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Firstbase vs Northwest Registered Agent: Which Is Right for a Non-US Founder?

By Registered Agent Guides · Jul 27, 2026 · 8 min read

A founder in Manila wants a US LLC to take Stripe payments and sell to US customers. She compares two services. Firstbase lists formation at $399. Northwest lists formation at $39. Ten times cheaper, so Northwest wins. She signs up, then hits the wall: she still needs an EIN with no Social Security number, a US address a bank will accept, and a bank account that will approve a non-resident. Northwest's $39 covered none of that.

The sticker prices answer the wrong question. Formation is one line item in a stack that also includes an EIN, a registered agent, a US address, a bank account, and a foreign-owned LLC tax filing. What separates these two services is not the formation fee. It is how much of that stack each one does for you.

The short version. Firstbase is the done-for-you option: it forms the company, gets the EIN without an SSN, and hands you a bank application, at a higher all-in price. Northwest is the lean option: a real registered agent and a real US lease address for far less, but you assemble the EIN and the bank account yourself. This review walks the real costs and the specific cases where each one is the right call.

What each one actually does

Firstbase sells the whole stack. Its Start product is $399 one-time and forms a Delaware or Wyoming LLC or C-Corp, and it includes expedited EIN setup with no SSN or ITIN required. That EIN inclusion is the real reason non-residents pay for it. On top of Start, the registered agent (Agent Autopilot) is $299 per year per state, a US address (Mailroom) is $35 to $50 per month, and a foreign-owned single-member LLC tax filing that handles Form 5472 is $899 per year. It also prefills a bank application with a partner, and Mercury is the one named on its Start page.

Northwest sells a registered agent and an address, not the stack. Formation is $39 plus the state filing fee, and the first year of registered agent service is included, then $125/year. Its virtual office gives you a real month-to-month office lease, not a certification letter, at $29/mo in 23 states, which is the address product a bank is most likely to accept. What Northwest does not do is get your EIN or open your bank account. It gives you guidance and leaves those steps to you.

So the fork is clear. Firstbase removes the two hardest steps for someone abroad, the EIN and the bank application, and charges for it. Northwest gives you the two things a non-resident genuinely cannot self-serve, an in-state registered agent and a real US lease address, and leaves the rest to you.

The real first-year cost

Comparing $39 to $399 is misleading because it compares one line item to another. Here is the service cost for a non-resident who wants the full setup, formation, EIN, registered agent, and a bank-ready address, in a single formation state. The state government filing fee is the same for both and is paid to the state, so it is left out.

Northwest is roughly $626 cheaper in year one before any tax filing. But the gap is not free. The $0 EIN line means you file Form SS-4 with the IRS yourself, and the "not offered" tax line means you find your own accountant for the Form 5472 that every foreign-owned single-member LLC has to file. Firstbase's higher number buys you out of both jobs.

The EIN is free either way

This is the single fact that reshapes the comparison. A non-resident with no SSN or ITIN can get an EIN directly from the IRS for free. On Form SS-4 you enter "foreign" on line 7b, and you apply by fax or mail because the online tool is closed to applicants without a US address. It takes longer than the online route, often a few weeks by fax, but it costs nothing.

So Firstbase's included EIN is convenience, not a capability only it has. If you are comfortable sending a fax and waiting, you can do it yourself and put the difference toward the rest of the setup. If a multi-week fax exchange with the IRS from another country sounds like a job you would rather hand off, that is exactly what the Firstbase price covers.

Banking is on you either way

Neither service can promise you a US bank account. Firstbase prefills an application and passes it to a partner, and Mercury is the one it names, but the partner makes the approval decision, not Firstbase. Northwest gives you guidance and the address, then you apply on your own. A non-resident is approved or declined based on the bank's own risk rules, and no formation service changes that.

What both can help with is the address a bank checks. A registered agent address is not a substitute for the physical or operating address a bank asks for during account opening. Some banks accept a registered agent address as the legal address on file, but they still want a real business address for their records. That is where Northwest's real lease and Firstbase's Mailroom address both matter, and where a plain mail-drop often fails. Our guide to the three address types a non-resident LLC deals with covers which one banks accept and why.

Where Firstbase is the better choice

Three cases where the higher price earns its keep.

You want zero contact with the IRS. The included EIN removes the fax-and-wait process. For a founder who has never dealt with US tax paperwork, that alone can justify the difference.

You want the tax filing handled. Every foreign-owned single-member LLC files Form 5472, and the penalty for missing it is steep. Firstbase's $899 package files it. Northwest does not offer this at all, so the alternative is finding a US accountant who understands foreign-owned LLCs.

You value one dashboard over the lowest price. Formation, EIN, agent, address, banking application, and tax all sit in one account. If your time is worth more than the cost gap, the bundle removes coordination work.

Where Northwest is the better choice

Three cases where the lean path wins.

Cost is the constraint. A cost-conscious solo founder, an Amazon seller, or a freelancer testing a US entity saves roughly $626 in year one by filing the free EIN and skipping the bundle. That is real money at the stage where a business has no revenue yet.

You want the strongest address for banking. Northwest's virtual office is an actual month-to-month lease, not a certification letter, which is the document a bank is most likely to accept as a real business address. Firstbase's Mailroom is a business address and mailbox, which is fine, but the lease is a stronger artifact if a bank pushes back.

Privacy is a priority. Northwest uses its own address on your public filings by default, keeping your home address off the record without an upsell. See our guide to registered agents for non-resident LLCs for why a non-resident cannot be their own agent and what to check before choosing one.

Common questions

Can a non-US resident really form a US LLC with either one? Yes. Both form LLCs for founders who live outside the US and are not citizens. Neither requires you to visit the US or hold a visa.

Do I have to pay a service to get an EIN? No. A non-resident without an SSN can get an EIN free from the IRS using Form SS-4 by fax or mail. Paying for it buys speed and convenience, not access.

Will either one guarantee a US bank account? No. Firstbase prefills a partner application and Northwest gives guidance, but the bank decides. A non-resident's approval depends on the bank's own rules.

Is the $399 Firstbase price the full cost? No. It is the one-time formation fee and includes the EIN. Registered agent, address, and tax filing are separate recurring costs. Budget closer to $1,000 in year one for the full setup.

Which state should a non-resident form in? Most non-residents form in Wyoming, Delaware, New Mexico, or Florida. The choice is about cost and privacy, not about which service you use, since both operate in all of them.

Bottom line

Both form US companies for non-residents. They are built for different budgets and different tolerances for doing the work yourself.

If cost is the constraint and you will file your own free EIN, Northwest does the two things you cannot self-serve, the registered agent and a real lease address, for a few hundred dollars a year. If you would rather pay to have the EIN, the bank application, and the tax filing handled in one place, Firstbase is built for exactly that and prices accordingly.

The deciding question is not which is cheaper. It is whether you want the stack assembled for you or will assemble it yourself.

This comparison reflects publicly available pricing and features as of 2026. Prices may change. Verify current rates on each provider's website before signing up. This is not legal or tax advice. Some links on this page are affiliate links.