The right Missouri registered agent will protect your personal assets, keep your business in compliance with the Missouri Secretary of State, and charge you a fair price.
The wrong Missouri registered agent will put your personal assets and business at risk and overcharge you for the pleasure.
I've investigated 60+ registered agents, assessed the top 12, and written in-depth reviews of the 3 best. Here are my picks for the best registered agent service in the state of Missouri:
1. Northwest Registered Agent — 9.13/10 (My Top Pick)
After my thorough analysis, Northwest Registered Agent was clearly the best registered agent in Missouri due to their comprehensive service, competitive price and incredible customer service team.
Pros
Northwest Registered Agent excels at the basic tasks of a registered agent. They protect your personal data and assets by assigning you a Missouri registered office address, which will be staffed during regular business hours to receive service of process, legal notices, and notices from the Missouri Secretary of State.
Northwest really provides everything you could possibly need, including some of the best LLC services in Missouri.
Their reputation as a responsible and trustworthy steward of your critical documents is well deserved. They immediately forward anything sent to your business to your home address and scan and upload important documents to your online account, which gives you nearly instantaneous access.
Northwest Registered Agent also includes a lot of extras in their registered agent service, which would be pricey additions with other registered agent services. Their compliance alerts and personalized filing calendar are both excellent tools to help keep your limited liability company in good standing with the state of Missouri.
The biggest advantage Northwest Registered Agent has over other Missouri registered agents is their customer service department. Where other companies have tried to automate or outsource their customer service, Northwest seems to have doubled their investment in a team consisting of real people with substantial business experience.
Since their customer service team is composed of former lawyers, accountants, and business owners, any question you may have is promptly and accurately answered. They are so knowledgeable, I’ve come to think of them more as small business advisors than registered agents.
Despite their comprehensive registered agent package, great customer service team, and stellar reputation, Northwest charges a very competitive rate ($125 per year.) Not only are they the best in my estimation, but they also offer substantial savings over some of their competitors.
Cons
At times, a really thorough registered agent company like Northwest can feel a little burdensome. For example, if you have what seems to be a quick yes or no question, you might spend more time on the phone with a representative from Northwest Registered Agent than you would with another agent’s customer service rep.
The reason it might take a few extra minutes with Northwest Registered Agent is that they want to be 100% certain you understand all the angles.
That’s an admirable goal, but it can cost you a little bit more of your time which is always in short supply for any small business owner.
It is definitely nitpicking to call them out for being overly diligent, especially when that same thoroughness can be a great advantage when you have more complicated queries.
Overall
Northwest Registered Agent excels at all aspects of the registered agent business and is the best option to serve as your Missouri registered agent.
For a very competitive price, Northwest Registered Agent will responsibly guard your personal data and assets, and give you all the tools necessary to keep your business in compliance with the Missouri Secretary of State.
Should you run into any trouble, Northwest Registered Agent also has the most knowledgeable, experienced customer service team in the industry.
If you want to appoint a registered agent in Missouri that is responsible enough to protect your personal assets and experienced enough to keep your business on the right track, go to Northwest Registered Agent.
2. Harbor Compliance — 7.92/10 (Best Budget Registered Agent)
If you really have to pinch pennies, Harbor Compliance is a budget registered agent that won’t give you the confidence of having a great customer service team on your side but won’t let you down either.
Pros
Harbor Compliance’s biggest advantage is their price ($99 per year). That’s not a substantial amount of savings over Northwest Registered Agent, but sometimes every penny counts when you are starting a business in Missouri.
Their service is more than adequate, but not great. They fulfill all legal requirements to serve as your Missouri registered agent by offering a physical address in Missouri where they accept service of process and other legal and governmental notices to keep your business in good standing with the Missouri Secretary of State.
On top of that, they also offer scanning and uploading services, which means you can access your documents through your online account, and compliance alerts to remind you of an upcoming annual report or other filing. They’ll even give you a call if something is particularly time sensitive.
Cons
In some regards, Harbor Compliance does indeed feel like a budget service. Their customer service team is not bad by any means but isn’t super quick to get back to you if they can’t immediately answer your question.
Harbor Compliance offers almost all the same services as Northwest Registered Agent, they just don’t pull them off quite as well.
