Quick answer
If you are forming an LLC now and expect to register it in one or two more states, ZenBusiness is the default pick. Formation, state-required annual report filing on its Pro plan, and registered agent coverage for each state you add all sit in one account. Its agent is a separate $199 a year on every plan, $99 the first year when you form with it. If your entity already exists, you need coverage in five or more states, or you want the out-of-state registration filed for you, Northwest Registered Agent is the better call at $125 per state per year, or $100 per state at five or more (as of 2026). If year-one cost matters most, look at Bizee.
Key takeaways
- Northwest Registered Agent lists $125 a year per state, or $100 per state at five or more states (as of 2026).
- ZenBusiness charges $199 a year for its agent on every plan, including Premium, or $99 the first year when you form with it.
- Per the Texas Secretary of State, an entity cannot be its own agent, a lapse can mean termination or revocation, and reinstatement costs $75.
- Changing agents costs $15 in Texas (Form 401) and $25 in Florida, per each state's official pages.
- Michigan charges $50 to restore good standing, plus $25 for each annual statement never filed (Form 770/771).
What is a registered agent, and why do you need more than one?
A registered agent is the person or company named on your state filings to receive lawsuits (service of process) and official state mail for your entity at a physical address in that state. The agent belongs to a state registration, not the company. An LLC formed in one state and registered in two others (foreign qualification) has three registrations. Each needs its own agent, has its own price and renewal, and can lapse quietly.
At a glance
Listed alphabetically. Not ranked.
| Option | Best fit for | Standout attribute | What it costs |
|---|
| Bizee | New entity, year-one cost in mind | First agent year free with formation; all 50 states | Free first year with formation, then $149/yr (as of 2026) |
| LegalZoom | Switching several registrations from an old agent | Says it covers switching paperwork and state fees | $249/yr, auto-renews; renewal rate may change (as of 2026) |
| Northwest Registered Agent | Five or more states, or an existing entity expanding | Foreign qualification filing; all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico | $125/yr per state; $100/yr per state at 5+ states (as of 2026) |
| Rocket Lawyer | Owners wanting a legal membership anyway | Agent alongside attorney access | $124.99/yr, plus a required Plus or Pro membership at $49.99/mo or $64.99/mo (as of 2026) |
| Tailor Brands | One new LLC plus branding tools | Agent, formation, logo and website in one place | Agent price not published on its site; plans $0, $199/yr or $249/yr plus state fees, agent not included (as of 2026) |
| ZenBusiness | Forming now, adding a state or two | Annual report filing on Pro; agent for each registered state | Starter $0, Pro $199/yr, Premium $299/yr; agent $199/yr on every plan, $99 first year when you form |
The options, profiled
Bizee: When you are forming a new entity and want the first year covered
Best for: A founder forming an LLC now who wants the lowest year-one cost and expects to stay in a few states.
Bizee includes the first year of registered agent service when you form with it. After that, Bizee's own pages list the agent at $149 a year as of 2026, the same figure it quotes for existing entities that switch over. Some review sites still quote $119, but Bizee's current pages say $149.
Bizee's compliance pages say it provides registered agent service in all 50 states and will file the change of agent when you move an entity over. Its dashboard shows agent status and any service of process alongside formation documents and annual report deadlines, so two or three registrations sit in one view.
The free year attaches to formation, so any state you add later should be expected to start at the standard rate. The discount that makes Bizee look cheapest is a one-state, one-year discount, so compare it on its $149 renewal, not its year-one price.
The honest trade-off: The headline saving covers only your formation state's first year, so expect to pay the full $149 for every other state and every later year.
Learn more at Bizee.
LegalZoom: When you are switching agents and want the move handled for you
Best for: An existing LegalZoom customer, or an owner moving several registrations away from an old agent who wants the paperwork done.
LegalZoom's registered agent page lists $249 a year as of 2026. It auto-renews at the purchase rate until you cancel, the renewal rate is subject to change, and the purchase price applies only to first-time registered agent customers. LegalZoom also says you need an agent in every state where you do business, so budget that figure per state.
