Finding the right Wisconsin registered agent service for your LLC is vital to it’s success.
The right Wisconsin registered agent will maintain your company’s good standing with the Wisconsin Secretary of State, keep your personal information off the public record and ensure that your business never misses a service of process.
The wrong Wisconsin registered agent will neglect their Wisconsin registered agent duties which could result in legal troubles with the Secretary of State or losing the good standing status of your Limited Liability Company (LLC).
I investigated over 60 different registered agents in the state, ranked the top 12, and wrote thorough reviews about the best three. Here is my list of the best registered agents in Wisconsin:
1.Northwest Registered Agent – 9.13/10 (My Top Pick)
Northwest Registered Agent is the best Wisconsin registered agent service. They provide all of the registered agent services that your business in Wisconsin needs, have the best customer service team in the registered agent industry, and charge a competitive fee.
Pros
You’ll likely find a lot of reasons to enjoy Northwest Registered Agent.
They cover the basics, like providing a registered agent’s address in the state of Wisconsin registered with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, and receiving service of process, and mail forwarding.
They scan ALL of the mail, not just the documents and service of process, then upload it to an online system. You’ll also receive compliance alerts (for things like your annual report).
It’s a national registered agent service too, with a registered office in every state. They provide discounts if you sign up for registered agent service in multiple states, and it’s easy to sign up for multi-state service from one convenient dash.
But their biggest stand-out feature is hands-down their customer service.
Their team is made up of a team of US-based representatives who used to be accountants, entrepreneurs, business owners, and lawyers before working at Northwest Registered Agent. And they offer small business advice along with customer support. This means that you will receive expert advice on any question you have about your business.
This sort of business advice can typically cost $5,000 per day, so at $125 per state per year Northwest Registered Agent is a real bargain.
Cons
The drawback to Northwest Registered Agent is their comprehensive approach to customer service.
You can’t call them up to get a simple answer to a straightforward question, then get back to work. And in these instances, it’s more time-efficient to simply Google your question.
Overall
Northwest Registered Agent is the best registered agent in Wisconsin. They provide all of the services you need to keep your Wisconsin state LLC in good standing, they only charge $125 per state per year for their multitude of services, and they have the best customer service in the industry.
Their customer service team and small business support make them an easy choice for the best Wisconsin registered agent service.
If you want the best agent for service of process for your company, sign up with Northwest Registered Agent today.
2.Harbor Compliance – 7.92/10 (Best Budget Registered Agent)
Harbor Compliance is a good choice if you’re looking for a budget-friendly, Wisconsin registered agent service. They provide all of the basic services and they do it for $99 per state per year.
Pros
Harbor Compliance provides your Wisconsin LLC with all of the registered agent services it needs to maintain good legal standing with the Wisconsin Secretary of State. They offer a registered office to receive service of process, mail, and legal documents on behalf of your LLC during business hours.
They also offer online document access so that you can access the service of process and legal documents using an online account, mail forwarding, and compliance filing alerts to remind you of important filing deadlines (like annual report filing).
They’re also a national registered agent, so they have a registered office in all 50 states, and they provide discounts when you sign up for registered agent service in multiple states or for multiple years.
Cons
The major drawback to Harbor Compliance’s Wisconsin registered agent service is that while they provide many good services, none of them are great.
They don’t provide any premium services (like identity theft insurance or covering state fees), or any “extras”. Their online system has some glitches and technical issues that could use ironing out and its structure could use some tweaking so that it’s more user-friendly and intuitive. And their customer service team doesn't answer business questions.
Overall
Harbor Compliance provides all of the basic registered agent services that your LLC or corporation needs, and they do it for $99 per state per year. They don’t provide any of the “extras” that Northwest Registered Agent does, and you won’t find any premium registered agent services here, however.
If you’re comfortable trading excellent services to save $26, you can check out Harbor Compliance here.
3. LegalZoom – 6.59/10 (Best Premium Service)
LegalZoom may be third on this list of the best Wisconsin registered agents, but it’s the best premium service on my list.
Pros
LegalZoom is a well-known name in the business industry with a good reputation. And on top of that, they supply premium registered agent services.
They provide many of the services that your company needs, such as a physical address, and will receive service of process, mail and documents during normal business hours.
They also offer online document access, mail forwarding, and compliance alerts for things like your annual report.
Additionally, they offer premium services, such as up to $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance for your LLC or corporation and covering state fees.
Cons
LegalZoom seems to use the fact that it’s a well-known name in the business industry to lure in new customers rather than providing top-quality services.
