As a small business in Rhode Island, it is critical to choose the right registered agent for your Limited Liability Company (LLC).
The right Rhode Island registered agent service will keep your business or LLC safe by protecting its privacy, keeping your home address off public record, and ensuring that your company meets all the legal requirements necessary to remain in good standing with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
The wrong Rhode Island registered agent will jeopardize your privacy and your personal assets, and may result in legal action against you or your business.
To help you choose the best Rhode Island registered agent service, I’ve investigated over 60 registered agents, assessed the top 12 and compiled in-depth reviews of the three best. Here are my picks for the best registered agent in Rhode Island.
1. Northwest Registered Agent—9.13/10 (My Top Pick for the Best Rhode Island Registered Agent)
Northwest Registered Agent is my top choice for the best Rhode Island registered agent. They provide all the basic services of a registered agent (such as Service of Process) in addition to customized business advice from their team of experts based in the US.
Pros
Northwest Registered Agent has many features that make them the best in the business.
They protect personal information by providing you a registered office address in Rhode Island (available during normal business hours), scan every piece of mail addressed to your Rhode Island LLC before they upload it to your online account, accept Service of Process, provide an online account for managing your business or LLC documents (such as the Articles of Organization) and legal forms, and reminding you about your Rhode Island business’s compliance deadlines and filing fee dates.
But the reason they’re the #1 Rhode Island registered agent is their Corporate Guides.
With a team of former lawyers, accountants, and entrepreneurs, Northwest Registered Agent goes beyond the expected Service of Process and doubles as a small business advisory service. Their experts take time to understand the unique nature of your problem before offering advice.
Northwest Registered Agent delivers this comprehensive registered agent service in Rhode Island for the affordable price of $125 per year.
Cons
As a new Rhode Island business or LLC owner, you may want a quick answer to your customer service inquiries. This may be the one thing Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t deliver.
Their agents might spend time asking more questions than you want to answer, which may take more time than you can spare.
But whenever you do make the call, you can see that their team is coming from a place of genuine willingness to help. So, all in all, it makes up for a few extra minutes.
Overall
Northwest Registered Agent is an easy choice if you want a registered agent service that keeps your Rhode Island LLC in legal compliance, accepts Service of Process on your behalf, and provides small business support at a competitive rate of $125 per state per year.
They cover all the basics you need to stay in good standing in Rhode Island and are the only registered agent service to include small business advice through their US-based support team as part of their service.
If you want to appoint the best registered agent service in Rhode Island for your business entity or LLC, head over to Northwest Registered Agent now.
2. Harbor Compliance—7.92/10 (Best Budget Rhode Island Registered Agent)
If staying within budget is a priority and you want a full-service Rhode Island registered agent to cover all the basics for your business entity at the lowest cost, Harbor Compliance is another Rhode Island registered agent to consider.
Pros
Harbor Compliance provides everything you need from a registered agent to ensure that your small business entity or LLC stays legally compliant and meets all regulatory requirements set by the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
You get a local business address in Rhode Island operational during normal business hours. They keep your home or work address off public record to maintain your privacy. They help you file your Articles of Organization along with their registered agent services, and also receive Service of Process and other legal documents on behalf of your Rhode Island LLC.
The online account is easy to set up and you have 24/7 access to your legal documents. To keep you in good standing with the Rhode Island Secretary of State, they keep you informed about all the important compliance alerts, filing fee and state fees deadlines, and upcoming due dates for your annual report filing.
Harbor Compliance provides all these registered agent services for the low price of $99, making them the most affordable full-service registered agent in Rhode Island.
Cons
Harbor Compliance does everything well in terms of registered agent services, but is not exceptional in any area.
Their website is fine. Their sign-up process is fine. Their support is fine.
They provide everything you need from a Rhode Island registered agent without blowing you away in any area.
Overall
Harbor Compliance is the cheapest full-service registered agent in Rhode Island on the list and they deliver what one can expect for $99 per state per year. They do provide you with a compliance alert service, a feature many other Rhode Island registered agent providers in this price range tend to skip.
Harbor Compliance may not provide the superior customer service of Northwest Registered Agent, but your small business or LLC will be safe in their hands.
If you want to get a full-service Rhode Island registered agent at the lowest price, head over to Harbor Compliance now.
3. LegalZoom—6.59/10 (Best Premium Rhode Island Registered Island)
LegalZoom is the best premium registered agent service in Rhode Island.
Pros
LegalZoom has been in the registered agent business for over 20 years. This established and reputable company provides a variety of legal and business services, including registered agent service in Rhode Island.
