[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, InCorp, Harbor Compliance, and Bizee. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today we're going through all five, starting with the price, and then what happens when it's time to renew, because that's where a lot of these change. Dan: Exactly. Every company on this list leads with a price. The question is what that price turns into in year two. [0:31] What a registered agent does Maya: Before the list, for anyone just starting out: do I even need one? Dan: You do. Every LLC names a registered agent when it's formed, and keeps one for as long as the company exists. Maya: And what does a registered agent actually do? Dan: Your registered agent is the person or company that receives legal papers and official state mail for your business. Its address goes on the public record, and it has to be a real street address in the state, where papers can be handed over during normal business hours. Maya: Can I just be my own agent? Dan: In a lot of cases you can, if you have a street address in that state and you're there during business hours. The catch is that your address ends up on the public record, and you have to be there when papers arrive. That's why most owners pay for a service, and why it's worth picking the right one. [1:20] #1 Mainstay Filing: $149 a year Maya: So, number one. Dan: Number one is Mainstay Filing: $149 a year for the registered agent, in any state, and it renews at the same $149. Maya: Any state? So Texas, Florida, wherever I formed? Dan: Any state, one yearly price. Year one is $149, year two is $149, year three is $149. Maya: What do you get for that? Dan: A physical in-state address on the public record. Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day, with no fee. And the first three government mailings each year are scanned free. Maya: Same business day matters if it's a lawsuit, right? Dan: That's the whole point of an agent. If someone sues your company, the deadline to respond generally runs from when the papers are served on your agent, not from when you finally open the envelope. Getting the scan the same day, with no per-document fee, is exactly what you're paying for. Maya: What if my company already has an agent? Is switching a hassle? Dan: Switching is simple. If your company already has an agent, Mainstay files the change of agent for you, with the state's fee at cost. Maya: Is there a catch? Dan: The honest one: if all you want is an agent and the lowest yearly number, a couple of names below cost less per year. What you get with Mainstay is one price, in any state, that doesn't jump at renewal. [2:48] #2 Northwest Registered Agent: $125 a year Maya: Number two? Dan: Number two is Northwest Registered Agent, at $125 a year. Its page says that price hasn't gone up in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of regular business mail a year for free. Maya: That sounds hard to beat. What's the catch? Dan: Signing up automatically enrolls you in its annual report filing service, at $100 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel it. Its page says you can cancel it at any time, so it's something to check right after you sign up. Maya: So if I leave that service on, what does a year with Northwest look like? Dan: $125 for the agent, plus $100 and the state's fee every time it files your annual report. Cancel the service, and it's back to $125 a year. Either way, the agent price itself has been steady for a long time, and that counts for something. [3:42] #3 InCorp: $129 a year Maya: Number three. Dan: Number three is InCorp, at a flat $129 a year in every state, and its page says that rate has gone up exactly once since 1998. If you prepay five years, it drops to $87 a year. Maya: What does five years prepaid actually come to? Dan: $87 times five is $435, paid up front. At the flat rate, the same five years is $645. Maya: So the catch is the prepay? Dan: Right. You only get that lowest rate by paying years up front. If you're sure the company will be around for five years, it's a good deal. If you're not sure, the flat $129 is still a clean, predictable price. [4:29] #4 Harbor Compliance: $99, then $159 Maya: Number four? Dan: Number four is Harbor Compliance: $99 the first year for new customers, then $159 every year after. Its page includes same-day document delivery and entity management software. Maya: That jump from $99 to $159 is pretty big. Dan: That's the catch. Unless you prepay three years for $297, you're paying $159 a year from year two. Maya: So three years without prepaying is... Dan: $99, then $159, then $159: $417. Prepaying saves you $120 over those three years, if you're ready to commit. [5:18] #5 Bizee: free the first year, then $149 Maya: And number five? Dan: Number five is Bizee, formerly called Incfile. Its registered agent is free for the first year when you form your LLC with it, with any of its formation packages, including a basic package that's $0 plus the state fee. Maya: Free sounds great. What happens after year one? Dan: After year one, it's $149 a year, and it renews automatically. Its cancellation policy says the renewal is charged by its registered agent partner, and renewal fees can't be reversed once they're charged. So the free year really means forming with Bizee, then $149 a year after that. [5:58] Questions listeners ask Maya: A few questions we hear a lot. First: what about regular mail, not just legal papers? Dan: It varies. Mainstay scans the first three government mailings a year free. Northwest scans up to 10 pieces of regular business mail a year free. If you get a lot of mail at your agent's address, ask what each extra scan costs before you sign up. Maya: Second: I formed my LLC in one state, but I do business in another. Do I need two agents? Dan: If you register the company to do business in that second state, you'll need an agent there too. That's where a price that's the same in every state makes life simpler, because you're not comparing a new set of numbers each time. Maya: And third: can I switch agents in the middle of the year? Dan: You can. It's a filing with the state that names the new agent. With Mainstay, that filing is done for you, with the state's fee at cost. [6:54] How to choose Maya: If someone's listening and still can't decide, what should they actually compare? Dan: Three things. First, the renewal price, not the first-year price. Harbor goes from $99 to $159, and Bizee goes from free to $149. Second, anything that gets added automatically, like Northwest's annual report enrollment at $100 plus state fees per filing. And third, what switching costs you. Changing your agent means a filing with the state, and some states charge for it. In Texas, for example, it's $15. Maya: Which brings us back to number one. Dan: It does. One price in any state, the same at renewal, nothing added automatically, and the switch filed for you. [7:45] Final verdict Maya: So, the final verdict. Dan: Mainstay Filing. $149 a year for the agent, in any state, a price that never jumps, and the switch filed for you. Maya: And the quick version of all five? Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year in any state, the same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125 a year; watch the annual report enrollment. Three, InCorp: $129 flat, or $87 a year if you prepay five years. Four, Harbor Compliance: $99, then $159. And five, Bizee: free the first year when you form with it, then $149. Maya: Links to all five are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.