{"question": "best registered agent services for startups", "category": "registered-agent-services", "category_name": "registered agent services", "audience": "startups", "audience_name": "startups", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-10-23T22:16:00Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/registered-agent-services-startups-2026-10-23", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/registered-agent-services/startups", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Northwest", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "Northwest Registered Agent", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "Clerky", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "Stripe Atlas", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "CSC", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "CT Corporation", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "Harbor Compliance", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "LegalZoom", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "ZenBusiness", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 10, "brand": "Bizee", "label": "mentioned"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://www.rho.co/blog/best-registered-agent-services", "domain": "rho.co", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://www.businessinitiative.org/formation-providers/northwest-registered-agent-vs-harbor-compliance/", "domain": "businessinitiative.org", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.delawareinc.com/blog/registered-agent-fees-rising-not-ours/", "domain": "delawareinc.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.delawareinc.com/compare-registered-agent-fees/", "domain": "delawareinc.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky", "domain": "rho.co", "source_type": "vendor"}], "answer_text": "## The short answer\n\n**Northwest Registered Agent** is the default I'd recommend for most startups, and **Harvard Business Services** if you're a Delaware entity and want the cheapest sane option. Here's the full ranking:\n\n**1. Northwest Registered Agent - $125/yr**\nThe best all-around pick. Flat pricing with no renewal games, genuinely good phone support (you get a human who knows what they're talking about), and the strongest privacy posture - they list *their* address rather than yours on public filings, which matters if you're working out of your apartment. They've been doing this since 1998. If you don't want to think about this decision, pick this one. ([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/))\n\n**2. Harvard Business Services (delawareinc.com) - $50/yr, Delaware**\nCheapest credible option by a wide margin, and they contractually fix it at $50 per company per year for the life of the entity - a price they've held since 1981. Fewer bells and whistles than Northwest, but a registered agent's actual job is to receive service of", "answer_truncated": true, "measurement": "One answer from one engine on one date. Not a ranking and not a claim about the world; brands the engine did not name are not recorded.", "limitation": "Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.", "alerts": {"name": "Answer Watch Pro", "price_usd": 79, "period": "month", "gets": "daily change alerts for up to 5 brands in what one AI answer engine says, history, CSV export. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included", "url": "https://bikoosh.com/answers"}}