Best Registered Agent Services of 2026

The best registered agent service for most small businesses in 2026 is Mainstay Filing: $149 a year in all 50 states, renewing at the same $149, with switching from your current agent included (the state’s change fee is passed through at cost). Northwest Registered Agent, at $125 a year, is the strongest alternative if you want mail scanning and address privacy built in, and Harbor Compliance suits companies that want compliance software across several states. Below, seven providers are ranked with first-year and renewal prices taken from each company’s own pricing page.

Updated October 2026.

Best registered agent services compared (October 2026)

Prices are each provider’s published annual fee for one company in one state, before any state filing fees. The first number is what a new customer pays in year one; the second is the renewal price.

The best registered agent services of 2026, ranked

Each entry covers who the service suits, what it costs now and at renewal, what the fee includes, and the catches worth knowing before you appoint it as your company’s agent of record.

1. Mainstay Filing: best overall for flat, predictable pricing

Mainstay Filing is our top pick for an existing LLC or corporation that needs a registered agent and wants one predictable line item. The service costs $149 per year and renews at $149, so year two costs the same as year one. Mainstay Filing serves as registered agent in all 50 states.

If your company already has an agent, switching to Mainstay Filing is included in the $149 price. The only extra is the state’s own change-of-agent fee, which Mainstay passes through at cost rather than marking up.

• Price: $149/year, renews at $149/year.
• Coverage: all 50 states.
• Switching: included; state change fee charged at cost.
• For new companies: Mainstay’s $199/year formation package bundles the registered agent with the LLC filing, the EIN application and annual report preparation and filing.

Caveats: the $149 service is registered agent only. It does not include annual report filing, so you either file the report yourself or move to the $199/year package that includes it. On sticker price alone, Northwest Registered Agent is $24 a year cheaper.

Appoint Mainstay Filing as your registered agent ($149/year, same price at renewal).

2. Northwest Registered Agent: best for privacy and mail handling

Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 per year with, in its words, no hidden fees or per-document charges, and says it has not raised that price in 20 years. Companies that need an agent in five or more states pay $100 per year per state.

Northwest Registered Agent leans on privacy: you can use Northwest’s address in place of your own on state filings, and the company says it never sells customer data.

• Price: $125/year; $100/year per state at five or more states.
• Mail: state and legal mail scanned on arrival; up to 10 scans of regular business mail per year at no charge.
• Compliance: annual report reminders; Northwest will file the report for $100 plus the state fee.
• Extras: a business address, plus a domain, website, email and phone number bundled with the account.

Caveats: annual report filing is an extra $100 per report plus the state fee, and regular business mail beyond 10 scans a year is not covered. The bundled website and phone tools are useful only if you don’t already have them.

See Northwest Registered Agent pricing.

3. Harbor Compliance: best for multi-state companies that want software

Harbor Compliance prices registered agent service at $99 for the first year for new customers, then $159 per year. Prepaying two years ($198) or three years ($297) keeps the $99 annual rate for that term before it renews at $159.

Harbor Compliance includes its Entity Manager software, unlimited document storage and pre-filled forms, which makes it a good fit for a company tracking several entities or several states from one dashboard.

• Price: $99 first year (new customers), renews at $159/year.
• Multi-year: 2-year plan $198, 3-year plan $297, then $159/year.
• Included: Entity Manager software, unlimited document storage and deliveries, online document access, pre-filled forms.

Caveats: the renewal is about 60% higher than the first-year price, and state filing fees for any changes are billed separately. For a single small LLC, the software is more than most owners need.

4. Bizee (formerly Incfile): best if you’re forming with Bizee

Bizee, the company formerly known as Incfile, lists standalone registered agent service at $149 per year. If you form your LLC or corporation through Bizee, the first year of registered agent service is included free, and it renews at $149 per year after that.

Bizee says it operates its own physical offices in all 50 states rather than outsourcing to third-party agents.

• Price: $149/year; first year included with a Bizee formation.
• Notifications: text and email alerts when service of process or state correspondence arrives.
• Delivery: service of process forwarded by FedEx with tracking; documents posted to your client portal.
• Privacy: your personal address stays off public records.

Caveats: the free year is tied to a Bizee formation order. After it ends, Bizee costs the same $149 as Mainstay Filing. Annual report filing is a separate service; check Bizee’s site for the current fee.

Check Bizee registered agent pricing.

5. ZenBusiness: best if you already use ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness charges $199 per year for registered agent service. When you form an LLC with ZenBusiness, the first year is 50% off ($99), and it renews at $199 per year.

ZenBusiness’s own pricing page states that registered agent service is not included in any of its formation packages, so it is always an add-on.

• Price: $199/year; $99 in year one with an LLC formation.
• Included: monitoring of state notices sent to the agent address, scans uploaded to your dashboard, email notifications for documents that need attention.
• Annual reports: ZenBusiness’s Worry-Free Compliance plan ($199/year) files them; it is sold separately from the agent service.

Caveats: at $199 a year, ZenBusiness costs more than Mainstay Filing, Northwest or Bizee at renewal. Buying both the agent and Worry-Free Compliance runs about $398 a year.

See ZenBusiness registered agent pricing.

6. LegalZoom: best for keeping legal services in one account

LegalZoom lists registered agent service at $249 per year for first-time registered agent customers. Its terms say the service auto-renews at the purchase rate each year until you cancel, and that the renewal rate is subject to change.

