Question 1

Which Certificate of Good Standing service is cheapest?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what your state charges, because the services quote differently. LegalZoom lists $45 before the state fee and Harbor Compliance lists $175 before the state fee, while our price starts at $50 with the state fee already inside it. Northwest offers the retrieval without publishing a fee. Add your state fee to the first two before comparing.

Question 2

Is the certificate different depending on who orders it?

Accepted Answer

No. The document is issued and signed by the state, so it is identical whoever requests it. What changes is the fee to request it, how quickly it comes back, whether the state charge is inside or outside the quoted price, and what happens if the state refuses to issue because the entity is behind on filings.

Question 3

Why do some services quote a price without the state fee?

Accepted Answer

Because state charges range from nothing to well over $100 depending on the jurisdiction and the form, so a service fee is easier to advertise than a total. It is not hidden, but it does mean the number you see is not the number you pay. We fold the state fee in and publish the total for every state instead.

Question 4

How do you keep these comparisons accurate?

Accepted Answer

Every figure is read off the other company’s own public page, quoted as published, and linked on the page it appears on, with the date it was checked. Where a company does not publish a price we say so rather than estimate one. Prices change without notice, so check their current page before you order.

Question 5

What does GetGoodStanding charge?

Accepted Answer

From $50 with the state filing fee included. Where the state charges $25 or less the total stays at $50; above that it is the state fee plus $25, rounded up to the nearest $5. No account, no subscription, no Social Security number, and a full refund if the state will not issue the certificate.

Service	Published price	State filing fee	Turnaround, as published
GetGoodStanding	From $50, all in	Included in the price	1 to 2 business days for most states; same day where the state portal issues instantly
LegalZoom	$45 standard, $75 rush	Added on top (“+ state filing fees”)	Not published for the standard tier; rush is described as 2-day shipping once the certificate is ready
Northwest Registered Agent	Not published	Not stated	They publish each state’s processing time, not their own
Harbor Compliance	$175	Added on top (“plus state fees”)	None given; their page says state processing times cannot be guaranteed

What the other services actually charge

Published price, and what it does not include

vs LegalZoom

vs Northwest Registered Agent

vs Harbor Compliance

The rules we hold ourselves to

Common questions

One flat price, state fee included.