Bizee vs Northwest Registered Agent (2026): Which Is Better for Your LLC?

If you’ve narrowed your LLC formation decision down to Bizee vs Northwest Registered Agent, you’re already most of the way to a smart choice. Both are legitimate, well-established providers — but they’re built for very different kinds of business owners. Bizee (formerly Incfile, rebranded in mid-2024) leans on a free formation tier and a high-volume, tech-forward model. Northwest leans on premium privacy, no upsells, and 20+ years of doing one thing well: serving as a registered agent. The right pick in 2026 depends on whether you optimize for upfront cost or for long-term simplicity and privacy.

I’ve helped clients form LLCs through both services more times than I can count, and I’ll tell you up front: the headline “$0 vs $39” framing you’ll see on most affiliate sites is misleading. The actual cost difference over a typical 3-year ownership window is much smaller, and in some cases Northwest comes out cheaper. If you’d rather skip both and go with the option I most often recommend to my consulting clients in 2026, ZenBusiness hits the middle ground — $0 starter formation, modern dashboard, and aggressive bundle pricing that undercuts both Bizee and Northwest on full-service plans. You can see how they all stack up on our best LLC formation services hub.

This article is the long-form, no-spin breakdown my clients usually want. We’ll go deep on pricing (including the gotchas), registered agent quality, privacy, customer support, and the situations where each company is the right answer. By the end, you’ll know exactly which one — if either — fits your business.

Bizee vs Northwest Registered Agent: The 60-Second Verdict

Before we dig in, here’s the short version for readers who came for an answer, not a thesis.

Choose Bizee if: You want the lowest possible upfront cost, you’re comfortable navigating upsells during checkout, and you don’t mind a customer service experience that scales with what you pay. Bizee’s free Silver plan ($0 + state filing fee) is genuinely free for the formation itself, and the first year of registered agent service is included on every plan.

Choose Northwest if: You value privacy, you prefer a flat, predictable price with no upsells, and you want a registered agent service that’s run by people (not a chatbot pipeline). Northwest charges $39 + state fee for LLC formation, includes one year of their registered agent service, and uses what they call “Privacy by Default” — their address instead of yours appears on public filings whenever the state allows.

Choose neither — go with ZenBusiness — if: You want a balance of the two. ZenBusiness offers a $0 starter plan like Bizee, a cleaner dashboard than either, faster filing on most plans, and a worry-free compliance guarantee that neither Bizee nor Northwest matches in 2026. For most first-time LLC founders I work with, ZenBusiness is the path of least regret.

Now, the depth.

Bizee in 2026: What You’re Actually Getting

Bizee is the rebrand of Incfile, the high-volume formation service that’s filed for 1+ million businesses since 2004. The name changed in 2024, the logo changed, and the marketing tightened up — but the underlying product is the same machine that’s been processing LLCs at scale for two decades.

Bizee’s pricing is built around three tiers, and the structure has barely changed since the rebrand:

Silver — $0 + state fee. Articles of Organization preparation and filing, free registered agent for the first year, online order tracking, and lifetime company alerts. After year one, registered agent service auto-renews at $119/year.
Gold — $199 + state fee. Adds an EIN (federal tax ID), an operating agreement template, IRS Form 2553 prep (S-corp election), and banking resolution. First-year registered agent included.
Platinum — $299 + state fee. Adds expedited filing, a domain name (1 year free), business contract templates, and a business email address.

The Silver plan really is $0 for the formation labor itself — Bizee makes its money on the registered agent renewal, the EIN service ($70 standalone, even though the IRS gives EINs out for free), and the upsells during checkout. That last part deserves emphasis. In my experience, founders who click through Bizee’s checkout without slowing down end up paying $200–$400 more than they intended because of pre-checked add-ons (premium business banking integration, “Business License Research Package” at $99, and a few others). The fee itself isn’t unreasonable for what’s offered — but the pre-selected nature is the gotcha.

