Each pick is computed from published prices; each state fee carries its official source and date.
How picks are made
Best overall = the service whose single yearly price covers the most (formation, agent, EIN, annual report) and does not rise at renewal. The other four picks are the minimum of the five services on one measure: year-1 price with agent, three-year service total, year-2 agent price.
Prices
Mainstay Filing: Formation filing, registered agent, EIN application and every annual report filed. Northwest Registered Agent: Formation; agent included year 1; annual report filing is an extra $100 plus the state fee. ZenBusiness: Starter formation; agent bought separately; Pro ($199 a year) adds EIN and annual-report filing. Bizee: Basic formation with a free first year of its agent; Standard is $199 and Premium $299. LegalZoom: Basic formation; agent bought separately at $249 for first-time agent customers (Pro $249, Premium $299). Checked October 2026 on each company’s own pages and checkout screens.
State fees
Statutes, fee schedules and forms, re-read from official pages in October 2026; citations are on each state page.