When it comes to business formation, you can make your life much easier by turning to a professional incorporation service. If you choose the right service, they can handle everything for you and keep you legally compliant for many years to come. Two names you may have come across on your search are Northwest Registered Agent and MyCompanyWorks. Today the two will be compared side-by-side to see which is best for your business.
Northwest Registered Agent vs. MyCompanyWorks: The Verdict
MyCompanyWorks was launched in 2001 and has helped almost 100,000 businesses form since then. They have a comprehensive website that is easy to navigate and they offer affordable pricing. Customer feedback is numerous, and their expedited processing times are fast. Their LLC formation services are excellent. You can use MyCompanyWorks to fulfill all of your business needs, and they have an excellent refund policy promising 100% satisfaction.
Northwest Registered Agent services are excellent and cost-effective, with affordable annual report services for entrepreneurs. They are the only major service provider to offer complete mail forwarding services. They were launched in 1998 and have helped thousands form businesses since; though their online customer reviews aren't as numerous as MyCompanyWorks, they do offer reliable business formation services and add-ons.
Choose MyCompanyWorks if:
- You want a more affordable package
- You want a service provider with more feedback
- You want cheaper expedited processing
- You're forming an LLC
Choose Northwest Registered Agent if:
- You want the best registered agent services with complete mail forwarding
- You want cheaper annual reporting
- You're starting a corporation
Services Offered & Pricing
Northwest and MyCompanyWorks offer similar services, but the price is quite different. MyCompanyWorks' basic package starts at just $79, but Northwest has only one package that'll set you back over $200. With that said, Northwest does offer registered agent service with their (one and only) package. For a formation package with registered agent service included, you'll need to pay $199 for the MyCompanyWorks entrepreneur package, though that does have the additional benefit of MyCompany forms.
MyCompanyWorks and Northwest Registered Agent both offer expedited filing; however, with MyCompanyWorks, this is just $20 (compared to Northwest's $100+). Both offer good customer service alongside their primary services, though. You can trust them not to upsell you or sell your data.
Key Similarities
- Expedited services are available
- Similar price points
- Trustworthy providers
Key Differences
- MyCompanyWorks offers multiple packages
- If you don't need registered agent services, MyCompanyWorks is substantially cheaper
MyCompanyWorks Packages & Pricing
Unlike Northwest, MyCompanyWorks offers three packages offering progressively more.
Basic Package - $79
Starting at just $79, the Basic package is very affordable. It'll cover you forming an LLC or corporation. You'll receive the following services:
- Business name availability search
- Operating agreement
- Filing of the articles of organization
- Meeting minutes
- Company alerts
- Checklist Wizard
Entrepreneur Package - $199
This package has everything in the basic package, plus extras such as:
- EIN (Federal Tax ID)
- Customized compliance binder
- MyCompanyForms (Lifetime access to more than 200 professional forms)
- Registered agent services ($99 after the first year)
Complete Package - $279
With the complete package, business owners can hit the ground running. It includes everything from the above plus:
- Priority support
- Annual report filing
- Compliance lock alerts
- Minutes and resolutions
- Business entity monitoring
- 5 GB of cloud storage
Northwest Registered Agent Packages & Pricing
Northwest only offers one package, with additional services as an optional add-on.
Formation services - $225 upfront, variable per year
For just $225, Northwest will act as your registered agent and incorporate your business. If you want to continue with the registered agent services after the first year, the cost is $125. Since they act as your registered agent, they'll receive all of your government documents for you, but unlike other providers, they'll scan through everything - including junk mail. This protects personal information from prying eyes, which is a win for business owners.
Along with the formation services, Northwest offers unlimited lifetime business support. After you've used your first year of service, you can continue to use Northwest to act as your registered agent or submit your annual report with the IRS if you choose to.
Document Management & Online Experience
MyCompanyWorks has an extensive, comprehensive but easy-to-navigate website. Northwest's website is a little more basic, but it's still smooth to use. Northwest's strength in this area is that they forward 100% of your mail to you - even junk mail will be made available to you.
With the entrepreneur package, MyCompanyWorks will provide you with 200+ templates to be accessed online. Whichever service you choose, everything can be done online, and your documents will be easy to access digitally in your virtual office.
Key Similarities
- Easy to use, secure websites
- Documents available online
Key Differences
- MyCompanyWorks has a smoother website
- Northwest Registered Agent mail over 100% of your mail
Processing Time
Online processing is very easy with both service providers - you can get signed up, choose your package, pay, and get everything in motion in under 20 minutes.
Turnaround time is difficult to gauge for Northwest Registered Agent because it varies on a state-by-state basis, but expedited filing is possible from $100. MyCompanyWorks offers expedited filing from just $20.
Key Similarities
- Expedited filing is possible
- Order processing is a breeze
Key Differences
- Expedited filing is more expensive with Northwest Registered Agent
Compliance & Track Record
Northwest Registered Agent have an excellent track record with a plethora of online reviews, mostly praising the free registered agent service (free for the first full year), their dedicated corporate guides, and reasonable prices. MyCompanyWorks has even more reviews, however. With quickly approaching 100,000 businesses formed since their inception, they have hundreds of positive reviews online. Not only that but MyCompanyWorks is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Key Similarities
- No compliance issues
- Good track records
Key Differences
- MyCompanyWorks is BBB accredited with a superior reputation
Customer Service
Northwest Registered Agent has some of the best customer services in the business, as their aforementioned positive customer reviews show. They usually win this category for that reason, but MyCompanyWorks is also excellent. They offer an integrated live chat and answer all emails within 24-hours, their representatives are empathetic and knowledgable, and there are an array of learning resources and FAQs available on the website.
Key Similarities
- Excellent customer reviews and customer service
Key Differences
- MyCompanyWorks has an integrated live chat
Structure Breakdown
When you purchase a filing service, your experience of the formation process will vary widely depending on the structure of your business entity, which is why we've taken an in-depth look at each business type.
It's hard to choose which offers the best LLC formation package; in order to get comparable service, you'll need to purchase MyCompanyWorks $199 entrepreneur package to set up your limited liability company. This is slightly cheaper than the Northwest Registered Agent package, but you'll miss out on the mail forwarding offered. However, their satisfaction guarantee is too good to miss, so overall we'd pick MyCompanyWorks.
Both service providers have their own merits in this category: either can assist you in setting up a corporation, but only Northwest Registered Agent will offer you the complete privacy of having 100% of your mail forwarded to you. With that said, MyCompanyWorks satisfaction guarantee and cheaper expedited filing are very attractive to corporate clients.
When you're setting up a partnership, you don't actually require a registered agent service which allows you to save some money by choosing MyCompanyWorks basic package - if you decide to, at just $79, this is considerably cheaper than Northwest's only package and still includes the feature-packed virtual office and satisfaction guarantee, though you won't receive the MyCompanyForms perk.
Northwest Registered Agent has several online reviews from non-profit clients and seemingly an excellent track record at earning tax exemptions for their clients. MyCompanyWorks seems more focused on limited liability and corporate clients.
The Last Word
MyCompanyWorks and Northwest Registered Agent are two companies with great reputations; they stand equal in many regards; however, there are some perks that the other don't offer. For example, MyCompanyWorks provides a 90-day satisfaction guarantee, and Northwest offers you 100% mail forwarding, meaning you see absolutely everything your business receives. Both providers are excellent, though, so you can feel secure choosing either.
Filed under: Head-to-Head
