If you formed your LLC through LegalZoom or ZenBusiness, there is a fair chance you are paying close to $250 a year for a service that costs $125 elsewhere. Same job. Same legal status. Same piece of mail forwarded to the same email inbox. The only difference is who you are paying it to.
Most LLC owners do not realize this for years. The registered agent renewal hits in the same charge as your formation service, gets buried in a year-end credit card statement, and renews automatically. By the time you spot it, you have been overpaying for two or three years.
A registered agent is one of the simplest, most price-comparable services in the LLC world. Every state requires you to have one. Every commercial provider does the same thing. The price gap between the cheapest and most expensive options is roughly $200 a year per state. For multi-state LLCs, that gap multiplies fast.
Here is what each major service charges in 2026, side by side.
| Provider | Year 1 | Renewal | 5-year cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Compliance | $99 | $149/yr | $695 |
| Bizee (Incfile) | Free w/ formation | $119/yr | $476 |
| Northwest RA | $125 | $125/year | $625 |
| Registered Agents Inc | $200 | $200/yr | $1,000 |
| ZenBusiness | $199 | $199/yr | $995 |
| LegalZoom | $249 | $249/yr | $1,245 |
Prices verified 2026 from each provider's published pricing page. Prices reflect standalone registered agent service (not bundled formation packages). “Free w/ formation” means free year-one if you also paid for formation through that company. Bizee and Northwest both include free first-year service with paid formation.
The 5-year column is the one most people skip and then regret. A $100/year price difference is small. Multiply it across five years, and the gap between the cheapest mainstream option and the most expensive runs about $750. For a single-state LLC. For a multi-state LLC, multiply by the number of states.
A registered agent does one job: accept legal and government mail on behalf of your LLC. That includes service of process (lawsuit papers), Secretary of State notices, annual report reminders, and tax correspondence. The agent receives the document at their listed street address, scans it, and forwards it to you, usually the same business day.
That is the entire service. Whether you pay $99 or $299 for it, the document still gets received, scanned, and emailed to you. The price difference reflects what the company bundles in beyond the bare service, plus how much margin they want.
Several providers (LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, Bizee, Northwest) advertise free registered agent service for the first year if you also pay for LLC formation through them. This is a real offer. It is also where most overpayment starts.
After year one, the renewal hits at the full price. LegalZoom auto-renews at $249. ZenBusiness at $199. Bizee at $119. Northwest at $125/year. The renewal charge usually appears on your credit card statement bundled with other fees, which is why most people miss it.
If you went with the cheapest formation deal you could find and now your renewal feels expensive, you are not stuck. Switching registered agents is a one-form filing with the state, and most states charge $0 to $50. Our change-of-agent guide walks through the process.
If your LLC is foreign qualified in multiple states, you need a registered agent in each one. The pricing scales linearly. Five states at LegalZoom's $249 a year is $1,245 a year just for agents, before you pay a dollar of state filing fees or franchise taxes.
The same five states at Northwest's $125/year is $625 a year. That is a $620 a year gap, $3,100 over five years, for the same service. None of the major providers offer multi-state discounts.
| Provider | 1 state | 3 states | 5 states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest ($125/year) | $625 | $1,875 | $3,125 |
| LegalZoom ($249/year) | $1,245 | $3,735 | $6,225 |
5-year totals at each provider's standard renewal price. None of the major registered agent services offer multi-state discounts.
For LLCs operating in 3 or more states, the registered agent line item alone justifies switching providers. Our state filing guides break down all the other fees that stack on top of this for each state.
Yes, in your home state, if you have a stable street address there and you are reliably available during business hours. Acting as your own agent costs $0. The state does not stop you. The question is whether it is the right choice for your situation.
It works fine if you live or work in the state, your address is stable, you do not mind that address being public record, and you are reliably reachable from 9 to 5 on weekdays. It does not work if you travel, work from coworking spaces, or care about keeping your home address off public filings. It also does not work if you formed in one state and operate in another, because you need an agent with a physical address in each state where you are registered.
For a deeper look at the tradeoffs, see our guide to being your own registered agent.
Why does LegalZoom charge so much more than Northwest? Brand premium and bundling. LegalZoom built its market position on legal services aimed at consumers and bundles registered agent into its formation funnel. They are not providing a different service. They are charging for marketing and brand recognition.
Is the cheapest option always the best? Not always. Harbor Compliance at $99 is the cheapest mainstream option, but the renewal jumps to $149 after year one. Northwest at $125/year is more expensive year one but has flat renewal pricing. For most single-state LLCs, the difference is small. For multi-state operations, the flat-renewal model wins on five-year cost.
Can I switch registered agents mid-year? Yes. You can change your registered agent at any time by filing a Statement of Change (or your state's equivalent) with the Secretary of State. Most states charge $0 to $50 for this. Our change-of-agent guide covers the process by state.
Does the registered agent affect my taxes or liability? No. The registered agent is purely an administrative role. They do not appear on your tax returns, do not affect your liability, and do not have any ownership or authority over your LLC. They just receive mail.
What happens if my registered agent goes out of business? Most agents notify you well in advance. If you do not appoint a replacement quickly, the state can suspend your LLC's authority to operate. This is rare with the major services, but worth knowing if you are using a small regional provider.
Registered agent service is the most price-comparable line item in your annual LLC compliance costs, and it is the line item where most people overpay. The math is not complicated. If you are paying $200 or more per year per state, you are paying for marketing, not service.
For most single-state LLCs, Northwest at $125/year is the safest pick: flat renewal pricing, real offices in all 50 states, and your home address stays off the public record. Harbor Compliance at $99 is the cheapest mainstream option for year one, but check the $149 renewal before you commit.
If you are already paying LegalZoom or ZenBusiness, switching takes about 10 minutes per state. The savings show up the next renewal cycle.
Answer 3 questions to find out if your LLC requires foreign qualification.