Getting the best registered agent service for your Alaska business is a critical factor in your business success.
The right Alaska registered agent will help in filing your Articles of Organization, protect your personal assets, keep your business in good standing with the Alaska Division of Corporations, and give you the peace of mind to move your business forward. When you do business in the state of Alaska, or any other state, that state will expect that your business can be contacted and receive service of process and other important legal documents.
The wrong Alaska registered agent will overcharge you, make your personal assets vulnerable, and risk your company’s good standing with the state. Not only is the registered agent requirement mandatory under state law, it serves a real purpose.
I've investigated 60+ registered agent services, assessed the top 12, and written in-depth reviews of the three best. Here are my picks for the best registered agent service in the state of Alaska:
1. Northwest Registered Agent — 9.13/10 (My Top Pick)
After extensive research, I chose Northwest Registered Agent as the best registered agent service in Alaska due to their comprehensive service, trustworthiness and great customer service.
Pros
Northwest Registered Agent has mastered all the essential tasks of a registered agent. They provide a physical address in the state of Alaska at which they will receive service of process and other legal or governmental notices. Upon receipt, they are really prompt at forwarding the communication to you both physically via the US Mail and electronically through your online account.
They are also the best LLC formation service in Alaska, hands down.
Their website is intuitive and they keep you aware of upcoming filing deadlines with compliance alerts and a personalized filing calendar. They make it easy to worry less about regulatory issues so that you can focus on the more enjoyable aspects of running your business and keep your business in good standing with the Alaska Division of Corporations.
What really separates Northwest Registered Agent from all the other Alaska registered agent services is their customer service team. Other resident agents try to cut costs by automating or outsourcing their customer service departments, but Northwest hires professionals who have experience as lawyers, accountants, and entrepreneurs.
They are knowledgeable and patient enough to answer your most complex regulatory questions and will stay on the line until you are completely satisfied.
Despite their great reputation and outstanding customer service, Northwest Registered Agent charges just $125 per year, which is substantially cheaper than a lot of resident agents.
Cons
It might seem like nitpicking but sometimes great customer service can seem like too much of a good thing.
For instance, sometimes what you hope will be a quick question can end up being a longer discussion because the Northwest customer service reps are exceedingly meticulous in their answers.
In the end, I’d much rather have a registered agent in Alaska who is too thorough rather than one that is careless but, when I’m extremely busy, an in-depth answer can feel burdensome.
Overall
Northwest Registered Agent is the best registered agent in Alaska. They can be trusted with your personal data and they give you all the tools you need to stay compliant with the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing Office.
In addition, they offer extras designed to keep your business in Alaska on the right track. Compliance alerts and a personalized filing calendar can go a long way towards making sure you keep your good standing.
If something does go awry, the customer service department is the best in the industry.
If you want a registered agent in Alaska that will protect your personal assets and give your limited liability company every chance to succeed, go to Northwest Registered Agent.
2. Harbor Compliance — 7.92/10 (Best Budget Registered Agent)
If you have an extremely tight budget, Harbor Compliance doesn’t offer great customer service, but they are honest and reliable.
Pros
Harbor Compliance will help your company meet all its legal obligations by issuing you an Alaska registered office address which is open during normal business hours to act as your point of contact with the Secretary of State and accept service of process on behalf of your limited liability company.
They also offer a functional online portal to which they will upload copies of your incoming documents and legal notices and they’ll even give you a call if something seems particularly pressing.
They also offer compliance alerts which is pretty rare for a budget registered agent service and can be a big help in keeping you up to date on the deadline for your biennial report or other filings so as to keep your business in good standing with the Alaska Division of Corporations.
The biggest advantage of Harbor Compliance is their price. At $99 per year, they are the cheapest reputable registered agent I found in the state of Alaska.
Cons
Nothing about Harbor Compliance’s registered agent service really stands out. They are content to offer a budget service at a budget price. The customer service department at Harbor Compliance also leaves a little something to be desired. Like every other aspect of their service it is serviceable but not great.
Overall
You won’t be thanking Harbor Compliance when your company wins a local business award, but you won’t be cursing them out because their negligence put you in bankruptcy court either.
