Best registered agent services in Alabama

How is this list ordered, and what did we compare?

Providers are listed by our score, highest first, with ties placed in editorial order; for each one we lined up the same published facts on price, renewal, document handling, cancellation and refunds.

"Score" is our editorial score out of 10, built from published facts: half from the Trustpilot rating, the rest from breadth of services, dashboard and mail scanning, and package value and two-year cost (how we score; scores approved 2026-10-14). We don't test services. Trustpilot ratings are third-party, cited to Trustpilot, and not adjusted.

Our score uses only published, cited facts, grouped into customer satisfaction, breadth of service and dashboard, and value and cost. How we score shows the method and each provider's breakdown. Trustpilot ratings appear beside the score as a separate number with their own citation, unchanged by us. We compare what providers publish and don't test services.

Each paragraph further down draws on the provider's own pages and terms, or on figures the provider supplied, which are labelled as such. Where a provider says nothing about a point, the paragraph says that it doesn't publish it. If you want the background on what any agent does day to day, read what a registered agent does first.

What do Alabama's rules mean for picking a service?

Three Alabama rules narrow the comparison: the agent needs an in-state street office, swapping agents carries a state fee, and the yearly obligation is a tax return rather than a Secretary of State report.

A street office where papers can be handed over

Alabama lets an individual resident or a registered business entity serve (Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31), and the office has to be a place where a process server can personally deliver papers. A commercial agent meets this with an Alabama street address of its own, and that address goes in the agent field of your filing. That makes it no reason to prefer one provider over another. Who may serve, and whether you can act as your own agent, are covered on the Alabama registered agent guide.¹

The switching cost is real

Naming a new agent means filing the Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity, and the state's fee for it is $100. Add a provider's notice period or a closed refund window and leaving a service can cost more than the state fee alone. That makes renewal terms and exit rules worth reading before you sign up, not after. The filing order for a switch is set out in how to change a registered agent.²

When the agent quits instead

An agent can resign without your agreement. Under Alabama's process the agent must first give written notice to the entity, and the resignation takes effect on the 31st day after the SOS receives and files the notice. The Secretary of State's page adds: "Must be received within 11 days of notice to entity." So the LLC hears about it before the resignation takes effect, which leaves time to name a replacement.⁴

The yearly filing goes to Revenue

Alabama LLCs file the Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report for Pass Through Entities Only (Form PPT), filed with the Department of Revenue. It is due 2.5 months after the start of the tax year, which is March 15 for calendar-year LLCs, and the state says tax due of $100 or less is fully exempt and no return is required. Many agent services sell or bundle "annual report" filing, but none of the provider pages we cite say whether that service prepares Alabama's Form PPT, which is a tax return. Ask before you pay for it. The return itself is explained in staying compliant in Alabama.^{3, 5}

How do the registered agent services compare in Alabama?

Each provider has its own heading below, in the same order as the table above.

Tailor Brands

Tailor Brands lists registered agent service at $199/year, renewing at $199/year (renews at the same price); both figures were supplied by the provider rather than taken from a public page. It says it covers all 50 states and lists documents scanned and uploaded to the business dashboard. One term limits the address. Its terms say: "You must not designate or otherwise refer to the Registered Address as your business location in any public materials." For a public-facing address on a website or letterhead, it sells a separate Virtual Address product and doesn't publish its price. Subscriptions have auto-renewal on by default, and while fees are generally non-refundable, it notes a $29 service fee deducted from any refund issued. Its explanatory copy says the agent can file the annual report if instructed; whether that covers an Alabama privilege tax return isn't stated. Full detail is in the Tailor Brands review.^{6, 7, 8, 9}

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness charges $199/year on its own and offers 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC. After that, it renews at $199/yr. Scanned copies go to your dashboard, with originals forwarded only if they can't be copied, and its FAQ promises mail and overnight delivery to ensure you receive time-sensitive documents promptly. Cancelling is done by contacting customer support by phone, and a refund can be requested only if the service has not yet been used. Because a change costs $100 here, a phone-only exit is worth knowing about before you buy. See the ZenBusiness review.^{10, 11, 12}

LegalZoom

LegalZoom's agent price is $249/year (first-time registered agent customers). It renews at the price you paid, though its page adds that the renewal rate is subject to change. Legal papers are scanned and uploaded; for everything else it lists other mail uploaded to account and emailed. LegalZoom says proof of new RA may be required, so for an Alabama LLC the change form naming your next agent would usually be filed before you cancel. Its agent terms describe prepaid fees being refunded only when LegalZoom terminates the service. More in the LegalZoom review.^{13, 14}

