No.1
Our top pick in Delaware
1. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for the least expensive year among these agents
$99 yearly, no change
Score9.2out of 10
First place: Delaware Registered Agent.ai. It concentrates on Delaware at $99 a year and supplies an in-state street address for the registered office.
Delaware Registered Agent.ai provides the in-state registered office and posts scans of any legal papers served there to your account.
Three-year cost is where it gains on Mainstay Filing, and that criterion is weighted heavily.
In the price
- A street address in the state, on the public record
- Legal papers served on the company are scanned to your account
Why pick it
- Also forms LLCs and includes the first agent year
- $99 annually, flat across renewals
- A lower yearly charge than Mainstay Filing
Weak spots
- The Annual LLC Tax is yours to file
- Built for Delaware; elsewhere you need another agent
No.2
Best local option
2. DE Registered Agent.org: best for Delaware specialists
$99 yearly, no change
Score8.9out of 10
Second place: DE Registered Agent.org. It concentrates on Delaware at $99 a year and supplies an in-state street address for the registered office.
DE Registered Agent.org lends the company a state street address for its registered office and scans served legal papers to you online.
No difference in price or features separates Delaware Registered Agent.ai from DE Registered Agent.org; choose whichever you prefer.
In the price
- A street address in the state, on the public record
- Legal papers served on the company are scanned to your account
Why pick it
- Also forms LLCs and includes the first agent year
- Costs less each year than Mainstay Filing
- $99 a year, with no change at renewal
Weak spots
- The Annual LLC Tax is yours to file
- Built for Delaware; elsewhere you need another agent
No.3
Best for growing companies
3. Mainstay Filing: best for all fifty states
$149 yearly, no change
Score8.8out of 10
Third place: Mainstay Filing. Its agent plan is $149 a year and does not rise at renewal, and legal papers served on the company are scanned within the same business day free of charge.
For a company not yet formed, the $199 yearly package adds the Delaware filing and the annual tax.
Delaware Registered Agent.ai costs $150 less over three years, and Mainstay Filing trails it on that criterion.
In the price
- A registered office street address in any state you need
- Papers served on the company are scanned within the business day, free
- Three government letters a year scanned without charge
- Compliance reminders
Why pick it
- Accepts LLCs, corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits
- Service of process on the company scanned within the same business day, no charge
- $149 a year, unchanged at renewal
- Three government letters a year scanned at no charge
Weak spots
- The agent plan runs $50 a year above Delaware Registered Agent.ai
- Annual report filing comes with the formation package, not the agent plan
The 3 rulings in brief
| Rank | Provider | Ruling score | Yearly charge | Renewal | Suited to | Link |
|---|
| 1 | Delaware Registered Agent.ai | 9.2 | $99 | $99/yr | The lowest yearly charge on this list | Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
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| 2 | DE Registered Agent.org | 8.9 | $99 | $99/yr | The lowest yearly charge on this list | Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
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| 3 | Mainstay Filing | 8.8 | $149 | $149/yr | An agent usable in all fifty states | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
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Every mark out of 10 reflects the editorial team's reading of the criteria on
How we rank, not any customer rating.
Delaware registered agent charges in 2026: year one, renewals and the three-year total
| Provider | Year one | Year two | Year three | Total over three years | Price unchanged at renewal |
|---|
| Delaware Registered Agent.ai | $99 | $99 | $99 | $297 | Yes |
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| DE Registered Agent.org | $99 | $99 | $99 | $297 | Yes |
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| Mainstay Filing | $149 | $149 | $149 | $447 | Yes |
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Each charge was taken from the provider's own pages on November 12, 2026. Delaware's own fees are the same whichever agent is chosen.
How the ruling was reached
Two criteria carry 31% each in this ranking, charge over three years and work taken off the founder. Renewal conduct, fit with local rules and pricing in plain sight share 38%, and in Delaware the decisive one was charge over three years.
Over three years Delaware Registered Agent.ai totals $297, $150 less than Mainstay Filing. A company that needs an agent only in Delaware gains little from fifty-state reach, so the lower yearly charge carried the ruling.
Each criterion and its weight appear on How we rank.
What Delaware requires of a registered agent (source: Delaware Secretary of State)
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify. Authority: 6 Del. C. § 18-104.
The Delaware Annual LLC Tax: its fee and due date
In Delaware, the Annual LLC Tax comes due every year. $400 is payable to the state, and the deadline is annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. Filing late adds $200. Notices about it are sent to your registered agent.
Questions on Delaware registered agents
Is a Delaware LLC obliged to appoint a registered agent?
Yes. Delaware law expects every LLC to appoint a registered agent with a physical address in the state, and that appointment is public.
What is the going yearly rate for a Delaware registered agent?
Yearly charges fall between $99 to $149, and every provider holds its price at renewal.
Is the owner permitted to serve as the registered agent?
Yes, when the state's conditions are met. The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there.
What is the deadline for the Delaware Annual LLC Tax?
$400 goes to the state, and the filing falls due annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. Lateness costs $200 more.
Which registered agents were heard in this ranking?
Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), ruled upon in that order.
Which Delaware registered agent does the record favor?
Delaware Registered Agent.ai, since the plan is a flat $99 a year, and papers served on the company are scanned to your account.
The record
- Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Delaware report due date, on the record as of August 2026
- 6 Del. C. § 18-201, on the record as of August 2026
- Delaware registered agent statute, on the record as of October 2026
- Exhibit: Delaware Registered Agent.ai, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: DE Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: Mainstay Filing, Delaware service page, November 12, 2026