Harbor Compliance is just kind of there, quietly doing their job. If your company has an extremely tight budget, that may be enough.
If you value the guidance of a great customer service team, however, Northwest Registered Agent is available for just $26 more per year.
If you want a reliable, cheap alternative that won’t wow you but won’t let you down check out Harbor Compliance.
3. LegalZoom — 6.59/10 (Best Premium Service)
If you’re new to the registered agent world, LegalZoom may be the only familiar name on this list. They offer a premium registered agent service but it comes at a steep price.
Pros
Despite being a national registered agent, LegalZoom offers an Alaska registered agent service that includes a local registered office that covers all the essential services to keep you compliant with the State of Alaska.
In addition to the essentials, LegalZoom offers some valuable add-ons, such as compliance alerts, receiving service of process, reimbursement of the $25 filing fee for changing your registered agent in Alaska, and, most notably, identity theft insurance.
Identity theft insurance is not typically offered by registered agent services and could be a huge asset should you fall prey to cyber criminals.
LegalZoom also offers an enormous array of legal services, which means they can help with LLC formation, Articles of Organization, Statement of Change, and just about any other legal needs your limited liability company may have. Your registered agent service could come from the same source, saving you the burden of setting up a separate account with a different company.
Cons
LegalZoom is expensive. At $299 per year, it is more than twice the price of Northwest Registered Agent and three times as expensive as Harbor Compliance.
Even if you factor in the add-ons like identity theft insurance, it is still difficult to justify paying such a high annual rate. Identity theft insurance, as useful as that can be, can be purchased fairly cheaply from another source.
Since LegalZoom offers so many products and is available in so many parts of the world, it can feel like your Alaska business is lost in the shuffle. Other more focused statutory agents offer much more personalized, direct service.
Overall
LegalZoom is a one-stop legal shop that has a good reputation and can help you with just about any legal service you need.
Their Alaska registered agent service is comprehensive and offers some great perks such as identity theft insurance but is also extremely expensive and lacks individualized service.
If you value a big name over great customer service and have an unlimited budget, check out LegalZoom.
4. ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is most known for its LLC formation service which is one of the best in the country but they haven’t yet perfected their registered agent service.
Their registered agent Pro Package costs $199. For this rate, they provide yearly annual report filing services (state costs may apply), two free filing changes per year (excludes state charge if applicable), and document filing insurance to retain good standing if papers are not filed on time. They also offer an online document storage portal to store your important documents, they receive all official documents on your behalf (including Service of Process), and an expedited document filing process.
Despite all these services, their Pro package is more expensive than Northwest Registered Agent which offers free business advice through its customer support.
If they were to amend their pricing policy, ZenBusiness would be a contender for my top spot but as it stands, they don’t offer great value.
If you'd like to learn more about ZenBusiness and their services, please read my full ZenBusiness review.
5. IncFile
IncFile offers basic budget LLC formation services which includes an address in Alaska, mail forwarding, acceptance of service of process and other legal documents, but little more.
At $119, they are $6 cheaper than Northwest Registered Agent but offer considerably fewer services. And if you want a more comprehensive budget option, Harbor Compliance has IncFile beat on both price and product offerings.
6. Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer is a less famous version of LegalZoom. They offer a lot of the same online legal services, often at slightly cheaper prices.
Rocket Lawyer’s registered agent service is significantly cheaper ($149) than that of LegalZoom, but it also suffers from sluggish, impersonal service and doesn’t include any of LegalZoom’s famous perks.
Read my full Rocket Lawyer review and learn more about their services.
7. SunDoc Filings
SunDoc Filings covers the basics and will provide you with an address in Alaska that’s open during normal business hours to accept service of process and legal documents, but they don’t offer report reminders.
They’re trustworthy, but their price of $159 for such basic service makes them pretty unappealing compared with other cheaper, more comprehensive options.
8. InCorp
There’s a lot to like about InCorp. They are affordable ($99) and they offer a full range of services including compliance alerts and accepting service of process.
