ZenBusiness reviews its own products and services and compares them to others in the industry.
Read the Northwest Registered Agent vs. MyCompanyWorks LLC review below or get started with ZenBusiness today.
Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes
Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks are two popular LLC formation services. They’re both capable of forming your LLC quickly and correctly. However, each company has some advantages over the other.
First off, Northwest Registered Agent includes 12 months of registered agent service at no extra charge with any LLC service package. Secondly, Northwest’s personalized customer support is always a welcome feature.
Overall though, MyCompanyWorks is a decent alternative to Northwest Registered Agent, especially if you’re looking to save some money. MyCompanyWorks will form your LLC for $59 (+ state fee), while Northwest charges $225.
Would you like to learn more about these two LLC service providers? Read on to discover all you need to know about their strengths and weaknesses.
1) Affordable: Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks can each form an LLC for much less money than it would take to hire a lawyer to draft and file your Articles of Organization. The LLC often isn’t a complicated business structure anyway, so you may not even need a lawyer’s expertise.
2) Customer Support: Just because you’re saving money doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Both of these service providers have customer service departments that can answer all your questions.
3) Experience: Both Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks have been around for years, and they’ve each helped thousands of customers. Experience matters and you can rest assured that these two companies have been around the block before. They know how to form a compliant LLC.
4) Efficiency: Do you need your new LLC formed quickly? That’s not an issue for these service providers. MyCompanyWorks and Northwest Registered Agent both have expediting services available that can speed up the turnaround time for your formation (for an additional fee, of course).
5) Positive Customer Reviews: It’s always reassuring to read positive customer feedback because it gives you a glimpse of what a given company’s client experience is like. Both of these companies receive mostly positive reviews from their customers.
6) Additional Services: Are you interested in registered agent service, foreign qualification, Northwest LLC operating agreement service, and more business services? Both Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks provide quite a few other services that can make your life easier as a business owner.
7) Educational: Even if you don’t become a customer, these providers both have educational information available on their websites. MyCompanyWorks has an extensive FAQ section, and Northwest Registered Agent has several handy how-to guides that teach you how different aspects of the business world work.
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.
MyCompanyWorks: The cheapest LLC formation service package they offer costs $59 (+ state fee). It includes an operating agreement template, customizable minutes, and a company alerts system. Its $179 Entrepreneur package adds a year of registered agent service, EIN obtainment, and some document templates, while its $259 Complete plan adds ongoing compliance assistance.
Northwest: Northwest Registered Agent has been around since 1998, and since then, they’ve served 2+ million customers.
MyCompanyWorks: MyCompanyWorks has helped with 60,000+ business formations since opening in 2001.
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.
MyCompanyWorks: MyCompanyWorks provides customers with phone and email support. We reached out via the form on their website and received a response back in less than 24 hours, and we were also able to reach an employee on the phone quickly. Their reps were courteous and professional, and they elaborated a bit on their responses as well. Their hours of availability run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on weekdays.
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.
MyCompanyWorks: MyCompanyWorks says they’ll process your formation paperwork the same day you submit your order if it’s before 3 p.m. ET or the next business day if you submit your order after 3 p.m. ET. They have detailed estimates for both standard and expedited service on their order form, and their turnaround times vary by state.
Northwest: Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t have a ton of customer feedback, but they do have around 800 reviews, and they’re mostly positive.
MyCompanyWorks: MyCompanyWorks has around 4,000 reviews available online, with most of them earning positive scores. This company has solid customer feedback.
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.
MyCompanyWorks: There are just four screens on MyCompanyWorks’ order form. First, you’ll choose your state and entity type. Then, you’ll choose one of their three LLC formation packages, along with any add-ons you might want. From there, you just need to fill out your business and personal info and payment details.
Both Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks have quite a few additional business services available for purchase, and they have many of these services in common. For instance, either of these companies can help you with annual reports, foreign qualifications, registered agent service, Certificates of Good Standing, and virtual office service.
On the other hand, there are also some services that you can only purchase from one company or the other. Along these lines, MyCompanyWorks offers apostille service, while Northwest doesn’t. However, Northwest has some specialized services like BOC-3 blanket agent service for motor carriers, which you won’t find with most of their competitors, including MyCompanyWorks.
Compare Packages
Identify the LLC package and services that fit your needs and then get started.
Starter
Pro
Premium
Process in 7-10 business days*
PLUS STATE FEES
Processes in 1 business day*
Top Features
*Processing times are based on receiving complete information. ZenBusiness processing times do not include Secretary of State processing times, which can vary.**SPECIAL OFFER – Get Starter for $0 plus state fees. Includes one optional free year of Worry-Free Compliance that renews at $199/yr.† ZenBusiness is a financial technology company and is not a bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
If I decide to use Northwest Registered Agent, which package should I choose?
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).
How does Northwest Registered Agent compare to other LLC services?
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:
Does Northwest handle state-specific requirements like New York publication?
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, MyCompanyWorks is nearly identical in this regard, as they’ll also provide you with instructions but not handle this step for you.
If you need help with NY publication requirements, check out our New York publication service for more information.
Which service has fewer upsells?
While many companies in this industry get aggressive with the upsell attempts, both Northwest and MyCompanyWorks keep them to a minimum. These are two of the best companies in this industry regarding upsells.
Does either of these services have a refund policy?
Northwest charges a $25 fee for any canceled or refunded orders, which they call a “You changed your mind fee.” MyCompanyWorks has a confusing refund policy. You’ll see MyCompanyWorks refer to their 100% satisfaction guarantee quite a bit, which says they’ll refund your money if you’re unhappy for any reason. However, at the time of this writing, other parts of their website contradict this claim.
For instance, in the terms and conditions, MyCompanyWorks lays out a very different and much more costly refund policy. It says that depending on the status of your order when you request your refund, you will receive the total order amount minus a $25, $50, or $75 processing fee. Once your documents have been shipped to the state, refunds are no longer available.
Which LLC formation website is faster?
For the most part, the turnaround times offered by these two services are very close, usually only varying by a day or two, if that. However, it does seem like MyCompanyWorks is on the positive side of those variations more often than not. It’s not a big deal, but it’s worth noting.
Can I form an LLC on my own, without a service?
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.
What is the biggest advantage of each service?
Northwest Registered Agent’s personalized customer support system is a noteworthy advantage over some competitors. As for MyCompanyWorks, their pricing is an advantage over Northwest. MyCompanyWorks offers LLC formations starting at $59, whereas Northwest charges $225.
Which company offers more help with ongoing compliance requirements?
You can receive assistance with ongoing compliance issues by using either of these services. Northwest offers registered agent service for $125 per year. They also offer annual report service, which is available for $100 plus state fee. With MyCompanyWorks, you can get registered agent service and annual report service for $99 each per year.
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.
Written by Team ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 700,000 dream companies. The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.
Northwest Registered Agent Comparisons
Ready to form now?
Start Your LLC Today