First of all, Wisconsin registered agent services aren’t their bread and butter. They mostly provide online legal services and templated legal documents for businesses. This means that their Wisconsin registered agent service is largely neglected. Their online system is clunky and hard to navigate, clearly something that has been overlooked. And their customer service team isn’t as knowledgeable about their Wisconsin registered agent service as one would like.
Secondly, they charge $299 per state per year for their Wisconsin registered agent service. It’s easy to assume that this is because of their premium services. But identity theft protection from other companies doesn’t cost that much.
Overall
LegalZoom is the best choice if you want a Wisconsin registered agent that provides premium registered agent services. They’re also a good choice if you’re already using their other business services and want to simplify your company’s billing. However, they’re not the best Wisconsin registered agent service, and in many situations Northwest Registered Agent is the better choice for your LLC or corporation.
Click here to read more about LegalZoom’s Wisconsin registered agent service.
4. ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is both an LLC formation service and registered agent service in Wisconsin. They provide all of the typical services, but they have a confusing fee system with two price tiers.
For $99 per state per year, this Wisconsin registered agent service will provide your business with a physical address in Wisconsin, someone to receive correspondence for your company during business hours, an online document management system, and mail forwarding.
To get other services that are vital to maintaining the good standing status of your company (such as compliance filing alerts or annual report reminders), you have to pay an additional $50 per state per year. This system is also confusing.
Read more about ZenBusiness here.
5. IncFile
IncFile provides minimal registered agent service.
Of course, they provide a name and address, and an agent during normal business hours to receive correspondence and state documents, an online document management system, and mail forwarding.
But they don’t offer compliance alerts or LLC formation services. If they’re going to charge $119 per state per year, they should step up their Wisconsin registered agent service game.
Find out more about IncFile's services in my full IncFile review.
6. Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer can be described as “a slightly cheaper imitation of LegalZoom, without the premium registered agent services.”
They provide your company with an address, receive service of process and documents, online access to the documents, and mail forwarding.
However, they charge an annual rate of $149 per state for their services, making them nearly $25 per state per year more expensive than Northwest Registered Agent.
If you'd like to know about their online legal services and products, you can read all about them in my Rocket Lawyer review.
7. SunDoc Filings
SunDoc Filings is another company that seems out of touch when it comes to their prices.
They receive mail and documents for your company during normal business hours, supply a Wisconsin street address, online document access and mail forwarding.
The problem is that they charge an annual rate of $159 per state for these minimal services, and you don’t even get compliance filing alerts.
Learn more about SunDoc Filings here.
8. InCorp
InCorp provided me with a unique conundrum when reviewing it. They charge an annual rate of $99 per state for their services, which is the same price that Harbor Compliance charges. It has similar services, too.
They provide a street address registered with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, receive mail and documents on behalf of your business, supply online document management, mail forwarding and compliance filing alerts (for things like your annual report).
They are a national registered agent and they offer discounts when you sign up for registered agent service for multiple states or for multiple years. They even offer identity theft insurance.
But their system is a clunky, glitchy nightmare to navigate.
Read about InCorp here.
9. Swyft Filings
Swyft Filings is charging too much for too little.
They offer a street address in Wisconsin that is listed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, online document access, and compliance filing alerts (for stuff like the annual report).
However, they charge an annual rate of $149 per state for their lackluster services.
If you're still interested in finding out more, read my full Swyft Filings review.
10. CSC Global
CSC Global is what I describe as a “premium” Wisconsin registered agent, and you’ll understand this if you keep reading.
They offer a business address in the state that’s registered with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, and online document access.
But the only premium service they provide is they cover state fees and they charge $299 per state per year. That’s a difference of $176 between their service and Northwest Registered Agent’s.
Click here to read about CSC Global.
11. Registered Agents Inc.
Registered Agents Inc. is another registered agent service in Wisconsin that confused me a bit. Registered Agents Inc. is the only one to specialize in registered agent service.
For $200 per state per year, they provide your business in Wisconsin with a business address in the state, online document access, and compliance filing alerts to let you know when it’s time to file your annual report, and they’ll keep your name and address of the public record. They’re also a national registered agent, and they offer discounted rates if you sign up for registered agent service in multiple states.
But $200 is far too much for these humdrum services.
12. Jumpstart Filings
Jumpstart Filings is charging far too much for only the bare minimum service.
At $129 per state per year, Jumpstart Filings' minimal service package does little to justify this price. Don’t waste your time with Jumpstart Filings.
Registered Agent Review Summary
Of the 60+ registered agents I investigated and the twelve registered agents I reviewed, my top recommendation is Northwest Registered Agent.
They provide every service your Wisconsin LLC needs to make staying in good standing with the Wisconsin Secretary of State a cakewalk.
Whether this is your first business or you’re an industry veteran, choose Northwest Registered Agent today.
