Northwest vs. Bizee
The two cheapest credible ways to form with a service, separated by $57 over five years. The difference is not the headline price; it is what the free and flat packages quietly include and leave out. Prices checked November 8, 2026.
How This Page Makes Money, Honestly
LLCForming is funded by affiliate commissions. Right now the provider links on this page are plain links and we earn nothing when you click them. As affiliate partnerships are approved, links will be swapped for tracked ones and this note will be updated. Prices below come from each provider's own pricing page, checked November 8, 2026. Full disclosure.
The short answer
Bizee starts cheaper: its Basic package is $0 and includes a free year of registered agent service, so year one can cost nothing but the state fee. Northwest costs $39 up front and wins every year after, because its agent renewal is $125 against Bizee's $149 and because the operating agreement Bizee charges a $199 tier for is inside Northwest's flat $39. Over five years with agent service, Northwest totals $539 and Bizee $596. If you will be your own agent and skip the add-ons entirely, Bizee Basic at $0 is the cheapest legitimate formation on the market.
| Question | Northwest Registered Agent | Bizee |
|---|---|---|
| Formation price | $39 flat plus state fees. One price, no tiers. | Basic $0, Standard $199, Premium $299, all one-time. |
| Registered agent included? | Yes, first year included with formation. | Yes, first year free with every package. |
| Agent renewal price | $125/yr. | $149/yr after the free year. |
| Operating agreement | Included in the $39 formation. | Not in Basic. Included from Standard ($199). |
| EIN | Available as an add-on service. | Included from Standard. Free from the IRS either way. |
| What renews every year | Agent service only, $125/yr, if you keep it. | Agent service only, $149/yr, if you keep it. Packages themselves are one-time. |
| Extras in the base price | Business address, plus a domain, hosting, email, and phone bundle with agent service. | Virtual mail free for the first month; expedited filing bundled in Premium. |
The cost table
| Path, state fees excluded | Year one | Five years |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest, you are your own agent | $39 | $39 |
| Northwest, with agent service | $39 (agent year included) | $539 |
| Bizee Basic, you are your own agent | $0 | $0 |
| Bizee Basic, with agent service | $0 (agent year free) | $596 |
| Bizee Standard, with agent service | $199 | $795 |
Five-year figures are our arithmetic from the published prices: Northwest $39 plus four agent renewals at $125; Bizee Basic $0 plus four renewals at $149 after the free year; Bizee Standard $199 plus the same four renewals.
Where Bizee genuinely wins
The $0 start is real, and it comes with the agent year included, which Northwest's $39 also includes but Bizee's headline beats. Bizee's paid tiers are also one-time payments: Standard at $199 buys the EIN and operating agreement once, with no subscription renewing behind it, which founders burned by subscription pricing will appreciate. Premium bundles expedited filing for anyone in a hurry.
Where Northwest wins
Everything that repeats. The agent renewal is $24 a year cheaper, the operating agreement is in the base price instead of a $199 tier, and Northwest's multi-state agent discount ($100 a year per state at five or more states) has no Bizee equivalent we could find on its pricing pages. Northwest is also the privacy-first product: its whole pitch is keeping your address off the public record, with the address, domain, and email tools bundled into agent service rather than sold as upgrades.
One Bizee wrinkle worth knowing: its own homepage disagrees with itself about lifetime compliance alerts. The package table credits them to Standard and up, while its FAQ says every package, Basic included, comes with them. We credit Bizee with the FAQ version in the table above, but if the alerts matter to you, confirm at checkout.
Northwest Registered Agent | Bizee
Prices checked on each provider's own pricing pages, November 8, 2026. Five-year figures are our arithmetic from those prices, excluding state fees, which are identical either way.
Who should pick which
- Pick Bizee Basic if you want to spend nothing beyond the state fee this year and you will sort out the agent question before the free year ends.
- Pick Northwest if you already know you want a commercial agent for the long run. The renewal is cheaper, the operating agreement is included, and the five-year total is the lowest with-agent figure in the category.
- Pick Bizee Standard if you want the EIN and operating agreement handled in the same one-time checkout and dislike subscriptions on principle.
- Pick neither if you are comfortable filing with your state directly and being your own agent. The state fee is the whole cost, and our formation guide covers the process.
Common questions
Which is cheaper after five years?
Northwest, $539 against $596 with agent service, because its $125 renewal beats Bizee's $149 four times. Without agent service, Bizee Basic is cheaper: $0 against Northwest's one-time $39.
Is Bizee Basic really free?
The package is $0 plus the state fee, and the first year of agent service is included. What is not free is year two: the agent renews at $149 a year if you keep it, and the operating agreement and EIN live in the $199 Standard tier, not in Basic.
Why does Northwest charge $39 if Bizee can do it for $0?
Different business models. Northwest is an agent company pricing a flat service; Bizee prices formation as an entry product and earns on renewals and tiers. The five-year table above is the honest way to compare them.
Can I start with one and switch agents later?
Yes. Every state has a change-of-agent filing, usually online and free or cheap, as our registered agent guide explains. File the change before the old service lapses so there is no gap.