3 Best LLC Services in California (2026): Who to Ask First
Ask about CA Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and California Registered Agent.ai ($199), in that order, when you need LLC formation services in California in 2026. Every option pays California $70 to file, then charges $397 to $597 for three years of service.
Answered by the Ask About LLC editorial team ·
The short answers
What does the state charge?
$70, paid once
What comes after?
$20 once every two years + $800 minimum tax each year
Agent for service of process
Yes, name one
Our pick
CA Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing then California Registered Agent.ai
Who should you ask in California?
The order follows our five questions: three-year cost first, then how much the price covers.
1Our first answer
1. CA Registered Agent.org: best for companies that stay local
$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year
CA Registered Agent.org comes first: with a $99 renewal, three years total $397.
Where the three-year total is smaller, cost carries the day, and here it is smaller than at Mainstay Filing.
Nobody files the Statement of Information for you here.
What the price covers
California formation filing
Agent included in year one
Good news
No agent charge in year one
Then $99 annually
Forms the LLC for $199 plus the state fee
The catch
Plan time for the Statement of Information, since it is excluded
2. Mainstay Filing: best for owners who want upkeep handled
$199 yearly ($269 at signup, state fee included)
Why Mainstay Filing in second place? One yearly price of $199 pays for forming the LLC, serving as the agent for service of process and filing the Statement of Information, then renews at $199.
CA Registered Agent.org adds up to $200 less over three years, enough to earn the better spot.
Because the Statement of Information is inside the service, the only extra is California's own $20, billed at cost.
Read on November 13, 2026; three years means year one plus two renewals.
What owners want to know
What will forming an LLC cost in this state?
The state charges $70, and a service that files for you in year one adds $199.
Over three years the state collects $2,490, filing fee included. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read in August 2026 for this answer
$800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.
Which form do I file, and where does it go?
Send the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) to the California Secretary of State; approval of that one filing is what creates the LLC.
Legal basis: Cal. Corp. Code § 17702.01. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read in August 2026 for this answer
Can the LLC go without an agent for service of process?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
A California resident, or a corporation registered with the Secretary of State as a corporate agent under Corporations Code § 1505. A business cannot act as its own agent for service of process.
After formation you owe the Statement of Information every two years ($20). Be ready by this date, per the state: last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. The minimum tax is separate.
Yes, you can. Filing on your own costs the state's fees only, $2,490 over three years.
A service adds $397 to $597 across three years, and with Mainstay Filing the reports are inside that figure.
Why is the list in this order?
On what you pay over three years, worth 33%, CA Registered Agent.org comes out ahead.
We weigh five questions: what you pay over three years (33%), chores the price takes care of (29%), answers on the price page (14%), what happens at renewal (13%) and room to add states (11%).
CA Registered Agent.org totals $397 across three years, which is $200 under Mainstay Filing.
How was the bottom line figured? Add the filing fee, the next two reports and the minimum tax if the state has one. Anything with no fixed price, a newspaper notice for instance, is described above and kept out of the sum.
Questions people also ask
Is the EIN application included?
Mainstay Filing includes the EIN application. The others charge extra: CA Registered Agent.org $99; California Registered Agent.ai $99.
Is there a late fee?
California adds $250.
What do the picks cost over three years?
CA Registered Agent.org comes to $397; Mainstay Filing comes to $597; California Registered Agent.ai comes to $397, with state fees on top.
Where do these numbers come from?
Official California sources back the state side, and posted company prices back the service side.
Do I have to use a service?
Not at all. The state takes filings from owners directly. A service just saves you time, and it can double as your agent.
Which one do you recommend in California?
CA Registered Agent.org comes first: forming costs $199, the agent is covered in year one, then $99 a year. Next are Mainstay Filing and California Registered Agent.ai.
Where did we look this up?
Ask-about note for California Secretary of State: the state publishes it at sos.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California Secretary of State: the state publishes it at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California yearly filing: Statement of: the state publishes it at sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for Cal: the state publishes it at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California registered agent statute: the state publishes it at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California other cost: Annual LLC: the state publishes it at ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California other cost: Annual LLC: the state publishes it at ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
CA Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
Mainstay Filing California service page, read November 13, 2026
California Registered Agent.ai pricing page, read November 13, 2026