In general, they do a lot of things well, but seem content to be a “budget” option both in terms of price and quality.
Overall
If your business in Missouri is already on auto-pilot and you don’t anticipate any sort of challenges that would require the services of a great customer service team, you can save $26 per year by choosing Harbor Compliance over Northwest Registered Agent.
You probably won’t be as satisfied with your overall experience, but Harbor Compliance will keep you in compliance with the Secretary of State and you’ll save a little money.
If your budget is your only priority when choosing a Missouri registered agent, check out Harbor Compliance.
3. LegalZoom — 6.59/10 (Best Premium Service)
LegalZoom is famous for making legal documents accessible to everyone. Their Missouri registered agent service is expensive but comes with some interesting perks.
Pros
The LegalZoom name carries a certain amount of security due to their fame and their longevity. Millions have used LegalZoom for various legal services and they maintain a good reputation.
They can also serve as a one-stop shop for all your legal needs, allowing you to hire them as a registered agent with the same online account you used to make your last will and testament.
As far as their Missouri registered agent service, LegalZoom offers all the essentials such as accepting service of process and other legal documents on your behalf, plus some useful add-ons like compliance alerts, fee reimbursement if you change your Missouri registered agent and a one million dollar identity theft insurance policy.
The identity theft insurance is not typically included with registered agent service, and could be a lifesaver should you fall victim to a cybercriminal.
Cons
LegalZoom’s registered agent service is extremely expensive ($299). They seem to be taking advantage of their name recognition and reputation to charge a very high rate.
Even if you factor in the value of their premium perks such as the identity theft insurance, they still seem overpriced. You could purchase a similar insurance policy for much less than the price difference between LegalZoom’s registered agent service and that of Northwest Registered Agent.
LegalZoom is also a victim of its own success in some ways, as it has become so large that your small business in Missouri can get overlooked and getting a hold of someone in customer service can be difficult.
Overall
LegalZoom is a big, trustworthy name that offers a premium registered agent service for a hefty price.
They have some great extras included with their service, but not enough to justify such a high price point.
If you are a name-brand shopper with an unlimited budget, check out LegalZoom.
4. ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is one of the best in the LLC formation business, and they’ve recently begun offering their registered agent service to the general public.
Before they opened it to everyone, ZenBusiness served as registered agents to those who formed a business entity with them, so they have some experience in the field, but they still have a few kinks to work out.
Their principal problem right now is their pricing practices. You can buy their Pro Package for $199 a month, which includes all the basic services that Harbor Compliance and Northwest Registered Agent provide at a much cheaper rate.
ZenBusiness offers a good registered agent service, but so long as other companies, like Harbor Compliance and Northwest Registered Agent, offer better customer service and cheaper rates, you can find better value elsewhere.
If you are interested in learning more about ZenBusiness and their services, read my full Zenbusiness review.
5. IncFile
IncFile is another decent-to-good national registered agent service that misses on price. They offer a Missouri registered office, assist in filing your Articles of Organization and are trustworthy enough to handle service of process or other legal documents on your behalf.
IncFile charges $119 per year, however, and doesn’t include compliance alerts at that price. If you’re a budget shopper you can find a slightly cheaper registered agent, and if you’re looking for a more comprehensive registered agent service you can find an agent for a similar price.
6. Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer is very similar to LegalZoom, offering an array of online legal services at a discount price. Rocket Lawyer’s registered agent service is quite a bit cheaper ($149) than LegalZoom’s, but it lacks the perks such as identity theft insurance.
They also suffer some of the same shortcomings as LegalZoom. Their Missouri registered agent service is one offering amongst so many that your business can easily get lost in the shuffle.
Read my full Rocket Lawyer review and learn more about their services.
7. SunDoc Filings
SunDoc Filings doesn’t make a whole lot of sense price-wise. For a trustworthy but pretty pedestrian service, they charge $159 per year. That price covers a street address in Missouri to accepting service of process and other legal documents but doesn’t include compliance alerts or any other tools to help you keep on top of your filing dates.
8. InCorp
InCorp would be competing with Harbor Compliance for my best budget service, but they are held back by a website that needs significant improvement. Simple tasks end up taking far longer than they should and what InCorp saves you in dollars it takes back by robbing you of your time.
