Best Registered Agent by State

Best Registered Agent by State › Alabama

Registered agent in Alabama: requirements, real cost and our pick

Our pick for Alabama is Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, the same at renewal. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What Alabama requires

Agent neededRequired (Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31)
Who can serveAn 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.
AddressThe 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.
Change of agent$100, filed with Alabama Secretary of State
Do it yourself?Check the rule on who may serve before deciding to do it yourself.

Checked October 20, 2026.

Our pick and the field

Registered agent prices for Alabama read October 2026, from each provider’s own page.
ProviderYear 1RenewalWhat the page lists
Mainstay Filing$149$149Registered agent all year; service of process scanned and uploaded the same business day
FreeRegisteredAgent.com$0$129Compliance alerts, per its Illinois page
Harbor Compliance$99$159Documents delivered to a client portal; annual report reminders
ZenBusiness$99$199Document receipt, scanning and upload to a dashboard; email notifications
MyCompanyWorks$119not publishedDocuments scanned to an account dashboard; filing reminders
Northwest Registered Agent$125$125Its address on public filings; scans of state and legal mail; up to 5 pieces of other business mail scanned free a year; domain, website, email and phone line
InCorp Services$129$129Same-day electronic service of process; compliance calendar; entity monitoring
Bizee$149$149Compliance notifications; its address on the public record
Registered Agents Inc$200$200Business address, annual report filing and same-day document scans, per its order page
LegalZoom$249$249Alerts when mail arrives; documents scanned and uploaded; annual report reminders

What an agent does and doesn’t do here

It takes service of process and official state mail. It is not a business mailing address, and cannot stand in for one, for example for bank verification. See the full list.

Why prices differ so much in Alabama

Published year-one prices here run $0 to $249, a $249 spread. FreeRegisteredAgent.com is lowest in year one and Northwest Registered Agent lowest at renewal. Three things drive the spread: a first-year price that renews higher, a free year that needs a formation order, and what is bundled, from scanning to annual-report reminders. Compare the renewal column, not the first one.

What is the best registered agent in Alabama?

Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, the same at renewal. 9 other providers have a published Alabama price, from $0 to $249 in year one.

Can I be my own registered agent in Alabama?

Check the rule on who may serve before deciding to do it yourself. 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.

How do I change my registered agent in Alabama?

File the state’s change form with Alabama Secretary of State; the fee is $100 (Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31).