Initial commit — Performance West telecom compliance platform
Includes: API (Express/TypeScript), Astro site, Python workers, document generators, FCC compliance tools, Canada CRTC formation, Ansible infrastructure, and deployment scripts. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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docs/competitive-pricing.md
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# Competitive Pricing Analysis — US Formation, Canadian Formation & Registered Agents
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**Last updated:** 2026-04-05
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**Sources:** Direct website fetches (LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, Tailor Brands, Harbor Compliance) + industry research
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**Purpose:** Inform Performance West pricing strategy for US formations, Canadian formations, and registered agent services
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---
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## US LLC Formation — Competitor Pricing
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### The "$0 + State Fees" Race
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Most major competitors now offer a $0 base-tier formation. The real revenue comes from
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recurring subscriptions (RA, compliance), upsells (EIN, OA, rush processing), and
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auto-renewing annual plans that customers forget to cancel.
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### Competitor Breakdown
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#### ZenBusiness (verified from website)
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| Tier | Price | Renews At | Includes |
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|------|-------|-----------|----------|
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| Starter | $0 + state fees | Does not renew | Articles filing, name search, 7-10 day processing, 50% off 1st yr compliance |
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| Pro | $199 + state fees | $199/yr | Starter + OA template + EIN + 1-day processing + logo builder |
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| Premium | $399 + state fees | $399/yr | Pro + RA + advanced compliance + business advisor consult |
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**Add-ons:** EIN $99, rush processing $79, Worry-Free Compliance $199/yr, Advanced Compliance $299/yr, business document templates $99
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**Key insight:** ZenBusiness's Pro at $199/yr auto-renews. Year 1 customer pays $199; year 2 they pay another $199 even if they don't need anything. The $0 Starter is a lead-gen funnel — most upsell to Pro during checkout.
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#### LegalZoom (verified from website)
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| Tier | Price | Includes |
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|------|-------|----------|
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| Basic | $0 + state fees | Articles only, name check, tax consult |
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| Pro | $249 + state fees | Basic + OA + EIN + 30-day attorney access (auto-renews at $49/mo) |
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| Premium | $299 + state fees | Pro + RA (1yr) + eSignatures (1yr) + Wix website + compliance alerts |
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**Key insight:** LegalZoom is the premium brand but their $249 Pro tier includes a $49/mo attorney subscription that auto-renews. Many customers don't realize they're signing up for a recurring charge. Their Premium at $299 is actually reasonable given it includes RA.
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#### Tailor Brands (verified from website)
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| Tier | Price | Renews At | Includes |
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|------|-------|-----------|----------|
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| Lite | $0 + state fees | N/A | Articles, 14-day processing, business coaching |
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| Essential | $199/yr + state fees | $199/yr | Lite + OA + compliance + 1-day processing |
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| Elite | $249/yr + state fees | $249/yr | Essential + domain + website + branding tools |
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**Key insight:** Tailor Brands is a branding/website company that added LLC formation. Their value prop is design tools, not legal expertise.
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#### Northwest Registered Agent
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| Tier | Price | Includes |
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|------|-------|----------|
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| Single tier | $39 + state fees | Articles + 1yr RA included + OA + mail forwarding |
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**Key insight:** Northwest is the value leader. $39 flat, no tiers, no upsells, includes 1yr RA. They make money on RA renewals ($125/yr). Very transparent pricing — no hidden subscriptions. Popular with informed customers who've researched.
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#### Bizee (formerly Incfile)
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| Tier | Price | Includes |
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|------|-------|----------|
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| Basic | $0 + state fees | Articles + 1yr RA free |
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| Pro | $199 + state fees | Basic + OA + EIN + banking resolution |
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| Premium | $349 + state fees | Pro + expedited + business docs + domain |
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**Key insight:** Bizee offers free 1st-year RA with every formation, even the $0 tier. Revenue comes from RA renewals ($119/yr) and upsells.
