Northwest Registered Agent Review: The $169 Bundle That Bought Me Privacy
Northwest Registered Agent's 169 dollar bundle includes LLC formation, a real virtual address, and one year of registered agent service. I used it to form Anvil Road LLC. Here is what is actually in the bundle, what it saves you, and where the value lives.
Short version: the 39 dollar formation fee pays for itself because the virtual address is included. Separate virtual address services run 200 to 400 dollars a year. The bundle math wins.
What you get for 169 dollars
Three things, billed once.
LLC formation in your chosen state. They file the paperwork with the state, pay the state filing fee, and hand you the formation document. New Jersey state fee is 130 dollars. Northwest's 39 dollars covers the service on top of that.
Virtual business address. A real street address you can use on Apple Developer, D-U-N-S, your bank, and any business form that asks for a physical address. They scan and email your mail. Yours costs nothing extra in year one.
Registered agent service for one year. A registered agent receives legal documents on behalf of your LLC. Every state requires one. After year one it renews at 125 dollars.
Why the virtual address matters most
Apple Developer requires a physical business address on file. So does Dun and Bradstreet for your D-U-N-S Number. So does every business bank account opening process.
If you use your home address, it goes on the App Store listing, on D-U-N-S records, and on state filings. Public records. Your phone gets junk calls. Your mailbox gets junk mail. Service-of-process for any lawsuit comes to your front door.
The virtual address solves all of this. The street address is real, but it is Northwest's, not yours. Your home stays private.
Northwest vs LegalZoom
LegalZoom charges around 79 dollars for formation, then 159 dollars a year for the virtual address as an add-on. Year one with virtual address: roughly 238 dollars. Year two and on: 159 dollars for the address plus 125 dollars or so for registered agent.
Northwest at 169 dollars year one with virtual address. Year two and on: 125 dollars registered agent renewal, address still free as long as you stay with their RA service.
Both companies file your LLC correctly. The math favors Northwest if you need the virtual address.
What you do not get for 169 dollars
An EIN. That is free directly from the IRS. Some services upsell it for 75 dollars. Do not pay.
Operating agreement. Northwest gives you a template. Most single-member LLCs do not strictly need a notarized one. Save it as a PDF.
Tax filing or accounting. That is your CPA, not your registered agent.
What happens if you skip Northwest
You file the LLC yourself with your state. Save 39 dollars. Then you pay 200 to 400 dollars a year somewhere else for a virtual address.
Or you use your home address. Save the virtual address fee. Trade privacy for it.
Or you skip the LLC entirely and operate as a sole proprietor. Saves the 169 dollars and the 125 annual renewal. Gives up the liability shield and the credibility on Apple Developer.
How I would buy it today
Order the bundle from northwestregisteredagent.com. Use them for the LLC formation, the virtual address, and registered agent service. Renew the RA service annually so the address stays free.
Do the EIN yourself at IRS.gov in 10 minutes.
Get a Google Workspace account at your domain so banks and Apple Developer see real email.
Total day-one cost for the bundle plus Workspace plus a domain: about 186 dollars.