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

What is inside · Rhode Island

3 Best Registered Agents in Rhode Island (2026): Unpacked

Opened up for 2026, the registered agents in Rhode Island rank Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Rhode Island Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and RI Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), best on top. Inside the price: $99 to $149 for year one, and $297 to $447 across three years.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

Required to name one?
Required, yes
Label in the statute
Resident agent
Going price
$99 to $149 per year
Top of the stack
Mainstay Filing, Rhode Island Registered Agent.co then RI Registered Agent.org

Rhode Island: ranked

The order follows our five layers: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.
Ranked first

1. Mainstay Filing: best for one price in every state

$149 a year, then $149 at renewal

What puts Mainstay Filing first: its price is $149 a year here and identical in every other state.

Is it the smallest bill? No. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co costs $150 less over three years, but only in Rhode Island.

Inside the price

  • An in-state address on file
  • Scans of three government mailings a year at no charge
  • Also covers corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits

Inside, the good

  • $149 a year, flat at renewal
  • One price in all fifty states

Inside, the catch

  • Costs $50 more a year than the local pick
  • Nothing inside beyond the agent role
Rhode Island only

2. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: best for an LLC that stays in the state

$99 a year, then $99 at renewal

Rhode Island Registered Agent.co lands second, and its service puts a street address on file for $99 a year.

Inside the price

  • An in-state street address
  • Legal papers scanned to your account

Inside, the good

  • Annual price $99, renewal price $99
  • A smaller yearly bill than the national pick

Inside, the catch

  • Rhode Island only
  • You carry the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company yourself
Rhode Island only

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

$99 a year, then $99 at renewal

RI Registered Agent.org lands third, and its service puts a street address on file for $99 a year.

It charges what Rhode Island Registered Agent.co charges.

Inside the price

  • An in-state street address
  • Legal papers scanned to your account

Inside, the good

  • Annual price $99, renewal price $99
  • A smaller yearly bill than the national pick

Inside, the catch

  • Rhode Island only
  • You carry the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company yourself

Inside each price

#CompanyYear oneRenewalThree-year totalCovers
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447An in-state address on file; scans of three government mailings a year at no charge; Also covers corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofitsSee Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Rhode Island Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297An in-state street address; legal papers scanned to your accountSee Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3RI Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297An in-state street address; legal papers scanned to your accountSee RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Service fees only, from company prices read November 13, 2026. State fees are the same whichever pick you open.

Layer by layer

Is a resident agent required?

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

Statute: R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-11. webserver.rilegislature.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026

Who qualifies?

A Rhode Island resident, or a corporation, limited partnership or LLC formed in Rhode Island or authorized there.

If you qualify, you can serve yourself at no cost.

What is inside an agent's price?

$99 to $149 annually, $297 to $447 in total across three years.

No state fee depends on the agent you name.

What does an agent handle for the LLC?

Whatever legal paper is meant for the LLC in Rhode Island goes to the agent, who passes it along.

What matters is that nothing important sits unnoticed while you are away. What is service of process?

What does the LLC owe the state each year?

The Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company comes back each year, for $50. Its date, in the state's words, is May 1. The minimum tax is billed separately.

sos.ri.gov holds the original, confirmed August 2026

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%).

Reach decided it: fifty states against one.

The five layers

Rhode Island agent rule, unpacked

RequirementWhat is insidePeek at source
Fee to form$150docs.sos.ri.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
Resident agentRequired, yeswebserver.rilegislature.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
Report after formation$50 every yearsos.ri.gov holds the original, confirmed August 2026
Yearly minimum tax$400 a yeartax.ri.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
State fees, years one to three$1,450Our total of the rows above
Every row above links to its official source. The final row is our own total of the filing, two reports and any minimum tax.

Also worth asking

Can I be my own agent?

Usually. Check who qualifies and which address counts, and if you fit, you can.

Which addresses does the state accept?

The address has to be a Rhode Island street address, not a P.O. box, where the agent is available during business hours.

How do the three-year totals compare?

Mainstay Filing runs to $447 and Rhode Island Registered Agent.co runs to $297 and RI Registered Agent.org runs to $297

What do these numbers rest on?

The state-side figures were taken from Rhode Island's own publications, and the service prices from the price page each company posts. Dates for both appear on this page.

Do I have to use a service?

No law requires a service. It is a paid convenience.

Who tops the stack in Rhode Island?

Open Mainstay Filing first, then compare Rhode Island Registered Agent.co and RI Registered Agent.org.

Originals behind this page

  1. Unpacking Rhode Island Department of State led us to docs.sos.ri.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. Unpacking Rhode Island Department of State led us to sos.ri.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  3. Unpacking R.I led us to webserver.rilegislature.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  4. Unpacking Rhode Island formation fee: Filing led us to sos.ri.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  5. Unpacking Rhode Island formation fee: Filing led us to docs.sos.ri.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  6. Unpacking Rhode Island registered agent statute led us to webserver.rilegislature.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  7. Unpacking Rhode Island other cost led us to tax.ri.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  8. Mainstay Filing Rhode Island service page, read November 13, 2026
  9. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  10. RI Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026