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LLC UnpackedEvery filing, unpacked: the fee, the form, the catch.

Unpacked · Colorado

3 Best LLC Services in Colorado (2026): Unpacked

Colorado, 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), Colorado Registered Agent.co ($199) and CO Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order, are the LLC formation services worth opening first. Whichever you open, the state's filing fee is $50, and services total $397 to $597 over three years.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Four things inside

Fee to the state
$50, paid once
Next layer
$25 each year
Registered agent
Required, yes
Our pick
Mainstay Filing, Colorado Registered Agent.co then CO Registered Agent.org

Our Colorado picks, opened up

Prices come from each company's own page. See how we open it up.
Top of the stack

1. Mainstay Filing: best for not filing the periodic report yourself

$199 a year plus $50 to the state

Mainstay Filing sits on top in Colorado because the periodic report is filed for you within the $199 annual price, next to formation and the registered agent.

Colorado Registered Agent.co saves $200 across three years. The difference pays for the extra jobs packed in here.

Inside the service is the periodic report, filed for you, with Colorado's $25 passed through at cost.

Inside the price

  • The formation filing, packed in
  • Registered agent across the full year
  • Periodic report handled for you
  • EIN application
  • State fees at cost

Inside, the good

  • No jump at renewal ($199)
  • The EIN application is inside the price
  • A flat $199 a year, all inside

Inside, the catch

  • A $100 yearly premium over Colorado Registered Agent.co
The Colorado specialist

2. Colorado Registered Agent.co: best for a business that stays in one state

$199 to form; renewal $99

Colorado Registered Agent.co sits second because it opens at $199 with the first agent year inside and renews at $99.

Not inside the price: the periodic report, which stays with you.

Inside the price

  • The LLC, filed for you
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • $199 plus the state fee to form
  • A free agent year at the start
  • $99 a year from year two

Inside, the catch

  • You carry the periodic report yourself
  • $99 to apply for your EIN
The Colorado specialist

3. CO Registered Agent.org: best for another in-state option

$199 to form; renewal $99

CO Registered Agent.org sits third because it opens at $199 with the first agent year inside and renews at $99.

Not inside the price: the periodic report, which stays with you.

Its prices match Colorado Registered Agent.co exactly, so the order between them is close.

Inside the price

  • The LLC, filed for you
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • A free agent year at the start
  • $199 plus the state fee to form
  • $99 a year from year two

Inside, the catch

  • You carry the periodic report yourself
  • $99 to apply for your EIN

Inside each price

#CompanyOpening priceRenewalTotal, 3 yearsCovers
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597the formation filing, packed in; registered agent across the full year; periodic report handled for youLook inside Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Colorado Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397The LLC, filed for you; A first year of agent serviceLook inside Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CO Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397The LLC, filed for you; A first year of agent serviceLook inside CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Read November 13, 2026. Three years means year one plus two renewals.

Opened up, question by question

How much does forming an LLC cost in this state?

Filing costs $50. A service on top of that costs $199 in year one.

Add the recurring report and the state's fees reach $100 over three years. peek at coloradosos.gov, confirmed October 2026

What do I actually send the state?

The Articles of Organization is the filing, and the Colorado Secretary of State is where it goes. Approval creates the LLC.

peek at coloradosos.gov, confirmed October 2026

Must the LLC name a registered agent?

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

A person 18 or older whose home or usual place of business is in Colorado (since July 1, 2025 the person has to hold a Colorado driver's license or ID or otherwise verify residency), or a business entity in good standing with a usual place of business in Colorado. The agent has to consent.

peek at sos.state.co.us, confirmed October 2026

What is owed in later years?

Plan on $25 each year for the periodic report. For timing the state says: last day of the entity's anniversary month.

Miss the deadline and you owe an extra $50.

peek at coloradosos.gov, confirmed October 2026

Do I have to pay a service at all?

A service is optional. State fees alone are $100 across three years.

Choose help and your three-year total rises by $397 to $597.

Why is the stack in this order?

Mainstay Filing is strongest on what is inside the price, a layer worth 29% of the score.

Five layers set the order: total across three years (34%), what is inside the price (29%), price laid out in the open (14%), how the renewal behaves (12%) and how far it reaches (11%).

In Colorado the periodic report is due every year, and only the first pick packs its filing into the price.

The five layers

Colorado formation, unpacked

PartAmount or rulePeek at source
LLC filing fee$50peek at coloradosos.gov, confirmed October 2026
Registered agentRequired, yespeek at sos.state.co.us, confirmed October 2026
Periodic report$25 every yearpeek at coloradosos.gov, confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years$100The rows above, stacked
Last row = filing fee + two later reports + minimum tax, if the state has one. Variable costs are described in the text, not added.

Also worth asking

Is the EIN application inside the price?

Only Mainstay Filing packs it in. Elsewhere it is $99 at Colorado Registered Agent.co and $99 at CO Registered Agent.org.

Is there a late fee?

A late report costs $50 more.

What do the picks cost over three years?

Mainstay Filing runs to $597 and Colorado Registered Agent.co runs to $397 and CO Registered Agent.org runs to $397, services only.

Are the fees official?

Official Colorado paperwork stands behind every state fee here, and every service price traces back to the company's own pricing.

Do I have to use a service?

No. Owners can file with the state directly. A service saves time and can act as agent, but nothing makes you hire one.

Which LLC service should I open first in Colorado?

Mainstay Filing, because for $199 a year you open one package holding formation, the registered agent and the periodic report. Then Colorado Registered Agent.co and CO Registered Agent.org.

What the page rests on

  1. Unpacking Colorado Secretary of State led us to sos.state.co.us, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. Unpacking Colorado Secretary of State led us to sos.state.co.us, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  3. Unpacking Colorado yearly filing: Periodic report led us to coloradosos.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  4. Unpacking Colorado report due date led us to colorado.public.law, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  5. Unpacking Colo led us to sos.state.co.us, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  6. Unpacking Colorado formation fee: Filing fee led us to coloradosos.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  7. Mainstay Filing Colorado service page, read November 13, 2026
  8. Colorado Registered Agent.co pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  9. CO Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026