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#### Swyft Filings
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| Tier | Price | Includes |
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|------|-------|----------|
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| Basic | $0 + state fees | Articles + name check |
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| Standard | $199 + state fees | Basic + EIN + OA + 1yr RA free |
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| Premium | $299 + state fees | Standard + FedEx delivery + website + business license report |
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#### Inc Authority
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| Tier | Price | Includes |
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|------|-------|----------|
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| Free | $0 + state fees | Articles only |
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| Starter | $199 + state fees | Free + EIN + OA |
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| Executive | $399 + state fees | Starter + expedited + docs + compliance |
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#### Rocket Lawyer
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| Plan | Price | Notes |
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|------|-------|-------|
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| Members | $0 formation ($39.99/mo membership) | RA included, all legal docs included |
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| Non-members | $99.99 + state fees | One-time, no membership |
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**Key insight:** Subscription model. The "free" formation requires a $39.99/mo membership that most people forget to cancel. Very profitable model.
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#### CorpNet
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| Tier | Price | Includes |
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|------|-------|----------|
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| Basic | $79 + state fees | Articles + name check |
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| Deluxe | $179 + state fees | Basic + EIN + OA + 1yr RA |
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| Complete | $249 + state fees | Deluxe + compliance + custom docs |
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---
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## US Registered Agent — Competitor Pricing
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| Service | First Year | Annual Renewal | Notes |
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|---------|-----------|---------------|-------|
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| **Northwest RA** | $125 | $125 | Included free with $39 formation. Flat, transparent. |
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| **ZenBusiness** | Included in Premium | $199/yr | Not sold standalone — bundled with compliance |
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| **LegalZoom** | Included in Premium | $249/yr | Also sold standalone at $249/yr |
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| **Harbor Compliance** | **$99** | **$149** | Standalone RA specialist. SOC 2 certified. Entity Manager software. |
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| **Bizee** | **Free** (with any formation) | $119/yr | Loss-leader first year |
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| **Swyft Filings** | Free (with Standard+) | $149/yr | |
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| **Inc Authority** | $99 | $99 | Cheapest ongoing |
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| **CorpNet** | $149 | $149 | |
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| **CSC Global** | $299 | $299 | Enterprise/corporate. 50-state coverage. |
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| **CT Corporation** | $310 | $310 | Law firm focused. Oldest RA service. |
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| **Cogency Global** | ~$200 | ~$200 | Mid-market corporate |
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| **Registered Agents Inc.** | $99 | $99 | Budget option |
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**Market range:** $99-$310/yr. Most popular price point: $125-$149/yr.
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**Performance West at $99/yr** is at market floor — matching Harbor Compliance's first-year
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rate and undercutting Northwest RA ($125), Swyft ($149), and CorpNet ($149). Wyoming at $49/yr
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is the cheapest RA in the market.
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---
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## US Annual Report Filing — Competitor Pricing
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| Service | Price | Notes |
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|---------|-------|-------|
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| ZenBusiness Worry-Free Compliance | $199/yr | Includes annual report + compliance alerts |
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| ZenBusiness Advanced Compliance | $299/yr | Worry-Free + advanced monitoring |
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| LegalZoom Compliance | Part of Premium ($299 formation) | Annual report reminders (not filing) |
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| Harbor Compliance | $99/yr + state fees | Actual filing service |
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| Northwest RA | $100/report + state fees | Per-filing basis |
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| Bizee | ~$99/yr | Part of compliance package |
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| Inc Authority | $99/yr | |
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**Performance West at $99/yr** for annual report filing is at market rate. Our $199/yr maintenance bundle (AR + RA) is competitive with ZenBusiness's $199 Worry-Free Compliance but includes more (RA renewal).
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---
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## Canadian Formation — Competitor Pricing
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The Canadian market is much smaller than US formation. Fewer competitors, higher prices,
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less automation. Most are Ontario-focused.
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### Canadian Competitor Breakdown
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#### Ownr (by RBC — largest Canadian competitor)
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| Service | Price | Includes |
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|---------|-------|---------|
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| Federal incorporation | C$499 + gov fees (~C$200) | Articles, bylaws, CRA BN, minute book, 1yr RA |
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| Ontario incorporation | C$499 + gov fees (~C$360) | Same as federal but Ontario-specific |
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| BC incorporation | C$499 + gov fees (~C$350) | Same |
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| Alberta incorporation | C$499 + gov fees (~C$275) | Same |
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| Annual renewal | C$49/yr | Maintain registered office, document storage |
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**Key insight:** Ownr is owned by RBC (Royal Bank of Canada). Digital-first, self-service platform. C$499 is ~US$390 — very close to our $399 Complete tier. Their C$49/yr renewal (~US$38) is much cheaper than our $199/yr maintenance, BUT it only includes address service, not actual annual report filing.
