Place1
Our top pickMainstay Filing
1. Mainstay Filing: best for expanding companies
$199 to register, $149 yearly after
Our mark9.2out of 10
Mainstay Filing earns first place with $199 plus the state's own fee, with your registered agent free for the first year and one price in every state.
The agent renews at $149, the same price wherever the company registers.
Over three years it costs $100 more than AR Registered Agent.org, and we think the extra coverage earns that here.
What you get
- Registration prepared and filed
- Your registered agent, free for the first year
- Service of process scanned the same business day, no fee
Why pick it
- Any state, same fee
- Service fee $199 plus state fees
- Registered agent free for the first year
- Service of process scanned the same business day, no fee
Less good
- Agent renews at $149, $50 more than AR Registered Agent.org
Place2
Best local optionAR Registered Agent.org
2. AR Registered Agent.org: best for the lowest agent renewal
$199 to register, $99 yearly after
Our mark8.8out of 10
In second place, AR Registered Agent.org: $199 plus the state fee with a year of registered agent service included, then $99 a year for the agent.
Its plan gives you an in-state street address for the registered office, and legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to you online.
What you get
- The registration filing
- A year of registered agent service
Why pick it
- A year of registered agent service included
- Low $99 agent renewal
- $199 plus the state's fee
Less good
- No help outside Arkansas
- $99 extra for the EIN application
Place3
Best value hereArkansas Registered Agent.co
3. Arkansas Registered Agent.co: best for an Arkansas-only registration
$199 to register, $99 yearly after
Our mark8.5out of 10
Third: Arkansas Registered Agent.co, for $199 plus the state fee with a year of registered agent service included, then $99 a year for the agent.
Its plan gives you an in-state street address for the registered office, and legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to you online.
With identical published prices, AR Registered Agent.org and Arkansas Registered Agent.co are separated only narrowly.
What you get
- The registration filing
- A year of registered agent service
Why pick it
- Low $99 agent renewal
- A year of registered agent service included
- $199 plus the state's fee
Less good
- No help outside Arkansas
- $99 extra for the EIN application
Our top 3 at a glance
| Rank | Service | Our score | Service fee | Year two | Best for | Link |
|---|
| 1 | Mainstay Filing | 9.2 | $199 | $149/yr | Companies registered in several states | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
| 2 | AR Registered Agent.org | 8.8 | $199 | $99/yr | Lowest agent renewal on this list | Visit AR Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
| 3 | Arkansas Registered Agent.co | 8.5 | $199 | $99/yr | Lowest agent renewal on this list | Visit Arkansas Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
The Founders Review sets these scores itself from the five criteria on our method page; they are not user ratings.
Annual and renewal prices in Arkansas, 2026
| Service | Year one | Year two | Year three | Three-year total | Agent in year one |
|---|
| Mainstay Filing | $199 | $149 | $149 | $497 | Free |
|---|
| AR Registered Agent.org | $199 | $99 | $99 | $397 | Included |
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| Arkansas Registered Agent.co | $199 | $99 | $99 | $397 | Included |
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We read these prices on the companies' own sites on November 12, 2026. Every service adds the $270 state fee, so it is left out above.
Why this order
Five criteria set the order; the two heaviest are three-year cost and what one price covers. Here what one price covers made the difference.
AR Registered Agent.org renews for less, but one provider in every state scored higher on coverage.
Read the full criteria on our How we rank page.
Arkansas foreign LLC registration: fee, form and office
A company formed in another state registers with the Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services by filing the Application for Certificate of Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form FL-01). The state fee is $270. Arkansas also wants certificate of existence (good standing) from the home state, dated within 30 days.
After registering, the company files the Annual LLC franchise tax report ($150), due May 1.
What the filing asks for
- Certificate of existence (good standing) from the home state, issued no more than 30 days before you file.
- The company's exact legal name as it appears in its home state, plus its formation date.
- An in-state registered agent, which each ranked service provides.
- The $270 state fee, paid with the filing.
- A date in your calendar for the Annual LLC franchise tax report and its $150 fee.
Penalties for not registering in Arkansas
Arkansas courts are closed to an unregistered foreign LLC's lawsuits (A.C.A. 4-38-913(a)). Its contracts stay valid (A.C.A. 4-38-913(b)). Penalties can reach $5,000. Back fees for the time it operated without registering are due as well.
Foreign registration services in Arkansas: questions
Do I need to register my out-of-state LLC in Arkansas?
Yes, if the company transacts business there. Until it registers it cannot bring a lawsuit in the state's courts.
How much does foreign registration cost in Arkansas?
Budget $270 for the state and $199 for the service.
Which form does the state use?
The Application for Certificate of Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form FL-01), filed with the Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services.
Do I need a certificate from my home state?
Yes: certificate of existence (good standing) from the home state, dated within 30 days of filing.
Do I need a registered agent after registering?
Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Which foreign registration service is best in Arkansas?
Mainstay Filing, because it prepares and files the Arkansas registration for $199 and names itself your registered agent, free for year one.
Where the facts come from
- www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/LLC1_FT_2026.pdf (Arkansas yearly filing: Franchise tax report: what and when, official source), last confirmed October 2026
- www.sos.arkansas.gov/business-commercial-services-bcs/franchise-tax-re (Arkansas yearly filing: Franchise tax: amount and filing, official source), last confirmed October 2026
- www.sos.arkansas.gov/business-commercial-services-bcs (Arkansas report due date), last confirmed August 2026
- arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2021R%2FPublic%2FAC (Ark. Code Ann. § 4-38-201), last confirmed August 2026
- www.sos.arkansas.gov/business-commercial-services-bcs/forms-fees/llc (Arkansas formation fee: Filing fee, official source), last confirmed October 2026
- www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=/ACTS/2007/Public/ACT638. (Arkansas registered agent statute), last confirmed October 2026
- www.sos.arkansas.gov/business-commercial-services-bcs/forms-fees/llc/f (Arkansas Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms and fees), last confirmed October 2026
- www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/FL-01_1_1.pdf (Form FL-01), last confirmed October 2026
- www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=/ACTS/2021R/Public/ACT104 (Act 1041 of 2021, Uniform LLC Act), last confirmed October 2026
- www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/FL-04_2.pdf (Form FL-04, application for cancellation), last confirmed October 2026
- Mainstay Filing Arkansas service page, read on November 12, 2026
- AR Registered Agent.org pricing and service pages, read on November 12, 2026
- Arkansas Registered Agent.co pricing and service pages, read on November 12, 2026