# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for business formation services (small businesses) on 2026-09-17

## In short

On 2026-09-17, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best business formation services for small businesses". It named 11 brands; the first six, in order, were Northwest Registered Agent, ZenBusiness, Bizee, Rho, LegalZoom and Tailor Brands.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best business formation services for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-09-17 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 11 |
| Sources cited | 8 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-17 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/business-formation-services-small-businesses-2026-09-17
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-17 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> Here's how I'd rank them, assuming a typical US small business forming an LLC.
> 
> ## The short answer
> 
> **1. Northwest Registered Agent - my default recommendation.** $39 + state fees, includes a full year of registered agent service, renewing at ~$125/yr. Two things set it apart: it doesn't sell your data (its "Privacy by Default" policy is real, and it lets you use its address instead of yours on the public record), and the support is actual humans who know filing rules, not a sales script. Critically, it doesn't bury you in upsells at checkout. Its renewal pricing is the most predictable of the big three, which is where most people get burned. ([Forbes Advisor](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/northwest-registered-agent-vs-legalzoom/), [LLC University](https://www.llcuniversity.com/northwest-registered-agent-vs-zenbusiness/))
> 
> **2. Your state's Secretary of State website - seriously, consider it.** Forming an LLC is usually one form and a fee. If you're a single-member LLC in your home state, with a home address you don't mind being public, you can do it in 20 minutes for the state fee alone ($50-$300 depending on state). Then buy registered agent service separately

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwest Registered Agent | recommended |
| 2 | ZenBusiness | mentioned |
| 3 | Bizee | mentioned |
| 4 | Rho | mentioned |
| 5 | LegalZoom | mentioned |
| 6 | Tailor Brands | mentioned |
| 7 | Stripe | mentioned |
| 8 | Stripe Atlas | mentioned |
| 9 | Cooley | mentioned |
| 10 | Clerky | mentioned |
| 11 | Firstbase | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/northwest-registered-agent-vs-legalzoom/ (other)
- https://www.llcuniversity.com/northwest-registered-agent-vs-zenbusiness/ (other)
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/best-llc-service/ (other)
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/zenbusiness-vs-northwest-registered-agent/ (vendor)
- https://www.rho.co/blog/best-llc-formation-services (vendor)
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/incfile-vs-tailor-brands/ (vendor)
- https://stripe.com/atlas (vendor)
- https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky (vendor)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/business-formation-services/small-businesses

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.