# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for registered agent services (startups) on 2026-09-24

## In short

On 2026-09-24, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best registered agent services for startups". It named 11 brands; the first six, in order, were Northwest Registered Agent, Harbor Compliance, Clerky, Stripe, Stripe Atlas and Cogency Global.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best registered agent services for startups |
| Asked on | 2026-09-24 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 11 |
| Sources cited | 9 |
| Audience | startups |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-24 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/registered-agent-services-startups-2026-09-24
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-24 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> Searched - here's what I'd actually tell you.
> 
> First, the honest framing: registered agent is a commodity. The job is to have a physical address in your state of incorporation, accept service of process, and forward franchise-tax notices to you fast. The differences that matter are **price stability, whether they upsell you**, and whether they keep your home address off public record. Most "best registered agent 2026" listicles are affiliate-funded, so weight the prices below over the rankings.
> 
> **1. Northwest Registered Agent - my default pick for most startups.** $125/yr flat, and their pitch is that the renewal price doesn't jump (Harbor is $99 year one then $149; LegalZoom is $249 then $299). They're the least aggressive about upsells and they publish their address for privacy purposes. If you don't want to think about this again, pick this. ([registeredagentcost.com](https://registeredagentcost.com/northwest-registered-agent-review/), [registeredagentguides.com](https://registeredagentguides.com/blog/harbor-vs-northwest-registered-agent/))
> 
> **2. Harvard Business Services - if you're a Delaware C-corp and want the cheapest credible option.** $50/yr for registered agent after ye

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwest Registered Agent | mentioned |
| 2 | Harbor Compliance | mentioned |
| 3 | Clerky | mentioned |
| 4 | Stripe | mentioned |
| 5 | Stripe Atlas | mentioned |
| 6 | Cogency Global | mentioned |
| 7 | CSC | mentioned |
| 8 | Compliance | mentioned |
| 9 | Entity | mentioned |
| 10 | Inc Authority | mentioned |
| 11 | Kruze Consulting | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://registeredagentcost.com/northwest-registered-agent-review/ (other)
- https://registeredagentguides.com/blog/harbor-vs-northwest-registered-agent/ (other)
- https://www.incorporator.org/articles/harvard-business-services-review-the-delaware-specialist-the-lawyers-quietly-rec (other)
- https://corp.delaware.gov/agents/ (reference)
- https://medium.com/kuldeep/incorporating-a-startup-delaware-c-corp-atlas-vs-clerky-and-the-checklist-that-saves-you-later-2c50280725f2 (community)
- https://stripe.com/atlas (vendor)
- https://registeredagentguides.com/blog/csc-registered-agent-pricing/ (other)
- https://registeredagentcost.com/northwest-vs-legalzoom/ (other)
- https://kruzeconsulting.com/registered-agents-delaware/ (vendor)

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.