Stripe Atlas was built for a startup that plans to raise money in the US. You pay $500 once, you get a Delaware C corporation with founder shares, vesting and an 83(b) election filed for you, the Delaware filing fee and the first year of registered agent service are included, and Stripe payments are switched on from day one. If that describes you, Atlas is a fair deal and we say so further down.
Most people who search for a Stripe Atlas alternative are not that startup. They live in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, the UAE or the Philippines. They want one LLC with one owner so they can invoice clients or sell online, and they have no SSN.
Most of the founders we work with are in this position, and three details in the Atlas documentation matter more to them than the $500 headline. Delaware is the only state on offer. The EIN takes 10 to 35 business days without an SSN.
And the US bank account is still their own problem once Atlas is done. So this page adds up what Atlas, doola, StartGlobal, Firstbase and Bizstartz cost over three years for exactly that founder, using the prices on each pricing page as we read them on 25 October 2026.
The short version
If you are raising from US investors and need a C corporation, use Stripe Atlas or Firstbase. The equity paperwork is included and done properly, and investors know the documents.
If you are one owner living abroad and the company exists to get you paid, Delaware is the wrong state and Atlas only offers Delaware. That costs you $400 a year in Delaware LLC tax that a Wyoming or New Mexico LLC never pays, and the Atlas EIN route without an SSN is slow. A Wyoming LLC through Bizstartz, StartGlobal or doola is cheaper from the second year onward, and usually in the first year too.
Whoever forms the company, the bank decides whether it is useful. No formation provider can open Mercury, Relay or Wise for someone who lives in a country those providers exclude. Check your country on the US Fintech Lockout Index before you pay anyone, including us.
What Stripe Atlas includes, taken from its own pages
Everything below comes from stripe.com/atlas and the Atlas documentation, both read on 25 October 2026.
- The fee is $500, paid once, and it “includes government fees and your first year of registered agent services”. After the first year the registered agent renews at $100 a year.
- Delaware only. You can form a Delaware C corporation, a Delaware LLC, or a subsidiary. No other state is available.
- Atlas files the EIN application on Form SS-4 for you. With a US SSN, a US address and a US phone number it takes 1 to 2 business days. Without an SSN, Atlas says 10 to 35 business days after incorporation.
- C corporations get founder equity, vesting and the 83(b) election filed. Everyone gets $2,500 in Stripe credits and the partner perks.
- The Atlas tax page says a Delaware LLC “must pay an annual LLC tax” and still shows it as “a flat rate of 300 USD”. That figure is out of date. Delaware raised the tax to $400 under HB 400 starting with tax year 2026. It is due 1 June each year, and a late payment costs $200 plus interest at 1.5% a month.
- Banking is a separate step. Atlas says you “can open a business bank account” after formation, with Stripe or with a bank of your choice. Whether one actually opens depends on where you live.
What five providers cost in year one and over three years
The assumptions are simple. One owner living outside the US, one LLC with one member, no employees, nothing extra bought. State fees are the official amounts, so Wyoming is $100 to file and $60 a year for the annual report, and Delaware is $110 to file and $400 a year in LLC tax.
Provider prices are what each pricing page displayed on 25 October 2026. Promotional prices move around, so check before you buy. Tax filing, mail forwarding and bank accounts are left out of every total because every provider charges for them separately.
