Skip to content
The Formation Desk

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

Registered agent picks · California

3 Best Registered Agents in California (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for registered agents in California in 2026: California Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and CA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in that order. California Registered Agent.ai takes the call: a California specialist at $99 a year, with an in-state street address as the registered office.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
1
Top pick on this page

1. California Registered Agent.ai: best for the lowest price per year on this list

$99 a year, and it holds on renewal

Editorial score 9.6 out of 10

The desk picks California Registered Agent.ai: $99 a year flat, with scans of served legal papers sent to your account.

California Registered Agent.ai takes the registered office role, using an in-state address and scanning what is served there.

Add up three years and it undercuts Mainstay Filing, and cost is one of our two heaviest criteria.

In the price

  • A registered office address inside the state
  • Scanned copies of served legal papers, online

Strengths

  • Yearly price below Mainstay Filing's
  • Costs $99 a year, the same each year
  • Also forms LLCs and includes the first agent year

Cons

  • The Statement of Information is your job
  • California only; you need another agent elsewhere
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. California Registered Agent.ai up close
2
Best all-in coverage

2. Mainstay Filing: best for every state

$149 a year, and it holds on renewal

Editorial score 9.1 out of 10

Runner-up, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year for an agent that goes wherever the company does, plus the first three government mailings each year scanned free.

Haven't formed yet? Mainstay's $199-a-year package handles the California filing and the Statement of Information.

California Registered Agent.ai undercuts Mainstay Filing by $150 over three years, and that is why Mainstay sits lower on cost.

In the price

  • An in-state street address on the public record
  • Any service of process scanned for free and uploaded that business day
  • Your first three government mailings each year, scanned free
  • Compliance reminders

Strengths

  • Free scans of served papers on the same business day
  • $149 a year and it holds on renewal
  • First three government mailings each year, scanned free
  • Works for LLCs, corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits alike

Cons

  • $50 a year more than California Registered Agent.ai for agent service alone
  • On the agent plan you send in your own annual report
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Mainstay Filing up close
3
California only

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for California companies

$99 a year, and it holds on renewal

Editorial score 9.0 out of 10

Third, CA Registered Agent.org: $99 a year flat, with scans of served legal papers sent to your account.

CA Registered Agent.org puts an in-state street address on file for the company and scans served legal papers into your account.

California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org list the same prices and plan features, so it is close and either one works.

In the price

  • A physical address in the state, as the registered office
  • Everything served on the company is scanned for you

Strengths

  • Costs less a year than Mainstay Filing
  • Also forms LLCs and includes the first agent year
  • $99 per year and no bump at renewal

Cons

  • The Statement of Information is your job
  • California only; you need another agent elsewhere
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. CA Registered Agent.org up close

The desk's 3 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Price a year Renewal Good for Visit
1 California Registered Agent.ai 9.6 $99 $99/yr The lowest yearly price we rank here Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing 9.1 $149 $149/yr One agent that covers every state Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 CA Registered Agent.org 9.0 $99 $99/yr The lowest yearly price we rank here Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The scores out of 10 are the desk's own, drawn from the criteria on How we rank. They are not customer ratings.

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

Service Year one Year two Year three Bill over three years Price holds on renewal
California Registered Agent.ai $99 $99 $99 $297 Yes
Mainstay Filing $149 $149 $149 $447 Yes
CA Registered Agent.org $99 $99 $99 $297 Yes

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. California charges the same state fees whichever agent you name.

Behind the order

The desk's method puts 33% on spend over three years and 33% on work the price removes, and 34% across what renewal looks like, fit with the state and plain price display. For California, spend over three years did the deciding.

California Registered Agent.ai comes to $297 over three years, $150 less than Mainstay Filing. If California is your only state, fifty-state coverage does little for you, and the lower yearly price wins.

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

California agent for service of process rules straight from California Secretary of State (official)

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An individual agent's California street address goes on the public record. A registered corporate agent's address is already on file with the state and is not repeated in the company's filing. The law behind it: Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13.

California's Statement of Information: what it costs, when it is due, who gets the notice

California LLCs send in the Statement of Information every two years, due last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. The state's fee is $20. Send it late and $250 gets added. Notices about it land with your agent for service of process.

California registered agent: reader questions

Do you need a agent for service of process to run a California LLC?

You do. California wants a agent for service of process on file for every LLC, and the agent must have a street address in the state.

What should you expect to pay a California registered agent?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year, and the price holds when it renews.

Could you serve as your own agent for service of process?

You can if the state's rules allow it. 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.

When does the California Statement of Information have to go in?

Get it in by last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. The state's cut is $20. Miss the date and it costs $250 more.

Which registered agents did the desk rank here?

California Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and CA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), best pick first.

Who is our pick for registered agent in California?

California Registered Agent.ai, since $99 a year, holding on renewal, the lowest yearly price on this list.

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 Registered Agent.ai: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  7. Mainstay Filing: California service page, as of November 12, 2026
  8. CA Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026