I’ve tested the 13 best registered agent services in Mississippi. Here’s my review.

As a lifelong carrier of trust issues and a compulsion to research, I decided to put my skills to the test by looking for the best registered agent in Mississippi.

If you’re frustrated by a total lack of recommendations for a registered agent in Mississippi, look no further.

Best Registered Agent Service: Northwest Registered Agent

Positives:

• Easy sign-up process
• Mail scanning, forwarding, and uploading
• Alerts for important upcoming compliance deadlines
• $125 per state per year
• Corporate Guides who can answer your small business questions

Negatives:

• No dedicated account manager

With months of critiquing websites, scanning the fine print, and comparing prices on spreadsheets under my belt, I recommend Northwest Registered Agent.

Here’s why: 

• They maintain an updated online account where I can view all my important documents.
• They cost only $125. 
• They have an intuitive sign-up system.
• They have a registered address in all 50 states.
• They will receive, scan, and upload ALL my mail (not just service of process.)
• They let me know about ALL compliance dates I need to meet to stay in good standing with the Mississippi Secretary of State.

Northwest caught my attention with its list of services alone. While my ideal statutory agent would offer the basics AND a compliance calendar, Northwest was one of the only options for a registered agent that had it all.

They offered every service I was looking for from a registered agent at a reasonable price. But being my skeptical self, I couldn’t accept this. What was the catch?

Usually, the catch for a registered agent is the customer service department. The customer service agents either don’t give specific answers or become snappy once you bring up a complaint. So I expected Northwest Registered Agent to have the same weak link.

I was in for a surprise. I gave Northwest’s customer service department a call, ready to throw as many questions their way as possible. Rather than the flustered, vague response I expected, the customer service agent who answered my call was calm, cool, and collected.

She listened as I asked every registered agent-related question I could think of (or had found online.) Then, she actually gave helpful, specific advice that extended beyond registered agent information. 

While she was perfectly able to offer information about my registered agent, her advice spanned other realms of the business world. Did I get lucky? Did she happen to be the only business expert in a team of people with only registered-agent related knowledge?

As a matter of fact, no. Every member of Northwest Registered Agent’s customer service team had experience in the business world, from marketing and accounting to sales and entrepreneurship.

So, while Northwest Registered Agent caught my attention with the range of their services, they sealed the deal with their customer service.

If your Mississippi LLC is looking for a new registered agent, visit Northwest Registered Agent.

Best Budget Option: Harbor Compliance

Positives:

• Simple online system
• Fast and prompt service
• All the basics
• Only $99*
• Dedicated account manager

Negatives:

• No small business advice

If you’re in need of a reasonable registered agent, you should know that Harbor Compliance is not the cheapest option in the market.

While they can handle all the legal obligations a registered agent needs to in order to protect your business, they don’t do anything extra. They’re a no frills registered agent that gets the job done. That’s it.

But they do throw in a dedicated account manager. That dedicated account manager offers nowhere near the level of support that Northwest Registered Agent’s team does, but they are there to walk you through the steps following the sign-up process.

If your business could use a highly reliable registered agent that covers all the bases, check out Harbor Compliance.

*Prices listed are per state, per year and do not include state fees.

FORMATING NOTE: SEPARATOR

My Process

After months of sifting through mountains of search results for “best Mississippi registered agent service,” I decided to take my search to the next level and gain firsthand experience with the Mississippi registered agents on my list.

My Start

I’m not exactly sure when my trust issues started, but it must’ve been around the time I was born.

Throughout my life, I’ve relied on myself when it came to decision-making. In school, I was the one who took over group work, collecting all the information and putting it together the right way.

This didn’t end at my personal life. Instead, as I transitioned into my role as a business owner, I embraced that quality in myself. I could use my need to gather all the information for myself to make informed business decisions. That way, whether the consequences were good or bad, they’d be the result of my actions.

If that sounds tedious, it’s because it is. Researching all possible options for every single decision is impossible. Whether it’s a new toaster or Mississippi commercial agents, I push myself to the limits while doing research.

