service for an annual fee of $120.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.

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Written by Team ZenBusiness

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