9. Swyft Filings
Swyft Filings is a national registered agent that offers very little in terms of the quality/price ratio. They offer the standard registered office address in Missouri that’s open during normal business hours and are fairly prompt with their mail forwarding, but don’t do much beyond the basics.
They charge $149 annually, so you can save money and get far better service by looking elsewhere.
If you'd like to know more about Swyft Filings' service, read my full Swyft Filings review.
10. CSC Global
CSC Global is tied with LegalZoom as the most expensive registered agent service on my list ($299).
LegalZoom at least makes an effort to justify such a high price point by offering a few perks such as their identity theft insurance policy. CSC Global doesn’t even offer compliance alerts.
CSC Global does offer to reimburse any state fees associated with switching registered agent services so long as they are your new registered agent in Missouri. However, whatever money that may save you will go straight back into CSC Global’s pockets thanks to their steep price.
11. Registered Agents Inc.
If your registered agent’s name is Registered Agents Inc., you may be able to pull off a bad version of the old Abbott and Costello routine (“Who's your registered agent?” “Registered Agent.” “Yeah, that’s what I’m asking, who is your registered agent?” “Registered agent!” “That’s what I’m asking…). Unfortunately, that might be the only benefit of hiring them. They charge $200 for a basic service without any real perks.
12. Jumpstart Filings
Jumpstart Filings covers the registered agent essentials, but their business is more focused on helping with Articles of Organization/Articles of Incorporation and other paperwork to help you form a Missouri limited liability company.
Their registered agent service doesn’t go beyond the basics like a registered office. For the $129 they charge per year, you can afford Northwest Registered Agent and still have enough in your pocket for a good cup of coffee.
Registered Agent Review Summary
I researched more than 60 Missouri registered agents, found 12 that were worthy of further review, and ranked those according to five key factors. In the end, Northwest Registered Agent was clearly my pick as the best Missouri registered agent.
They do everything right, from helping with your Articles of Organization/Articles of Incorporation to protecting your personal assets to keeping you compliant with the state of Missouri.
And if somehow things get complicated, they have the most experienced customer service team in the industry to help get you back on the right track.
They are, without a doubt in my mind, the best registered agent in Missouri and they charge a very competitive rate.
If you want your company to be protected and guided by the most experienced, knowledgeable, and accessible registered agent in Missouri, go to Northwest Registered Agent.
Best Registered Agent Review Methodology
This is the process I used to come to my conclusions on the best registered agents.
Why You Should Trust Me
I am blessed to have a very wide network of entrepreneurs and owners of limited liability companies, and none of them has spent as much time researching Missouri registered agents as I have.
When I started my first company, I didn’t give a second thought to who I would choose to be my Missouri registered agent. I looked at them as nothing more than a glorified mail forwarding service and figured one was as good as another.
As I was about to sign up for the cheapest Missouri registered agent I could find, it occurred to me that whoever I chose would be receiving and handling my company’s absolute most important documents. Legal forms, service of process, the secretary of state’s response to my annual reports, everything would be going through my registered agent.
Additionally, my Missouri registered agent would be the one link between my personal name, address, and assets and the company information on the public record.
The bottom line was that your registered agent must be a company you can trust.
Now that I was taking the search much more seriously, I cast a wide net and went through the marketing materials of more than 60 Missouri registered agents. I wanted to see exactly who was out there and what they offered.
Next, I began wading through the enormous amount of online reviews there are out there, in the hopes that I could identify which of the Missouri registered agents were best regarded in the Missouri business community.
Finally, I picked up the phone and actually talked to the companies themselves in order to get a good feel for their customer service teams and their company cultures.
While I was doing this research, I was also talking to my network of small business owners and was surprised to find out that most of them were as uninformed about Missouri registered agents as I had been. They shared their own experiences with their registered agents and encouraged me to really do a thorough investigation and publish my findings.
That led to this website, which has already helped thousands find the right Missouri registered agent. I hope it can help you too.
How I Selected the Best Registered Agent
Here’s a stage-by-stage process of the research I did.
Stage 1: Reviews
Online reviews are always a good place to start provided that you take them with a grain of salt, of course.
