Best Registered Agent in New York (December 2024)

In addition to having a high registration price, New York mandates that newly formed LLCs print notices announcing their creation in specific newspapers and submit a Certificate of Publication along with publishing affidavits.

You should think about the cost of their services, their standing, and whether their offerings will satisfy your company’s needs while looking for the top registered agent in New York for your enterprise.

For this article, I tested 11 different New York agent services with the guidance of our legal counsel and adhered to a list of the top New York registered agents in the business.

Like each state in the U.S., New York has its own legal requirements for registered agents. This applies to corporations, startups, small businesses, LLCs, and even start-ups.

Registered agents must conform to specific rules. To receive important documents such as “service of process” for your business entity and correspondence on your behalf, registered agents must be available in person during normal business hours.

These registered agent services ensure compliance with state laws while you start and run your business.

Registered agent services in New York charge around $100 – $299 per year for this service.

My Top Picks for Best Registered Agent in New York

  1. Northwest Registered Agent
  2. Harbor Compliance
  3. Incfile
  4. ZenBusiness
  5. LegalZoom

After much research, including my personal experience and investigative testing, I have narrowed down the top ten registered agent services available in New York This guide outlines the advantages, pricing, and other services offered by each option.

#1 Northwest Registered Agent

  • Northwest was established in 1998. It has served more than two million clients.
  • The “Corporate Guides” system offers customer support. They will respond to all your emails and calls with a knowledgeable support representative.
  • We have found over 400 reviews for Northwest’s services. Most of the reviews were five-star.

Northwest Registered Agent logo 461x109
https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com

Northwest Registered Agent provides high-quality services that entrepreneurs can easily use to launch a business online. The company is transparent and does not upsell. They are also more customer-oriented than any other provider.

They provide a simple, direct service. The registered agent service is one of their most sought-after offerings.

Northwest offers volume discounts that reduce the cost of service by $100/year for five or more states. Their service has improved over the years since they started out as an agent service company.

They were the first to offer local scanning for all documents received by them as national registered agents service providers. Competitors scan only those government documents that they are legally required.

Northwest is my top choice in New York for registered agent services

Northwest Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Reasonable prices
  • Volume discounts
  • For any formation, free registered agent service for 12 month
  • All documents can be scanned locally


Cons

  • There are many cheaper options for standalone services.

#2 Harbor Compliance

  • Harbor Compliance has provided compliance services to 35,000 businesses since 2012.
  • A group of government licensing specials created the foundation.
  • There are offices in 50 states.

harbor Compliance, best registered agent

https://www.harborcompliance.com/

Harbor Compliance guarantees you that your documents will arrive within 24 hours of receiving them. This is an expedited turnaround service if you have an urgent requirement.

A variety of compliance services are also offered by the platform. This platform is great for companies that have multiple licensing requirements or compliance requirements and want everything to be in one place.

Harbor Compliance: Who can it be used?

Harbor Compliance is a great choice for New York companies that require both compliance and registered agent services.

Harbor Compliance Pros and Cons


Pros

  • Personalized customer service
  • Processing speed
  • Auto-billing is prohibited


Cons

  • Services that are more costly than those offered by other providers
  • The service of a registered agent differs from the main features

#3 Incfile

  • Incfile was established in 2004 and has since served more than 500,000 clients.
  • Incfile is known for its excellent customer service. Incfile may have the most reviews in the industry. Incfile has thousands upon thousands of reviews online and very few negative feedback. This indicates that the majority of clients are very satisfied with Incfile’s service.
  • Incfile had an A+ rating with BBB for 16 years straight. Currently, Incfile is not rated by BBB.

Incfile logo
https://www.incfile.com

Incfile’s business creation packages offer many impressive features, including registered agent service. Incfile provides 12 months of New York registered agent service for no additional cost in all business formation packages. You also get one of the lowest annual renewal costs.

Incfile is an excellent choice for reliable and affordable registration agent services. Incfile is the best choice for anyone who wants to start a business online. You can also access customs documents and templates for business contracts.

Incfile’s customer feedback feature is another appealing feature. There are many customer reviews online. Most of them are glowing. Incfile has very few negative customer reviews. Customer reviews are a strength.

Incfile Pros & Cons


Pros

  • Reasonable pricing for agents
  • No cost business formation
  • Stellar customer reviews
  • 12-month registration agent free with the purchase


Cons

  • Numerous add-ons and upsells

Here are some quick facts about Incfile

  • Incfile was established in 2004 and has since served more than 500,000 clients.
  • Incfile is known for its excellent customer service. Incfile may have the most reviews in the industry. Incfile has thousands upon thousands of reviews online and very few negative feedback. This indicates that the majority of clients are very satisfied with Incfile’s service.

