What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for business formation services (small businesses) on 2026-09-23
Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-09-23
On 2026-09-23, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best business formation services for small businesses". It named 9 brands; the first six, in order, were Northwest Registered Agent, LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, Bizee, Clerky and Stripe.
| Question | best business formation services for small businesses |
|---|---|
| Asked on | 2026-09-23 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 9 |
| Sources cited | 9 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified |
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.
The question asked, verbatim: best business formation services for small businesses
Brands named, in the order the engine gave
- Northwest Registered Agent recommended
Northwest Registered Agent - my default recommendation for most small businesses.
- LegalZoom compared
Customer ratings average 4.7 across ~1,900 Google reviews vs LegalZoom's 3.7.
- ZenBusiness compared
(ZenBusiness comparison (https://www.zenbusiness.com/northwest-registered-agent-vs-legalzoom/), Forbes Advisor (https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/best-llc-service/))
- Bizee mentioned
Bizee (formerly Incfile) - cheapest on paper, with a quality asterisk.
- Clerky mentioned
You want a Delaware C-corp, not an LLC: Clerky ($427 pay-per-use, $819 lifetime) for proper cap-table and stock-issuance documents, or Stripe Atlas ($500, includes Stripe credits) for speed.
- Stripe mentioned
You want a Delaware C-corp, not an LLC: Clerky ($427 pay-per-use, $819 lifetime) for proper cap-table and stock-issuance documents, or Stripe Atlas ($500, includes Stripe credits) for speed.
- Stripe Atlas mentioned
You want a Delaware C-corp, not an LLC: Clerky ($427 pay-per-use, $819 lifetime) for proper cap-table and stock-issuance documents, or Stripe Atlas ($500, includes Stripe credits) for speed.
- Firstbase mentioned
Firstbase ($399) is the pick if you're a non-US founder needing an EIN without an SSN.
- Rho mentioned
(Rho (https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky), Flowjam (https://www.flowjam.com/blog/stripe-atlas-alternatives-2026))
Sources the engine cited
| Source | Type |
|---|---|
| forbes.com | other |
| llcuniversity.com | other |
| zenbusiness.com | vendor |
| forbes.com | other |
| nerdwallet.com | review |
| cybernews.com | other |
| registeredagentcost.com | other |
| rho.co | vendor |
| flowjam.com | other |
The answer, as recorded
Here's who I'd actually point you to, in order: **1. Northwest Registered Agent - my default recommendation for most small businesses.** $39 flat formation plus state fee, and registered agent renews around $125/yr instead of creeping upward. Two things make it stand out: they don't use your home address on public filings (they list their own, which matters if you're running a business from your kitchen table), and they don't bury you in upsells at checkout. Customer ratings average 4.7 across ~1,900 Google reviews vs LegalZoom's 3.7. The honest caveat: those reviews are polarized - 64% five-star but 28% one-star, mostly support complaints. ([Forbes Advisor](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/northwest-registered-agent-vs-legalzoom/), [LLC University](https://www.llcuniversity.com/reviews/northwest-registered-agent-llc/)) **2. Filing directly with your Secretary of State - genuinely the cheapest, and worth considering first.** For a single-member LLC in a straightforward state, the online filing is usually a 20-minute form and you pay only the state fee. You'd still want a registered agent if you don't want your address public, but you can buy that separately. Nobody selling formation services will tell you this, so I will. **3. LegalZoom - if you want actual attorney access bundled in.** The formation itself is $0 + state fee, but the value is the surrounding ecosystem: attorney consultations, trademark filing, ongoing legal documents. The cost is real, though - their registered agent runs $249/yr, roughly double the market, which works out to ~$847 over three years vs Northwest's much lower total. Worth it only if you'll use the legal services. ([ZenBusiness comparison](https://www.zenbusiness.com/northwest-registered-agent-vs-legalzoom/), [Forbes Advisor](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/best-llc-service/)) **4. ZenBusiness - good product, but watch the renewals.** The onboarding is the smoothest of the bunch and Pro/Premium plans file within one business day. The problem is year two: Pro renews at $199/yr, Premium at $399/yr, and "Worry-Free Compliance" is free year one then auto-renews at $199. Nearly every 1-star review traces back to a surprise auto-renewal. Fine if you calendar the renewal dates; frustrating if you don't. ([NerdWallet](https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/legal/learn/zenbusiness), [Cybernews](https://cybernews.com/marketing-tools/zenbusiness-review/)) **5. Bizee (formerly Incfile) - cheapest on paper, with a quality asterisk.** Free formation, $119/yr agent, ~$238 total over three years. Multiple reviewers report service quality slipped after the 2024 rebrand, so I'd only pick it if price is the binding constraint. ([registeredagentcost.com](https://registeredagentcost.com/bizee-vs-legalzoom/)) **If you're actually a venture-track startup rather than a small business** - different answer entirely. You want a Delaware C-corp, not an LLC: **Clerky** ($427 pay-per-use, $819 lifetime) for proper cap-table and stock-issuance documents, or **Stripe Atlas** ($500, includes Stripe credits) for speed. Note Clerky was acquired by Stripe in August 2026, operating independently for now. **Firstbase** ($399) is the pick if you're a non-US founder needing an EIN without an SSN. ([Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky), [Flowjam](https://www.flowjam.com/blog/stripe-atlas-alternatives-2026)) **The thing to internalize:** the formation fee is marketing. Almost every one of these is $0-$39 up front. The real cost is the registered agent renewal and compliance subscriptions in years two through five, where the spread between providers runs into the hundreds. Compare those numbers, not the sticker price. Sources: - [Forbes Advisor - Northwest vs LegalZoom](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/northwest-registered-agent-vs-legalzoom/) - [Forbes Advisor - Best LLC Services 2026](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/best-llc-service/) - [LLC University - Northwest Review](https://www.llcuniversity.com/reviews/northwest-registered-agent-llc/) - [NerdWallet - ZenBusiness Review](https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/legal/learn/zenbusiness) - [Cybernews - ZenBusiness Review](https://cybernews.com/marketing-tools/zenbusiness-review/) - [registeredagentcost.com - Bizee vs LegalZoom](https://registeredagentcost.com/bizee-vs-legalzoom/) - [Rho - Stripe Atlas vs Clerky vs LegalZoom](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky) - [Flowjam - Stripe Atlas Alternatives 2026](https://www.flowjam.com/blog/stripe-atlas-alternatives-2026)
Markdown edition · the question page, with every recording · Answer Watch · AEO Watch
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.