Which registered agent costs less? Head-to-head comparisons
Choose the two you are weighing. Each page gives the one-, three- and five-year cost first, then what is included and where each side wins. Mainstay Filing is in every comparison: $149 a year, flat.
Mainstay Filing
$149 a year, $745 over five years
- It renews at $199 a year, with no rate that jumps at renewal and no new line items
- Service of process is scanned and uploaded the same business day at no fee
- The first three government mailings a year are scanned free; after that a per-piece fee applies
Mainstay Filing pricing, FAQ and services pages, read October 25, 2026. The registered agent address is not a business mailing address and cannot stand in for one, for example for bank verification.
The pairs
| Mainstay Filing | Bizee | LegalZoom | Northwest Registered Agent | ZenBusiness | InCorp Services | Harbor Compliance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainstay Filing | $745 | even | -$500 | +$120 | -$150 | +$100 | +$10 |
| Bizee | even | $745 | -$500 | +$120 | -$150 | +$100 | +$10 |
| LegalZoom | +$500 | +$500 | $1,245 | +$620 | +$350 | +$600 | +$510 |
| Northwest Registered Agent | -$120 | -$120 | -$620 | $625 | -$270 | -$20 | -$110 |
| ZenBusiness | +$150 | +$150 | -$350 | +$270 | $895 | +$250 | +$160 |
| InCorp Services | -$100 | -$100 | -$600 | +$20 | -$250 | $645 | -$90 |
| Harbor Compliance | -$10 | -$10 | -$510 | +$110 | -$160 | +$90 | $735 |
- Mainstay Filing vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Mainstay Filing vs ZenBusiness
- Mainstay Filing vs Bizee
- Mainstay Filing vs LegalZoom
- Mainstay Filing vs Harbor Compliance
- Mainstay Filing vs InCorp Services
- Mainstay Filing vs Registered Agents Inc
- Mainstay Filing vs Standard Filings
- Mainstay Filing vs Swyft Filings
- Mainstay Filing vs ResidentAgents.com
- Mainstay Filing vs MyLLC
- Mainstay Filing vs CorpNet
- Mainstay Filing vs IncParadise
- Mainstay Filing vs FreeRegisteredAgent.com
- Bizee vs LegalZoom
- Bizee vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Bizee vs ZenBusiness
- Bizee vs InCorp Services
- Bizee vs Harbor Compliance
- LegalZoom vs Northwest Registered Agent
- LegalZoom vs ZenBusiness
- LegalZoom vs InCorp Services
- LegalZoom vs Harbor Compliance
- Northwest Registered Agent vs ZenBusiness
- Northwest Registered Agent vs InCorp Services
- Northwest Registered Agent vs Harbor Compliance
- ZenBusiness vs InCorp Services
- ZenBusiness vs Harbor Compliance
- InCorp Services vs Harbor Compliance
Three-year cost in your state
| State | Providers priced | Lowest 3-year cost | Mainstay 3-year cost | Mainstay minus lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| Alaska | 7 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Arizona | 8 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Arkansas | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| California | 8 | $132.97 | $447 | +$314.03 |
| Colorado | 8 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Connecticut | 7 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Delaware | 7 | $267 | $447 | +$180 |
| Florida | 9 | $132.97 | $447 | +$314.03 |
| Georgia | 7 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Hawaii | 7 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Idaho | 7 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Illinois | 9 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| Indiana | 8 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Iowa | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Kansas | 5 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Kentucky | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Louisiana | 8 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Maine | 9 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| Maryland | 7 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Massachusetts | 7 | $267 | $447 | +$180 |
| Michigan | 7 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Minnesota | 10 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| Mississippi | 9 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| Missouri | 9 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| Montana | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Nebraska | 7 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Nevada | 8 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| New Hampshire | 9 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| New Jersey | 8 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| New Mexico | 9 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| New York | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| North Carolina | 9 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| North Dakota | 9 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Ohio | 9 | $267 | $447 | +$180 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| Oregon | 8 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | $267 | $447 | +$180 |
| Rhode Island | 8 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| South Carolina | 9 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| South Dakota | 6 | $267 | $447 | +$180 |
| Tennessee | 8 | $267 | $447 | +$180 |
| Texas | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Utah | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Vermont | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Virginia | 8 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| Washington | 8 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
| West Virginia | 9 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | $375 | $447 | +$72 |
| Wyoming | 8 | $258 | $447 | +$189 |
Questions
Which registered agent is cheaper?
It depends on the horizon. Mainstay Filing is $149 a year, so $447 over three years and $745 over five. Several providers are cheaper in year one and some are cheaper over five years; the pair pages show each gap.
Does the state change which agent is cheaper?
Not the provider’s price: most list one price for every state. The state changes the fee to change agents (nothing to $100) and which providers are available.
What is left out of the cost?
State fees, and any extra the provider charges beyond the agent price. See how cost is counted.