Short answer
A registered agent is optional in New York, where the Secretary of State is every LLC's agent for service of process by law. For companies that want one, Mainstay Filing charges $149 a year for New York registered agent service, the same at renewal, so three years cost $447[1]. The 5 other services we priced on October 20, 2026 ran $99 to $249 for the first year and $125 to $249 at renewal.
- Mainstay Filing
- $149/yr, same at renewal
- Mainstay, 3 years
- $447
- Other services compared
- 5
- Others, first year
- $99 to $249
- Others, median renewal
- $149
- Updated
- October 29, 2026
Updated October 29, 2026. Prices from each provider's own page.
Price table
| Service | First year | Renewal | 3 years | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainstay Filing | $149 | $149 | $447 | Same price at renewal; files the change of agent, state fee at cost. | [1] Mainstay Filing pages, updated October 29, 2026 |
| Northwest Registered Agent | $125 | $125 | $375 | $100/yr per state for five or more states. | [2] Provider page, updated October 29, 2026 |
| MyLLC | $129 | $129 | $387 | As low as $87/yr if you prepay five years. | [3] Provider page, updated October 29, 2026 |
| Bizee | $149 | $149 | $447 | Standalone price. The first year is free when you form your company through Bizee. | [4] Provider page, updated October 29, 2026 |
| ZenBusiness | $99 | $199 | $497 | $99 plus state fees for the first year, then $199/yr. | [5] Provider page, updated October 29, 2026 |
| LegalZoom | $249 | $249 | $747 | Price for first-time agent customers. Auto-renews at the purchase rate; LegalZoom says the renewal rate is subject to change. | [6] Provider page, updated October 29, 2026 |
Mainstay Filing first; the other services follow in order of three-year cost (first-year price plus two renewals at the published renewal price). Each price was read from the provider's own page on October 20, 2026.
Do you need to pay at all?
In New York the Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every LLC by law (N.Y. LLC Law §§ 301 and 302), and a registered agent is optional[7]. An owner who lives in New York or has a business address there can be designated as registered agent, but no designation is needed: the Secretary of State already accepts service for every New York LLC.
Who can do the job in New York is set out in the statute. If one is designated: a person who lives in New York or has a business address there, an LLC formed or authorized in New York, or a corporation formed or authorized in New York.
Switching to a new agent later is a $30 filing with the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations[8].
Introductory prices
A flat price is the simplest to plan around in New York. Mainstay Filing charges $149 in year one and $149 at each renewal[1].
One of the 5 other New York services charges more at renewal than in the first year. The largest step on their published prices is ZenBusiness, from $99 to $199[5].
Introductory prices are why the New York three-year column matters more than the first-year one; the median three-year total among the other services was $447.
Putting the price in context
New York charges $200 to form an LLC and about $4.50 a year in report fees[9]. At Mainstay Filing's $149, a paid registered agent costs 33.1 times the yearly state fee.
| State | Other services priced | Lowest first year | Median renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 5 | $99 | $149 |
| Connecticut | 6 | $99 | $199 |
| Massachusetts | 6 | $89 | $149 |
| New Jersey | 7 | $99 | $149 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | $89 | $149 |
| Vermont | 5 | $99 | $199 |
Same method and date for every state. Mainstay Filing's price is $149 a year in each of these states.
A New York company that also registers in a neighboring state pays for a second agent there; the table shows what that would run.
What Mainstay Filing includes
For $149 a year, Mainstay Filing puts its New York street address on the public record as the company's registered agent[1]. When a lawsuit or other papers are served, they are scanned and uploaded that business day without a charge. It sends compliance reminders and scans the first three government letters each year at no cost. Switching to it from another New York agent, Mainstay files the change and adds the $30 state fee at cost.
For New York, annual report filing is part of Mainstay's $199 yearly package rather than the agent-only price.
Method
On October 20, 2026, MyLLC, ZenBusiness, and LegalZoom had their own pages in Google's top 20 for "cheapest registered agent new york". The AI Overview for that search named Northwest Registered Agent, ZenBusiness, and LegalZoom. Bizee is included because it is among the four names seen most often across all 50 states.
The New York table lists prices only; it is not a ranking of service quality, and service levels differ.
Questions
How much does Mainstay Filing charge for a New York registered agent?
It charges $149 a year for New York, renewing at $149[1]. Three years come to $447. It charges the same in each state, so a company registered in New York and a neighbor pays $298 a year for both.
What does a registered agent cost in New York?
Of the 5 other services priced for New York on October 20, 2026, first-year prices ran $99 to $249 and the lowest three-year total was $375. Mainstay Filing is $149 every year.
Do I have to pay for a registered agent in New York?
No. New York makes the Secretary of State every LLC's agent for service of process by law, so naming a separate registered agent is optional. An owner who lives in New York or has a business address there can be designated as registered agent, but no designation is needed: the Secretary of State already accepts service for every New York LLC.
Sources
- Mainstay Filing pricing, registered agent and FAQ pages. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Northwest Registered Agent, published registered agent price page. Updated October 29, 2026.
- MyLLC, published registered agent price page. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Bizee, published registered agent price page. Updated October 29, 2026.
- ZenBusiness, published registered agent price page. Updated October 29, 2026.
- LegalZoom, published registered agent price page. Updated October 29, 2026.
- NY LLC Law § 301 (Secretary of State is every LLC's mandatory agent for service of process) and § 302 (optional registered agent). www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/LLC/302. Updated October 29, 2026.
- New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: Certificate of Change fee. dos.ny.gov/certificate-change-domestic-limited-liability-companies-0. Updated October 29, 2026.
- New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code: Biennial Statement rules and fee. dos.ny.gov/biennial-statements-business-corporations-and-limited-liability-companies. Updated October 29, 2026.
- NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203 (articles of organization); § 1101 (fee: 'For filing articles of organization pursuant to section two hundred nine of this chapter, two hundred dollars'). www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/LLC/203. Updated October 29, 2026.