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#### Ontario Business Central
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| Service | Price | Includes |
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|---------|-------|---------|
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| Ontario Standard | C$499 + C$360 gov fee | Articles, bylaws, resolutions, certificate |
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| Ontario Premium | C$699 + C$360 gov fee | Standard + minute book + corporate seal + register setup |
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| Minute book add-on | C$99 | Physical minute book binder |
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| Corporate seal | C$49 | Traditional embossed seal |
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**Key insight:** Traditional service. C$499 (~US$390) for a basic Ontario incorporation. No tech platform — human-processed orders.
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#### OnCorp (Dye & Durham)
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| Service | Price | Includes |
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|---------|-------|---------|
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| Ontario incorporation | C$399 + gov fees | Articles, certificate, initial return |
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| Federal incorporation | C$399 + gov fees | Articles, certificate |
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| Premium packages | C$599-799 + gov fees | Above + minute book + RA + compliance |
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**Key insight:** Part of Dye & Durham (legal tech conglomerate). C$399 (~US$312) is the price floor for Canadian service providers.
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#### Legalinc / Online incorporation services
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| Service | Price Range | Notes |
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|---------|-------------|-------|
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| Basic Ontario | C$399-599 + gov fees | Articles + certificate |
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| Premium Ontario | C$699-999 + gov fees | Articles + bylaws + minute book + RA |
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| Basic BC | C$399-599 + gov fees | Similar structure |
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#### Law Firms (traditional)
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| Service | Price Range | Notes |
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|---------|-------------|-------|
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| Ontario incorporation | C$1,000-3,000 + gov fees | Includes legal advice, custom articles, shareholder agreements |
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| BC incorporation | C$1,500-3,000 + gov fees | Higher due to fewer automated providers |
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| Federal incorporation | C$1,500-2,500 + gov fees | Often includes multi-province registration advice |
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#### DIY (Government Direct)
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| Jurisdiction | Gov Fee | Portal |
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|-------------|---------|--------|
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| Federal (CBCA) | C$200 | Corporations Canada Online Filing Centre |
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| Ontario | C$360 | Ontario Business Registry |
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| BC | C$350 | BC Corporate Online |
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| Alberta | C$275 | Alberta Corporate Registry |
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---
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## Canadian Registered Agent / Registered Office — Pricing
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Canadian corporations must maintain a registered office (not the same as US "registered agent"
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but functionally similar — an address where legal notices can be served).
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| Service | Price | Notes |
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|---------|-------|-------|
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| Ownr | C$49/yr | Basic address service only |
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| Ontario Business Central | C$199/yr | Full registered office |
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| OnCorp | ~C$150/yr | Part of annual packages |
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| Virtual office (Regus, WeWork) | C$100-300/mo | Full virtual office, overkill for RA |
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| Anytime Mailbox (BC) | C$156-240/yr | Our current approach |
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| Anytime Mailbox (ON) | C$96-168/yr | Toronto from C$7.99/mo |
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| Law firm | C$200-500/yr | Often bundled with annual filings |
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---
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## Competitive Position — Performance West
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### US Formation
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| Tier | PW Price | Market Range | Position |
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|------|----------|-------------|----------|
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| Basic | **$179** | $0-$99 | **Above market.** Most competitors offer $0 basic. We don't do loss-leader pricing — our $179 includes actual human review and quality filing. |
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| Complete | **$399** | $199-$399 | **At market ceiling.** Same as ZenBusiness Premium. But we include EIN + OA + RA (ZenBusiness charges $199/yr that auto-renews). |
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| RA | **$99/yr** (WY: $49) | $99-$310/yr | **At market floor.** Matches Harbor Compliance first-year rate. Below Northwest ($125). Wyoming at $49 is cheapest in the market. |
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| Annual Report | **$99/yr** | $99-$199/yr | **At market floor.** Good value. |
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| EIN | **$49** | $70-$99 | **Below market.** ZenBusiness $99, LegalZoom included only in Pro $249. |
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| Operating Agreement | **$99** | $0-$99 | **At market.** Many include in mid-tier; we include in Complete. |
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| Maintenance Bundle | **$179/yr** | $199-$299/yr | **Below market.** ZenBusiness Worry-Free is $199 and doesn't include RA. Ours does at $179. |
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| Free DID | **$0** (with formation + RA) | Not offered by competitors | **Unique perk.** No competitor offers a free phone number with formation. |
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**Honest assessment:** Our $179 Basic is above the $0 crowd. This is intentional — we don't
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use loss-leader tactics with hidden subscriptions. Customers who find us are generally
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comparing against the _real_ cost of ZenBusiness ($0 + $199/yr Pro renewal + $199/yr RA =
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$398 year 1, $398/yr ongoing) or LegalZoom ($249 + $49/mo attorney = $837 year 1).