Their downfall is a clunky online system that is much closer to an annoyance than a convenience. If you’re a more patient person than I, they’re a solid, reliable budget registered agent service.
9. Swyft Filings
Swyft Filings is another registered agent in Alaska that tries to get away with providing less for more. They offer a local Alaska mailing address and will accept legal notices and documents on behalf of your company, but at $149 for just the essentials they satisfy neither your budget nor your peace of mind.
If you'd like to learn more about their services, read my full Swyft Filings review.
10. CSC Global
CSC Global is an Alaska registered agent service that might appeal to the consumer with an unlimited budget and a limited grasp of what a registered agent can offer.
For $299 per year, they offer the bare minimum LLC formation service just to keep you in compliance with the Alaska Division of Corporations Business and Professional Licensing Office. They don’t even offer compliance alerts and their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.
They do offer to reimburse you for the fee ($25) required to change your registered agent, but that won’t even hit your bank account before CSC Global takes it right back through their excessive annual fees.
11. Registered Agents Inc.
Registered Agents Inc.’s entire business is focused on…let me check my notes…registered agent service. It’s hard to believe then that they don’t do a better job of it.
They offer a basic, uninspired service for $200, well more than it’s worth.
12. Jumpstart Filings
Jumpstart Filings is another also-ran that offers less but charges more ($129). They offer a basic Alaska registered agent service with poor customer service and little in the way of add-ons.
For $129 per year, you can hire Northwest Registered Agent and still have $4 left over for a rainy day.
Registered Agent Review Summary
I evaluated more than 60 registered agent services and selected a top 12 that I subjected to a thorough investigation.
Northwest Registered Agent came away as the clear winner as the best Alaska registered agent service.
They can be trusted to keep your personal data off the public record, they will keep you compliant with all relevant Alaska state laws, and they have the best customer service team in the industry.
With an extremely competitive price of only $125 per year, they are my obvious choice as the best Alaska registered agent.
If you want a registered agent in Alaska that is almost as determined as you are to make your company a success, go to Northwest Registered Agent.
Best Registered Agent Review Methodology
I followed the criteria below to determine the best registered agent for your LLC:
Why You Should Trust Me
There are Alaska registered agent services who know less about registered agents than I do. Believe me, I’ve talked to them!
That’s not to belittle anyone who works in the industry, I’m just saying that I have done an enormous amount of research on the registered agent business.
When I started looking into hiring an Alaska registered agent for my own company, I had no intention of becoming an expert on the subject. I didn’t even think they were that important. But when I realized how much was at stake, I wanted to be certain that I wasn’t jeopardizing my business by trusting the wrong Alaska registered agent.
I looked for online resources, but couldn’t find anything as comprehensive as this rating list I’ve published here, so I had to dig in and do the research myself.
I started with a simple Google search on resident agents operating in the state of Alaska. I found more than 60 and read through their websites from the big headline fonts all the way down to the finest of prints.
Then I read enough online reviews to get a sense of which firms had the best reputations and which were subject to the most complaints which allowed me to drastically narrow the field.
Finally, I called the resident agents directly—enough times to be on a first-name basis with the resident agents who actually have human operators and on a first beep basis with those who don’t.
While I was doing all this, I was also talking to other small business owners and many of them were having just as much trouble finding reputable reviews of resident agents as I was. They encouraged me to keep researching and to publish my findings, which led to this website.
Now that my site is live, I’ve already helped hundreds of people find their Alaska registered agent. I hope I can be of help to you too.
How I Selected the Best Registered Agent
This is the four-step process to select the best Alaska registered agent.
Stage 1: Reviews
Once I knew the major players offering registered agent services in Alaska, I burned through my broadband reading online reviews.
I read through all the reviews on TrustPilot, Google Business, Facebook, and the Better Business Bureau just to name a few.
Online reviews may not be the most reliable sources, but if you read enough of them, certain themes emerge. This is how I identified a pricing scheme that a number of resident agents in Alaska use.
It’s the old bait-and-switch routine where one really low price is prominently advertised, but if you read the fine print, you’ll see that this is just an introductory sign-up price and far less than what you’ll end up paying over a full year.
