# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for registered agent services (startups) on 2026-09-20

## In short

On 2026-09-20, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best registered agent services for startups". It named 14 brands; the first six, in order, were Clerky, Stripe, Stripe Atlas, Rho, Northwest Registered Agent and Harbor Compliance.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best registered agent services for startups |
| Asked on | 2026-09-20 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 14 |
| Sources cited | 7 |
| Audience | startups |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-20 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/registered-agent-services-startups-2026-09-20
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-20 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> Here's who I'd actually point a startup at, roughly in the order I'd consider them:
> 
> **1. Whoever incorporated you - for year one, just keep them.** If you formed through **Clerky** ($125/yr after the free first year) or **Stripe Atlas** ($100/yr after the free first year), the registered agent is already bundled and wired into your cap table / doc flow. Switching in year one is busywork with no payoff. Clerky is the one I'd default to for a VC-track Delaware C-corp because the corporate hygiene is built for exactly that; Atlas if you want the fastest path and already live in Stripe. ([Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky), [Startup Savant](https://startupsavant.com/service-reviews/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky))
> 
> **2. Northwest Registered Agent - $125/yr, flat forever.** My default recommendation for a standalone agent. The price genuinely doesn't escalate at renewal, they don't upsell aggressively, they use their own address (so your home address stays off the public record), and scanned documents land the same day. This is the one most founders should pick if they're choosing fresh. ([Startup Savant](https://startupsavant.com/best-registered-agent-services), [Registered 

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clerky | mentioned |
| 2 | Stripe | mentioned |
| 3 | Stripe Atlas | mentioned |
| 4 | Rho | mentioned |
| 5 | Northwest Registered Agent | mentioned |
| 6 | Harbor Compliance | mentioned |
| 7 | CSC | mentioned |
| 8 | CT Corporation | mentioned |
| 9 | Wolters Kluwer | mentioned |
| 10 | Firstbase | mentioned |
| 11 | LegalZoom | mentioned |
| 12 | ZenBusiness | mentioned |
| 13 | ZenBusiness/Bizee | mentioned |
| 14 | Bizee | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky (vendor)
- https://startupsavant.com/service-reviews/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky (other)
- https://startupsavant.com/best-registered-agent-services (other)
- https://registeredagentcost.com/best-registered-agent-service/ (other)
- https://www.delawareinc.com/ourservices/appoint-registered-agent/ (other)
- https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/best-registered-agent-services-for-businesses (vendor)
- https://www.discern.com/resources/northwest-registered-agent-alternatives (other)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/registered-agent-services/startups

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.