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Our Complete at $399 is genuinely all-inclusive with no surprise renewals beyond RA ($99/yr)
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and optional maintenance ($179/yr).
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### Canadian Formation
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| Tier | PW Price | Market Range (CAD) | Position |
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|------|----------|-------------|----------|
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| Formation | **C$449** + gov fees + AMB | C$399-599 | **Competitive.** Below Ownr (C$499) before AMB. Includes minutes + binder + compliance calendar. AMB mailbox billed separately (~C$96-240/yr). |
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| CRA BN | **$49** | C$0 (DIY) - C$99 | **Fair.** Ownr includes BN; we charge $49 add-on. |
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| Maintenance | **$179/yr** | C$49-199/yr | **Above Ownr's C$49/yr**, but we actually file the annual return — they just hold your address. |
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| Free DID | **$0** (with formation + RA) | Not offered | **Unique perk.** Free Canadian phone number with formation + ongoing RA. |
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**Honest assessment:** Our C$449 is below Ownr (C$499) and includes significantly more
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(AMB mailbox, organizational minutes, corporate binder, compliance calendar with automated
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reminders). Ownr is RBC-backed with a big marketing budget. Our advantage: we serve
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non-Canadian clients who need Canadian corps for business purposes (telecom carriers,
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international trade), which Ownr doesn't specifically market to.
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The $179/yr maintenance is higher than Ownr's C$49/yr but we _do the work_ (file the annual
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return) vs just storing documents.
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### CRTC Carrier Package
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No direct competitor comparison — this is a unique product. The closest alternatives:
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- Canadian telecom law firm: C$10,000-25,000+ for CRTC registration assistance
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- DIY: Free (just mail a letter to CRTC) but requires Canadian corporation, registered
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office, understanding of CRTC process, BITS affidavit, CCTS membership, etc.
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- Our $3,899 USD package is a turnkey solution with no comparable competitor
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---
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## Pricing Recommendations
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### Current pricing (updated 2026-04-05):
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- US Basic: $179 (above $0 crowd, justified by human review and quality filing)
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- US Complete: $399 (matches ZenBusiness Premium, genuinely all-inclusive)
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- US RA: $99/yr (at market floor — matches Harbor Compliance first-year; Wyoming $49)
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- US Annual Report: $99/yr (market rate)
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- US EIN: $49 (below market — good value signal)
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- US Maintenance Bundle: $179/yr (below ZenBusiness $199, and ours includes RA)
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- CA Formation: C$449 (below Ownr C$499, includes more)
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- CRTC: $3,899 (unique product, no competitor comparison)
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- Free DID: unique perk — no competitor offers this
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---
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## Key Takeaways
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1. **The $0 formation is a marketing gimmick.** Real cost of ZenBusiness "free" LLC:
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$0 + $199/yr Pro (auto-renews) + $199/yr RA = **$398/yr ongoing**. Our $179 one-time +
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$99/yr RA = **$278 total year 1, $99/yr ongoing**. We're actually cheaper long-term.
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2. **Registered agent is where the money is.** Every competitor gives away formation to
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lock in recurring RA fees. Our $99/yr is at market floor (Wyoming $49 is the cheapest).
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3. **Canadian market is underserved.** Ownr (C$499) is the only tech-forward competitor.
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Law firms charge C$1,500+. Our C$449 undercuts Ownr with better deliverables. We
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dominate the "non-Canadian needing a Canadian corp" niche.
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4. **Annual compliance is the second recurring stream.** ZenBusiness charges $199-299/yr
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just for reminders. We charge $179/yr and actually file the reports + include RA renewal.
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5. **Nobody offers CRTC carrier registration.** This is our moat. The $3,899 package has
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zero direct competitors in the online formation space.
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6. **Free DID is a unique differentiator.** No competitor offers a free phone number with
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formation. This drives RA renewal stickiness — lose the RA, lose the free number.
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