The #1 alternative
Commenda vs Vistra vs TMF Group
New Zealand needs a resident director and a local office. Keeping it in step with the group is the hard part.
Comparison at a glance
Vistra and TMF run New Zealand and many other countries through local teams. Commenda runs four suites across 70+ countries on one platform, so the whole group lives in one view instead of coordinated local engagements.
Commenda
Global entity management with complete compliance. Sets up your New Zealand Ltd (incorporation, resident nominee director, secretary, registered address, IRD number, bank account) and runs it alongside entities in 70+ countries, with consolidation and transfer pricing, on published pricing.
Vistra
Global corporate-services provider. NZ incorporation, resident director, company secretary, registered office, accounting, tax, and trustee services through local teams in 100+ countries. Pricing quote-based. Good for advisory-led administration of complex structures.
TMF Group
Global corporate-services provider. NZ incorporation, accounting, tax, payroll, HR, and entity management through local offices across 87 jurisdictions. Pricing quote-based. Good for multinationals wanting one provider managing many local offices.
Feature comparison
Why we do it better
 | Vistra | TMF Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (incorporation) | $11,500 | Quote-based | Quote-based |
| Pricing transparency | Published | Quote-based | Quote-based |
| Resident / nominee director | |||
| Registered office address | |||
| Company secretary (year 1 included) | |||
| IRD (tax) registration | |||
| Corporate bank account | |||
| GST registration & filing | |||
| Annual accounts & corporate tax | |||
| Payroll | |||
| Transfer pricing (cross-border + CbCR) | |||
| Multi-entity consolidation / audit trail | Model-specific | Model-specific | |
| Software platform (self-serve view) | |||
| 100+ ERP integration support | |||
| Jurisdiction reach | Global, 70+ | 100+ | 87 jurisdictions |
Built for different buyers
Pricing compared
Advertised rates as of June 2026. Competitor pricing changes often.
Commenda
$11,500incorporation, billed USD
- Resident nominee director, secretary, registered address, IRD number, and corporate bank account included for year 1
- Renewal: secretary + address + nominee director bundle $8,500/yr; modular GST and accounts + corporate tax $4,500/yr
- Plain published pricing, one platform; customers typically retire 3 to 5 vendors
Vistra
Quoteengagement-based
- Incorporation, resident director, secretary, registered office, accounting, tax, and trustee/supervisor services
- 100+ countries through local teams; advisory engagement model, pricing not published
TMF Group
Quoteengagement-based
- Incorporation, accounting, tax, payroll, HR, and entity management, priced per engagement
- 125+ offices across 87 jurisdictions; advisory engagement model, pricing not published
How each model works
What's the difference?
How Vistra and TMF Group stack up against Commenda for entity management in New Zealand.
Commenda: New Zealand managed on one software platform, as part of your group
- Sets up the New Zealand Ltd (incorporation, resident nominee director, secretary, registered address, IRD number, bank account)
- Runs accounting, corporate tax, GST, payroll, and transfer pricing on one platform
- Consolidates New Zealand with your entities in 70+ countries, one audit trail, published pricing
Vistra and TMF Group: New Zealand run through local advisory teams
- Full corporate-services administration in New Zealand and many other countries
- Suited to complex, bespoke, or regulated structures
- Coordination runs through engagements and teams rather than one self-serve platform
Making a decision
Which one should you choose?
The right fit depends on your footprint and stage in New Zealand.
Choose Commenda if…
- You operate in New Zealand and at least one other country
- You want New Zealand managed on one platform with the rest of your group, with consolidation
- You want published pricing, incorporation, resident director, GST, accounting, corporate tax, and transfer pricing in one place
Choose Vistra if…
- You have a complex or regulated structure needing deep local advisory (trustee, fund, regulated)
- You are comfortable with a quote-based advisory engagement across many countries
Choose TMF Group if…
- You want one provider coordinating local offices across many jurisdictions
- You are comfortable with a quote-based advisory engagement model
Common questions
Yes. Every New Zealand company must have at least one director who lives in New Zealand, or in Australia as a director of an Australian company. Foreign-only owners appoint a resident (nominee) director. Commenda, Vistra, and TMF all provide one.
For complex, regulated, or bespoke structures needing deep local advisory, Vistra and TMF are established for that. Commenda is the better fit for a cross-border group that wants one software platform with published pricing, a single audit trail, consolidation, and transfer pricing across 70+ countries.
No. Both price per engagement on an advisory model. Commenda publishes its New Zealand price: $11,500 incorporation, with the resident director, secretary, and registered address renewal bundled at $8,500/year from year 2.
A corporate bank account is required for full operational capability and is initiated after incorporation (included in Commenda's formation package). Commenda submits a business profile to multiple international and regional banks; KYC and approval timelines are bank-dependent.
About one week for incorporation, with the corporate bank account opening running around four weeks afterward, depending on the bank.
100 questions, from real customer calls.
The questions finance teams actually ask about entity management: EINs for non-residents, Delaware vs Wyoming, cleaning up the entities a previous provider left behind, and more. If you're looking for something, you'll find it here.
