ZenBusiness vs. Northwest 2024
Which Is the Best LLC Service?
Searching for the right service to help you start an LLC? We spent hours researching LLC formation providers; in this ZenBusiness vs. Northwest review, we answer three simple questions to help guide you through choosing the best service for starting your business.
Recommended LLC Service: Northwest Registered Agent ($29 + State Fees)
KEY CONSIDERATIONS: ZENBUSINESS VS. NORTHWEST
When we started researching ZenBusiness and Northwest, we focused on three main questions:
- Is this a good deal?
- Is there a better deal?
- Who uses this service and how was their experience?
Answering these questions will boost your confidence so you can choose the best service to get your business formed and running.
Is This a Good Deal?
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest is our pick for the best LLC service due to their personalized, premium customer support and affordability. They have one LLC service package starting at $29 plus state fees, which includes a year of free registered agent services, data privacy protection, free mail forwarding, and more. Another advantage of Northwest is the company’s simple and straightforward checkout process.
ZenBusiness
Although ZenBusiness is on the more expensive side, it’s still a reliable service. Their most basic package includes articles of organization filing, a year of worry-free compliance, a free accounting consultation, and more.
If you choose their most popular package (ZenBusiness Pro), you’ll get an operating agreement and expedite filing. Their premium package then adds on a domain name, website, and rush filing.
Overall, Northwest is our top pick because of their knowledgeable customer support, plethora of included features, and affordability.
Who Uses ZenBusiness and Northwest?
ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is used by entrepreneurs who appreciate convenient and reliable services. Users are quick to compliment the company’s highly professional customer support and reasonable prices.
Here are some verified reviews (from Trustpilot) by people who used ZenBusiness to help launch their businesses:
“I am extremely happy with the service. They are reasonably priced and professional and really make things easy for you to form an LLC . They also offer a variety of services. They completed my order much quicker than I had planned. I really think if you are starting a business, there is no better way to go! I will be using their services again!”
“I thought this was too good to be true, but it was completely legit. I was very pleased with how quick and easy ZenBusiness made the process of becoming an LLC. They offer plenty of helpful add-on options that you can pay for, but they don’t push them on you. It’s also nice that everything is conveniently in a dashboard on their site for me. When I want to get an EIN or make amendments or anything, I can do it super easily from their site. Definitely would recommend.”
Northwest
Those who want to start their own business, or just need a new registered agent, use Northwest. The company has built a strong reputation and trust with their customers.
Here are some verified reviews (pulled from Better Business Bureau) by people who used Northwest to help launch their businesses:
“I LOVE Northwest. They handled my LLC filing efficiently, and answered all of my questions in a timely manner ( there were many, and they responded within 24hours). Well worth the money for their expertise. I couldn’t have done it without them. I highly recommend their services.”
“Down-to-earth pricing with no hidden gotchas, fast turnaround, responsive customer service and all round pleasurable company/service to deal with.”
Is There a Better Deal to Form My LLC?
There isn’t much of a better deal than Northwest, which offers affordable LLC formation packages and registered agent services. However, we recommend Tailor Brands if you want to establish your brand and online presence in addition to forming an LLC.
Takeaway
Overall, we recommend choosing Northwest because they offer more features in their formation packages.
Our Recommendation: Northwest
Form an LLC with Northwest ($29 + state fees)
Need more details? Read on for a more in-depth breakdown of our research on ZenBusiness and Northwest.
RATING DETAILS: ZENBUSINESS VS. NORTHWEST
After addressing key considerations, we completed a more comprehensive analysis of ZenBusiness and Northwest based on:
- Value
- Customer Service
- Ease of Use
- Features
ZenBusiness | Northwest | |
---|---|---|
Overall | 4.5/5 | 4.7/5 |
Cost Value | 4.3/5 | 4.5/5 |
Customer Service | 4.9/5 | 5/5 |
Ease of Use | 3.9/5 | 5/5 |
Included Features | 4.9/5 | 4.2/5 |
Value
When considering the ratio of products and services to cost, Northwest offers a better value.
Northwest’s LLC package includes registered agent services for the first year, data privacy protection, free mail forwarding, and more. All of these valuable features would be more expensive to purchase individually.
Customer Service
Northwest excels when it comes to customer service.
The customer support reps from Northwest are knowledgeable and consistent. You can even choose to work with a rep you’ve worked with before if you had a good experience.
Ease of Use
Both services are easy to use.
ZenBusiness and Northwest also offer personalized online dashboards; this feature acts as a central location for important documents that the user can access at any time.
However, Northwest’s online ordering process is quicker and simpler than ZenBusiness’.
Included Features
Northwest offers a larger number of features at a more affordable price.
Northwest’s $29 package includes premium registered agent services, free mail forwarding, phone service, privacy protection, and more.
Best LLC Formation Services
PRODUCT COMPARISON: ZENBUSINESS VS. NORTHWEST
ZenBusiness and Northwest offer additional services beyond forming your LLC. Some features can be purchased independently, offering even more pricing flexibility. NOTE: ZenBusiness offers three business formation packages; however, we will not be covering what all of these packages include below. Instead, since Northwest Registered Agent only offers one filing option, we will compare it to ZenBusiness’s basic LLC package.
Please note that the service costs for each plan do not include the state filing fees which vary by state.
Basic Plan Comparison
ZenBusiness vs Northwest Registered Agent Side by Side Comparison
ZenBusiness | Northwest Registered Agent | |
---|---|---|
ORDER PROCESSING TIME | 2-3 weeks | 1-3 business days |
REGISTERED AGENT | $199/year | Included for one year, $125/year |
OPERATING AGREEMENT | No | No |
EIN REGISTRATION | $99 extra | $50 extra |
ANNUAL COMPLIANCE | Free for one year | Included with their registered agent |
WEB DOMAIN | Included in Online Tools Bundle (Domain, Privacy, Email, Website) for $149 | No |
Recommended: Form an LLC with Northwest Registered Agent ($29 + state fees)