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LLC Straight Talk What it costs, what you have to file, who's worth paying.

Straight talk · Delaware

3 Best LLC Services in Delaware (2026): The Straight Story

If you need LLC formation services in Delaware in 2026, here's the order we'd go in: DE Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199). Whoever you pick, Delaware charges $110 to file, and the services run $397 to $597 over three years.
Straight from the LLC Straight Talk editorial team

Quick facts

The short of it
What the state charges
$110, one time
After that
$400 a year
Registered agent
Yes, it's the law
Who we'd use
DE Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing then Delaware Registered Agent.ai

Delaware: our ranking

Wondering why this order? We explain it here.

#1 Our top pick

1. DE Registered Agent.org: best for owners who'll stay home

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

$199 gets your LLC formed, and then the agent's $99 a year. That's why DE Registered Agent.org is first.

It beats Mainstay Filing on three-year cost, and cost is the biggest test.

Filing the Annual LLC Tax isn't covered, so that job's yours.

What you get

  • Delaware formation filing
  • Agent service covered for year one

Pluses

  • The first agent year's included
  • Agent renews at $99
  • Formation fee of $199

What's not

  • You're stuck filing the Annual LLC Tax
  • EIN's not included ($99)
Check DE Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
#2 Works in all 50 states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one price for setup and upkeep

Annual price $199, renewal price $199, state fee on top

The annual tax gets filed inside the $199 yearly price, along with formation and the registered agent. That puts Mainstay Filing second.

DE Registered Agent.org is $200 less over three years, and that's enough to decide the order.

The Annual LLC Tax is part of the service. The only extra's the state's $400.

What you get

  • Formation handled start to finish
  • Registered agent for twelve straight months
  • Annual tax done for you
  • EIN application filed
  • State fees at cost

Pluses

  • Renews at $199
  • The EIN application's included
  • A flat $199 a year

What's not

  • $100 a year above DE Registered Agent.org after year one
Check Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
#3 Delaware specialist

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for another in-state choice

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

$199 gets your LLC formed, and then the agent's $99 a year. That puts Delaware Registered Agent.ai third.

Filing the Annual LLC Tax isn't covered, so that job's yours.

Its prices match DE Registered Agent.org exactly, so the order between them's a close call.

What you get

  • Delaware formation filing
  • Agent service covered for year one

Pluses

  • Formation fee of $199
  • The first agent year's included
  • Agent renews at $99

What's not

  • You're stuck filing the Annual LLC Tax
  • EIN's not included ($99)
Check Delaware Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The numbers

#WhoYear oneEach year afterThree-year totalWhat you get
1 DE Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397delaware formation filing; agent service covered for year one Check DE Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing $199$199/yr$597formation handled start to finish; registered agent for twelve straight months; annual tax done for you Check Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Delaware Registered Agent.ai $199$99/yr$397delaware formation filing; agent service covered for year one Check Delaware Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices as of November 13, 2026. The state's own fees are in the checklist below.

The questions that matter

How much do I need to start an LLC in this state?

Figure $110 for the state, plus $199 if you hire help in year one.

Across three years the state collects $910, filing fee included. go check delcode.delaware.gov, last confirmed October 2026

Which form do I file, and where?

The Delaware Secretary of State takes the Certificate of Formation of a Limited Liability Company. Once it approves, you've got a company.

The law: 6 Del. C. § 18-201. go check delcode.delaware.gov, last confirmed October 2026

Does the state make me have a registered agent?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there.

go check delcode.delaware.gov, last confirmed October 2026

What's due in later years?

There's one filing that keeps coming back: the Annual LLC Tax, yearly, for $400. In the state's own words it's due annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1.

Miss the deadline and you'll owe an extra $200.

go check legis.delaware.gov, last confirmed October 2026

Do I have to pay somebody?

You can. Skip the service and your three-year bill is the state's $910.

That $397 to $597 over three years is what you pay somebody else to deal with the paperwork and the agent role.

Why this order?

DE Registered Agent.org takes money out the door in three years, which counts 35%.

We run five tests: money out the door in three years (35%), jobs the price actually covers (30%), no hunting for the price (14%), no surprise at renewal (11%) and where it works (10%).

Go with DE Registered Agent.org and you'll pay $397 over three years, $200 less.

How we judge

Delaware: the formation checklist

WhatDetailCheck it
LLC filing fee $110go check delcode.delaware.gov, last confirmed October 2026
Registered agent Yes, it's the lawgo check delcode.delaware.gov, last confirmed October 2026
Annual LLC Tax $400 every yeargo check legis.delaware.gov, last confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years $910Our sum of the rows above

Here's how we got the last row: filing fee + two reports + minimum tax, if there is one. Costs with no set price aren't in it.

More questions

Who handles the EIN?

Only Mainstay Filing throws it in. At the others it's $99 (DE Registered Agent.org) and $99 (Delaware Registered Agent.ai).

Is there a late fee?

Delaware adds $200.

What do the picks cost over three years?

DE Registered Agent.org will set you back $397, and Mainstay Filing will set you back $597, and Delaware Registered Agent.ai will set you back $397, before state fees.

Where do these numbers come from?

Each state fee links to its official page, and each service price comes from the company's own site.

Do I have to use a service?

No law says you need a service. It's a convenience you pay for.

Who should I use for a LLC service in Delaware?

DE Registered Agent.org is first: it starts at $199 with the first agent year thrown in, and from year two you pay $99. Then comes Mainstay Filing and Delaware Registered Agent.ai.

What's next

Don't take our word for it

  1. Where Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation comes from: corp.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  2. Where Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation comes from: corp.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  3. Where Delaware yearly filing: HB 400 comes from: legis.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  4. Where Delaware report due date comes from: delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed August 2026, and you can go look yourself
  5. Where 6 Del comes from: delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed August 2026, and you can go look yourself
  6. Where Delaware registered agent statute comes from: delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  7. DE Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  8. Mainstay Filing Delaware service page, read November 13, 2026
  9. Delaware Registered Agent.ai pricing page, read November 13, 2026