WHICH IS THE BEST LLC SERVICE FOR YOU?
If you’re planning to form a new LLC, chances are you’ve already had your first encounter with the hassle that is LLC registration.
Although many decide to go at it alone to save money, it can be a rather unpleasant process that often fails to justify the choice of doing it the hard way. And hiring lawyers or accountants to conduct the formation can cost you a fortune.
Hence, the choice to hire an LLC formation service being quite a popular median as far as formation strategies go. This option is of course more costly than any DIY method but at the same time considerably more affordable than your average attorney.
But how do you choose an LLC service that fits well with your business plan?
Current leading service providers offer fairly comparable plans at similar rates, so just blindly picking any high-quality LLC formation service can result in needless expenses.
Going through a comparison guide or two might be a good starting point for making the right decision for your business. This Northwest Registered Agent vs Rocket Lawyer comparison will primarily cover the basic features of the two companies and their respective advantages.
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Both Rocket Lawyer and Northwest Registered Agent rank fairly high on the best formation services lists, their pricing disparity notwithstanding.
Being among the most popular business formation services online, the two are highly accommodating when it comes to the most demanding facets of entity formation.
Although both are guaranteed to excel at forming your new LLC and other procedures related to company maintenance, they do diverge slightly in some key aspects.
Northwest Registered Agent, for one, is mostly known for their individualized approach, offering perhaps the best customer support services in their field.
Many consider Northwest to be the best LLC service of the two, though it’s mainly tied to their more rounded LLC formation package. In this instance, Northwest wins a few points by including a free registered agent service without resorting to a third-party hire.
Still, none of this diminishes the individual benefits of Rocket Lawyer, from their attractive rates to stellar customer feedback. But let’s dive a little deeper into what makes either of these options a more suitable option for your business.
1) Affordable: Both Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer offer far more accommodating prices compared to the average attorney rates while doing roughly the same job. As such, both companies can prepare and file the Articles of Organization as well as handle other documents involved in business formation at shockingly affordable rates.
2) Customer Support: Being frugal is all well and good but it won’t make for a very effective LLC formation. Another key aspect to focus on when choosing a formation company is to evaluate their customer service departments. Luckily, both of these companies employ competent and knowledgeable professionals, so you are guaranteed the best possible support regardless of your formation plan.
3) Experience: Even though experience as a whole is not a requisite for the high quality of service, putting in years or even decades of work into one field is often a huge benefit, one both Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer share. Both companies have helped form thousands of LLCs over the years and are held in high esteem by many industry specialists.
4) Efficiency: In addition to offering their services for LLC registration nationwide, both companies can also significantly speed up application processing times. Their expediting services are available in many major jurisdictions, though the prices often vary with local state rates.
5) Great Customer Reviews: It’s not uncommon to have your opinion swayed by reading more about first-hand customer experience, but this doesn’t detract from the general appeal of either Northwest Registered Agent or Rocket Lawyer. Both have their fair share of positive customer reviews attesting to their respective strengths.
6) Additional Services: Apart from conducting LLC formations, the two companies have plenty to offer to help you run your business smoothly. This includes anything from extended business formation services to customized business solutions like drafting agreements or obtaining foreign qualifications.
At face value, Northwest’s rates may seem less than ideal compared to those of Rocket Lawyer’s LLC formation service. Northwest’s LLC formation starts at $225—a rather steep price for small startups—but the quality of their services is more than worth it.
Rocket Lawyer, by contrast, asks only for $99.99 plus state fee. On the flip side, you will likely need to pay for some of the formation services separately. In the end, both can help you start an LLC without much hassle.
In terms of scope, both companies offer rather extensive feature sets, from basic services like preparation and filing of the articles of organization to more specialized procedures.
Both are similar in that they have a business name availability check for making the formation that much easier. Their registered agent service is also necessary for the lawful operation of your company, namely receiving correspondence, service of process, and more.
The biggest divergence between the two is the addition of a registered agent in the Northwest LLC formation plan. This service is free of charge for the first year since the initial purchase, while the Rocket Lawyer LLC formation package doesn’t include this feature at all, and their registered agent service is a separate feature priced at $149.99 per year.
Even though they both registered in 2008, Rocket Lawyer got there four months earlier. Still, both are entirely reputable companies that are more than competent at their job
In the past 13 years, the two have established themselves in the business services industry through their painstakingly detailed approach to formation. Rocket Lawyer has been particularly fruitful, having helped more than 20 million customers since their launch.
Rocket Lawyer offers the help of their representatives via phone (877) 881-0947 from Monday till Friday between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm. All in all, Rocket Lawyer’s support is perfectly decent, with their reps providing competent advice on the formation process.
