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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 2 · Alabama

The Alabama Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 3 Best Agents

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for naming a registered agent in Alabama are Alabama Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and AL Registered Agent.org ($99 a year). Over 6 tasks you learn the legal rule, who is eligible, the address test and the way an agent gets named.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Need-to-know facts

Is a registered agent required?
Yes
Look it up at alisondb.legislature.state.al.us; our reading dates from October 2026
What recommended services charge
$99 to $149 a year
Posted prices
Unit tasks
6
From first to last

Unit goals

  • The Alabama agent rule
  • Who can act as agent
  • How an agent gets on record
  • The agents at the top of the class

If you want someone else to file

Cost over three years leads, then assignments completed, renewal price, Alabama fit and plain pricing (grading page).

Top of the class

1. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for owners based in the state

Start with this oneYear 1: $99. Year 2: $99

Start the list with Alabama Registered Agent.co, because $99 a year, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

Mainstay Filing costs more over three years, so this service takes first.

What the price covers

  • A physical address in Alabama
  • Legal papers scanned and posted for you

What works

  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 yearly

What to weigh

  • Serves Alabama alone
Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

Works in every stateYear 1: $149. Year 2: $149

Pick number 2 is Mainstay Filing, where one flat $149 yearly price that does not depend on which state the LLC sits in.

Alabama Registered Agent.co comes in $150 lower across three years, which holds this one back from first.

What the price covers

  • A street address for the registered office
  • Free scans of legal papers served on the company, sent the business day they arrive
  • Up to three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 per year
  • Goes with you to any state

What to weigh

  • Costs $50 extra every year
  • An agent-only plan, so no report filing
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. AL Registered Agent.org: best for staying inside one state

Focused on AlabamaYear 1: $99. Year 2: $99

Our third choice, AL Registered Agent.org: $99 a year, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

Alabama Registered Agent.co and this service cost the same.

What the price covers

  • A physical address in Alabama
  • Legal papers scanned and posted for you

What works

  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 yearly

What to weigh

  • Serves Alabama alone
Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Alabama picks compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Alabama Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3AL Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Every agent leaves the state fees unchanged.

The unit, task by task

  1. Task 1

    What Alabama expects of an agent

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

    Source: Look it up at alisondb.legislature.state.al.us; our reading dates from October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Check who is eligible

    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. See Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31 for the text.

  3. Task 3

    Learn the registered office rule

    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.

    With a service, the public record shows its address instead of yours.

  4. Task 4

    Be your own agent or hire one

    A qualified owner may act as agent. If you would rather not, our recommended agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Task 5

    Get the agent listed publicly

    You identify the agent in your filing with the Alabama Secretary of State, and any change is its own filing at that office.

    Source: Look it up at alison.legislature.state.al.us; our reading dates from October 2026

  6. Task 6

    Check the record every year

    With no report due, your one job is keeping the registered agent appointment current.

What the agent costs in Alabama

What forReceiverSum
The agentService$99 to $149 a year
From year twoService$99 to $149 a year
The state numbers are official Alabama fees, sourced below. The three-year line combines the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

Why Alabama Registered Agent.co is first

On course fee across three years (34% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Count three years and Alabama Registered Agent.co totals $297, $150 below Mainstay Filing.

Short answers

Can a Alabama LLC go 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?

Maybe. Read tasks 2 and 3 and see whether you meet both rules.

Can I change my registered agent later?

You can; an existing LLC files a change with the Alabama Secretary of State, as task 5 shows.

What does a registered agent cost in Alabama?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The state charges nothing for a report.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Alabama Registered Agent.co, because a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99. After it come Mainstay Filing and AL Registered Agent.org.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to alison.legislature.state.al.us; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to sos.alabama.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source? Go to sos.alabama.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source? Go to alison.legislature.state.al.us; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about Alabama registered agent statute? Go to alisondb.legislature.state.al.us; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  6. We opened the pricing page at Alabama Registered Agent.co on November 13, 2026
  7. We opened the Alabama service page at Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026
  8. We opened the pricing page at AL Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026