With LegalZoom you get a registered physical street address in Rhode Island that is open during regular business hours, mail forwarding, and Service of Process.
LegalZoom also provides a $1 million identity theft insurance policy, included with your subscription. This perk reduces the ever-increasing threat of identity theft, and is a premium registered agent service.
Cons
LegalZoom uses their big player status to their advantage and thus offers average registered agent and business services at a higher price.
At $299 their registered agent service costs more than double that of Northwest Registered Agent.
They do provide $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance but you could easily opt for a better Rhode Island registered agent like Northwest Registered Agent and use the remaining amount to purchase identity theft protection insurance on its own. It’s not more than the $176 you will save by going with Northwest Registered Agent for your registered agent provider.
Also, registered agent service is not their primary area of focus, making it less comprehensive and less personalized than Northwest Registered Agent. As a result, LegalZoom’s online system is less easy to navigate and their registered agent customer support is not as comprehensive.
Overall
If you are already using LegalZoom for your other business and legal needs and would prefer to save time rather than money when it comes to your Rhode Island registered agent, you can opt for their registered agent service for your Rhode Island business.
You can check out LegalZoom here.
4. ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness, primarily an LLC formation company, also offers registered agent services and has a two-tier pricing structure. It provides the basics you expect from a registered service agent in the state of Rhode Island, such as receiving Service of Process and a registered office address available during normal business hours.
The $99 price covers the registered agent essentials, but they omit a very important feature—compliance alerts.
While other Rhode Island registered agent companies like Harbor Compliance and Northwest Registered Agent provide this feature free of charge with their registered agent services, ZenBusiness charges an additional $50 every month for compliance alerts.
If you're interested in finding out more about ZenBusiness‘s services, read our full ZenBusiness review.
Here are reviews for nine other Rhode Island registered agent providers, in no particular order:
5. IncFile
IncFile offers a bare-bones registered agent service in the state of Rhode Island at a cost of $119. They provide your Rhode Island business or LLC with a registered office address available during regular business hours (to keep your home address off public record). They receive Service of Process and legal notices on behalf of your Rhode Island LLC, but they don’t send you compliance alerts, which is a major drawback to their registered agent services.
Their price of $119 is high considering the basic scope of their Rhode Island registered agent services.
Read more about IncFile's offers on our full IncFile Review.
6. Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer is a cheaper imitation of LegalZoom’s registered agent services.
However, they charge $149 for inferior registered agent service, providing the basics like Service of Process and a Rhode Island street address, but nothing extra.
At a lower cost, your business or LLC can get more benefits and better customer support from other Rhode Island resident agents like Northwest Registered Agent.
If you want to know more about their online legal services and offerings read my Rocket Lawyer Review.
7. SunDoc Filings
SunDoc Filings is a generic registered agent service in Rhode Island that charges too much and gives too little. They charge $159 for registered agent basics like a Rhode Island street address, a statutory agent, Service of Process, and receiving and forwarding your business mail.
There’s no alert system for annual report and filing fee dates nor a dedicated and experienced customer support system like that of Northwest Registered Agent.
For your Rhode Island business, $159 for these scant registered agent services is too much for too little value.
8. InCorp
InCorp is a full-service resident agent and charges $99, the same as Harbor Compliance.
However, their confusing online system is difficult to navigate, which you simply can’t ignore since technology is so integral to running a successful business or LLC.
9. Swyft Filings
Swyft Filings offers the basic business services of a Rhode Island registered agent. Apart from providing a street address available during normal business hours to accept Service of Process and other mail, there is not much more to this resident agent. They do provide a compliance and annual report alert service but that doesn’t justify the $149 they charge given that the service quality is average.
Read our review of Swyft Filing here to know more about their registered agent service.
10. CSC Global
CSC Global is a premium Rhode Island registered agent service costing $299. They provide your business or LLC with neither a calendar nor annual report reminders.
CSC Global does cover the filing fee if you switch to their registered agent service, which may seem like a good deal, but their annual cost of $299 is so high that you lose whatever you save on the switching fee.
11. Registered Agents Inc.
Registered Agents Inc.’s business services reflect the lack of creativity demonstrated in their name. But the real flaw in their registered agent service is their high price and low-quality product. A $200 price tag should indicate further value on top of the basics, such as an address available during normal business hours, mail handling, and Service of Process, but Registered Agent Inc. does not deliver.
12. Jumpstart Filings
Jumpstart Filings, another standard Rhode Island registered agent service provider, offers far fewer benefits for your business or LLC than Northwest Registered Agent or pretty much any others on the list, and at a higher price of $129.
