Can I protect my personal information without paying for privacy services?

You can be your own registered agent in Texas, but your address goes on the formation docs. The registered agent address is public. There's no free workaround for that specific field unless you use a commercial agent or a friend's address with their permission. But then you're relying on them to forward mail and be available during business hours.

Some states let you list a PO box for the registered agent, but Texas requires a physical street address. I lookd into this last year. You could use a virtual office address, but those often cost money too. The cheapest option I found was a local mailbox store that offers a street address format, but you have to check if the state accepts it for registered agent purposes.

What about forming in Wyoming or New Mexico? I've read those are more private. You still need a registered agent there though, and if you don't Live there you'll have to pay someone.

You can use a family member's address if they agree. That's free. But it's risky if they move or if you have a falling out. Also if someone serves papers there, your family gets dragged into it

I've been running a small LLC for three years and I just Used my home addres. Honestly, nobody has ever looked me up. The fear is overblown unless you're doing something high-profile. But I get why people want privacy. The monthly fees for registered agent services add up. Some are like $50 a year though, not monthly. That's not terrible.

the privacy services usually bundle registered agent with mail forwarding and sometimes a virtual address. If you only need registered agent, you can find cheaper standalone services. But the OP asked about doing it without paying at all. The only free way is to use youe own address or someone else's. There's no magic trick.

Annual reports usually ask for a mailing address and sometimes a principal office address. Those can often be a PO box or a different address than your home. But the registered agent address is the one that's always public and must be a physical address where someone is available during business hours. So if you use your home, that's what shows up.

Also, if you use your home address as the principal office, it might show up in other places too, like on the secretary of state's website. Some states redact it, some don't. Texas doesn't redact much. You ciuld use a UPS store mailbox that gives you a street address for the principal office, but that costs money too.

Have you considered just using a different mailing address like a PO box for everything except the registered agent? That's what I do. My registered agent is a friend who has a commercial address, and I pay her a small yearly fee. It's not free but it's cheaper than the big companies. Maybe ask around your network.