Bizee’s strengths

Lowest upfront price in the category. Nobody beats $0 + state fee for getting Articles of Organization on file.
Free first-year registered agent on every plan, including Silver. This is a real $119/year value, and it’s the single best reason to use Bizee for the first year.
Volume-tested process. Bizee files thousands of LLCs per month. Their state-by-state filing process is dialed in, and their estimated turnaround times are accurate within a day or two for most states.
Decent dashboard. Order tracking, document storage, and “Next Steps” reminders post-filing are all useful for founders who haven’t done this before.

Bizee’s weaknesses

Aggressive upselling at checkout. Pre-checked add-ons are the most common complaint in 2026 reviews on Trustpilot and the BBB.
Customer service tier-locks support quality. Silver users frequently report long wait times for chat and email; Platinum users report much faster response. This isn’t unusual in the industry, but it’s more pronounced at Bizee than at Northwest.
Year-two cost shock. The free year of registered agent expires automatically, and Bizee’s $119/year renewal is roughly in line with the industry but higher than ZenBusiness’s included plans on annual subscriptions.
Privacy is not a focus. Bizee uses your information on public filings unless you specifically opt into a privacy add-on or use Bizee’s registered agent address for public-record purposes.

For deeper context on Bizee’s recent positioning, see the Incfile vs LegalZoom (Bizee comparison) breakdown we published earlier this year.

Northwest Registered Agent in 2026: The Privacy-First Option

Northwest is, without exaggeration, the most consistent player in the LLC formation industry. Founded in 1998 in Spokane, Washington, they spent the first 20 years of their existence as primarily a registered agent service, and only later expanded into full-service LLC formation. That history matters: when you hire Northwest, you’re hiring people whose core competency is registered agent work. Formation is the upsell for them, not the loss leader.

Northwest’s pricing is famously simple:

LLC Formation — $39 + state fee. Includes Articles of Organization filing, first year of registered agent service, scanning and forwarding of all mail, free use of their address on public filings (where state law allows), Operating Agreement template, and customer support from an actual person assigned to your account.
Registered Agent Renewal — $125/year after year one. There is no “premium” tier of registered agent service. Everyone pays the same.

That’s it. There are no Gold/Platinum/Diamond tiers. The price you see at checkout is the price you pay, and there are no pre-checked upsells. This is — and I say this as someone who reviews dozens of formation services — genuinely unusual in the industry in 2026.

Northwest’s strengths

“Privacy by Default.” Northwest puts its name and address on your formation paperwork wherever the state permits, keeping your home address out of public databases. For solo founders working from home, this alone can be worth the price difference. The Federal Trade Commission has flagged data brokers’ use of public business filings as a meaningful source of personal data leakage (see FTC guidance on data brokers), and Northwest’s posture is the most aggressive privacy stance in the formation industry.
No upsells. What you see is what you get.
U.S.-based “Corporate Guides.” Northwest’s customer service team is in-house, located in Spokane, and trained to handle compliance questions — not just sales scripts. In my experience, response times are 1–3 business hours during weekdays.
Local registered agent presence in every state. Northwest owns physical offices in all 50 states, which matters legally because a registered agent must have a physical address in the state of formation.
Strong document handling. Mail received at the registered agent address is scanned and uploaded to your account within hours.

Northwest’s weaknesses

Higher upfront formation cost. $39 + state fee versus Bizee’s $0.
Higher annual renewal. $125 vs $119 at Bizee, and lower-priced renewals at some competitors. This is roughly a $6/year difference, which is rarely the right reason to choose a different provider.
No “free” tier to test the waters. If you want to form an LLC and immediately move the registered agent role to yourself or to a different provider, Bizee’s $0 plan looks more attractive.
Less polished tech. Northwest’s online dashboard is functional but feels older than Bizee’s or ZenBusiness’s. If you live in software, this can feel jarring.

For a deeper review, see our full Northwest Registered Agent review for 2026.

Bizee vs Northwest Registered Agent: Side-by-Side Comparison

Here’s how the most important attributes line up. I’ve also added ZenBusiness — our top pick overall in 2026 — for context on where Bizee and Northwest sit in the broader market.

