In Short: ZenBusiness, Doola and Northwest Reviews
All three are established formation companies with public review profiles, and their scores sit close together. On Trustpilot as of 14 September 2026, ZenBusiness holds 4.8 out of 5, Doola holds 4.5 and Northwest Registered Agent holds 4.1. BusinessAnywhere holds 4.8. A spread that narrow cannot decide a purchase. What each company includes, who it is built for, and what it charges from year two separate them far more clearly.
- Trustpilot scores: ZenBusiness 4.8, BusinessAnywhere 4.8, Doola 4.5, Northwest Registered Agent 4.1.
- ZenBusiness forms an LLC for $0 plus state fees, then charges $99 for the first year of registered agent service and $199 a year after.
- Doola starts at $297 a year plus state fees and bundles ongoing support, with bookkeeping and tax filing from $1,999 a year.
- Northwest competes on privacy and personal service. Its pricing pages could not be read on this pass, so no figures are quoted here rather than quoting stale ones.
- BusinessAnywhere forms an LLC for $0 plus state fees, includes the first year of registered agent service free and charges $147 a year after, and adds the US address, mail forwarding and EIN that non-resident founders need.
- The recurring complaint across this whole category is renewal pricing, not whether the filing happens.
- Three-year registered agent cost: $294 with BusinessAnywhere, $497 with ZenBusiness.
Disclosure: BusinessAnywhere sells business formation and registered agent services, so ZenBusiness, Doola and Northwest Registered Agent compete with us directly. Every figure below was taken from each company’s own published pages and public Trustpilot profiles on 14 September 2026, and each is linked to its source so you can check it. Prices change, so confirm before you buy.
What a Review Score Tells You, and What It Hides
A formation service does two things: it files paperwork once, and it carries recurring obligations for as long as the company exists. Reviews cluster around both moments, and they read very differently.
The filing generates a burst of reviews within days of purchase, when the customer is at their most satisfied. The recurring side generates reviews a year later, when a renewal charge arrives. An average score blends the two, which is why two companies with the same number can feel completely different to live with.
- A high score with recent complaints about billing describes a company that files well and renews expensively.
- A lower score with recent praise for support describes a company that is harder to buy from and easier to stay with.
- Any score is one signal. Trustpilot states plainly that it does not fact-check reviews, and several companies in this market hold paid Trustpilot subscriptions that give them tools to invite reviews from customers.
The Four Companies at a Glance
| Company | Trustpilot | Formation price | Registered agent | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZenBusiness | 4.8 out of 5 | $0 plus state fees | $99 first year, $199 a year after | US-based founders |
| BusinessAnywhere | 4.8 out of 5 | $0 plus state fees | Free first year, $147 a year after | Non-resident and location-independent founders |
| Doola | 4.5 out of 5 | $297 a year plus state fees | Included in the plan | Non-resident founders wanting accounting bundled |
| Northwest Registered Agent | 4.1 out of 5 | Not verified on this pass | Not verified on this pass | Privacy-focused US founders |
ZenBusiness: What the 4.8 Reflects
ZenBusiness has held a claimed Trustpilot profile since December 2017 and sits at 4.8 out of 5. The company states on its pricing page that more than 950,000 businesses have been launched through the service and that it holds an A+ Better Business Bureau rating.
The formation experience is what the score is built on. The recurring cost is the part to check before you buy: registered agent service is $99 plus state fees for the first year and $199 a year after. Over three years that is $497. Nothing about that is hidden, and it is published in their own FAQ, but it is the number people skip when comparing first-year prices.
Doola: What the 4.5 Reflects
Doola sits at 4.5 out of 5 and sells a different product from the rest of this list. Its Starter plan is $297 a year plus state fees, with Tax and Compliance at $1,999 a year and Business-in-a-Box at $2,999 a year. Registered agent service is included in the plan rather than sold separately.
Doola markets to non-resident founders and e-commerce sellers, and the subscription model means someone is accountable for the ongoing filings. When the higher tiers are compared against hiring an accountant rather than against a formation service, the pricing reads differently. If you only need the entity, you are paying an annual fee for something several competitors do for the state fee alone.
Northwest Registered Agent: What the 4.1 Reflects
Northwest sits at 4.1 out of 5, the lowest of the four, and competes on privacy and direct human support rather than on price or breadth. Its pricing pages are behind bot protection and could not be read on this pass, so no figures are quoted here. Quoting a stale price would be worse than leaving the cell blank.
A 4.1 in this category is a solid score rather than a warning. Read the recent reviews by theme before weighting it either way.
BusinessAnywhere: What We Do Differently
We sell a competing service, so read this section as a vendor describing its own product and check the linked sources. BusinessAnywhere holds 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot, the same score as ZenBusiness.
The difference is who the product assumes you are. ZenBusiness and Northwest are built around an owner who already has a US address and a Social Security number. BusinessAnywhere assumes neither, so the pieces a non-resident founder has to assemble elsewhere are part of the offer:
- Formation from $0 plus state fees, the same entry price as ZenBusiness.
- Registered agent service free for the first year with formation, then $147 a year. Three years comes to $294, against $497 at ZenBusiness.
