# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for registered agent services (startups) on 2026-10-16

## In short

On 2026-10-16, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best registered agent services for startups". It named 13 brands; the first six, in order, were Northwest, Northwest Registered Agent, Clerky, Stripe, Stripe Atlas and EIN.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best registered agent services for startups |
| Asked on | 2026-10-16 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 13 |
| Sources cited | 6 |
| Audience | startups |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-10-16 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/registered-agent-services-startups-2026-10-16
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-10-16 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> # Registered agent services for startups
> 
> Most startups overthink this. A registered agent's actual job is narrow: have a physical address in your state of incorporation, accept service of process, and forward it to you fast. The differences between providers are price, privacy, and how well they handle you having entities in multiple states later.
> 
> **1. Northwest Registered Agent - $125/yr.** My default recommendation. Privacy is the real differentiator: they list their address instead of yours on public filings, which matters because your registered agent address becomes a permanent public record attached to your name. They scan every document same-day, they've been around since 1998, and support is actual humans in the US rather than an upsell funnel. Free the first year if you form through them. ([rho.co](https://www.rho.co/blog/best-registered-agent-services), [businessinitiative.org](https://www.businessinitiative.org/formation-providers/northwest-registered-agent-vs-harbor-compliance/))
> 
> **2. Harvard Business Services - $50/yr, rate locked for the life of the company.** The cheapest credible option, and the price guarantee is unusual in an industry that loves renewal hikes. 

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwest | mentioned |
| 2 | Northwest Registered Agent | mentioned |
| 3 | Clerky | mentioned |
| 4 | Stripe | mentioned |
| 5 | Stripe Atlas | mentioned |
| 6 | EIN | mentioned |
| 7 | Harbor Compliance | mentioned |
| 8 | multi-year | mentioned |
| 9 | CSC Global | mentioned |
| 10 | CT Corporation | mentioned |
| 11 | Series B | mentioned |
| 12 | Avoid | mentioned |
| 13 | Bizee | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.rho.co/blog/best-registered-agent-services (vendor)
- https://www.businessinitiative.org/formation-providers/northwest-registered-agent-vs-harbor-compliance/ (other)
- https://startupsavant.com/best-registered-agent-services (other)
- https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky (vendor)
- https://www.discern.com/resources/best-registered-agent-services-venture-capital-firms (other)
- https://www.kruzeconsulting.com/cheapest-agent-delaware/ (vendor)

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

Alerts and membership: Answer Watch Pro, 79 USD per month: https://bikoosh.com/answers. Bikoosh is monitoring assistance, not complete protection.

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.