#4 ZenBusiness

  • ZenBusiness was established in 2015 and has helped thousands of companies. Their website states that they intend to create more than 1,000,000 business entities in five years. This will quickly elevate them to the top among the most experienced companies in the industry.
  • ZenBusiness considers customer feedback a significant advantage. ZenBusiness received thousands of online reviews, with 95% of them being four-star or five-star reviews (out of five).

ZenBusiness logo 2022


https://zenbusiness.com

ZenBusiness is known for its incorporation and LLC services at $49, which is considerably lower than the average price.

ZenBusiness charges $199/year to register an agent in New York, even though they don’t include it with their LLC formation services.

ZenBusiness’s low-cost business formation packages aren’t the only great thing about ZenBusiness.  ZenBusiness received over 10,000 positive online reviews.

ZenBusiness Pros & Cons


Pros

  • Service from an agent at affordable prices
  • Free annual report included with incorporation service
  • Very positive customer reviews
  • Customer support including Saturdays


Cons

  • There are also cheaper options.

#5 LegalZoom

  • LegalZoom was established in 2001. It has served more than 3.6 million clients. Because they have so many clients, they can compete with the best in the industry.
  • LegalZoom doesn’t value customer feedback. LegalZoom has over 6,000 reviews online. These reviews have a fair amount of both positive and negative feedback.
  • LegalZoom offers the best customer service hours in the industry. LegalZoom can usually be between 10 and 8 ET on weekdays and 10 to 7 ET on weekends.

LegalZoom logo
https://www.legalzoom.com

LegalZoom may be another contender for the best New York registered agent services. Their impressive customer base is a testament to this. LegalZoom allows you to connect with companies that have extensive experience in the legal services industry.

We are also grateful for their 100% satisfaction guarantee. They will issue a full refund within 60 days.

They charge more for registered agent services than any other options in this guide. LegalZoom does not offer registered agent services with any of its formation packages. Express Gold ($349) does not offer registered agent services. They charge $159 per year for registered agents to join a formation plan and $299 for an individual option.

LegalZoom Pros & Cons


Pros

  • There are many experiences to choose from
  • Satisfaction guaranteed


Cons

  • High Prices, $299/yr
  • There is no registration agent in any business formation package

LegalZoom: Quick facts

  • LegalZoom was established in 2001. It has served more than 3.6 million clients. Because they have so many clients, they can compete with the best in the industry.
  • LegalZoom doesn’t value customer feedback. LegalZoom has over 6,000 reviews online. These reviews have a fair amount of both positive and negative feedback.
  • LegalZoom offers the best customer service hours in the industry. LegalZoom can be reached between 10 and 8 ET on weekdays and 10 to 7 ET on weekends.

6. Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer is a web-based version of LegalZoom, but it’s not as expensive.

They are not experts in all areas of registered agent services, and they only offer a small portion of their offerings. They offer very limited registered agent services for LLCs.

They will not provide a New York registered address, but the New York Secretary of State will be happy. Their customer service is not as good as what you would expect from a registered agent service. They charge $149 a year.

7. InCorp

InCorp, which is similar to Harbor Compliance, charges $99/year for New York registered agent services for LLCs. This is the lowest rate.

The computer system they use is complicated to manage. For such a complicated system, their customer service is inadequate. They are, therefore, so far behind the pack.

8. Swyft Filings

Swyft Files offers full-service registration and can help with your Certificate of Formation. You can also receive legal mail from the New York Secretary of State through the company’s New York business address. They also offer compliance form filing notifications which are different from other full-service New York registered agent services.

They charge $149 a year for their services. This makes them one of my most expensive agents and lowers their ranking on this list.

9. Registered Agent Inc.

Registered Agents Inc. provides the same full-service registered agents services as Northwest Registered Agent. This includes filing your Certificate of Formation. They charge $200/year to New York registered agent services and offer less customer support than Northwest Registered Agent.

10. Incorporate.com

Incorporate.com provides business services, including business formations and registered agent services. CSC Global is the company that owns and operates them. This company has a long history. Incorporate.com offers New York registered agent services via CSC Global at $235 per year.


How I Found the Best Registered Agent in New York

When evaluating various services, there are some things you should keep in mind. These are the elements that I used to rate and rank the various registered agents in New York. I used the factors to eliminate many of the other competing services in the marketplace.

You can use these factors as a guide when shopping for a registered agent in New York.

Type of Business Entity

Which type of business do you plan to start? What type of business are you starting?

While most registered agents can work with any type of entity, some are better suited to one than the other. An LLC might not need the same registered agent service that an S-Corp. However, some registered agents work better for nonprofits.

You can do some research to find out what type of entities the registered agent that you are considering works with. It should work well if they have similar businesses to yours.

Compliance

Registered agent services that are best will ensure compliance with federal and state law.

To ensure you don’t miss deadlines or fulfill requirements, you should look for a service that sends reminders by email or text. Some services may provide additional materials or compliance guides. It is easy to tell the difference between registered agent services that do the minimum and those that go above and beyond.