Bizee

Bizee's agent costs $149/year, and it offers a free first year with any Bizee formation package. Lawsuit papers, known as service of process, are mailed via FedEx with tracking. Its terms describe cancelling by assigning a new registered agent with the state and notifying Bizee of the change, which in Alabama means the state change filing and its fee come first. Orders are generally refundable until payment is forwarded to a government entity. Bizee also sells a virtual address, separate from the agent address, at $29/month. See the Bizee review.^{15, 16, 17, 18}

Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings prices the agent per quarter, $149 per quarter ($596/year), the highest yearly figure in the table. Its FAQ elsewhere says it renews annually with reminders before renewal, so the billing schedule is worth confirming at checkout. Papers are uploaded to an online account, with legal SOP typically within 2-3 hours, and its cancellation rule is that a replacement agent must be designated (or business dissolved) before cancellation, so the Alabama change filing comes before you ask Swyft to stop. The Swyft Filings review has the rest.^{19, 20, 21}

doola

doola shows $297 per year on its agent page, the same amount as its Starter plan ($297/yr), and it doesn't make clear whether that buys the agent alone. The agent is free with Formation Service, with same-day scans. Paper forwarding is not included in base RA subscription unless stated in plan. Its general terms let you delete the account or email help@doola.com; it doesn't publish an agent-specific exit process or say which states it covers. Read the doola review.^{22, 23, 24}

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest charges $125 per year and says it has offices in every state plus D.C. and Puerto Rico. Legal papers are uploaded to your account, and it lists normal business mail scanned up to 5 docs per year free. Its auto-pay page says agent customers are automatically enrolled in Compliance Services (annual report filing), billed in annual auto-pay; that service is $100 + state fees, charged at filing, and Northwest doesn't say whether that service handles Alabama's return to Revenue. There is no cancellation fee, and purchases are non-refundable after 90 days. A separate mail product is Mail Forwarding $20/month (24 select states). See the Northwest review.^{25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30}

Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer's agent is $125 with a Plus or Pro membership. The membership is billed on its own: Plus is $249/year and Pro is $349/year, so the yearly cost is the two added together. Service runs in successive 1-year terms, cancellation is allowed any time by phone, before renewal date, and refund requests must come within 30 days of purchase. Its terms say documents are scanned and uploaded to email and account. The Rocket Lawyer review covers the membership in detail.^{31, 32, 33}

InCorp Services

InCorp lists $129/year and calls the renewal a flat rate, while its terms say service is billed at then-current fee unless a cancellation condition is met. Coverage includes all states plus DC, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands. Legal papers are scanned and delivered same day. Its agent page says: "Annual report and franchise tax deadlines tracked per entity, with email reminders before anything comes due." InCorp doesn't say whether that tracking covers Alabama's privilege tax return. You stop the service only if you dissolve entity, appoint new agent, or resign InCorp with fees. Refund requests must be made within 60 days of issuance of services. See the InCorp review.^{34, 35, 36}

Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance prices the agent at $99 first year (new customers), rising to $159 annually at renewal. Documents land in its Client Portal and Entity Manager. Harbor's exit term needs planning. Notice must reach Harbor at least 90 days before the end of the current term, or the service renews for another year, and its terms say "all Fees paid for the Services are non-refundable." Miss that date and you may pay Harbor for a year you don't use as well as a new agent and Alabama's change fee. Details are in the Harbor Compliance review.^{37, 38}

What will a registered agent cost an Alabama LLC in year one and later?

In year one you pay the $200 Certificate of Formation fee, the name reservation Alabama asks for before filing, and the agent's first-year price; from year two the agent's renewal is the main recurring charge.³⁹

The Secretary of State's LLC page says "You must obtain a Certificate of Name Reservation" before filing, at $25 by mail ($28 online for non-subscribers). That reservation is part of every Alabama formation budget whoever your agent is.⁴⁰

Several providers price the first year differently from the second, so read the renewal column first if you expect to keep the LLC.

• Bizee ties a free agent year to its formation packages and then charges $149/year (ongoing annual fee).⁴¹
• doola says the agent is free with Formation Service but doesn't publish for how long, and its Starter plan bills $297/yr.^{22, 23}
• ZenBusiness halves the first year for new LLCs and then charges $199/yr.¹¹
• Harbor Compliance's introductory year rises to $159 annually.³⁷
• Rocket Lawyer's agent price sits on top of a yearly membership.

No agent price covers Alabama's privilege tax. That tax is a separate cost, and the state says tax due of $100 or less is fully exempt and no return is required. Full formation totals are on the cheapest ways to form an LLC in Alabama, and package-by-package detail is on Alabama LLC formation services compared. For national agent prices, see cheapest registered agent services. Or set two providers side by side on our comparison page.³