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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 2 · Alabama

Alabama Registered Agent Walkthrough (2026): 6 Stages and the 3 Best Agents

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for naming a registered agent in Alabama are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), AL Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Alabama Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), in that order. 6 quick stages cover the rule, who qualifies, the address test and the paperwork.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

Must you name one?
Yes
Official page: alisondb.legislature.state.al.us (viewed October 2026)
Service prices
$99 to $149 a year
Pulled from each company's price page
How many stages
6
First to last

By the end you will know

  • What the law says
  • Who can serve and from what address
  • How to name or swap the agent
  • The agents at the top of the list

Our shortlist for Alabama

Three-year cost and work taken off your desk weigh the most; how we score lists all five.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs that may add other states

Start with this oneFirst year $149, second year $149

Mainstay Filing is our first call in Alabama: one annual fee of $149 follows the company when it expands, and renewal stays $149.

AL Registered Agent.org costs $150 less across three years; this one still ranks higher because it takes more work off your plate.

What you get

  • A Alabama street address for the record
  • Papers served on the company are scanned for you, no charge
  • Up to three government mailings a year are scanned for free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • One price in all fifty states
  • $149 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • $50 yearly more than the local option
  • Agent service only, so reports stay with you
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. AL Registered Agent.org: best for owners based in the state

One-state planFirst year $99, second year $99

AL Registered Agent.org comes in second: a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

What you get

  • A Alabama address for the registered office
  • Legal papers scanned and posted

What works

  • $99 per year
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

What to watch

  • Another state means another agent
Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for a second Alabama choice

One-state planFirst year $99, second year $99

Alabama Registered Agent.co comes in third: a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

It charges exactly what AL Registered Agent.org charges.

What you get

  • A Alabama address for the registered office
  • Legal papers scanned and posted

What works

  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing
  • $99 per year

What to watch

  • Another state means another agent
Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2AL Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Alabama Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each price is copied from the company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. Alabama asks the same either way.

How a Alabama agent gets set up

  1. Stage 1

    Understand the requirement

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Check it yourself: Official page: alisondb.legislature.state.al.us (viewed October 2026)

  2. Stage 2

    Who can do this

    An Alabama resident, or a business entity formed in Alabama or registered to do business there. The agent keeps a business office at the registered office address. Legal basis: Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31.

  3. Stage 3

    Pass the address test

    The address has to be a street address in Alabama where papers can be handed to the agent. P.O. boxes are not accepted, and an agent cannot work only through a virtual office or a mail-forwarding service.

    The record shows the service's address instead of yours.

  4. Stage 4

    Choose the person or company

    If you pass the tests above you can name yourself. Hiring one of our picks costs $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Stage 5

    Report the agent's details

    A brand-new LLC lists its agent on the Domestic Limited Liability Company Certificate of Formation, which goes to the Alabama Secretary of State. Swapping agents later means filing a change with the same office.

    Check it yourself: Official page: alison.legislature.state.al.us (viewed October 2026)

  6. Stage 6

    Update when something changes

    No report is due, so your single job is to keep the registered agent appointment up to date.

The bill

StagePaid toSum
A professional agentService$99 to $149 a year
RenewalService$99 to $149 a year
Whatever goes to Alabama is an official fee you can verify on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one; service prices stay out of it.

How the scores came out

edged out on work taken off your desk, which counts for 32%.

An agent who can follow your LLC into any state scored higher than AL Registered Agent.org's lower price.

Alabama questions

Can a Alabama LLC get by without a registered agent?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own registered agent?

Often. Run the two tests in stages 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes. Replacing the agent takes a change filing at the Alabama Secretary of State (stage 5).

What does a registered agent cost in Alabama?

Prices here run $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The state does not bill for a report.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order runs Mainstay Filing, AL Registered Agent.org and Alabama Registered Agent.co, with Mainstay Filing first because $149 a year with a single provider, however many states the LLC ends up in.

Where we got the facts

  1. Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source: go straight to alison.legislature.state.al.us, checked October 2026.
  2. Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source: go straight to sos.alabama.gov, checked October 2026.
  3. Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source: go straight to sos.alabama.gov, checked October 2026.
  4. Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source: go straight to alison.legislature.state.al.us, checked October 2026.
  5. Alabama registered agent statute: go straight to alisondb.legislature.state.al.us, checked October 2026.
  6. November 13, 2026, Alabama service page belonging to Mainstay Filing
  7. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to AL Registered Agent.org
  8. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to Alabama Registered Agent.co