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The Formation Desk

Rankings of registered agents, LLC formation and foreign registration services in all 50 states.

LLC service picks · California

3 Best LLC Services in California (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for LLC services in California in 2026: CA Registered Agent.org ($199), California Registered Agent.ai ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. CA Registered Agent.org takes the call: $199 plus the California filing fee, first-year agent for service of process service included, then $99 a year.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
1
Our top pick in California

1. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a California LLC with no plans to expand

Form for $199; the agent is $99 a year after that, plus the state fee

Editorial score 9.6 out of 10

The desk picks CA Registered Agent.org: California formation for $199 on top of the state's fee, year-one agent included, then $99 a year to keep the agent.

You get an in-state street address as the registered office, and papers served there are scanned into your account.

It leaves the Statement of Information out of its prices, so you send that filing to California yourself every two years.

Three years of service run cheaper here than at Mainstay Filing, and cost carries big weight.

In the price

  • The formation filing
  • A first year of agent for service of process service

Strengths

  • A year of agent for service of process service comes in the price
  • $99 a year for the agent from year two
  • $199 service fee, then the state fee

Cons

  • No Statement of Information filing included
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. CA Registered Agent.org up close
2
Best for a California-only company

2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for keeping it local in California

Form for $199; the agent is $99 a year after that, plus the state fee

Editorial score 9.3 out of 10

Runner-up, California Registered Agent.ai: California formation for $199 on top of the state's fee, year-one agent included, then $99 a year to keep the agent.

You get an in-state street address as the registered office, and papers served there are scanned into your account.

It leaves the Statement of Information out of its prices, so you send that filing to California yourself every two years.

The published prices and features do not separate CA Registered Agent.org from California Registered Agent.ai; take whichever you like.

In the price

  • The formation filing
  • A first year of agent for service of process service

Strengths

  • $199 service fee, then the state fee
  • Year-two agent price: $99
  • A year of agent for service of process service comes in the price

Cons

  • No Statement of Information filing included
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. California Registered Agent.ai up close
3
Best all-in yearly price

3. Mainstay Filing: best for formation, agent and Statement of Information in a single price

$199 a year plus the state fee, $269 due at checkout

Editorial score 9.0 out of 10

Third, Mainstay Filing: the formation, the agent for service of process and the Statement of Information all ride on one $199 yearly price, renewing at $199.

Mainstay files the Statement of Information for you when you renew. California wants $20 every two years, by last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially, and a late filing tacks on $250; Mainstay hands the state's fee through at cost.

CA Registered Agent.org undercuts Mainstay Filing by $200 over three years, and that is why Mainstay sits lower on cost.

In the price

  • Your LLC formation, handled
  • Agent for service of process service for the full year
  • Statement of Information, filed by Mainstay
  • EIN application handled

Strengths

  • EIN application comes with the package
  • California's fee passes through at cost
  • $199 on renewal, nothing extra
  • One $199 yearly price that takes in the Statement of Information

Cons

  • Its agent renews at $100 a year more than CA Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Mainstay Filing up close

The desk's 3 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Service fee Year two Good for Visit
1 CA Registered Agent.org 9.6 $199 $99/yr A California-only LLC on a shoestring Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 California Registered Agent.ai 9.3 $199 $99/yr A California-only LLC on a shoestring Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Mainstay Filing 9.0 $199 $199/yr Formation, agent and Statement of Information in a single price Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Formation Desk sets every score out of 10 itself from the weighted criteria on How we rank; customers do not rate anything.

What a California LLC service costs in 2026: year one, renewal and the three-year bill

Service Year one Year two Year three Bill over three years Statement of Information filed on your behalf
CA Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 No
California Registered Agent.ai $199 $99 $99 $397 No
Mainstay Filing $199 $199 $199 $597 Yes

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. California's $70 filing fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

Why it falls this way

The Formation Desk counts spend over three years and work the price removes for 33% each; what renewal looks like, fit with the state and plain price display make up the other 34%. What tipped California: spend over three years.

CA Registered Agent.org comes to $397 over three years, $200 less than Mainstay Filing. Mainstay would file the Statement of Information too, but an owner can do that alone for just the state fee, so the lower price won.

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

California LLC filing fee and form: the official numbers

It takes $70 to file the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) with the California Secretary of State. Every service here adds that fee at cost on top of its own price.

$800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

After you form: keeping the California LLC in order

Send in the Statement of Information every two years, by last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. It costs $20. Late means $250 extra. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

California LLC service: reader questions

What will setting up an LLC in California cost you?

$70 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

What do you file to create the LLC?

The Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), sent to the California Secretary of State.

Does a California LLC have to line up a agent for service of process on day one?

Yes. California expects a agent for service of process from the start, with a street address inside the state.

What keeps coming due once a California LLC exists?

One filing: the Statement of Information, every two years, due last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially, costing $20.

Does the service price take care of the EIN?

Mainstay Filing builds it into the yearly price. CA Registered Agent.org and California Registered Agent.ai tack on $99. The IRS never charges for an EIN.

Who is our pick for an LLC service in California?

CA Registered Agent.org, since $199 to form, state fee extra, then $99 a year for the agent.

Keep reading

Where the numbers came from

  1. California Secretary of State, last checked August 2026
  2. California Secretary of State, last checked August 2026
  3. California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source, last checked October 2026
  4. Cal. Corp. Code § 17702.01, last checked August 2026
  5. California registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  6. California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and timing, official source, last checked October 2026
  7. California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and timing, official source, last checked October 2026
  8. CA Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  9. California Registered Agent.ai: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  10. Mainstay Filing: California service page, as of November 12, 2026