The price covers scanned documents online, alerts when official mail arrives, and annual report reminders through its Compliance Calendar. For service of process, LegalZoom says it uploads the document, emails you with follow-up reminders and mails a postcard to the address on file.
The useful line for a multi-state owner is the switching offer. If you make LegalZoom your new agent, it says it completes the change paperwork and pays the state fees, which add up across several registrations. If you later cancel, it may ask for proof that a new agent has been designated.
The honest trade-off: At $249 per state per year, LegalZoom has the highest published agent price on this page, and the gap widens with every state you add.
Learn more at LegalZoom.
Northwest Registered Agent: When you need the same agent in many states at a flat rate
Best for: An entity already registered in several states, or about to be, that mainly needs dependable agent coverage everywhere at one predictable price.
Northwest's registered agent page lists $125 a year as of 2026, dropping to $100 a year per state when you hire it for five or more states. It says it serves all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, has not raised its price in 20 years, and charges no per-document fees. The price includes its address on your public filings, local scanning of documents it receives, and compliance reminders. It also includes extras such as a business address, domain, email and phone line.
Three things suit a business crossing state lines. Northwest runs a national registered agent service for bulk coverage, offers foreign qualification filing for expanding into another state, and says on its change-of-agent page that it covers your fees when you switch. That makes it the most direct answer to "one provider for every state I file in," especially for an existing entity that is still adding states.
The honest trade-off: The $100 rate only starts at five states, so a two- or three-state business pays $125 for each one.
Learn more at Northwest Registered Agent.
Rocket Lawyer: When you already want a legal membership and the agent rides along
Best for: An owner who expects regular contracts, documents or legal questions and would pay for a legal membership anyway.
Rocket Lawyer's registered agent page lists the service at $124.99 a year and says it requires a Plus or Pro membership. Its membership page shows those plans at $49.99 and $64.99 a month (all as of 2026). The agent receives legal and tax communications, keeps notices online, and notifies you of service of process. Rocket Lawyer says its agents operate in all 50 states.
The math works only if the membership earns its keep on its own. For a business that would otherwise pay a lawyer for routine documents, the agent is a modest add-on close to Northwest's per-state price. For a business that only needs agent coverage across a few states, the membership is a large fixed cost on top of the agent fee.
The upside for a multi-state owner is access: when a lawsuit or state notice arrives in a state you rarely deal with, Rocket Lawyer's legal professionals are in the same account.
The honest trade-off: You cannot buy the agent on its own, so the real annual cost is the membership plus the agent fee.
Learn more at Rocket Lawyer.
Tailor Brands: When the agent is one part of a branding and formation bundle
Best for: A first-time founder forming one LLC who also wants a logo, website and business tools from the same company.
Tailor Brands says it offers registered agent service in all 50 states, scans documents to your dashboard and notifies you by text and email when something arrives. Its page also notes that a business operating in several states needs an agent in each, and that one national provider keeps them with one vendor.
We could not confirm a current registered agent price on Tailor Brands' own site on October 1, 2026. Neither its registered agent page nor its pricing page publishes one. The pricing page lists formation plans (Lite at $0, Essential at $199 a year, Elite at $249 a year, plus state fees, as of 2026), and none includes a registered agent. Check the agent price shown before you pay, and whether it renews yearly.
Its plans are formation-and-branding packages, which suit a single new LLC better than an existing entity that needs agents in several more states.
The honest trade-off: Because the agent price is not published on its site, budgeting per state and per year is harder here than with any other option on this page.
Learn more at Tailor Brands.
ZenBusiness: When you are forming now and want filings and agents in one account
Best for: A business forming an LLC today that expects to add one or two states and wants annual report filing and agents in one dashboard.
ZenBusiness formation plans are Starter at $0 plus state fees, Pro at $199 a year and Premium at $299 a year. Pro includes state-required annual report filing and up to two amendments a year, and Premium includes unlimited amendments. Registered agent service is a separate $199 a year on every plan, including Premium, discounted to $99 for the first year when you form with ZenBusiness.