It can be difficult to tell honest reviews from those that have an agenda of some kind, but if you read enough, you can begin to get close to a true reflection of what kind of companies you are dealing with.
I went through the reviews on Google Business, the Better Business Bureau, TrustPilot, and Facebook, among others. The most common complaint I found about Missouri registered agents in general was that a number of them used a pretty shady pricing system.
Of the 60+ Missouri registered agents that I started with, almost 50 of them used some variation of a bait-and-switch scheme. There are a lot of registered agents out there who advertise a very low price (typically in the $30–$59 range) but don’t disclose that this price is merely a sign-up fee. In the end, you’ll pay way more in order to stay compliant over a full year.
Since my biggest priority was finding a company I could trust, I eliminated all Missouri registered agents that had these hidden fees.
Stage 2: Website Analysis
In order to find the hidden fees, I went through the websites of all 60+ Missouri registered agents on my list and scrolled from the biggest, boldest headlines all the way down to the tiny fine print on the bottom.
My objective was to figure out exactly what each Missouri registered agent service was truly charging and to also figure out what they offered as part of their service package.
I was surprised to find more than 24 different services offered by the top 12 companies. It was really obvious to me by now that registered agents were a lot more than a glorified PO Box.
Stage 3: Speaking with Real Customers
Once I had a really clear picture of what companies offer with their Missouri registered agent service, I wanted to see how well they executed those offerings.
Online reviews only painted a partial picture, so I reached out to my network of small business owners and picked the brains of anyone who was willing to talk to me for a while.
Now that this site is live, I receive invaluable feedback from readers, which allows me to keep my ratings constantly up to date.
Stage 4: Speaking with Their Sales Teams
For my final stage, I wanted to speak directly to the Missouri registered agents themselves. At this point, I had a lot of information on each company, but I wanted to get a good sense of the company culture at each one.
I used some of the feedback from real customers and the online reviews and approached each Missouri registered agent service with specific criticisms. How they responded gave me a very good idea of how receptive their company was to feedback, how eager they were to correct mistakes, and how dedicated they were to constantly improving their service.
Rating Factors
For my final rankings, I rated all 12 of my top registered agents for your Missouri LLC according to five key factors.
Factor 1: Offerings
There are a surprising number of offerings available as a part of your Missouri registered agent service.
All registered agent services offer a physical address in Missouri that is available during normal business hours and will forward any mail directed to your business, but there’s a lot of variance beyond that.
The better registered agents offer compliance alerts, cheap LLC services (or the best LLC services) and online portals as part of their registered agent service. There are also outliers such as the identity theft insurance offered by LegalZoom.
In total, my top 12 registered agents offer 24 distinct services. I rated each registered agent in Missouri based on how many of the 24 services they offered as a part of their base service.
Factor 2: Value
In the registered agent world, there is often a big disconnect between how much a registered agent service costs and how much it is actually worth. Case in point: CSC Global. They charge one of the highest annual rates in the industry but don’t even offer compliance alerts.
It’s especially important, therefore, to assess how much bang you’re getting for your buck when you select a new registered agent in Missouri.
I rated the registered agents based on the services they offered per dollar they charged.
Factor 3: Ease of Sign-up
It is hard to believe that this is such an important factor, but some Missouri registered agents make it really difficult to sign up for their service. Are they technically incompetent? Are they just inconsiderate? Playing hard to get?
I don’t know the reason, but I do know that it is extremely frustrating to finally select a registered agent and then have to struggle to get your account up and running.
I actually took the time to sign up for all 12 Missouri registered agents on my list. I ranked them according to how much stress eating I did during the sign-up process. The more skittles I consumed while signing up, the lower the rating.
Factor 4: Ease of Use
Unless you are truly old fashioned, most of your interactions with your Missouri registered agent service will be via the world wide web.
That means that your overall satisfaction with your registered agent will be heavily dependent on how user-friendly and intuitive their website is.
I tested the functionality of each website by trying to complete a few simple tasks and then rated the Missouri registered agents according to how easily I was able to complete each task.
Factor 5: Customer Service
It is easy to overlook the value of a good customer service team. Ninety-nine percent of the time, you won’t need them. When you do need them, however, you probably really need them.