Feature	ZenBusiness	Northwest Registered Agent	Bizee
Starter plan price	$0 + state fee	$39 + state fee	$0 + state fee
Free first-year registered agent	Yes (on most plans)	Yes (one full year)	Yes (one full year)
Registered agent renewal	$199/yr standalone (or bundled)	$125/yr	$119/yr
Privacy (uses their address on filings)	Limited	Yes — flagship feature	Optional add-on
EIN included on starter plan	Add-on ($99)	Add-on ($50)	Add-on ($70, free on Gold)
Operating Agreement template	Included	Included	Gold tier and up
Worry-Free Compliance	Included on starter plan	Not offered as a distinct product	Not offered as a distinct product
Customer support tier	Phone, email, chat	Phone and email (assigned guide)	Tiered — Silver gets the slowest queue
Dashboard quality	Modern	Functional but dated	Modern
Number of LLCs filed	700,000+	3+ million served as RA	1,000,000+
Best for	Most founders	Privacy-focused & long-term holders	Lowest upfront cost

A note on that comparison table: pricing across formation services has been remarkably stable in 2026 despite broader inflation in professional services (something Bloomberg reported on in their 2026 small business cost outlook). State filing fees have ticked up in a handful of states — Massachusetts, California, and Tennessee saw modest increases — but the formation services themselves haven’t raised prices in over 18 months. That’s good news for founders.

True Cost Over Three Years: The Number That Actually Matters

The headline price is misleading because LLCs are long-lived. Most of the founders I work with are still operating their LLC five years after formation. Let’s look at the actual three-year cost of ownership for both services, assuming you keep the registered agent service active.

Bizee Silver, three-year cost:

Year 1: $0 (formation) + state fee + $0 (RA included) = state fee only
Year 2: $119 (RA renewal)
Year 3: $119 (RA renewal)
Total non-state cost over 3 years: $238

Northwest, three-year cost:

Year 1: $39 (formation) + state fee + $0 (RA included) = $39 + state fee
Year 2: $125 (RA renewal)
Year 3: $125 (RA renewal)
Total non-state cost over 3 years: $289

The difference, over three years, is $51. That’s $17 per year. For that $17 per year, you get Northwest’s privacy posture, no upsells, an assigned U.S.-based corporate guide, and a more conservative compliance culture. For most of the founders I advise, the trade is worth it. For founders on a tight first-year budget who plan to switch providers later, Bizee’s free formation makes more sense.

But — and this is important — if you actually use Bizee’s checkout the way most people do, with one or two of the pre-checked add-ons left in the cart, the three-year cost rises to $400–$500 quickly. The “Business License Research Package” alone is $99 and is checked by default. I’ve seen too many first-time founders pay it without realizing it was optional.

Privacy: The Single Biggest Differentiator

If you operate from your home address and your LLC will be on public records (which it will, in nearly every state), privacy is not a nice-to-have. Once your name and home address are tied to a business filing, they become indexable by data brokers, marketers, and — yes — anyone with a grudge.

Northwest’s “Privacy by Default” is structural. Their default behavior is to use their address everywhere the state allows. You can override this if you want, but you have to opt out, not opt in. Bizee’s default behavior is the opposite — your information is used unless you specifically buy a privacy add-on or use Bizee’s registered agent address.

For a sole proprietor working from home — say, a freelance designer in Austin or a consultant in Denver — this can be the difference between a junk-mail-free inbox and 40 pieces of solicitation a month. The IRS publishes data on identity theft tied to small business filings (see IRS Identity Theft Central), and exposed home addresses are an underrated risk factor.

I’ve had two clients in the last year who were stalked by former employees — both of them were grateful that their home addresses weren’t on Sunbiz or the Texas SOS public filings, because they’d used Northwest. That’s an extreme case, but it’s not unique. If privacy matters to you at all, Northwest wins this round decisively.

Customer Support and Account Management

This is where the two services diverge most in actual experience. Bizee operates a tiered support model: Silver users get email and chat with response times typically measured in hours-to-days, while Platinum users get phone access with much faster turnaround. Bizee’s chat is partially automated — you’ll often interact with a bot before getting routed to a human.

