Top 10 Best Registered Agents in Florida (March 2024)

To bring you this in-depth overview of Florida registered agent services, our attorneys and legal consultants conducted hours of study and consultation.

As we share our experience with each service, comparing their service features, the benefits and drawbacks of each provider, and pricing plans, enabling you to make an informed choice for your company.

If you are searching for the best registered agent service in Florida, we have what you’re looking for. The top 10 Florida registered agents.

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

Registered agents in Florida 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.

Florida registered agent services ensure state laws compliance while starting and running your business.

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

My Top Picks for Best Registered Agent in Florida

  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 Florida This registered agent guide outlines the advantages, pricing, and other services offered by each option.

1. Northwest Registered Agent (Best Registered Agent)

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

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

Northwest Registered Agent provides high-quality registered agent 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 Registered Agent offers volume discounts that reduce the cost of its registered agent service by $100/year for five or more states. Their service has expanded and improved over the years since they started out as an registered 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 Florida 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 registered agent services.

2. Harbor Compliance (Best Registered Agent Software)

  • Harbor Compliance has provided registered agent and 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 use it?

Harbor Compliance is a great choice for Florida companies requiring compliance and registered agent services.

Harbor Compliance Pros and Cons

Pros

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

Cons

  • Their registered agent services are a little more costly than other providers

3. Incfile (Best Budget Registered Agent)

  • Incfile was established in 2004 and has since served more than 500,000 clients.
  • Incfile may have the most reviews in the industry. Incfile has thousands upon thousands of reviews online and just a few negative ones.
  • Incfile’s services were often delayed during the pandemic, and there were customer service issues.
  • 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 Florida 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 registered agent service
  • Free business formation
  • Stellar customer reviews
  • 12-month registered 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 first-year free registered agent 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 registered agent 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 Florida, 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

  • Well-known brand
  • Free annual report included with incorporation service
  • Customer support, including Saturdays

Cons

  • One of the most expensive registered agents

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 customer service hours 6 days a week. 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 Florida 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 their registered agent customer service hours 6 days a week. 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 registered agent service is 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.

Rocket Lawyer charges $149 a year for registered agent services in Florida.

7. InCorp

InCorp, which is similar to Harbor Compliance, charges $99/year for Florida registered agent services for LLCs. This is a reasonable rate.

The computer system they use is complicated to manage. For such a complicated system, their registered agent customer service is inadequate. Their registered agent service has room for improvement

8. Swyft Filings

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

They charge $149 a year for their services.

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 Florida 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 Florida registered agent services via CSC Global at $235 per year.


Finding a Good Registered Agent in Florida

There are many options available for you to hire a registered agent in Florida. You must meet the basic eligibility requirements to become a registered agent. Anyone residing in Florida may become your registered agent if they meet the requirements.

Who can be a registered agent?

  • The person must not be under 18 years of age.
  • The LLC must be registered in the same state as the person who will be operating it.
  • The employee must be present at all times during work hours.
  • Anybody who meets the above requirements may act as a registered agent.
  • Recommendation – Always use a registered agent in Florida.

Can I be my own registered agent?

You can be your own registered agent. You can register as a registered agent any member of the LLC, the manager, or the owner. A registered agent can also be someone in the family of the owners, such as spouses, relatives or other family members. Anyone representing the business as an agent must meet the basic requirements.

Why you shouldn’t be your own registered agent

To save money, many small businesses don’t hire a registered agent. It is not recommended that you become your own registered agent. Being a registered agent for your own LLC can present you with many problems. Here are some of these issues.

  • Your home address will be visible to the public online if you operate your business remotely or if you have a web-based business. This address will be used to send mail and for other official purposes. This could compromise your privacy.
  • For 52 weeks, a registered agent must be available at the official address during work hours. This could limit your ability to do other work.
  • The Secretary of State’s website database must have the registered agent’s address up-to-date.

To make your life easier, it is a good idea to have a registered agent handle your paperwork. This protects your privacy especially if your business is based at home. It is better to have a registered agent.


How I Found the Best Registered Agent in Florida

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 Florida. 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 Florida.

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

The best Florida registered agent services will ensure compliance with federal and state law.

To ensure you don’t miss deadlines or fulfill requirements, you should look for an Florida registered agent 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.

An Florida 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 looking for a registered agent service will start a business. It is a good idea to use the same company for both.

Many business formation services offer incentives such as a free year of registered agent services. The business formation services are unnecessary if you have an existing business that must be registered.

Value

Typically, Florida registered agent services cost around $100 per year. 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 Florida 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 making any final decisions, I recommend reading 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 of the Best Florida Registered Agents

Initial research revealed that I had more than 20+ registered agents to choose from. I reduced that by using the internet when I searched for the best Florida registered agents.

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

I could 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 company’s reviews before the pandemic, I also considered the reviews from when 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 Florida 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.

Northwest Registered Agent is the Winner – Best Florida Registered Agent

I consider Northwest Registered Agent the best Florida registered agent, and I am happy to recommend them. Their reliable and affordable services ensure that your company complies with all Florida 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 Florida 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 could guess their answers before I even asked them a question. Northwest is an entirely different story.

The Corporate Advisors have extensive knowledge of Florida 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 Florida

Northwest Registered Agent would serve anyone looking to open an Florida business well. I found them trustworthy, providing excellent customer service compared to all other Florida registered agents.

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

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

If you’re ready to establish an Florida business entity, contact Northwest Registered Agent.

Conclusion

A registered agent is required to be appointed if you want to create an Florida LLC. Florida State Law requires that you have an Florida registered agent in order to conduct business in Florida. When the state sends official and legal documents to a business entity, having a registered agent ready to receive the documents is vital to the business. If there is a lawsuit, the registered agent will receive service of process.

We have provided all the information about contacting a good registered agent in Florida. Before you hire an Florida registered agent, make sure to read this guide again and take your time to shop around for the best registered agent for your business in Florida.

Florida Registered Agent Service FAQ

How can I find a registered agent for Florida?

A registered agent service provider can be a great investment in your privacy and time management. There are many registered agent services. We recommend using a reliable national registered agent service.

What is the cost of a registered agent in Florida?

It costs between $99 and $349 to hire a registered agent service.

Is a registered agent required in Florida

Florida law requires all LLCs, corporations, nonprofits to elect and maintain a registered agents and registered offices.

Can I be my own registered agent for my LLC?

A registered agent service provider can be a great investment in your time, privacy, and peace of mind.

Do I need a registered agent to represent my Florida business?

We recommend small businesses hire an Florida registered agent.

What is the cost of changing my registered agent?

It can cost between $0 and $50 to change your registered agent depending on how many states you have to do business with your LLC.

 

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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