But when I first put some feelers out for a reliable registered agent service, I was surprised to find that NONE of my friends had recommendations. Sure, I was planning on looking into whatever recommendation they gave. But that required having a recommendation in the first place.

Instead, I found a gap in knowledge. Turns out, business entities don’t all do a comprehensive search for the best Mississippi registered agent services before signing up for one. 

So I started with a simple “best registered agent in Mississippi” search. This led to hundreds of ads and websites for commercial registered agents, noncommercial registered agents, and nationwide registered agent service options. 

To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. I spent hours combing through resident agent websites and ads to discern fact from fiction. And then, after months of compiling lists and spreadsheets, I still didn’t know which option was the best registered agent in Mississippi! 

At this point, my business pals knew about the obsessive search for my commercial registered agent (the kind that’s registered with the Mississippi Secretary of State). They knew I wouldn’t settle for a resident agent that was subpar for my business entity. They also knew I trusted my opinion over the online reviews from small business owners I’d never heard of.

Finally, one friend suggested, “Just try them all for yourself!” And that was the push I needed.

From that point on, I signed up for 13 Mississippi registered agent services on my own dime. Over the next months, these Mississippi registered agents were under MY observation as a customer. So rest assured, when I recommend the best registered agent on the market, I’ve put the work in to back it up.

My Criteria

My investigative process included multiple stages and criteria. After all, I couldn’t announce the “best” Mississippi registered agent service without qualifying what the “best” would entail.

For starters, I had to determine what a Mississippi registered agent should be doing for business entities. To keep my LLC in line with the Mississippi Secretary of State, a resident agent should execute a range of legal responsibilities:

• Serving as a point of contact for your Mississippi LLC to receive documents (like service of process) on your behalf from the Mississippi Secretary of State and other legal emissaries
• Providing a business address in Mississippi to list on business documents
• Receiving, processing, and forwarding all mail sent to your Mississippi business entity during regular hours
• Maintaining an updated online account where I can access legal documents online 24/7
• Sending compliance alerts about important deadlines (e.g. annual reports, hearings, etc.)

First rule: no upsells. I was looking for a registered agent’s advertising to be as transparent as possible about pricing and services offered. A Mississippi registered agent handles legal notices and sensitive documents. If I can’t trust them to not upsell me, how can I trust them to complete these duties?

More often than not, a statutory agent would advertise their “whole package” and then hide some services in the fine print that should’ve been included in the first place. They market “add-ons” that are actually services that should’ve been included in the original package.

Along my journey, I learned that a registered agent service isn’t the same as an LLC formation service, though there’s some overlap with services offered. For my deep dive to find the best LLC formation service, feel free to read my article on the subject.

Second rule: at least 10 years in business. A Mississippi registered agent handles sensitive personal information AND receives important paperwork on behalf of your business. They’re working with important figures like the Mississippi Secretary of State and any process server that might come knocking. 

While having at least 10 years in business doesn’t guarantee a competent Mississippi registered agent, it gives me peace of mind that they have experience. If they had a good track record with other clients, then I’d feel a lot better about them handling MY personal information.

Last rule: up-to-date online presence. In today’s world, a user-friendly online platform is critical. For Mississippi registered agents, that looked like a simple, intuitive website that wouldn’t cause headaches. That also meant a simple sign-up process. Too many sign-up steps or steps that required faxing wouldn’t cut it for the best Mississippi registered agent service.

My Journey

If you haven’t conducted your own search for a Mississippi registered agent service, consider yourself lucky. It’s a whole lot of fine print, phone calls to customer service agents, and critiquing “About Us” pages.

My criteria helped me get through the mountains of search results for registered agents and cut to the chase. A big chunk of Mississippi registered agent services conveniently placed hidden fees in the fine print, guaranteeing a “full range of services” while burying essential services in the fine print.