The case for ZenBusiness here is consolidation. Its help center describes adding the agent for each state you are registered in from the same dashboard, so formation records, compliance reminders and agent mail sit in one account. Confirm whether the Pro filing coverage extends to each foreign registration.
At $199 per state per year after the first year, ZenBusiness costs more for agent coverage alone than Northwest. The case is the bundle, not the agent price.
The honest trade-off: ZenBusiness sells foreign qualification but does not publish a price for it, so confirm the cost of each new-state filing before you order.
Learn more at ZenBusiness.
Which one fits your situation
Forming now and adding a state or two. ZenBusiness, for formation, annual report filing and each state's agent in one account.
Five or more states already. Northwest Registered Agent, whose $100 per-state rate is the lowest published figure here.
An existing entity entering one new state. Northwest, which can file the foreign qualification and serve as agent.
Tight year-one cash, one state for now. Bizee, for the free first year with formation. Budget $149 a year after that.
Moving registrations off an old agent. LegalZoom or Northwest, which both say they cover state fees when you switch. LegalZoom costs more afterward.
Regular legal work ahead. Rocket Lawyer, if the membership is worth it on its own.
Branding tools with one new LLC. Tailor Brands, once you confirm its agent price.
A large portfolio of entities. A compliance-management firm such as Harbor Compliance or CT Corporation may suit better. We have not profiled them.
An agent already lapsed. Fix the record first. The Texas Secretary of State charges $75 to reinstate, and continuity holds only if you reinstate before the third anniversary of termination.
How we compared these
On October 1, 2026, we read each provider's own registered agent and pricing pages, plus ZenBusiness's help center on foreign registrations. Where a provider's page and a review site disagreed, we used the provider's page. State rules come from the official pages in Sources, confirmed by our editors before publication.
We did not sign up for, test or call any service, and we assign no scores or ratings. We covered only the states named here.
Some providers here pay us a commission when readers sign up through our links. That is a conflict of interest. We manage it by keeping the list alphabetical and naming a real limitation for every option, including those that pay us.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a registered agent in every state where my LLC is registered?
Yes. Your home-state registration and every foreign registration each need an agent with a physical address in that state, as several providers here note on their own pages.
Can I be my own registered agent in every state?
Only where you have an address in that state and can be there during business hours. The Texas Secretary of State says an officer, owner or employee may serve, but the entity itself may not. The California Secretary of State says an entity cannot act as its own agent for service of process.
What happens if my agent lapses, or I miss a filing, in one state?
Per the Texas Secretary of State, failing to maintain an agent may lead to involuntary termination of a domestic entity or revocation of a foreign one. Michigan's LARA says a missed filing leads to dissolution, revocation or loss of good standing after a two-year grace period (one year for foreign corporations), with notices sent 90 days before the due date. A professional LLC statement received after the February 15 due date carries a $50 penalty. Restoring good standing costs $50 plus $25 per unfiled statement (Form 770/771).
Does one provider have to cover all my states?
No state requires it, but one provider means one account and one place where service of process arrives. None of the provider pages we read promises a single renewal date across states, so ask whether added states can share one billing date.
What does a registered agent actually cost per state per year?
As of 2026, the providers' own pages list Bizee at $149 after a free first year with formation, LegalZoom at $249, Northwest at $125 ($100 at five or more states) and Rocket Lawyer at $124.99 plus a required membership. Tailor Brands does not publish a price, and ZenBusiness charges $199, or $99 the first year when you form with it. Then multiply the renewal price, not the first-year price, by your number of states.
How do I change agents without a gap in coverage?
Appoint the new agent and file the change with each state before you cancel the old one. Texas uses Form 401 at $15, per its Secretary of State, and Florida's Division of Corporations charges $25. LegalZoom and Northwest both say they cover state fees when you switch to them.
Before you choose
Start with a list: every state where your entity is registered, the agent of record in each state's business search, and when each agent renews. Fix any wrong record before you compare prices.
Sources
This page is general information, not legal advice; registered agent requirements vary by state and change over time.