I think that’s a really low way to drum up business and since I need a registered agent I can trust with service of process and legal documents I decided to eliminate any agent that used such a scam.
Stage 2: Website Analysis
After I eliminated the bait-and-switchers I was left with only 12 companies from which to pick my Alaska registered agent.
I carefully went through their websites to determine exactly what services each registered agent offers with their annual subscriptions.
There’s a surprising variety ranging from the basics like a physical address in Alaska open during regular business hours to identity theft insurance. In total, I found 24 distinct services offered amongst the 12 Alaska resident agents.
Stage 3: Speaking with Real Customers
I also spent a lot of time speaking to real customers. I relied heavily on my network of other small business owners and many were happy to share their experiences with me in the hopes of better informing future entrepreneurs.
These conversations were quite a bit more helpful than simply reading online reviews and I am indebted to those who took the time to talk to me.
Now that my website is operational, I’m getting even more feedback from real customers, which allows me to constantly update my ratings.
Stage 4: Speaking with Their Sales Team
As the last stage, I wanted to spend some time talking to the companies themselves. I knew quite a bit about them at this point which allowed me to ask some specific, pointed questions.
Of course, they all wanted to paint their company in the best light but how they responded to my questions—particularly my criticisms—said a lot about their company culture.
I was able to get a really good sense of which Alaska resident agents valued customer feedback, how committed they were to improving their service, how quickly they corrected mistakes and how courteous they were when addressing complaints.
- Montana Registered Agent
- Wyoming Registered Agent
- Colorado Registered Agent
- New Mexico Registered Agent
- Arizona Registered Agent
- Utah Registered Agent
- Idaho Registered Agent
- Washington Registered Agent
- Oregon Registered Agent
- California Registered Agent
- Nevada Registered Agent
- Alaska Registered Agent
- Hawaii Registered Agent
Rating Factors
I ranked my top 12 companies offering registered agent services to your Alaska limited liability company according to five key factors.
Factor 1: Offerings
When I started my registered agent quest, I thought of a registered agent as little more than a glorified PO Box but they actually offer a surprising amount of services as a part of your subscription. There are few restrictions regarding who can be listed as a registered agent, the most important being that the registered agent must be located and available at a physical street address, within the state of Alaska, during normal business hours.
Some Alaska resident agents offer far more than others, of course, so I started my ratings by determining who offered what.
They all offer a physical address in Alaska and handle service of process and other legal documents on behalf of your company but the better ones also offer compliance alerts, filing calendars, filing fee reimbursement and other extras.
Some offer Alaska LLC Formation Services and can offer legal advice or other legal services.
Between the 12 companies, I counted 24 different service offerings. I rated each Alaska registered agent according to how many services they offered.
Factor 2: Value
Value is kind of an odd thing to determine in the Alaska registered agent world because the pricing for registered agent services is all over the place. Some Alaska resident agents charging $99 a year offer more services than those charging $299 a year.
Further complicating the value question is that some resident agents offer substantially more services as part of your subscription than others do.
In order to rate the best value, I determined who offered the most services per $1 but also tried to figure in the quality of those services. It wasn’t a perfect measure but I think I came pretty close to figuring out who offered the best bang for your buck.
Factor 3: Ease of Sign-up
This should not have been a determining factor but some resident agents make their sign-up process so complicated that I had to include it.
You shouldn’t have to try to remember your childhood best friend’s mom’s dog’s maiden name in order to sign up but some registered agents really seem to relish making a chore out of what should be a simple process.
I bit the bullet and actually signed up for all 12 registered agents just to see who made the process the easiest.
Factor 4: Ease of Use
Once I was signed up, I also took the time to rate each registered agent based on the overall functionality and ease of their system.
I came up with a list of simple tasks including contacting customer service, changing my personal details and accessing my incoming documents amongst other things.
Then I rated each Alaska registered agent service based on how quickly and painlessly I was able to complete each task.
Factor 5: Customer Service
Odds are you won’t be using your customer service too often, but when you do, it will probably be for a good reason.
