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Northwest Registered Agent has been operating since 1998. In an industry where most competitors compete on formation volume and upsell revenue, Northwest built their business around registered agent service and privacy. They do not sell customer data to third parties. Their support team answers questions directly rather than through automated workflows. When you form through Northwest, their address appears on public filings instead of yours.
That reputation is genuine, and it matters. Northwest is not the kind of competitor whose pricing model requires careful forensics. There is one checkout feature most people miss, and we will cover it directly. Beyond that, the comparison for non-US founders is specific: Northwest was designed for US residents forming domestic businesses, and the gaps are structural rather than the result of a deceptive business model.
Two features are absent that matter most for non-US founders. EIN for founders without a Social Security Number costs $200, and Northwest's own EIN page quotes 120 days to receive it. Form 5472, the annual IRS return required for every foreign-owned single-member LLC, is not offered.
That is why, for founders outside the US, StartFleet is the best Northwest Registered Agent alternative: the same formation and registered agent service, but with the EIN at $149 in 10–12 business days instead of $200 in 120 days, Form 5472 filed at $299-$499, and US bank account guidance included. For a US resident with an SSN, the recommendation flips — Northwest is cheaper and this page will say so plainly.
Northwest Registered Agent was founded in 1998 in Spokane, Washington. Their core product is registered agent service — receiving legal documents and official state mail on behalf of your business, and keeping your personal address off public filings. They also offer LLC and corporation formation, annual report filing, EIN applications, and a set of optional add-on services.
Their stated commitment to not selling customer data is a genuine differentiator. Most formation services generate revenue from referrals and data partnerships alongside formation fees. Northwest's business model is narrower and, as a result, their pricing is more straightforward.
Northwest charges approximately $39 for the formation service, plus the state filing fee. Registered agent service is free for the first year when you form through them, then approximately $125 per year. If you want Northwest to file your annual report with the Secretary of State, that is approximately $100 plus the state fee — billed separately from the registered agent renewal, and optional. You can file directly with the state as well.
Northwest is a strong fit for:
Northwest is a weaker fit for:
StartFleet forms US LLCs for non-US residents — founders who need a US company, EIN, and bank account without travelling to the United States. Every plan includes registered agent service, banking guidance, and compliance support.
The Startup plan ($599 all-in, including the Wyoming $100 state fee) includes Express EIN in 10–12 business days. From year two, the $329 renewal covers registered agent, ten mail scans, annual state report filing, and one amendment. Form 5472 is available as a standalone service at $299-$499 per year depending on the complexity(where 80% customers pay $299).
Northwest's order page includes a Business Identity bundle — website hosting, business email addresses, and a business phone number — that is added to the cart by default at what appears to be no charge.
It is not free. Each item in the bundle auto-renews at approximately $9 per month. All three combined — hosting, email, and phone — add approximately $27 per month or $324 per year to your recurring costs.
You can remove the bundle at checkout before submitting payment. The items are listed on the order page; what is less obvious is that they are opt-out, not opt-in. If you form through Northwest, review the cart before completing your order.
This is the single biggest difference between the two services for a non-US founder, and Northwest publishes the numbers themselves.
On Northwest's own EIN page, the service is sold in two tiers:
Read those two rows together. For a founder without a Social Security Number, Northwest charges four times the price and quotes thirty times the wait — $200 instead of $50, and 120 days instead of 4.
To be fair to Northwest about why: the 120 days is not Northwest being slow. Both tiers are "filed in 2 days." The difference is the route. An applicant with an SSN can be processed through the IRS online system and the number comes back almost immediately. Without an SSN, the application goes to the IRS international unit by mail or fax and then sits in a queue. Northwest is quoting the standard IRS queue honestly, which is more than many competitors do.
The question is what you are paying $200 for. You are paying for the paperwork to be filed correctly — and then waiting four months.
There are three ways to get it:
The standalone tiers matter here, because they are the true like-for-like comparison. If you already have a company and only need the number — exactly what Northwest's $200 product is — StartFleet's Express EIN is $149.
So, directly against Northwest's $200 / 120-day foreigner tier:
Put the other way round: Northwest's foreigner tier is the more expensive option and the slower one, at every StartFleet price point.
If you are forming the company as well, the comparison gets wider still — the Startup plan includes the Express EIN at no separate charge, so the EIN line item is $0 rather than $200.
The timeline is not a convenience detail. Your US bank account, your Stripe account, and your ability to invoice a US client all wait on that nine-digit number. Nothing downstream starts without it.
At 120 days, a company formed in January is not bankable until May. At 10–12 business days, it is operational inside three weeks. For a founder with signed clients waiting to pay, that gap is the entire value of the service.
Northwest figures above are from their published EIN pricing page. Verify at northwestregisteredagent.com; StartFleet's at startfleet.io/ein.
Both services charge the Wyoming $60 annual report state fee separately. Below is what each service charges for the services they provide.
Northwest (year 2+):
Total using Northwest's annual report service: ~$285 per year. Total if you file the Wyoming annual report yourself: ~$185 per year.
StartFleet (year 2+):
Total: $389 per year.
On a direct line-item comparison, Northwest's annual maintenance cost is lower. StartFleet's $329 renewal bundles four services that Northwest prices separately; the per-year cost difference reflects that scope difference rather than a pricing advantage on either side.
