# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for registered agent services (startups) on 2026-09-22

## In short

On 2026-09-22, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best registered agent services for startups". It named 14 brands; the first six, in order, were Northwest Registered Agent, Stripe, Stripe Atlas, Clerky, Cooley and Harbor Compliance.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best registered agent services for startups |
| Asked on | 2026-09-22 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 14 |
| Sources cited | 8 |
| Audience | startups |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-22 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/registered-agent-services-startups-2026-09-22
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-22 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> ## Short answer
> 
> For most startups: **Northwest Registered Agent**. If you haven't incorporated yet, let **Stripe Atlas** or **Clerky** cover year one and revisit later.
> 
> ## The ones I'd actually name, in order
> 
> **1. Northwest Registered Agent - $125/yr, the default pick**
> Flat rate that reportedly hasn't moved in ~20 years (no first-year bait, no renewal jump), real humans on support, and they list *their* address instead of your home address on public filings - which matters if you're operating out of an apartment. Formation is $39 + state fee with the first year of agent service free. This is the boring correct answer for a single-state or Delaware-only startup.
> 
> **2. Stripe Atlas - best if you're incorporating right now**
> $500 one-time gets Delaware C-corp incorporation with expedited filing, EIN, founder stock issuance, and 83(b) filing, with documents built with Cooley. First year of registered agent included, then **$100/yr** - the cheapest ongoing rate of anything credible here. The catch is you're buying into Stripe's stack; the agent service is a byproduct, not the product.
> 
> **3. Clerky - if you're raising institutional capital**
> Pay-per-use ~$427 or ~$819 lifetime, inclu

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

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

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/best-registered-agent-services/ (other)
- https://startupsavant.com/best-registered-agent-services (other)
- https://www.discern.com/resources/best-registered-agent-services-2026-comparison (other)
- https://stripe.com/atlas (vendor)
- https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky (vendor)
- https://www.llcuniversity.com/harbor-compliance-review/ (other)
- https://kruzeconsulting.com/registered-agents-delaware/ (vendor)
- https://www.usepostal.com/blog/best-registered-agent-for-startups (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.