Perplexity compares registered-agent and formation services with links to their official pages, Claude turns that into a comparison you edit, and you confirm requirements on your state’s Secretary of State site before choosing.
Independent review. IonBin has no partnership with any tool on this page and was not paid for this page. Our evaluation is our own, based on public documentation and our research. Product names are trademarks of their owners and are used for identification only. How disclosure works.
Goal
Choose a formation service on sourced facts, knowing that requirements vary by state.
Connects through:
Not advice
IonBin provides general information and software comparisons, not tax, legal, accounting or financial advice. Tax and legal rules vary by situation and jurisdiction; consult a qualified professional (CPA, enrolled agent or attorney) before acting.
AI tools can make mistakes. Verify every figure against the original documents and official IRS or state guidance before filing or signing.
Redact Social Security numbers, account numbers and EINs before uploading documents to any AI assistant, and check its data-retention settings. Upload originals only to the filing or signing software.
Requirements vary by state. File through official sources such as the USPTO trademark search and your state’s Secretary of State site.
Drafts a comparison table that marks anything not on an official page as unconfirmed
AI platform
Confirmed
3
You
Confirm requirements and fees with your state and the providers, and decide (with an attorney if needed)
Human step
Confirmed
Confirmed means the vendor documents it (linked). It doesn't mean IonBin has tested it. AI-platform and human steps need no source.
Human approval
You choose the service. AI output is research notes, not legal advice.
Watch out for
Keep the human approval step: You choose the service. AI output is research notes, not legal advice.
Starter prompt
Goal: Choose a formation service on sourced facts, knowing that requirements vary by state. Tools involved: Perplexity, Claude. Your part: compares northwest registered agent, doola and firstbase with citations; drafts a comparison table that marks anything not on an official page as unconfirmed. Work step by step, show me each draft or proposed change, and wait for my approval before anything is sent, published, signed, filed or changed in a live system.
Assembled from this page’s goal and steps. Paste it into your AI platform and adjust it to your situation.
No platform-specific connection: the steps run in the tools themselves (browser, upload or built-in).
ChatGPT
Confirmed
No platform-specific connection: the steps run in the tools themselves (browser, upload or built-in).
Gemini
Confirmed
No platform-specific connection: the steps run in the tools themselves (browser, upload or built-in).
Perplexity
Confirmed
No platform-specific connection: the steps run in the tools themselves (browser, upload or built-in).
Computed from the MCP and API steps only: "Confirmed" needs the tool's docs to name the platform and the platform to support the connection. Browser, upload and human steps work from any platform.
What we found (checked 2026-10-17)
Use these as a starting point for your own comparison, then confirm on each provider’s page. State filing fees are extra with all three.
Service
Entry price
What it includes
Northwest Registered Agent
LLC formation from $79 (packages at $179 and $199)
Registered agent service free for the first year, then $125 a year
doola
Starter $297 a year
Tax and Compliance $1,999 a year; Business-in-a-Box $2,999 a year
Firstbase
Start $99 one-time (shown as an offer; regular $399)
Formation in Delaware or Wyoming; Firstbase One is $199 a month billed yearly
Agent access
Northwest runs an MCP server for its customers. You need a Northwest account, and an AI client can then look up your companies, filings and invoices.
doola has a Formation MCP server that walks an agent through forming a Wyoming LLC with your own doola account.
Firstbase offers a partner API but no MCP server.
None of this replaces checking requirements with the state where you form the company. Requirements vary by state, and an attorney can tell you whether an LLC is the right structure.
