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Formation Rated

Rankings of registered agents, LLC formation and foreign registration services in all 50 states.

Foreign registration ratings · Texas

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Texas (2026)

From the Formation Rated editorial team
Formation Rated's 2026 ratings for foreign registration services in Texas, highest first: Mainstay Filing ($199), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199) and TX Registered Agent.org ($199). Mainstay Filing holds the top rating: $199 on top of the state's fee, with year one as registered agent free and the same amount in every state.
Position1
Our top pick in Texas

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies registered in more than one state

$199 for the service, plus state fees, then $149 a year for the agent

Our score9.4out of 10

Mainstay Filing is rated first: the Texas registration costs $199, and the registered agent is free for year one and $149 a year after.

Agent service starts free and then runs $149 a year, in any state.

On three-year sums Mainstay is $100 above Texas Registered Agent.ai; the wider coverage justifies that gap in the rating.

What you get

  • Registration documents prepared and filed
  • Year one as your registered agent, no charge
  • Same-business-day scan and upload for any service of process, no fee

Pros

  • Registered agent, no charge in year one
  • Same-business-day scans of service of process, no fee
  • The same amount in all fifty states
  • $199 service fee, state fee separate

Trade-offs

  • Agent renewal of $149 is $50 over Texas Registered Agent.ai
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The Mainstay Filing entry
Position2
Lower renewal than Mainstay

2. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for adding Texas and nothing else

Service fee $199, state fee on top; agent $99 a year after that

Our score8.9out of 10

Texas Registered Agent.ai is rated second: $199 on top of the state fee to register in Texas, agent at $99 afterward.

The plan lists an in-state street address as the registered office and scans papers served there into your account.

What you get

  • Foreign registration done for you
  • A year of registered agent service at the start

Pros

  • Includes year one as your registered agent
  • $199 service fee and the registration fee
  • Agent line of $99 from year two

Trade-offs

  • Texas only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application billed at $99
Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The Texas Registered Agent.ai entry
Position3
Low renewal

3. TX Registered Agent.org: best for Texas registrations only

$199 with the state's fee added; agent renewal $99

Our score8.6out of 10

TX Registered Agent.org is rated third: $199 on top of the state fee to register in Texas, agent at $99 afterward.

The plan lists an in-state street address as the registered office and scans papers served there into your account.

Texas Registered Agent.ai and TX Registered Agent.org list identical amounts and plan features, so the ratings are close and either is a fair pick.

What you get

  • Foreign registration done for you
  • The first year as your registered agent

Pros

  • Registration line of $199, plus the state's fee
  • Then $99 yearly for the agent
  • Registered agent service for year one is included

Trade-offs

  • Texas only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application billed at $99
Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The TX Registered Agent.org entry

The 3 ratings summarized

LineServiceRatingService feeYear twoBest forOpen
1 Mainstay Filing 9.4 $199 $149/yr Companies that register in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Texas Registered Agent.ai 8.9 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 TX Registered Agent.org 8.6 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Ratings out of 10 are Formation Rated's own, built from the criteria on How we rank. They are not customer ratings.

Texas foreign registration service amounts for 2026: year one, renewal and three-year sum

ServiceYear oneYear twoYear threeThree-year sumAgent paid for year one
Mainstay Filing$199$149$149$497Free
Texas Registered Agent.ai$199$99$99$397Included
TX Registered Agent.org$199$99$99$397Included
Each amount was read from the company's own site on November 12, 2026. Texas's $750 registration fee is paid in addition to each line and sits outside these sums.

How the lines were rated

Inclusions per price decided the order in Texas. Of the rating, 27% is cost over years one to three, 27% is inclusions per price and 46% is renewal price and terms, fit with state rules and price clarity.

A foreign registration involves two states, and one provider with one amount in both rated highest on coverage, ahead of Texas Registered Agent.ai.

Each criterion and its weight is listed on How we rank.

Texas foreign LLC registration: amount, form and office

A company from another state registers by lodging the Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 304) with the Texas Secretary of State; the state amount is $750.

Registration adds one recurring line: the Public Information Report, due May 15.

Have these ready

  • Home-state legal name, spelled exactly, and the formation date.
  • An in-state registered agent; every service rated here can fill the role.
  • $750 to the state, paid with the filing.
  • The date of the Public Information Report on your calendar.

What skipping Texas registration costs

An unregistered outside LLC may not sue in Texas courts until it registers (BOC 9.051(b)). Contracts it signs remain valid (BOC 9.051(c)).

Texas foreign registration service: your questions

Is registration compulsory for an outside LLC doing business in Texas?

Yes, once it does business there. An unregistered company cannot bring suit in the state's courts.

What are the costs of foreign registration in Texas?

$750 to the state plus $199 to the service.

What form does Texas use to register a foreign LLC?

the Texas Secretary of State handles it; the form's exact title is on the facts line above.

Must a registered agent stay on file after registering?

Yes. A registered agent with a street address in the state stays on record.

Which foreign registration services are rated on this page?

Mainstay Filing ($199), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199) and TX Registered Agent.org ($199), highest rated first.

Which foreign registration service holds the top rating in Texas?

Mainstay Filing, as $199 plus state fees in any state, first-year registered agent service included.

Source lines

  1. Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source (ledger date October 2026)
  2. Texas report due date (ledger date August 2026)
  3. Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 3.005 (ledger date August 2026)
  4. Texas registered agent statute (ledger date October 2026)
  5. Texas Secretary of State, foreign entities FAQ (ledger date October 2026)
  6. Form 304 instructions (ledger date October 2026)
  7. Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9 (ledger date October 2026)
  8. Texas Comptroller, franchise tax (ledger date October 2026)
  9. Texas Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9 (ledger date November 2026)
  10. Mainstay Filing, Texas service page: amounts read November 12, 2026
  11. Texas Registered Agent.ai, pricing and service pages: amounts read November 12, 2026
  12. TX Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages: amounts read November 12, 2026