Form 5472 and pro forma Form 1120 are required annually for every foreign-owned US single-member LLC. There are no exceptions for LLCs with no revenue. The IRS imposes a $25,000 automatic penalty per year for each late or missing filing under IRC §6038A. The deadline is 15 April of the year following your first tax year.
Northwest does not offer Form 5472 filing.
If you form through Northwest, you will need to arrange this filing independently — through a CPA standalone compliance service. CPA fees for Form 5472 preparation typically vary based on the complexity of your filing and the accountant's rates.
StartFleet files Form 5472 at $299-$499 per year (depending on the complexity), where 80% of the customers pay $299. It is included in the Business plan ($1,099 all-in for year one) for the first year.
Opening a US bank account as a foreign-owned LLC requires more than your articles of organisation. Banks want to see your EIN confirmation letter, verify your identity remotely, and often ask for documentation about your business model and country of residence. Acceptance rates vary by bank and by where you are based.
StartFleet includes banking guidance in every plan: which banks are most accessible to founders from your country, what to prepare before applying, and how to maximise your chances of acceptance.
Northwest does not offer US banking guidance.
Choose Northwest Registered Agent if you are a US resident with a Social Security Number, privacy is your primary concern, and you are comfortable handling your EIN application, banking, and annual Form 5472 compliance independently. Northwest's annual costs are lower than StartFleet's on a direct comparison, their privacy protections are genuine, and their reputation for direct human support is well-earned. For that specific use case, it is a strong choice.
Choose StartFleet if you are a non-US resident forming an LLC for e-commerce, consulting, freelancing, or a solo online business. The year-one cost is higher. In exchange, you get Express EIN in 10–12 business days rather than the 120 days Northwest quotes for a $200 charge, banking guidance tailored to your country of residence, and access to Form 5472 filing at $299-$499 per year — a compliance requirement that applies every year regardless of who formed your LLC.
Don't take our word for it: we're rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot— and every price above can be checked on each provider's own site.
Which alternative is right depends entirely on whether you have a US Social Security Number.
For non-US residents, StartFleet is the best Northwest Registered Agent alternative — and the reason is specific rather than promotional. Northwest's own EIN page prices the service for founders without an SSN at $200 with a 120-day wait. StartFleet's Express EIN is $149 and 10–12 business days: roughly 34% cheaper and about seven times faster. Northwest does not file Form 5472, the return every foreign-owned single-member LLC owes annually — StartFleet files it at $299-$499. Northwest does not offer US banking guidance; StartFleet includes it in every plan. Those three gaps are the entire case, and they only matter if you are outside the US.
Other alternatives include:
So: SSN, and you want privacy and a low renewal — stay with Northwest. No SSN, and your bottleneck is the EIN, the bank account and annual compliance — that is the problem StartFleet was built for.
Competitor figures verified August 2026 from each provider's published rates. StartFleet is rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot
It depends on whether you have a US Social Security Number. For non-US residents, StartFleet is the best Northwest Registered Agent alternative, for three specific reasons: Northwest charges $200 for an EIN without an SSN and quotes 120 days to deliver it, while StartFleet's Express EIN is $149 and arrives in 10–12 business days — about 34% cheaper and seven times faster. Northwest does not file Form 5472, the IRS return every foreign-owned single-member LLC owes every year; StartFleet files it at $299-$499.
And Northwest offers no US banking guidance, which StartFleet includes in every plan. If you do have an SSN, Northwest is genuinely hard to beat at $39 plus state fees and $125/yr.
Northwest charges $200 for an EIN application for founders without a Social Security Number, and their own EIN page quotes 120 days to receive it (they file in 2 days; the rest is the IRS international queue). For comparison, Northwest charges $50 with a 4-day turnaround if you do have an SSN. StartFleet's Express EIN is $149 standalone — or included at no separate charge in the Startup plan ($599 all-in) — and arrives in 10–12 business days. That is roughly 34% cheaper and about seven times faster. Figures from Northwest's EIN page.
No — they are separate services. Northwest's registered agent renewal (approximately $125 per year) covers receiving legal documents on your behalf and includes mail scanning. Annual report filing is an optional service charged separately at approximately $100 plus the state fee. You can also file directly with the state, without using Northwest's filing service. StartFleet's $329 annual renewal includes both registered agent and annual report filing in one fee (state fee excluded).
Northwest's checkout adds a Business Identity bundle — website hosting, business email addresses, and a business phone number — to your order by default. Each item auto-renews at approximately $9 per month; all three combined add approximately $27 per month or $324 per year. To avoid these charges, remove the bundle from your cart before completing the order. Verify current bundle pricing at checkout before submitting payment.
Northwest does not offer Form 5472 filing. Form 5472 and a pro forma Form 1120 are required annually for every foreign-owned US single-member LLC, with a $25,000 per year IRS penalty for late or missing filings. If you form through Northwest, you will need to arrange this compliance separately. StartFleet files Form 5472 at $299-$499 per year de[ending on complexity (where 80% comes under $299 category), including for LLCs formed elsewhere.
Northwest does not offer US banking guidance. StartFleet includes banking guidance in every plan: which banks accept founders from your country, what documentation to prepare, and how to maximise your chances of acceptance.
Yes — Northwest Registered Agent was founded in 1998 and has a long track record in registered agent service and LLC formation. Their privacy-first approach and policy of not selling customer data are genuine industry differentiators. The gaps for non-US founders — EIN cost and timeline, no Form 5472, no banking guidance — are structural decisions about who the service was built for, not a question of reliability or legitimacy.
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