• Price: $249/year.
• Included: alerts when important mail arrives, scanned documents, annual report deadline reminders through LegalZoom’s Compliance Calendar, unlimited cloud storage.
• Switching: LegalZoom completes the change-of-agent paperwork and covers the state fees.
• Annual reports: $99 per filing plus state fees, or the Compliance Filings subscription at $199/year.

Caveats: LegalZoom is the most expensive of the small-business options here, at $100 a year more than Mainstay Filing. It makes most sense if you already buy attorney or tax services from LegalZoom.

7. CT Corporation: best for larger companies and legal departments

CT Corporation, part of Wolters Kluwer, has acted as a registered agent since 1892 and covers all 50 states, D.C. and international jurisdictions. Its Essential Registered Agent Service is listed at $436, a price that includes an online discount for new customers only.

• Price: $436 (new-customer online price); renewal not published, see site.
• Bundles: registered agent plus business formation at $1,167 plus state fees.
• Included: a team that handles and routes service of process, an online compliance platform, and integrations that send service-of-process notices into enterprise legal, claims and HR systems.

Caveats: CT Corporation costs roughly three times as much as Mainstay Filing for a single entity. The price buys enterprise-grade process handling that a one-person LLC rarely needs.

What does a registered agent do?

A registered agent is the person or company your LLC or corporation names in its state filings to receive service of process (lawsuits and subpoenas) and official mail from the state, such as annual report notices and tax correspondence. Every state requires a business entity to keep one, both in its formation state and in any state where it registers to do business.

The agent must have a physical street address in the state (not a P.O. box) and be available there during normal business hours. When papers arrive, the agent forwards them to the company so it can respond on time.

Professional registered agent services exist for three practical reasons:

• Privacy: the agent’s address goes on the public record instead of your home address.
• Availability: someone is always at the address during business hours, so a process server never misses you.
• Multi-state coverage: one provider can serve as your agent in every state where the company is registered.

Our registered agent guide explains the role in more detail, including what happens if a company goes without one.

Can you be your own registered agent?

In most states, yes. Any adult with a physical address in the state who is available there during business hours can serve as registered agent, including the owner. Doing it yourself saves the annual fee.

The trade-offs are real, though. Your address becomes part of the public record, you have to be at that address during business hours, and a missed lawsuit can lead to a default judgment. If you move, travel often, run the business from home, or register in a second state, a paid agent usually costs less than the risk.

Rules vary slightly by state. See our state guides for Delaware, Texas and California for who can serve and what it costs to change agents there.

How much should you pay for a registered agent?

For a single small business, published registered agent prices in October 2026 run from $99 to $249 in year one, with renewals between $125 and $249. Enterprise providers such as CT Corporation charge more. Paying more than about $150 a year mostly buys extras, not a better core service: every agent on this list accepts and forwards legal papers.

The number that matters is the renewal price, because you will pay it every year the company exists. Here is what three years of service costs at each provider’s published rates, before any state fees:

A few patterns stand out. Northwest Registered Agent is the cheapest flat rate. Bizee and Harbor Compliance are cheaper over three years only if you form with Bizee or prepay Harbor. Mainstay Filing sits in the middle on price but never changes it, and includes switching from your current agent. ZenBusiness and LegalZoom cost noticeably more for the same core service.

Watch for these cost traps when you compare:

• Teaser first years: a free or discounted year one that renews at a higher rate.
• Auto-renewal at changed rates: some terms let the provider raise the renewal price.
• Per-document or mail fees: scanning limits on non-legal mail.
• Annual report filing: rarely included in the agent fee; usually $99 to $199 extra per year when bundled.

How to switch registered agents

Changing your registered agent takes one state filing, often called a statement or certificate of change of registered agent. Most states let you file it online, and most charge a fee that varies by state.

1. Choose the new agent and get its in-state address.
2. File the change form with the Secretary of State (or your state’s business filing office) and pay the state fee.
3. Notify the old agent and cancel its renewal so you are not billed again.
4. Update the agent address anywhere else it appears, such as your bank or annual report.

Mainstay Filing includes the switch in its $149 annual price and charges only the state’s fee at cost. LegalZoom also handles the paperwork and covers the state fee. Other providers may ask you to file the change yourself.

What to look for in a registered agent service

• All-state coverage: you may expand or register in another state later.
• Clear renewal price: published, and ideally the same as the first-year price.
• Document delivery: scans of legal papers in an online account, with notice when something arrives.
• Address privacy: the agent’s address on public filings instead of yours.
• Easy switching: help with the change-of-agent filing, without a markup on the state fee.
• Annual report options: know whether filing is included or costs extra.

Still forming the company? Check that your name is available first with our business name search guide, then see our guide to starting an LLC; a formation package that includes the registered agent is usually cheaper than buying the two separately. For a state example, see how to start an LLC in Texas.

How we evaluated registered agent services

This ranking is based on each provider’s published pricing and documentation as of October 2026, taken from their official websites. We did not use paid accounts or measure response times, and we have not included any claims we could not confirm on a provider’s own pages.

We compared providers on:

• First-year and renewal price for one entity in one state, and the three-year cost.
• Coverage: whether the provider serves all 50 states.
• Inclusions: document scanning and delivery, privacy, switching help, and what costs extra.
• Pricing transparency: whether renewal prices and add-on fees are clearly published.
• Fit: which type of business each service suits best.

Mainstay Filing is our recommended pick, and we may earn a commission from it and from other services on this page. Where a cheaper provider exists, such as Northwest Registered Agent, we say so. Prices change; confirm the current price on the provider’s site before you buy.

FAQs

Disclosure: We may earn a commission from services recommended on this page.