Other Mississippi registered agent service options on my list highlighted their “fresh faces.” Unfortunately for them, being a newbie on the registered agent scene isn’t an advantage. Being prone to rookie mistakes in an industry that handles service of process, legal notices, and other important mail is more of a liability than anything else.

Finally, some Mississippi registered agents had websites with pop-ups that didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Any sketchy registered agent’s website was off my list since I couldn’t risk my personal information being leaked to hackers.

Overly complicated or outdated websites and sign-up processes were off my list. Any resident agent that requested I “quickly” fax over documents was a hard NO. Some websites were not user friendly in the slightest, which was a problem since I’d be accessing my online portal so often.

With all those Mississippi registered agent service competitors behind me, I had my final list of registered agents to sign up for.

Here’s what I found.

My Results

Thanks to hours of sorting, cataloging, and ranking Mississippi registered agents, I found the following options to rise above the rest (in preferential order):

My Favorite Registered Agent Service: Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent is my #1 pick because they fulfill all the obligations your business needs to stay in good standing with the Mississippi Secretary of State while having excellent customer service.

My Experience

Northwest Registered Agent delivers on their services and professionalism.

As far as the list of services I said a registered agent should be offering from the get-go, Northwest delivers on all of them. As a national registered agent, they have a presence in all 50 states—including Mississippi.

They’ll provide you with a physical street address to list as your business address on public record. This ensures that your personal address and information are protected. That physical location is available during normal business hours to receive, scan, and upload ALL your mail.

While this may sound like a fancy mailbox service, there’s more to it. First of all, they receive any correspondence your business receives from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office, including notifications for state fees and taxes.

Northwest is one of the few commercial registered agent services I found that completes their services in a timely manner. While they scan and upload mail during normal business hours for your designated physical address, the online portal is accessible 24/7. The quick turnaround, along with constant access to uploaded documents, is a huge plus.

They also upload ALL mail that comes your way during normal business hours, not just service of process. Apart from the mail, one major benefit of signing up with Northwest is their compliance deadline alert system. Their compliance calendar helps keep your business on the good side of the Mississippi Secretary of State by sending annual report reminders and otherwise keeping you on top of important deadlines.

While a registered agent should be taking care of ALL these services to meet my expectations, what sold me on Northwest wasn’t their quick turnaround or their compliance calendar—it was their customer service.

Northwest’s customer service staff, known as Corporate Guides, rise well above the competition. Whereas most other registered agents’ customer service departments only answer questions about password resets and your online portal, Northwest’s Corporate Guides have real-life experience in the business world.

While they’re happy to answer questions about your service of process, they’re equally as happy to give small business advice about marketing, LLC formation, and how to best design your website.

I can’t stress this point enough—Northwest’s Corporate Guides are priceless when it comes to small business advice. They got my new business through obstacles that otherwise would have led to failure in the earliest stages.

My Recommendation 

Using my own high standards as reference, I recommend Northwest Registered Agent for any Mississippi business looking to change registered agents or an entirely new registered agent.

Northwest will provide a registered office address, accept your service of process, and upload all your mail to the online portal in a timely manner. Other than the basics, they also offer compliance deadline alerts and unmatched customer support.

If you’d like your own registered agent to offer the kind of service and customer service that Northwest Registered Agent does, head over to their website today.

My Budget Pick: Harbor Compliance

If your Mississippi business could use a reliable registered agent company that will fulfill all your legal obligations, I recommend Harbor Compliance.

My Experience

Like Northwest Registered Agent, Harbor Compliance covers most services that I originally looked for. They provide a physical address in Mississippi, where they are available during regular business hours to receive and process your mail.

They’ll scan and upload important legal documents to your online portal, but not ALL mail that comes your way. The registered agent’s address is perfect to list on public record. That local office is open during normal business hours to receive service of process, regular mail, and any legal notice that comes your way.

Also like Northwest, Harbor Compliance offers a compliance deadline alert system so you file your Mississippi annual report and other online filings on time.

Unlike Northwest, Harbor Compliance provides a dedicated account manager. While they aren’t equipped to answer questions outside of your registered agent, it is nice to have someone who knows your account.

