What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for registered agent services (startups) on 2026-10-28

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-10-28

Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

The question asked, verbatim: best registered agent services for startups

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. Kruze recommended
   It's the cheapest credible option by a wide margin, they've been doing Delaware-only work for decades, and Kruze Consulting (which does the books for hundreds of VC-backed startups) lists it as one of the agents premier startup law firms routinely recommend.
2. Kruze Consulting recommended
   It's the cheapest credible option by a wide margin, they've been doing Delaware-only work for decades, and Kruze Consulting (which does the books for hundreds of VC-backed startups) lists it as one of the agents premier startup law firms routinely recommend.
3. Cooley mentioned
   Firms like Cooley, Gunderson, Wilson Sonsini have standing relationships, and a diligence process goes smoother when your agent is one your acquirer's lawyers recognize.
4. Wilson Sonsini mentioned
   Firms like Cooley, Gunderson, Wilson Sonsini have standing relationships, and a diligence process goes smoother when your agent is one your acquirer's lawyers recognize.
5. InCorp mentioned
   In practice that means HBS, InCorp (~$99/yr), CSC Global (~$194/yr), or CT Corporation (~$275/yr).
6. CSC mentioned
   In practice that means HBS, InCorp (~$99/yr), CSC Global (~$194/yr), or CT Corporation (~$275/yr).
7. CSC Global mentioned
   In practice that means HBS, InCorp (~$99/yr), CSC Global (~$194/yr), or CT Corporation (~$275/yr).
8. CT Corporation mentioned
   In practice that means HBS, InCorp (~$99/yr), CSC Global (~$194/yr), or CT Corporation (~$275/yr).
9. Series B mentioned
   Worth it around Series B+, when you're qualified to do business in a dozen states and a missed lawsuit is an existential problem.
10. Northwest mentioned
    Northwest Registered Agent - $125/year, and they're known for not raising it on existing customers.
11. Northwest Registered Agent mentioned
    Northwest Registered Agent - $125/year, and they're known for not raising it on existing customers.
12. Harbor Compliance mentioned
    Harbor Compliance - $99/year with multi-year discounts.
13. multi-year mentioned
    Harbor Compliance - $99/year with multi-year discounts.
14. Stripe Atlas mentioned
    Stripe Atlas - $500 one-time for the Delaware C-corp, EIN, and founder stock docs, with year one of registered agent included, $100/year after.
15. EIN mentioned
    Stripe Atlas - $500 one-time for the Delaware C-corp, EIN, and founder stock docs, with year one of registered agent included, $100/year after.
16. Clerky mentioned
    Clerky - $819 for the Company Lifetime Package;
17. LegalZoom mentioned
    LegalZoom at $249/year and ZenBusiness at $199/year (after a cheap first year) are both paying for brand, not service.
18. ZenBusiness mentioned
    LegalZoom at $249/year and ZenBusiness at $199/year (after a cheap first year) are both paying for brand, not service.
19. Bizee mentioned
    Bizee (ex-Incfile) renews at $149 - the free first year is a hook.
20. Rho mentioned
    - Rho - best registered agent services 2026 (https://www.rho.co/blog/best-registered-agent-services)

Sources the engine cited

Is one of these your site? Its page lists every recorded answer that cited it, with the questions, the pages and the dates, and carries the alert for the next citation.

The answer, as recorded

Here's who I'd actually name, roughly in the order I'd suggest them. ## If you're a Delaware C-corp (the default for anything venture-track) **1. Harvard Business Services (HBS)** - $50/year, flat, guaranteed for the life of the company. This is the pick for most early-stage Delaware corps. It's the cheapest credible option by a wide margin, they've been doing Delaware-only work for decades, and Kruze Consulting (which does the books for hundreds of VC-backed startups) lists it as one of the agents premier startup law firms routinely recommend. There's no upsell machine attached to it. **2. Whoever your startup lawyer tells you to use** - genuinely the best answer if you have counsel. Firms like Cooley, Gunderson, Wilson Sonsini have standing relationships, and a diligence process goes smoother when your agent is one your acquirer's lawyers recognize. In practice that means HBS, InCorp (~$99/yr), **CSC Global** (~$194/yr), or **CT Corporation** (~$275/yr). **3. CSC Global or CT Corporation** - only once you're bigger. You're paying 4-5x for institutional-grade service of process handling, multi-state coverage, and an account team. Worth it around Series B+, when you're qualified to do business in a dozen states and a missed lawsuit is an existential problem. Not worth it for a two-person company. ## If you're an LLC or operating in your home state **4. Northwest Registered Agent** - $125/year, and they're known for not raising it on existing customers. Best overall for non-Delaware work: strong privacy posture (they let you use their address broadly instead of publishing yours), actual humans on the phone, and no aggressive cross-selling. This is my general-purpose recommendation. **5. Harbor Compliance** - $99/year with multi-year discounts. The one I'd pick if you're registering in several states at once but aren't ready for CSC pricing; their compliance calendar and licensing help is real substance, not a brochure. ## If you haven't incorporated yet **6. Stripe Atlas** - $500 one-time for the Delaware C-corp, EIN, and founder stock docs, with year one of registered agent included, $100/year after. Good value and the agent service is fine to just leave in place. **7. Clerky** - $819 for the Company Lifetime Package; agent is $125/year after the free first year. More expensive, but the paperwork is genuinely attorney-grade, which matters if you're raising on SAFEs soon. The standard advice is Clerky for VC-track, Atlas for speed and cost. ## Ones I'd skip **LegalZoom** at $249/year and **ZenBusiness** at $199/year (after a cheap first year) are both paying for brand, not service. **Bizee** (ex-Incfile) renews at $149 - the free first year is a hook. None of these do anything HBS or Northwest doesn't do better or cheaper. **The practical take:** Delaware C-corp → HBS at $50. Home-state LLC → Northwest at $125. Upgrade to CSC/CT when you have real multi-state exposure, not before. And whatever you pick, switching is easy and cheap - don't overthink it. Sources: - [Kruze Consulting - cheapest registered agent in Delaware](https://www.kruzeconsulting.com/cheapest-agent-delaware/) - [Kruze Consulting - registered agents in Delaware](https://kruzeconsulting.com/registered-agents-delaware) - [TRUiC / HowToStartAnLLC - best registered agent services](https://howtostartanllc.com/reviews/best-registered-agent-services) - [Rho - best registered agent services 2026](https://www.rho.co/blog/best-registered-agent-services) - [Rho - Stripe Atlas vs. Clerky](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky) - [Business Initiative - Northwest vs. Harbor Compliance](https://www.businessinitiative.org/formation-providers/northwest-registered-agent-vs-harbor-compliance/) - [Discern - best registered agent services for VC firms](https://www.discern.com/resources/best-registered-agent-services-venture-capital-firms)

Near this answer

The same question, recorded on other dates: 2026-10-26, 2026-10-23, 2026-10-21, 2026-10-18, 2026-10-16, 2026-10-14, 2026-10-10, 2026-10-08, 2026-10-06, 2026-10-05, 2026-10-03.

registered agent services, asked for other audiences: small businesses (asked 2026-10-28).

Other categories with a recorded answer: accounting firms, business coaching services, business formation services, compliance consulting firms.

Play this answer: which brand was named first?

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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.