Rhode Island Registered Agent Review Summary
My analysis of more than 60 Rhode Island registered agent services determined that Northwest Registered Agent offers everything your business or LLC needs from a Rhode Island registered agent service.
For $125 and no hidden charges, their US-based support team of former lawyers, accountants, and small business owners resolves your business issues and answer your questions with detailed solutions for your Rhode Island small business or LLC problems.
Additionally, their registration process is simple, their online system is user-friendly and intuitive and they are the only registered agent in Rhode Island to scan and forward all your mail and legal documents, and notify you as well.
Your business or LLC needs reliable Rhode Island registered agent service you can trust to accept Service of Process, help you file your Articles of Organization, provide you with a business address, receive and scan your mail, and send you essential compliance alerts to keep you up to date with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
If you want a registered agent that saves you time and money and not only ensures legal compliance but also helps grow your small business, Northwest Registered Agent is the option to choose.
Rhode Island Best Registered Agent Review Methodology
Here’s how I identified the best Rhode Island registered agent for your business.
Why You Should Trust Me
You can trust my recommendations because I've spent more time looking into registered agents over the last 10 years than anyone realistically should.
I started out looking for registered agents to serve as a point of contact for each of my business entities—a health website and a cafe. From conversations with other small business owners and my friends in the online business world, I realized not everyone who needs a registered agent has the time to find the best registered agent service to help file your Articles of Organization, provide a physical address to keep your home and business address off public record, scan and store your legal documents, and receive Service of Process. Because finding a registered agent is time consuming, they would just go with the first available option, end up spending more, and get less value out of their registered agent.
I already had the knowledge and experience, so I started helping them make informed choices. Little did I know that it would grow into an online company. Now here I am trying to make your business journey a little less hectic and a lot easier with credible advice on how to find the best Rhode Island registered agent.
How I Selected the Best Rhode Island Registered Agent
I started with a list of over 60 Rhode Island registered agent service providers, narrowed the list to 12 with a four-stage vetting process, finally selecting my top three Rhode Island registered agents based on five factors.
This is how I did it:
Stage 1: Online Reviews
The first step in finding the best Rhode Island registered agent for your business was to look through scores of online reviews on Facebook, TrustPilot, and the Better Business Bureau. To keep things simple, I then created a Kanban board to categorize these registered agents using various criteria (ease of system usage, affordability, customer support, privacy protection, information about taxes, and filing of state fees, etc.).
This helped me eliminate obvious scams and misleading offers (more on that in the “Rating Factors” section below) from my list of qualified registered agent services.
Stage 2: Website Analysis
After initially mining the reviews of the collected registered agent services, my next step was to take an in-depth look at the websites of these registered agents in the state of Rhode Island to get a better understanding of what they stood for, what they offered, and how authentic they were in their business advertising.
Some of the factors that I paid close attention to were the quality of their products and services, available methods for contacting their customer support, ease of switching registered agents without costs, information about taxes and state fees, the company’s history, and any awards or recognition they’d achieved as a Rhode Island registered agent.
Stage 3: Speaking with Real Customers
There’s only so much one can learn about registered agent services from reading online reviews and checking out registered agent websites, so I decided to get up close and personal with some actual clients of these registered agents in the state of Rhode Island. After all, companies manipulate online reviews all the time and I wanted to get objective and unbiased opinions from people who had used their registered agent service for their business.
So I reached out to readers who had used my recommendations for their business or LLC formation and other visitors to my website who were already using a registered agent service in Rhode Island. I collected all their responses, thus getting a lot of details on the quality of service and support their business received from their Rhode Island registered agent.
Stage 4: Speaking with Their Sales Team
By now I had a fair idea of the top registered agent services that I wanted to recommend. But I went a step further and talked to the sales teams of the respective registered agents in Rhode Island.
I collated all the complaints, issues, and feedback I had on each registered agent and asked them some tough questions about why and how they were failing to deliver on the promises they had made during their online sales pitches.
While many registered agent services told me that the complaining customers were exaggerating or needlessly venting and that I shouldn’t believe the stories, there were some who patiently explained how they had integrated all the feedback to improve their service, systems, and operations.
This last step separated the average registered agent from the extraordinary and gave me 100% confidence in my recommendation of the best registered agent in Rhode Island.
Rating Factors for Selecting the Best Registered Agent in Rhode Island
Based on my four-stage process, I was able to shortlist 12 Rhode Island registered agents out of the more than 60 I had investigated. It was now time to rate these registered agent services. I factored in the five criteria below to make my choice of the best registered agent in Rhode Island.