- An EIN application for $97, for applicants who do not hold a Social Security number and cannot use the online route.
- A virtual mailbox from $20 a month with a flat $25 signup, unlimited scanning and international forwarding. This is a real business address, which a registered agent address is not.
- Document templates at $97 each for the operating agreement, corporate bylaws, shareholder agreement and organizational minutes, plus a banking resolution template at $27.
- Expedited filing at $57 where the state offers it.
Where we do not compete: BusinessAnywhere does not bundle bookkeeping or file your business tax return the way Doola does at its higher tiers, and does not offer attorney consultations. If you want the accounting handled inside one subscription, that is a real reason to choose Doola instead.
The Complaint Theme That Runs Through All of Them
Across this category the recurring complaint is not a failed filing. It is the bill in year two. Introductory pricing covers the first year, the standard rate applies afterwards, and the gap between them is where the surprise comes from.
That makes the renewal price the most useful thing to check before buying, and every provider publishes it.
| Company | First year | From year two | Three-year registered agent cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| BusinessAnywhere | Registered agent free with formation | $147 a year | $294 |
| ZenBusiness | $99 plus state fees | $199 a year | $497 |
| Doola | $297 a year plus state fees | Renews at the same annual price | Included in the plan |
| Northwest Registered Agent | Not verified on this pass | Not verified on this pass | Not verified on this pass |
The best registered agent service comparison runs the same three-year maths across five providers, and the LLC cost by state table covers the state filing fee, which no service can discount.
How to Read Reviews of a Formation Service
- Sort by recent. Pricing and staffing change. A review from three years ago describes a different company.
- Read the one-star and two-star reviews first. The positive ones describe the signup. The negative ones describe what happened later, which is the part you cannot test in advance.
- Separate filing complaints from billing complaints. A filing that went wrong is a service failure. A renewal charge published in advance is a pricing model you agreed to.
- Check whether the company replies. A visible response pattern tells you more about support than an average does.
- Watch for reviews written on day one. A five-star review posted the day someone paid says nothing about the twelve months that follow.
What Reviews Cannot Tell You
Review scores measure satisfaction among the customers a company actually has. They say nothing about the customers a company is not built for.
If you live outside the United States, a 4.8 earned by US-based customers tells you nothing about whether the service can get you an EIN without a Social Security number, give you a US business address a bank will accept, or forward your post to another country. Those capabilities are either in the product or they are not, and no rating reveals it.
That is the question to ask instead of comparing scores: does this company serve someone in my situation? For a US-based owner with a US address, all four work. For a founder abroad, the field narrows to Doola and BusinessAnywhere, and the choice between them is bundled accounting against unbundled pricing.
FAQ: Formation Service Reviews
Which has the best reviews: ZenBusiness, Doola or Northwest?
On Trustpilot as of 14 September 2026, ZenBusiness holds 4.8 out of 5, Doola holds 4.5 and Northwest Registered Agent holds 4.1. BusinessAnywhere also holds 4.8. The spread is narrow enough that what each company covers, and what it charges from year two, is the more useful comparison.
Are formation service reviews trustworthy?
Trustpilot states that it does not fact-check reviews, and companies in this market can hold paid Trustpilot subscriptions that let them invite reviews from customers. Treat a score as one signal, read recent reviews rather than the average, and look at the themes in the negative ones.
What do people complain about most with formation services?
Renewal pricing. The filing itself rarely fails. The common complaint is the second-year bill after an introductory first-year price, which is why the year-two figure is worth checking before you buy.
Is Northwest Registered Agent better than ZenBusiness?
Northwest positions itself on privacy and personal support and holds a lower Trustpilot score, 4.1 against 4.8. Which suits you depends on whether privacy and direct support matter more than price and compliance tooling.
Which of these works for a non-US resident?
Doola and BusinessAnywhere both serve non-resident founders. ZenBusiness and Northwest are built around an owner who already has a US address and a Social Security number. The difference between Doola and BusinessAnywhere is bundling: Doola sells one annual subscription from $297, while BusinessAnywhere forms the company for $0 plus state fees and sells the EIN, mailbox and registered agent separately.
What is the cheapest way to keep an LLC running?
The recurring cost is the registered agent, since it continues for as long as the company exists. Over three years that is $294 with BusinessAnywhere and $497 with ZenBusiness. The state annual report fee applies on top and is set by the state.
Do any of these companies waive state filing fees?
No. The state filing fee is set by the state and is payable whichever service you use, or if you file the paperwork yourself.
Compare on Coverage and Cost, Not on Star Ratings
Four companies sit between 4.1 and 4.8. That is too narrow a spread to decide anything. What you get, who it is built for, and what it costs in year two is the comparison that holds up.
If you are forming a US company from outside the country, BusinessAnywhere covers the formation, the registered agent, the US address and the EIN in one place, with no annual subscription and no step-up in registered agent pricing after the first year. The how to start an LLC guide walks through the process, and the US LLC tax filing guide covers what a foreign-owned LLC files each year.
Compare the full pricing and start your formation.
Prices and ratings in this article were checked on 14 September 2026 against each company’s own published pages and public Trustpilot profiles. Both change over time, so confirm current figures before you buy. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.
