How We Review Registered Agent & LLC Services

Last updated: 2026-06-07

Our reviews and comparisons follow a consistent methodology so you can trust that we're weighing every service the same way. Here's what we look at and how we reach a recommendation.

What we evaluate

• True price — the real first-year cost (service fee + state fee) and, just as important, the renewal price after year one.
• What's actually included — formation filing, registered-agent service, compliance reminders, and which "extras" are genuinely useful versus upsells.
• Privacy — whether the service keeps your home address off public records.
• Renewal & cancellation terms — how easy it is to leave and what it costs.
• Support quality — responsiveness and whether you reach real help or a script.
• Suitability by scenario — who each service is genuinely best (and worst) for: new founders, privacy-focused owners, non-US residents, people switching providers, and DIY filers.

Sources we use

For state requirements and fees, we rely on official sources wherever possible — Secretary of State and Division of Corporations websites, official filing-fee schedules, and state statutes — rather than competitor blog posts. Fees and rules change, so we date our pages and link to the official source so you can verify the current figure yourself.

Hands-on testing

Where we have conducted hands-on testing of a service, we include original screenshots and notes — of the checkout flow, pricing before payment, upsells, the dashboard, onboarding, and renewal terms — and we caption what each shows. Where a section reflects published information rather than our own testing, we say so. We do not fabricate testing or screenshots, and we only use review/rating markup when it reflects genuine evaluation.

Independence & corrections

Commissions never influence rankings (see how we make money and our editorial policy). If we get something wrong, tell us via our contact page and we'll fix it and note the correction.