Skip to content
LLC PlainlyThe LLC stuff, in words you actually use.

Plain talk · Alabama

3 Best LLC Services in Alabama (2026): Our Honest Take

We'd line up the LLC formation services in Alabama for 2026 as Mainstay Filing ($199), Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199) and AL Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Plan on $236 for the state plus $397 to $597 in service fees over three years.
From the LLC Plainly editorial team

Short answer

Cost at the state
$236, once
What keeps coming
No report
Registered agent
Yes, it's required
Best first
Mainstay Filing, Alabama Registered Agent.co then AL Registered Agent.org

Our favorites in Alabama

Wondering about the order? How we pick explains it.
Number one

1. Mainstay Filing: best for keeping things simple

$199 per year, renewing at $199

Mainstay Filing gets the top spot: formation and registered agent service arrive together at $199 a year, with the EIN application as a bonus.

Over three years you'd pay $200 more than with Alabama Registered Agent.co, and that buys service in every state.

Your money buys

  • The state filing, taken care of
  • Registered agent the whole year
  • We apply for your EIN
  • No markup on the state fee

The good

  • They also apply for your EIN
  • $199 each year buys everything on this list
  • You pay $199 next year

Trade-offs

  • Alabama Registered Agent.co charges $100 less at renewal
  • The bundle is worth less in this state
One-state pick

2. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for keeping three-year cost down

First year $199; after that $99 annually

Alabama Registered Agent.co comes next since it starts at $199 with the first agent year included and runs $99 a year after that.

Your money buys

  • Formation handled for you
  • Year-one registered agent

The good

  • Year two onward: $99
  • Year one of the agent comes with it
  • A $199 formation fee, plus the state fee

Trade-offs

  • The EIN add-on is $99
One-state pick

3. AL Registered Agent.org: best for owners who do their own reports

First year $199; after that $99 annually

AL Registered Agent.org comes next since it starts at $199 with the first agent year included and runs $99 a year after that.

Alabama Registered Agent.co charges the same, which makes this nearly a tie.

Your money buys

  • Formation handled for you
  • Year-one registered agent

The good

  • Year one of the agent comes with it
  • A $199 formation fee, plus the state fee
  • Year two onward: $99

Trade-offs

  • The EIN add-on is $99

How they compare

#CompanyFirst yearRenews atOver three yearsCovers
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597the state filing, taken care of; registered agent the whole year; We apply for your EINSee what Mainstay Filing offersPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Alabama Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397formation handled for you; Year-one registered agentSee what Alabama Registered Agent.co offersPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3AL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397formation handled for you; Year-one registered agentSee what AL Registered Agent.org offersPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's listed prices on November 13, 2026. State fees come on top and don't change by pick.

Your questions, answered

What's the real cost of starting one?

$236 goes to the state, and a service adds $199 in year one if you use one.

Three years of state fees will cost you $236. alison.legislature.state.al.us · October 2026 · checked

What exactly am I filing?

Just one paper forms the LLC: the Domestic Limited Liability Company Certificate of Formation, sent to the Alabama Secretary of State.

alison.legislature.state.al.us · October 2026 · checked

Does my LLC need a registered agent here?

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

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.

alisondb.legislature.state.al.us · October 2026 · checked

What do I owe after the LLC is formed?

Alabama doesn't want a report, so there's nothing to file.

Do I have to pay a service at all?

You don't need a service. State fees alone would run $236 across three years.

Expect $397 to $597 over three years if you hire.

What put number one on top?

Mainstay Filing is strongest on work taken off your hands, which counts for 31% of our score.

Together, cost across three years and work taken off your hands make up 64% of the score.

Coverage gives the edge, even though there's no report here.

The five checks

Alabama checklist

ItemThe answerWhere we found it
What you pay to file$236alison.legislature.state.al.us · October 2026 · checked
Registered agentYes, it's requiredalisondb.legislature.state.al.us · October 2026 · checked
Paid to the state by year three$236Our total of the lines above
Each figure above links to the state's official page. The final line is our addition of the filing, two reports and any minimum tax, and it leaves out variable costs.

A few more

Who gets my EIN?

You'd pay $99 at Alabama Registered Agent.co or $99 at AL Registered Agent.org, and nothing extra at Mainstay Filing.

What's the three-year total for each?

Mainstay Filing: $597 / Alabama Registered Agent.co: $397 / AL Registered Agent.org: $397, and state fees are separate.

Can I check these fees?

What the state charges comes from official Alabama publications; what services charge comes from what they publish.

Does the state make me use a service?

You can skip it. The state's fee is the same whichever way you file.

What does my LLC owe the state yearly?

Alabama doesn't want a report, so there's nothing to file.

Who would you go with in Alabama?

Mainstay Filing, because $199 a year forms your LLC and puts a registered agent in place, and it throws in the EIN application. After that, Alabama Registered Agent.co and AL Registered Agent.org.

Check our work

  1. Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, alison.legislature.state.al.us (confirmed October 2026)
  2. Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, sos.alabama.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  3. Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, sos.alabama.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  4. Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, alison.legislature.state.al.us (confirmed October 2026)
  5. Alabama registered agent statute, alisondb.legislature.state.al.us (confirmed October 2026)
  6. Alabama service page from Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026
  7. pricing page from Alabama Registered Agent.co, November 13, 2026
  8. pricing page from AL Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026