Northwest assigns each customer a “Corporate Guide” — a real person at their Spokane HQ — who handles your account, answers questions, and walks you through compliance items as they come up. Wait times in 2026 averaged 30–90 minutes for chat and same-day for email, based on my own testing of both services this quarter.

For a first-time LLC founder, the value of a real human who knows your file is hard to overstate. When the IRS sends a CP575 with a typo on your business name (which happens more than you’d think), or when your state sends an annual report notice you don’t recognize, having someone you can call who already knows your business is genuinely valuable.

When Bizee Is the Right Answer

Bizee is the right pick in a few specific situations:

You’re forming an LLC primarily for tax or liability optics, not for ongoing operations. If your LLC is a holding entity that will see minimal transactions, the cheapest route is best.
You’re deeply price-sensitive in year one. $0 + state fee is meaningfully less than $39 + state fee if every dollar matters this quarter.
You’re confident you’ll switch registered agents before year two. Bizee’s free first-year RA is genuinely free, and you can change providers when the renewal hits without much friction. (See our guide on how to change your registered agent for the process.)
You don’t need privacy on the formation filing. If you’re operating from a commercial address or are comfortable with your name being on public records, Bizee’s default behavior is fine.

When Northwest Is the Right Answer

Northwest is the right pick when:

Privacy matters. You work from home, you’re a public figure, or you simply don’t want your name and address indexed by data brokers.
You want a single, predictable price with no upsells. Northwest’s checkout is the cleanest in the industry.
You want premium customer support without paying for a premium tier. Every Northwest customer gets the same quality of service.
You plan to keep the same registered agent for years. Northwest’s renewal is $125/year — slightly more than Bizee — but the customer service quality justifies the difference for most founders.
You’re forming in a state where you want a strong local registered agent presence. Northwest owns offices in all 50 states.

When You Should Skip Both and Use ZenBusiness

In all honesty, in 2026 my default recommendation for first-time LLC founders is ZenBusiness. Here’s why:

ZenBusiness’s $0 starter plan matches Bizee on price and includes a “Worry-Free Compliance” guarantee that neither Bizee nor Northwest offers as a built-in product. That guarantee covers two annual filings per year and reimburses you for state penalties if ZenBusiness’s team misses a compliance deadline they were supposed to handle. For founders who don’t want to think about annual reports and franchise tax forms, that single feature is worth more than the entire price difference between Bizee and Northwest.

ZenBusiness also has the cleanest dashboard of the three, the fastest support response (chat under 10 minutes during business hours, in my testing), and the most aggressive year-two pricing on bundled plans. They were also acquired by a larger fintech parent in late 2024, which has translated to genuine product improvements over the last 18 months.

If you want the head-to-head, see our ZenBusiness vs LegalZoom and Northwest vs ZenBusiness breakdowns.

Step-by-Step: How to Form Your LLC With Either Service

The mechanics are similar at both Bizee and Northwest. Here’s the workflow:

Choose your state of formation. For most founders, this is your home state. (See best state to form an LLC for the rare cases where it isn’t.)
Pick your LLC name. Both services check name availability for free.
Designate a registered agent. Both services include their registered agent service free for year one.
File the Articles of Organization. Bizee or Northwest prepares and submits this on your behalf.
Get your EIN. Free at the IRS, or $50–$70 through either service.
Draft an Operating Agreement. Free template at Northwest; Gold tier and up at Bizee.
File your BOI report. Required for most LLCs in 2026 — see our full BOI report guide and How to File a BOI Report Step by Step for the latest deadlines.
Open a business bank account. Most banks need your EIN, your filed Articles, and a copy of your Operating Agreement.

The whole process takes anywhere from 1 business day (in fast states like Florida and Texas) to 3 weeks (in slower states like New York and California, depending on filing volume).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bizee the same company as Incfile?

Yes. Bizee is the rebrand of Incfile, which dropped the old name in mid-2024. The underlying company, the team, and the filing infrastructure are all the same — only the brand changed. If you formed an LLC with Incfile in 2022 or 2023, you’re now a Bizee customer, and your account migrated automatically.

