No.1
Best here
1. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for the least expensive year among these agents
$99 yearly, no change
Score9.5out of 10
First place: Texas Registered Agent.ai. The plan is a flat $99 a year, and papers served on the company are scanned to your account.
The registered office is Texas Registered Agent.ai's in-state street address, and you read whatever is served on the company as a scan in your account.
Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and cost is one of our two most heavily weighted criteria.
In the price
- A physical address in the state for the registered office
- Scans of served papers appear in your online account
Why pick it
- Can form the LLC and cover agent service in year one
- $99 a year, with no change at renewal
- Yearly price below Mainstay Filing's
Weak spots
- The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is yours to file
- Built for Texas; elsewhere you need another agent
No.2
One agent, every state
2. Mainstay Filing: best for all fifty states
$149 yearly, no change
Score9.0out of 10
Second 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 Texas filing and the Public Information Report.
Texas 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
- $149 a year, unchanged at renewal
- Three government letters a year scanned at no charge
- Service of process on the company scanned within the same business day, no charge
Weak spots
- The agent plan runs $50 a year above Texas Registered Agent.ai
- No annual report filing on the agent-only plan
No.3
Local Texas agent
3. TX Registered Agent.org: best for Texas specialists
$99 yearly, no change
Score8.9out of 10
Third place: TX Registered Agent.org. The plan is a flat $99 a year, and papers served on the company are scanned to your account.
The company's registered office address is TX Registered Agent.org's, located in the state, and scans of served papers go to your account.
The published prices and features of Texas Registered Agent.ai and TX Registered Agent.org are identical, which makes the order between them close.
In the price
- A physical address in the state for the registered office
- Scans of served papers appear in your online account
Why pick it
- Undercuts Mainstay Filing on yearly cost
- $99 per year, renewing at the same price
- Also forms LLCs and includes the first agent year
Weak spots
- The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is yours to file
- Built for Texas; elsewhere you need another agent
The 3 rulings in brief
| Rank | Provider | Ruling score | Yearly charge | Renewal | Suited to | Link |
|---|
| 1 | Texas Registered Agent.ai | 9.5 | $99 | $99/yr | The lowest yearly charge on this list | Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
| 2 | Mainstay Filing | 9.0 | $149 | $149/yr | An agent usable in all fifty states | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
| 3 | TX Registered Agent.org | 8.9 | $99 | $99/yr | The lowest yearly charge on this list | Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
The Startup Judge assigns each score out of 10 itself, applying the criteria on
How we rank; no customer ratings are used.
Texas 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 |
|---|
| Texas Registered Agent.ai | $99 | $99 | $99 | $297 | Yes |
|---|
| Mainstay Filing | $149 | $149 | $149 | $447 | Yes |
|---|
| TX Registered Agent.org | $99 | $99 | $99 | $297 | Yes |
|---|
Each charge was taken from the provider's own pages on November 12, 2026. Texas's own fees are the same whichever agent is chosen.
Why Texas Registered Agent.ai is placed first
The Startup Judge weighs charge over three years at 31% and work taken off the founder at 31%; renewal conduct, fit with local rules and pricing in plain sight divide the remaining 38%. In Texas, charge over three years was the criterion that tipped it.
Over three years Texas Registered Agent.ai totals $297, $150 less than Mainstay Filing. A company that needs an agent only in Texas 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 Texas requires of a registered agent (source: Texas Secretary of State)
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a street address where papers can be handed to the agent during normal business hours. A mailbox service or answering service alone does not qualify. Authority: Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201.
The Texas Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report: its fee and due date
In Texas, the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report comes due every year. No state fee applies, and the deadline is May 15. Filing late adds $50. Notices about it are sent to your registered agent.
Questions on Texas registered agents
Is a Texas LLC obliged to appoint a registered agent?
Yes. Texas 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 Texas 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. A Texas resident, including an owner, officer or employee, or an organization registered or authorized in Texas with a business office at the registered office. The company cannot be its own agent, and the agent has to consent.
What is the deadline for the Texas Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report?
The state charges nothing, and the filing falls due May 15. Lateness costs $50 more.
Which registered agents were heard in this ranking?
Texas Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and TX Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), ruled upon in that order.
Which Texas registered agent does the record favor?
Texas Registered Agent.ai, since it charges $99 a year, holding that price at renewal, the lowest yearly charge on this list.
The record
- Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Texas report due date, on the record as of August 2026
- Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 3.005, on the record as of August 2026
- Texas registered agent statute, on the record as of October 2026
- Exhibit: Texas Registered Agent.ai, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: Mainstay Filing, Texas service page, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: TX Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026