Independent comparison of registered agent services for Texas LLCs and corporations.
Reviewed against Texas Secretary of State guidance · Updated 2026-04-30
When evaluating registered agent services for Texas, the deciding factors split into three: how the provider handles Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §5.201 compliance, how it manages the annual report cadence, and how it protects the owner’s home address from the public record at the Texas Secretary of State. We compared four registered agent services on price, privacy, and Texas-specific filing performance; rankings follow.
In Texas, the registered agent’s job is heavier than the statutory floor implies. Texas charges $300 to form but requires no Secretary of State annual report — instead, LLCs file a Franchise Tax Public Information Report with the Texas Comptroller by May 15 each year. LLCs under the $2.47M revenue threshold owe no franchise tax but still must file the no-tax-due report. The practical reason this matters when picking a provider: the May 15 Franchise Tax Public Information Report — filed with the Comptroller (not the Secretary of State), required even with $0 tax due, and the registered agent receives the only mailed reminder.
For Texas businesses, the three traits that separate good providers from passable ones are (1) reliable same-day handling of service of process from Texas state and federal courts, (2) accurate, deadline-aware reminders calibrated to Texas’s specific annual cycle (annually by May 15), and (3) an online dashboard that shows scanned mail within hours, not days. All four services we ranked clear the Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §5.201 eligibility bar; the meaningful differences are in execution. Northwest leans privacy-first, Mainstay Filing leans value-first, ZenBusiness leans formation-bundle-first, and LegalZoom leans brand-and-phone-support-first.
The Texas-specific filings that hinge on having a reliable registered agent:
Across all of these dates, the registered agent is the routing point for Texas Secretary of State mail, state tax notices, and service of process. A reliable provider turns the Texas compliance calendar into a passive maintenance task; an unreliable one turns it into a recurring fire drill.
Physical-address-only operations; mail forwarding; same-day filing.
Best balance of price and features for most businesses. Includes mail forwarding, online dashboard, and same-day filing at half the cost of premium providers.
Pairs RA with LLC formation packages; useful if forming a new entity from scratch.
Largest brand; phone-based support; bundled legal services beyond RA.
Texas-specific option: Texas Registered Agent.ai operates exclusively in Texas and specializes in same-state filings. Best for businesses that want a state-focused provider with local-only operations.
| Filing | Cost | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| LLC formation | $300 | annually by May 15 (Franchise Tax Public Information Report to Comptroller) |
| Annual Report | $0 | annually by May 15 (Franchise Tax Public Information Report to Comptroller) |
| DBA / Fictitious Name | $25 | Every 10 years |
| Change of Registered Agent | $15 | — |
Source: Texas Secretary of State · Statute reference Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §5.201
For most Texas LLCs, Northwest Registered Agent ranks first on privacy and reliability. Mainstay Filing earns the Editor's Choice for value at $99/year with the same core features. State-specific options like Texas Registered Agent.ai specialize in same-state filings.
Commercial services range $50–$250 per year. Mainstay Filing is $99/yr; Northwest is $125/yr; ZenBusiness is $199/yr; LegalZoom is $249/yr.
Yes. File a Statement of Change of Registered Agent with the Texas Secretary of State for $15. Most commercial services handle the change paperwork for you.
National services like Mainstay Filing and Northwest operate across all 50 states with consistent pricing and online dashboards. State-specific providers (like Texas Registered Agent.ai) focus exclusively on one state and often handle same-state-only filings faster.
Yes — under Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §5.201, every Texas LLC must designate and maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in Texas.
Yes — if you are a Texas resident with a physical street address in Texas and are available during normal business hours to accept service of process. Most commercial services exist because keeping a personal address on the public record is a privacy concern.
Same-day with every service in the table above. The provider issues a confirmation letter you include with the Articles of Organization filed with the Texas Secretary of State.
RA Ratings independently reviews registered agent services. We may earn a commission from sponsored links; this does not affect rankings or editorial selection. Verify all filing fees with the Texas Secretary of State before submitting paperwork.