Northwest Registered Agent vs IncFile 2024: Which is Better?
Reviewed by Jazmin Castello - MBA
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($0 + State Fees)
($0 + State Fees)
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest is one of the oldest companies having opened its doors in 1998. Since its formation, the company has carved a name for itself as one of the most reliable companies in the industry. As of now, it has helped form more than 2 million businesses.
The company comprises knowledgeable professionals that will not only help form your business but guide you through legal issues as well. We compare this service with one of the company’s top services, IncFile to create a clear picture of n how it is doing.
Incfile
Formed in 2004, Incfile has been one of the most preferred limited liability company (LLC) formation services. It boasts one of the company’s most experienced having formed more than 500,000 businesses.
What makes IncFile a favorite business formation service to many is their base package that will form your business for free. Being one of the known company giants, we have decided to compare it to Northwest to help you figure out how good Northwest is.
Our IncFile vs Northwest registered agent comparison focuses on:
- Best pricing and value
- Best track record
- Common features
- Customer support
- Ease of use
- Best LLC formation
- Best registered agent service
- Speed of formation
| Northwest Registered Agent | IncFile | |
| Pros | Incredible customer support service All documents scanned locally | A cheap base LLC package 1 year of free registered agent |
| Cons | The starting price is pretty expensive Have fewer online reviews | Have third-party offers with which they share your information. The company alert messages are sometimes overwhelming |
| Detail | Read Review | Read Review |
| Link |
Northwest Registered Agent vs Incfile – Brand comparison details
Best Overall Pricing and Value: IncFile
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest is a well-packed business formation company. Though their base price is pretty high, it is only a reflection of stellar customer support and efficient business formation service.
The best part, the company offers free registered agent service for one year. In addition, the company ensures each client receives a premium registered agent service including local office scanning of every document it receives for your business.
Incfile
IncFile guarantees one of the best values in the market. The best deal is the company entry package, the Silver Plan, which will form your business for free yet includes all the necessary features to take your business off the ground.
In addition, the company offers registered agent service for one year free in all their packages. IncFile also gives you an option to upgrade to higher packages, Gold and Platinum, to get more advanced features at a great price point. Only their Platinum package is slightly more expensive than the Northwest base package.
Best Track Record & Experience: A tie
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest opened its doors in 1998 and has served more than 2 million businesses in various ways. The company states on their website that they are currently serving 200 new LLCs per day.
Though the company doesn’t have a lot of third-party website customer reviews, the majority of the few that we came across are positive reviews. Most of the client’s comments aligned with the values and missions promised by the company. The company boasts professionals that ensure premium services to clients.
Incfile
IncFile was formed in 2004 and has helped more than 500,000 entrepreneurs to form their businesses. The company has a lot of online reviews on third-party sites most of which are positive.
Though Northwest has a great experience, IncFile has a lot of online reviews, most of which are positive.
Best Common Features: IncFile
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest base package includes vital features that are necessary to help you form and run your business. These services include name availability search, preparation, and filings of articles of organization, operating agreement, and expedited filing among others.
Most importantly, the package also offers a year of registered agent service for free.
Incfile
IncFile LLC formation and maintainable features are well distributed in three formation packages. The lowest package which is the cheapest is packed with all the necessary services to help you form your LLC. These include preparation and filing of articles of organization, business name search, operating agreement, order status tracking, and a year free of registered agent service.
To get more features, you will have to upgrade to the Gold package and Platinum package which are also affordable. These two packages will add features such as Employer Identification Number (EIN), custom operating agreement, banking resolution, domain name & business email, rush filing, and more at a great price point.
Though these two services seem to offer similar features for business formation, IncFile includes a 30-minutes business tax consultation that Northwest doesn’t have. That said, IncFile wins in this area too.
Best Customer Support: A tie
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest offers both email and phone support. These two channels of communication guarantee a quick response from the representatives.
With a team of professionally trained Corporate Guides, you are sure to get a quality response any time you call with questions about complicated state rules or forming an LLC.
Incfile
IncFile has an extensive help center where you email your queries. In addition, you can reach out to the support team via a phone call. Their biggest advantage is the extensive phone availability time over the weekend. Meaning, if you have an issue that requires quick attention over the weekend, you don’t have to wait until Monday.