While Harbor Compliance isn’t doing anything groundbreaking, they are an industry leader in providing reliable services that also cover all the bases.

My Recommendation

I recommend Harbor Compliance to any Mississippi corporation aiming to save time without sacrificing quality with their Mississippi registered agent service.

If you need a no-nonsense Mississippi registered agent service, check out Harbor Compliance.

The Other Registered Agent Services

While my top two picks for a Mississippi registered agent are impressive in their own ways, there are a few other registered agent service options worth mentioning (listed in no particular order):

Rapid Registered Agent—A few fun features

Rapid Registered Agent is the kind of Mississippi registered agent that gets easily overlooked.

For $120, they’ll accept service of process, provide a street address to use in your formation documents and on public records, and stay available during regular business hours to process your mail.

Their only standout features are autofilling paperwork and not charging for text reminders. For only offering a hair above the basics that a Mississippi registered agent should be providing, I think Harbor Compliance is the better option.

Rocket Lawyer—Great for online legal services

Rocket Lawyer is a little pricier, charging $149. They cover your street address and other duties a statutory agent should, BUT with a lot more emphasis on legal services.

If your Mississippi business could use online legal counseling and legal documents, Rocket Lawyer might be worth the price difference.

Team ‘Nothing Special’

In life, some people get by doing the bare minimum. Whether it’s at school, at work, or bringing food to a family event, they always seem to fly under the radar while putting in minimal effort. That’s essentially the spirit of team “Nothing Special.”

Every Mississippi registered agent service on team “Nothing Special” disappointed me in one way or another. Whether they were overpriced for offering bare bones registered agent service packages or had user-hostile websites, these registered agent services weren’t up to my standards. This group includes Swyft Filings ($149), InCorp ($129), SunDoc Filings ($159), Jumpstart Filings ($129), ZenBusiness ($199), Registered Agents Inc. ($200), and IncFile ($119).

Team ‘Big Brand’

Unlike the last group, team “Big Brand” is all about rising above the rest. They’ve got the perks to reel you in and the renowned name to keep you. This group includes CSC Global ($299) and LegalZoom ($299).

Each registered agent service in this group offers “premium” services and has been around longer than every other Mississippi registered agent in this article. While they have fancy logos to back them up, team “Big Brand” doesn’t offer anything special as far as the duties they perform as a registered agent service. 

In fact, they invest resources in their branding that may otherwise boost their performance in registered agent tasks. I was looking for the best value in my ideal Mississippi registered agent service, so team “Big Brand” didn’t make the cut.

Wrapping It All Up 

When it came time to form my new business, I discovered that my colleagues knew surprisingly little about the market for a Mississippi registered agent service. To satisfy my standards for my own registered agent in Mississippi, I decided to conduct a full-fledged investigation into the world of registered agents.

As a result, I recommend Northwest Registered Agent to any business looking for their own registered agent that’s both reliable and affordable.

Northwest is a national registered agent company that checks off all the services I was looking for. They’re available during normal business hours in case a process server shows up at your Mississippi street address, which they provide.

Based on my experience Northwest is reliable enough for receiving service of process in case legal action is taken against your business entity. They received, scanned, and uploaded ALL my mail rather than just priority documents. Finally, their compliance calendar kept me on top of filing deadlines and other legal notices, helping my business stay in good standing with the Mississippi Secretary of State.

But that’s not why Northwest is the best Mississippi registered agent. No, that’s because of their customer service department.

Northwest’s Corporate Guides are former accountants, lawyers, salespeople, and other business professionals. Thanks to that experience, they’re equipped to provide business advice that’s actually helpful in the real world on top of answering questions related to their registered agent duties.

Thanks to that personal guidance and their ability to fulfill all the legal obligations a registered agent needs to, I don’t hesitate in recommending Northwest Registered Agent to anyone that’ll listen.

If you’d like your own registered agent to go above and beyond receiving service of process, visit Northwest Registered Agent.