Privacy and security

A registered agent offers privacy as one of its top benefits. Your home address and office address will not be made public but the address of the registered agent.

Your registered agent can facilitate legal documents and government correspondence. Many agents will also offer mail forwarding rather than just mail storage. Others will upload your documentation securely to an online dashboard that you can access remotely.

Services for Business Formation

Most people who are looking for a registered agent service will be starting a business. It is a good idea to use the same company for both.

Many business formation services offer incentives to you as a registered agent, such as a free year of registered agent services.

The business formation services are not necessary if you have an existing business that needs to be registered.

Value

Typically, registered agent services cost around $100 per annum. There might be some that cost $50 more or less. You shouldn’t pay significantly more, however.

Although some businesses may use their attorney to act as a registered agent for them, this will likely be more costly than the services described in this guide.

It’s often the best way to get the most bang for your buck if you combine your registered agent service and a business formation program (as mentioned previously).

Support

If you have any questions, your registered agent should be able to assist you.

This is an important aspect of a service evaluation for registered agents. It can be done over the phone, in person or via an online portal.

Before you make any final decisions, I recommend that you read customer reviews. Many reviews will include comments about support, whether it is good or not. If you are unsure about which option to choose, these remarks may help you decide.


My Research and Testing the Best New York Registered Agents

Initial research revealed that I had more than 20+ registered agents to choose from. I was able to reduce that half by using the internet when I searched for the best New York registered agents.

You will find hundreds of negative reviews and comments on this section. Some complained about the inability of basic services being provided, while others were dissatisfied at high prices and poor customer support.

I was able to get rid of the majority of bad agents and leave only nine promising businesses.

To see the claims and promises made by the remaining agents, I visited their websites to view the next phase. I found enough evidence to remove a few more.

The registered agent sector is booming with many newcomers. To be eligible for my list, I needed at least five years of experience. ZenBusiness was barely able to make it. Each of the other services has around 20 years of experience.

When I looked at the reviews of the company before the pandemic, I also considered the reviews from the time it was founded. The delays increased when LLC and registered agent services were working with understaffed government agencies. This led to more negative reviews starting in 2020 and ending in mid-2021.

Incfile, for example, had an A+ rating from the BBB for 16 consecutive years! This is quite impressive, however, in 2020-2021, Incfile lost its BBB rating and is now not rated by BBB.

I was able to review a list of 10 registered agents.

My Findings and Final Results for the Best New York Registered Agents

After weeks of research and eliminating many top registered agents, I finally settled on the top five services. LegalZoom, Incfile, ZenBusiness, and Northwest are my top choices.  My wife and I have our own online business, and we decided to create an LLC for the business.

This was last year when I signed up with Northwest Registered Agent for both my own LLC formation and one year of registered agent services. We thought $39 was very reasonable, and we liked the fact that  Northwest puts a lot of emphasis on customer privacy.

The Northwest Registered Agent is the Winner – Best New York Registered Agent

I consider Northwest Registered Agent the best New York registered agent, and I am happy to recommend them. Their reliable and affordable services ensure that your company complies with all New York laws. Their customer service is unparalleled in the market for registered agents.

My Experience with Northwest

Northwest Registered Agent offers every feature you need. Northwest has 50 offices across 50 states. Their motto is Privacy by Default.

They ensured that my Certificate of Formation was filed with the Secretary of State, and they provided me with a physical address that I could use to ensure that no personal information was published.

They scanned and uploaded all important legal documents and sent them to my online document portal. I was also reminded of important filing deadlines by compliance alerts. They make sure that my company is in compliance with the New York Secretary of State.

Customer service is an outstanding component of the company.

I received generic replies from the support team for other registered agents on my mailing lists. I was able to guess their answers before I even asked them a question. Northwest is a completely different story.

The Corporate Advisors have extensive knowledge of New York business management.

They were there to help me through every stage of my business formation. They helped me to create a marketing plan and recruit the best people for my company.

My recommendation for the top registered agent in New York

Anyone looking to open an New York business would be well served by the Northwest Registered Agent. They are trustworthy and provide superior customer service to all other New York registered agents.

They ensure that my New York LLC (Limited Liability Company), is in good standing with the New York Secretary of State’s Office. The Corporate Guides can offer outstanding business advice to help you with any problems that may arise in your business.

These are slightly more expensive than other options at $125/year but well worth the extra cost. LegalZoom charges $299/year, which is twice what Northwest charges. Their pricing and service are excellent.

If you’re ready to establish an New York business entity, contact Northwest Registered Agent

Any of the 50 States

If you need to incorporate in any of the 50 states, visit our list of the best online incorporation services for 2023. Any of these top incorporation services can provide you with affordable online incorporation and registered agent service.  

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