I called customer service at each Missouri registered agent service several times and evaluated them based on how long they kept me on hold, how accurate they were with their answers, and how quick and courteous they were.
The Best Missouri Registered Agent Results Summary
After evaluating more than 60 Missouri registered agents, I narrowed them down to my top 12 and made the following picks for the best of the best.
Best Overall Registered Agent — Northwest Registered Agent (9.13/10)
After I tallied up the ratings according to my five key factors, Northwest Registered Agent was the clear overall winner.
They have extensive service offerings, amazing customer support, and a very competitive price ($125 per year).
Northwest Registered Agent has the basics covered, starting with helping with your Articles of Organization, a physical street address in Missouri, accepting service of process on your behalf, and they offer a lot of extras like compliance alerts to make sure your company stays compliant with the Corporations Division.
Northwest Registered Agent’s service also comes with one of the most valuable perks of all—the wealth of experience and knowledge of their customer service department. Should you run into any trouble, a call to Northwest will be fielded by representatives who have experience as lawyers, accountants, and business owners.
There are over 3,000 positive Northwest Registered Agents reviews online, so I'm not the only one who's had a positive experience with them.
If you want a Missouri registered agent service that gives your business the best chance to succeed, go to Northwest Registered Agent.
If you're interested in starting your Missouri LLC, read my guide on the best LLC Services in Missouri.
Best Budget Registered Agent — Harbor Compliance (7.92/10)
Harbor Compliance is a good option for the truly budget-conscious business owner. Their service does not live up to the lofty standards set by Northwest Registered Agent, but they offer adequate service and will save you $26 annually.
Harbor Compliance is trustworthy enough to be your point of contact with the Missouri Secretary of State and handle service of process and other legal notices on behalf of your company. They’re fairly prompt in their mail forwarding, and they also offer compliance alerts.
Their service is adequate but not great, and if you don’t mind a few hiccups in their customer service Harbor Compliance might be a good option.
There's a lot more to Harbor Compliance's service than I tell you about here. Read my full Harbor Compliance review for more details on their service and offerings.
If you really have to pinch pennies and can forgo great customer service, check out Harbor Compliance.
Best Premium Registered Agent — LegalZoom (6.59/10)
LegalZoom is the most recognized name in my top 12. They are also the most expensive ($299).
Despite their international presence, they have a local presence and can assign you a Missouri registered office that will accept service of process and other critical documents during normal business hours.
They also offer some valuable perks, most notably their identity theft insurance, which is included with their registered agent service.
LegalZoom’s perks don’t entirely justify their sky-high price, so if you are looking for real value, look elsewhere.
If you like having a famous name as your Missouri registered agent service and don’t mind paying one of the highest rates in the industry, check out LegalZoom.
In Conclusion
Picking a registered agent in Missouri for your business might not seem like such a big decision, but it is.
For one thign, there are a lot of registered agents out there who aren’t straightforward with their prices and will try to overcharge you. Second, your registered agent is responsible for handling the most important documents your company will receive. And finally, your registered agent is the link between your identity and your company’s identity. They are the ones keeping your personal assets and information safe.
I examined more than 60 registered agents active in Missouri, narrowed it down to the best 12, and rated them according to my five key factors.
In the end, I concluded that Northwest Registered Agent was clearly the best registered agent in Missouri.
For a very competitive rate, they cover all the basics plus add a lot of extras.
- A registered office address in Missouri for receiving service of process and other legal documents on behalf of your business
- Prompt mail forwarding
- Scan and upload service so your documents are available almost instantly
- An online portal to keep your documents organized and accessible
- Help with the formation documents for your Missouri limited liability company
- Compliance alerts so you don’t miss the deadline for an annual report or other filings and be in good standing with the Missouri Secretary of State
- A personalized filing calendar to keep you organized and on top of upcoming deadlines
They also have the most approachable, experienced, knowledgeable customer service team in the industry. No matter how complicated your legal or regulatory situation, they can help.
Choosing a different registered agent would be depriving your company of a great ally. Northwest Registered Agent will keep your personal assets protected and keep your business in good standing with the State of Missouri Corporations Division.
If you want your company to be represented by the best registered agent in Missouri, go to Northwest Registered Agent.
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