Wisconsin Registered Agent Methodology
Investigating over 60 registered agents was time-consuming. I used a four-stage process to determine which of the services were the best and ranked the remaining contenders according to five factors.
Why You Should Trust Me
I’ve had more experience searching for registered agent services than anyone in the industry. It started when I had to find registered agents for the two businesses I own. When I needed to find a registered agent, there weren’t any reliable guides or review articles like this available. I had to invest hundreds of hours into finding the right service.
I knew finding the right registered agent was critical to ensuring my businesses would operate smoothly.
My process has helped thousands of people save the hundreds of hours it took me to find the right registered agent, and I can help you and your business in Wisconsin too.
How I Selected The Best Registered Agent
The following four stages allowed me to determine which of the 60+ Wisconsin registered agent services were the best.
Stage 1: Reviews
I spent hours on sites like Facebook, TrustPilot, Google, and the Better Business Bureau seeing what people had to say about each registered agent in Wisconsin. It was important to see what some of the best and worst experiences were.
This stage of the process allowed me to eliminate nearly 50 registered agents engaging in an ethically dubious pricing strategy that I’ll detail below.
Stage 2: Website Analysis
The next step of my process was to log on to each registered agent’s website and review the sales pages, promotions, and “about” sections to see what services and deals were offered by each Wisconsin registered agent.
Stage 3: Speaking With Real Customers
As previously mentioned, the online reviews tend to describe only the most extreme experiences. To find out what the average customer’s experience is like, I had to reach out to other customers I knew had used the services on my list.
I contacted many of the people I had previously helped find a registered agent for their business. I asked them how well each company delivered on their promised services, to describe the quality of their customer support, and how well they were satisfied as a customer.
Stage 4: Speak With Their Sales Teams
The final stage was to speak with each Wisconsin registered agent service’s sales team.
I reached out to each sales team and relayed feedback or criticism I had found during earlier parts of my investigation and took note of how they responded. Some teams shifted blame onto others, failing to take accountability for their shortcomings, while others took the criticism in stride and sought to improve my experience.
Rating Factors
I ranked each Wisconsin LLC registered agent according to the following five factors:
Factor 1: Offerings
Services offerings are a vital factor when determining which registered agent service in Wisconsin is the best.
Some services barely do more than act as your legal point of contact. Others offer compliance alerts and document scanning. And others still will provide identity theft insurance as part of their services. With so many offerings available, you can see why this is an important factor to consider when ranking each Wisconsin registered agent.
Factor 2: Value for Money
I also had to consider the value each registered agent gave for the services they offered.
Some registered agents charged rates as high as $299 per year but only offered the basic services, while others advertised prices as low as $39 per year but left the range of services offered vague and unclear.
During my investigations, I discovered a large number of Wisconsin registered agents charging prices in the $39-$59 per year range. While this price proved to be true at the point of entry, these services hid even the most essential services a registered agent must provide behind additional fees and charges. With this dishonest pricing model, it costs up to $120 per year to get the minimum level of service.
I swiftly removed any Wisconsin registered agent that used this pricing practice from my list.
Factor 3: Ease of Signup
Good deals are a plus, but a confusing signup process can turn even the best deal sour.
Lengthy or confusing signups are the last thing anyone wants.
I ranked each service according to how many forms I had to fill out, and technical issues encountered, and how complicated or confusing the process was.
Factor 4: Ease Of Use
A poorly designed and user-unfriendly system can drive people away from a good deal.
I examined each provider’s system and took note of how many technical issues I encountered and how user-friendly they were.
Factor 5: Customer Service
The real deal-breaker for most customers is a company’s customer support team.
To find out how effective each registered agent’s customer support teams were, I called each one and hit them with a round of fairly standard questions and took note of how prompt and efficiently they were able to answer my questions and resolve my issues.
In Conclusion
Finding the right registered agent for your Wisconsin business is essential to ensuring your business succeeds and your information stays secure.
I investigated and reviewed over 60 different registered agent services and reviewed and ranked the twelve best according to a 4-stage, 5-factor process.
Northwest Registered Agent is the best choice overall. Not only do they provide the most value and the widest range of services, but they also offer you the best customer service team around.
Included in their yearly price of $125 are the following Wisconsin registered agent services:
- A registered physical address in Wisconsin and a legal point of contact to receive service of process and other important documents,
- Scanning and uploading all of your mail and important legal documents the day they are received,
- An online document management system,
- Compliance alerts,
- And mail forwarding.
At a bargain rate of $125 per state per year, Northwest Registered Agent is the best registered agent service.
If you need the #1 registered agent service in Wisconsin, then check out Northwest Registered Agent today.