Factor 1: Offerings
The first and most important factor I analyzed was the variety of registered agent products and services available in Rhode Island. If a Rhode Island registered agent service fails to offer your LLC the requisite services expected from a registered agent (such as a physical address open during normal business hours, a point of contact for Service of Process, and compliance alerts or annual report reminders to keep your LLC in good standing with the Rhode Island Secretary of State), other factors like cost, ease of system navigation, and price don’t matter much.
I looked at the following factors:
- Does the Rhode Island registered agent allow your LLC to access legal documents online or simply mail them to your registered office or physical address for your office in Rhode Island?
- Does the Rhode Island registered agent notify your LLC about important document filing, such as annual report filing and due dates to keep your business in legal compliance with the Rhode Island Secretary of State?
- Does the Rhode Island registered agent service accept Service of Process, legal mail, and other legal documents on behalf of your LLC?
- Does the registered agent service offer your LLC a privacy protection guarantee or do they provide insurance against identity theft?
- Does the Rhode Island registered agent service additionally provide a cheap Limited Liability Company (LLC) formation service or is their Limited Liability Company (LLC) formation their best product?
- Does the Rhode Island registered agent cover filing and state fees and help you understand the franchise tax mechanism?
- Does the Rhode Island registered agent have the option to file the change online or or is there a choice to mail the form to the registered office instead?
- Does the Rhode Island registered agent help you file your Articles of Organization?
The Rhode Island registered agent service with the best range of LLC services (from a physical address to compliance alerts) were placed at the top and those with lesser offerings found a place near or at the bottom of the pile.
Factor 2: Price
Prices vary between registered agents in Rhode Island. Although most small business or LLC owners use pricing to influence their choice, it’s important to factor in the actual value your business gets for the cost of a registered agent service.
I created three distinct categories of pricing to make the categorization easy: budget, full-service, and premium.
The registered agent services in the budget range tend to be advertised between $39–$59 per year. The full-service registered agents range from $99–$129 annually and the premium registered agent services in Rhode Island start at $299.
The registered agents in the budget range looked appealing only because of deceptively low pricing. After all the upsells, customers would end up paying more for their registered agent.
The Rhode Island registered agents with the most value for money climbed up the list and those providing lesser value fell into the lower half.
Factor 3: Ease of Sign-up
As a new business owner in Rhode Island, you obviously want to have a registered agent with affordable pricing. But that benefit doesn’t last long if you are stuck at the first stage of sign-up. So ease of signing up was an important factor that I wanted to include while rating registered agents in Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island registered agent with a simple, automated, and optimized system requiring minimal effort and intervention quickly rose toward the top of the list. If a company asked me to shift from document to document in a clumsy system, they were relegated toward the bottom of the list.
Factor 4: Ease of Use
Signing up is only the first step in choosing a registered agent service. If you are met with antiquated systems, clunky user interfaces, you will waste time and energy using the online systems of your registered agent. In today’s age where technology has become such an integral part of everyday business operation, if a registered agent doesn’t take the time and make the effort to upgrade their systems, it’s harder for a nontechnical user to understand and operate them.
Those Rhode Island registered agent services with the most intuitive systems went up the ranks and the ones with slow, outdated, and confusing systems scored lower.
Factor 5: Customer Service
Regardless of how easy the registered agent systems are to use, there will always be areas that your LLC needs help with.
A reliable customer service system might not look like an important factor when choosing a registered agent for your LLC, but when your business really needs help, this feature will save the day and prove your value as a customer.
The Rhode Island registered agent services with customer support teams that quickly and effectively resolved customer issues were the best.
In Conclusion
Choosing the right registered agent for your small business in Rhode Island might not seem like a big deal. But it can save you from legal troubles.
As an LLC in Rhode Island, your business must remain in good standing with the Rhode Island Secretary of State and legally compliant at all times.
A good registered agent saves the day and your business by delivering all you need to run your Rhode Island LLC:
- a street address in Rhode Island available during business hours for receiving mail
- someone to accept Service of Process on behalf of your LLC
- mail scanning and forwarding
- online account access with document storage
- help filing essential paperwork
- compliance alerts
If you want a Rhode Island registered agent that takes care of all your business’s needs and provides industry-leading customer support service that enables your business to thrive, choose Northwest Registered Agent today.
If you’d like more information about things like your Rhode Island LLC annual fee and Rhode Island foreign LLC registration, read How to Start a Rhode Island LLC.