Many resident agents look to cut costs by either automating or outsourcing their customer service departments which can make your life pretty difficult if you come across a complicated regulatory issue.
I called the customer service teams from all 12 of my top choices and asked them questions about issues that I imagined might arise for my business one day. I rated each registered agent in Alaska based on how efficient, fast, helpful, accurate, and courteous they were.
The Best Alaska Registered Agent Results Summary
After evaluating more than 60 registered agents and thoroughly examining the best 12, these are my picks for the best registered agents in Alaska:
Best Overall Registered Agent — Northwest Registered Agent (9.13/10)
Northwest Registered Agent is my highest rated registered agent service in Alaska due to the comprehensive service, amazing customer service, and competitive price.
They are eminently trustworthy and will handle service of process, other legal notices and communications from the State of Alaska with appropriate care on behalf of your business.
Northwest Registered Agent also offers a lot of extras as part of your subscription that will go a long way towards helping keep your business in compliance with the state. Compliance alerts and an individualized filing calendar are two examples of services that cost extra elsewhere but are part of the standard package with Northwest.
The biggest advantage Northwest Registered Agent has over its competitors is its customer service department. Northwest recruits and retains former business owners, lawyers and accountants to be a part of its team. Their knowledge and experience can be a great asset to your Alaska business.
It's worth to mention that there are 3,000 positive Northwest Registered Agent reviews, so I'm not the only one who has a positive experience with them.
If you want your registered agent to live up to the high standards that you set for your own business, hire the best registered agent service in Alaska, Northwest Registered Agent.
Or if you're interested in starting an Alaska LLC, read my guide on the best LLC Services in Alaska.
Best Budget Registered Agent — Harbor Compliance (7.92/10)
If your business in Alaska is operating on an extremely tight budget, you can save your company $26 per year by hiring Harbor Compliance rather than Northwest Registered Agent.
Harbor Compliance won’t give you the best customer service in the industry and you’ll certainly notice a few aspects of their service that need improvement but they offer all the essentials of a registered agent service and are trustworthy, reliable, and cheap.
And even though it's one of the cheapest services, there are hundreds of positive Harbor Compliance reviews online to prove what I'm trying to say here.
If your budget is a higher priority than stellar customer service, check out Harbor Compliance.
Best Premium Registered Agent — Legal Zoom (6.59/10)
If your budget is pretty close to unlimited and you really value a renowned name, LegalZoom offers a premium registered agent service that is expensive but offers some unique perks.
LegalZoom provides all the registered agent basics for your business in Alaska such as accepting service of process on your behalf but also offers some nice extras like reimbursement of your filing fee should you switch registered agents, help with forming your Alaska limited liability company and identity theft insurance.
LegalZoom’s extras don’t fully justify their enormous price tag, but if you value a famous name and the fact that they can serve as your one-stop, legal shop thanks to their enormous range of other legal services, check them out here.
In Conclusion
Choosing a registered agent service might not strike you as a particularly important decision but when you stop to think about the fact that all your company’s most important papers filter through your registered agent first it becomes imperative to choose a company you can trust.
A good registered agent protects your personal data and assets and keeps your company in compliance with the Alaska Secretary of State. A great registered agent can go even further and help guide your company to success.
I examined more than 60 registered agents and thoroughly rated 12 according to five key factors. After all that, Northwest Registered Agent stood out as the best of the best.
They excel at the basics and include a lot of extras:
- An Alaska address open during business hours to receive all critical documents such as service of process on behalf of your business
- Prompt forwarding of your incoming correspondence
- Scanning and uploading of your documents to your online portal
- A user-friendly online account providing easy access to all your documents
- Help with Articles of Organization or other paperwork for your Alaska limited liability company
- Compliance alerts to keep you abreast of key deadlines
- A personalized filing calendar to keep you looking forward
All that plus the most knowledgeable, experienced customer service department in the industry and they charge an extremely competitive rate.
If you want your business to be guided by the best registered agent in Alaska, go to Northwest Registered Agent. If you need to change your registered agent, you must make a filing with the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing to appoint a new registered agent for your company.