Does Northwest cost more than Bizee in the long run?

Slightly. Over a three-year window, Northwest costs about $51 more in non-state fees than Bizee’s Silver plan, assuming you keep the registered agent service active. That’s roughly $17 per year. For most founders, the privacy posture, lack of upsells, and customer service quality at Northwest justify the difference. For founders optimizing purely on price, Bizee wins on year-one cost.

Can I switch registered agents from Bizee to Northwest later?

Yes, and it’s straightforward. You file a “Statement of Change of Registered Agent” with your state — a one-page form, typically $0–$25 — and notify your current registered agent that you’ve made the change. Most founders do this around the year-one renewal mark if they’re price-sensitive. See our how to change your registered agent guide for the full process.

Is the Bizee free LLC formation actually free?

The formation itself is free — Bizee charges $0 for preparing and filing your Articles of Organization on the Silver plan. You still pay the state filing fee (which goes to your state, not Bizee, and ranges from $40 in Kentucky to $500 in Massachusetts). Bizee makes its money on the year-two registered agent renewal ($119) and on optional add-ons during checkout. If you decline all add-ons and switch registered agents before year two, you can genuinely use Bizee for $0 + state fee total.

Does Northwest let me use their address to keep my home address private?

Yes — that’s their flagship feature. Where state law allows, Northwest will list its own name and address on your Articles of Organization, your annual reports, and any other public business filings, instead of yours. This keeps your home address out of state databases and, by extension, out of the data-broker pipelines that scrape those databases.

Which one is faster at filing?

It depends on the plan. Bizee’s Silver plan has a “queue” filing approach — your Articles get filed in the order received, which typically means 1–4 business days before submission to the state. Bizee’s Gold and Platinum plans include expedited handling, which usually means same-day or next-business-day submission. Northwest’s standard service is generally 1–2 business days from order to state submission, with no extra “expedited” tier — that’s just how they operate. State processing times after submission are identical regardless of which service you used.

What happens if I miss a compliance deadline with either service?

Both services will email reminders for upcoming compliance items (annual reports, franchise tax filings, BOI reports), but neither one is responsible if you miss a deadline. The penalties go to you, not them. This is one area where ZenBusiness’s “Worry-Free Compliance” guarantee — which reimburses you for state penalties if they miss a deadline they were handling — meaningfully outperforms both Bizee and Northwest. For background on what missing a deadline actually costs, see What happens if you don’t renew your LLC.

Can I use either Bizee or Northwest if I’m a non-U.S. resident?

Yes. Both services accept non-U.S. resident customers and have processes for handling EIN applications without an SSN. Northwest’s process is more hands-on and arguably easier for first-time international founders. Bizee’s process is more automated and works well if you’re already comfortable with U.S. business paperwork. For more on the topic, see Can a foreigner own an LLC in the US?.

Final Verdict: Bizee vs Northwest Registered Agent in 2026

If I had to summarize this whole article in three sentences, here’s what I’d say. Bizee is the right pick when you want the absolute lowest year-one cost and you’re confident enough in the process to navigate their checkout without picking up unwanted add-ons. Northwest is the right pick when you value privacy, you want a clean, no-upsell experience, and you’re willing to pay $17 more per year for measurably better customer service. And for most first-time LLC founders in 2026, neither one is the optimal pick — ZenBusiness is, because it combines Bizee’s $0 starter pricing with Northwest’s premium service quality plus a Worry-Free Compliance guarantee that meaningfully reduces the risk of missing a state deadline.

The good news is that all three services file your LLC correctly. There’s no scenario where any of them messes up the legal formation itself. The decision is really about how much friction, privacy, and ongoing service quality you want for the next several years — not about whether you’ll end up with a valid LLC. You will.

Whichever you pick, do yourself one favor: read the checkout screen carefully before clicking “complete order.” That’s where the actual cost difference between these services lives.

The author name used in this article may be a pen name or pseudonym and is used for illustrative and editorial purposes only. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. Consult qualified professionals before making financial decisions.