Though IncFile has extended availability, Northwest seems to guarantee excellent customer support from knowledgeable professionals. It’s a tie.
Best Ease of Use: Northwest
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest has one of the most straightforward websites. You simply enter your business details and personal information and pick the package. Their website doesn’t have any upsell nor special offers.
Incfile
The IncFile website is convenient and user-friendly too. You don’t have to go through a lot of processes when placing orders. You simply select your state and business entity, your personal information then click on the package you want to purchase.
However, you will meet a few upsells. Besides, IncFile has third-party offers including their partnership with the Bank of America and SnapWeb.
Best LLC Formation: IncFile
Northwest Registered Agent
The Northwest registered agent offers preparation and filing of the articles of the organization. The company will also serve as your registered agent for 1 year for free.
In addition, there are considerable overlaps in terms of features as far as LLC formation is concerned. The company helps you with EIN acquisition, annual reports, and foreign qualifications. That said, it’s a great LLC formation service that you will never go wrong with.
Incfile
IncFile has a base price that will help you form an LLC for free, leaving you with only state filing fees to pay. The silver package will prepare and file your articles of organization and offer a year of registered agent service for free.
Even though IncFile will offer you these services for free with their base package, the ZenBusiness base package includes a little more services.
Best Registered Agent Services: Northwest
Northwest Registered Agent
A registered agent is a mandatory requirement in the US when forming an LLC. This can be a person or a business entity. The registered agent is responsible for receiving important documents on behalf of your company then forwarding them to you.
As the name implies, the company will serve as your registered agent for one year free. After the offer elapses, you will have to pay annual fees. Their annual fee for this service is one of the cheapest in the market. Their biggest strength is that they allow the registered agent to process your document locally in all 50 states.
Incfile
IncFile is among the few LLC formation companies that will offer you a year of registered agent service for free. Their renewal fee for this service once the offer elapses is slightly lower than that of Northwest. When it comes to registered agent service, Northwest seems to focus a lot on this area and guarantee an agent in all 50 states.
Best Speed of Formation: A tie
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest-based their turnaround time on the state processing speed. Different states have different filing speeds so it is hard to say exactly the time the company will take to process your document.
Some states allow priority filing, so if you opt for Northwest expedited filing, you will have your application processed much faster.
Incfile
IncFile also bases its turnaround time on state processing speed. However, the company promises a one-day filing speed. Meaning, if you find a state with a one-day processing speed, IncFile will be a great choice. States have different processing speeds ranging from 1 day to several weeks.
Which Should You Choose?
The most important thing is to choose a service depending on your company’s needs. That said…
Choose Northwest Registered Agent if:
You fancy stellar customer support service. Or you want your registered agent to scan your documents locally.
Choose Incfile if:
You are looking for the most affordable LLC formation service and a company with lots of feedback. IncFile is also ideal for someone who fancies business tax consultation.
Final thought
IncFile has triumphed in many areas in our IncFile and Northwest registered agent comparison. In essence, Northwest is a mid-table service in most of our best LLC service reviews- browse our site to find out.
IncFile’s biggest advantage is its basic package that offers a lot of value. But in general, you can’t go wrong with these two service providers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Both IncFile and Northwest registered agents strive to keep upsells at a minimum. However, Northwest has succeeded in eliminating upsells than IncFile. While you can still get a few on the IncFile website, Northwest has managed to keep this at zero.
IncFile has some special offers that involve sharing your information with a third party. For instance, if you select their business bank account offer, they will have to share your information with the bank of America. On the other hand, Northwest doesn’t include any third-party offer in its package.
Both IncFile and Northwest base their turnaround time in your state of formation. The quicker your state of formation is, the shorter your turnaround time is going to be. That said, they are mostly quite similar in this area.
Northwest and IncFile don’t have the best refund policies in the market. IncFile will refund you your registration fee less the $30 cancellation fee if you request before your payment is submitted to the state. Northwest will refund you less than $25 but doesn’t put any further restrictions.
DIY LLC formation is the cheapest and this is what some business owners opt for. However, seeking the help of the best LLC formation service such as Northwest and IncFile will give you peace of mind.
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