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Formation Scorecard

Card updated November 12, 2026

Scorecards for LLC services and registered agents, state by state

Formation Scorecard scores registered agents, LLC formation services and foreign registration services in all 50 states. Every card weighs cost across three years, coverage of the price, renewal terms, state-by-state fit and pricing clarity.

Researched and written by the Formation Scorecard editorial team

Three kinds of scorecard

1

Best registered agents

The agent who receives your legal papers, scored state by state on yearly price, renewal and what the plan includes.

Registered Agent rankings
2

Best LLC services

The service that files your formation documents, scored per state on three-year cost and the paperwork the price covers.

LLC Service rankings
3

Best foreign registration

The service that registers an existing company in a second state, scored on fee, agent and renewal.

Foreign Registration rankings

The nationwide cards

Registered Agents

Nationwide

Top score Mainstay Filing
LLC Services

Nationwide

Top score Mainstay Filing
Foreign Registration Services

Nationwide

Top score Mainstay Filing

How it works

How the cards are marked

  • Cost across three years (25%): Service fees for the first year and two renewals, taken from published prices.
  • Coverage of the price (25%): The yearly chores folded into one price: registered agent, report filing, EIN application, and whether one account covers other states.
  • Renewal terms (20%): Whether the price rises at renewal and how renewing or cancelling works.
  • State-by-state fit (15%): The service's fit with that state's report cadence, late fees, agent address rules and filing steps.
  • Pricing clarity (15%): Whether the total is shown before checkout and the state fee is listed on its own at cost.
Read the scoring rules

Scorecards by state