Still, it’s far from Northwest’s customer service network. Most Northwest Registered agent LLC reviews point to a highly personalized approach to customer care supported by their team of Corporate Guides and other industry specialists. Northwest Registered Agent’s reps can also be contacted via their personal work email or phone number.
In most cases, processing speed depends on the state you’re forming your LLC in. Neither company can guarantee faster turnaround times in all states equally, but they do have expedited processing options for anyone looking to start LLCs. All in all, both are fairly equal in terms of speed.
Both Northwest Registered Agent and Rocket Lawyer provide the tools necessary for keeping track of your orders. In addition to giving you access to status tracking tools on their websites, they also provide timely email notifications.
If you plan to form an LLC in America, you are legally required to designate a registered agent to complete the registration. Making this step mandatory is the state’s way to ensure they can reach you whenever necessary. By having a registered agent, LLC can receive regular state correspondence, court orders, and other official documents.
True to its name, Northwest Registered Agent offers specialized registered agent services in addition to the incorporation plan, and that includes the local scanning of all documents received on your behalf instead of just legally required ones. Their primary plan also covers a full year of registered agent service after which you will be charged $125 annually.
Rocket Lawyer’s LLC formation package neglects this feature, and instead, the company offers it as a separate service for $149.99 per year.
Client feedback is one of the aspects where Rocket Lawyer outmatches Northwest by a wide margin. While both excel in garnering positive customer feedback, it’s Rocket Lawyer that has managed to accumulate thousands of reviews in the same amount of time.
Northwest Registered Agent reviews include 67 on BBB (in addition to their 4.39/5 star rating, 40 on Yelp (4 out of 5 stars), and 196 on Google (4.5/5 stars).
In contrast, Rocket Lawyer boasts more than 3,000 reviews available online, with 3,257 found on Trustpilot (4.6/5 stars), 409 on Consumer Affairs, 1,309 on Sitejabber (4.5/5 stars), and 82 on BBB (4.39/5 stars).
As far as accessibility goes, Rocket Lawyer and Northwest Registered Agent both have intuitive interfaces and optimized page response times. You won’t have any trouble navigating their user-friendly websites when you decide to form an LLC. Moreover, they offer well-structured educational resources, making your LLC formation process that much easier.
In terms of add-ons, the two companies have similar offerings. Both cover contract drafting, LLC operating agreements, and other documentation.
Their extras are mostly relegated to the realm of business services, though Rocket Lawyer also extends it to a few choice personal services and even real estate services while Northwest keeps it fairly traditional.
The fact that both of these companies are considered to be the two of the best options in the industry can make it that much harder to pick between them. And choosing the service provider that works best for your specific business is the first step towards reaching long-term stability. While Northwest and Rocket Lawyer have plenty of experience, they aren’t as interchangeable as one might think.
Despite not being the cheapest LLC formation service available, Northwest is more than worth their money thanks. They are an excellent choice for those who value premium customer support and don’t want to overpay for their registered agent. All in all, Northwest’s services will work best for entrepreneurs with decent startup capital and a preference for more inclusive formation packages.
Rocket Lawyer, on the other hand, is a better option for newcomers with more modest budgets. Some of the common reasons for choosing this service are their base rates but also their exceptionally good standing which took years to cultivate. And even though some of the services have to be purchased separately, this option is still more financially viable than hiring a lawyer to form your LLC.
| ZenBusiness | LegalZoom | |
| ORDER PROCESSING TIME | 2-3 weeks | 30 days |
| REGISTERED AGENT | Included for one year, then $119 per year | $159 extra per year |
| OPERATING AGREEMENT | Yes | $99 extra |
| EIN REGISTRATION | $70 extra | $60 extra, must be bundled with Operating Agreement for a total of $159 |
| ANNUAL COMPLIANCE | $110/year | 10 days free, $280/year after |
| WEB DOMAIN | $25 domain name registration, $10 domain name privacy | No |
| WORRY FREE CPA ASSESSMENT | Yes | No |
| ZenBusiness | LegalZoom | |
| ORDER PROCESSING TIME | 2-3 weeks | 30 days |
| REGISTERED AGENT | Included for one year, then $119 per year | $159 extra per year |
| OPERATING AGREEMENT | Yes | $99 extra |
| EIN REGISTRATION | $70 extra | $60 extra, must be bundled with Operating Agreement for a total of $159 |
| ANNUAL COMPLIANCE | $110/year | 10 days free, $280/year after |
| WEB DOMAIN | $25 domain name registration, $10 domain name privacy | No |
| WORRY FREE CPA ASSESSMENT | Yes | No |