| Provider and plan | Price in year one | State filing fee | States offered | Registered agent after year one | EIN without an SSN | Three year total for a one member LLC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Atlas | $500 | Included (Delaware) | Delaware only | $100 a year | 10 to 35 business days, per the Atlas documentation | Delaware. $500 + 3 x $400 + 2 x $100 = $1,900 |
| doola Starter | $297 a year, billed annually, plus state fees | Extra | Any state | Included in the $297 subscription | Not published | Wyoming. 3 x $297 + $100 + 3 x $60 = $1,171 |
| StartGlobal Formation | $399 paid once, “all state and government fees included” | Included | Any state | $99 a year | Not published | Wyoming. $399 + 2 x $99 + 3 x $60 = $777 (its optional annual report service is another $299 a year) |
| Firstbase Start | $99 (shown as a promotion from $399) plus state fee | Extra | Delaware or Wyoming | Not included. The Agent plan is $299 a year per state | Not published | Wyoming. $99 + $100 + 3 x $299 + 3 x $60 = $1,276 |
| Bizstartz Starter | $199 plus the state fee, which we pass through with no markup | Extra | Any state (Wyoming or New Mexico for most nonresidents) | About $100 a year | Form SS-4 by fax, most EINs back in about 4 business days | Wyoming. $199 + $100 + $60 + 2 x ($100 + $60) = $679 |
| Zenind | Plan prices are not shown on its pricing page (“from $0 plus state fees”) | Extra | Any state | $99 a year if you use its address | Not published | Cannot be worked out from published prices |
The $500 Atlas fee looks all inclusive until you count the first year of Delaware tax the same way the Wyoming rows count the annual report. Do that and every other provider is cheaper in year one, and by year three Atlas is the most expensive option in the table.
The whole gap is the Delaware LLC tax. Firstbase has a similar trick in reverse. The $99 formation is cheap right up to the moment you add the registered agent that every state requires. If your situation is different from the assumptions above, the LLC cost calculator will do the sums for your state.
Delaware is the real cost of Stripe Atlas
Atlas forms in Delaware because its customers raise money, and US investors expect a Delaware C corporation. A solo founder abroad with an LLC gets none of that benefit and all of the cost. From 2026 that is $400 every year in Delaware LLC tax, against $60 in Wyoming and $0 in New Mexico. Over five years you are looking at $2,000 against $300 or nothing. Our Wyoming vs Delaware comparison goes through the trade off properly.
The EIN gap
Atlas does not hide this. Without a US SSN it expects the EIN 10 to 35 business days after incorporation, which is the IRS mail route. The IRS also accepts Form SS-4 by fax from applicants whose main business is outside the US, and that route usually comes back in about four business days.
We file by fax for every nonresident client because until the EIN arrives, most banks and platforms will not finish onboarding, so those weeks are weeks of not getting paid. Our guide to getting an EIN without an SSN explains both routes.
The bank account nobody can promise
Every provider in the table, Bizstartz included, can only introduce you to banks and payment platforms. The decision belongs to the bank, and the published rules mostly turn on where the owner lives. Mercury prohibits residents of 48 countries, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Philippines among them. Relay screens by citizenship or residence and asks for an SSN for each owner.
Wise will not issue USD account details to an owner whose address is in Pakistan, Nigeria or Bangladesh. The Atlas perks include a Mercury discount, which is worth nothing to a founder Mercury will not accept. The US Fintech Lockout Index scores all 197 countries from the rule pages of the providers themselves. Check yours before you form anything.
Who should pick which
| If you are | Pick | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Raising from US investors and building a C corporation | Stripe Atlas or Firstbase | Equity, vesting and the 83(b) election are handled, and investors recognise the documents. |
| A freelancer or agency owner abroad who needs Stripe and an LLC | Bizstartz or StartGlobal | Wyoming, a lower recurring cost, and banking advice for your country before you pay. |
| Someone who wants formation, bookkeeping and tax in one subscription | doola Tax and Compliance ($1,999 a year plus state fees) | One bill and one dashboard, at a price that assumes you already have revenue. |
| A founder in Pakistan, Nigeria or Bangladesh | Talk to a human first | Mercury, Relay and Wise USD details are closed to residents. The LLC is the easy part. The account is not. |
Frequently asked questions
Is Stripe Atlas available to founders outside the US?
Yes. Atlas says you can apply “from almost anywhere in the world” and it incorporates only in Delaware. It does not publish a list of unsupported countries on its pricing or signup pages, and it refunds the fee if it cannot support your business.
Does Stripe Atlas include the Delaware annual LLC tax?
No. The $500 covers the filing fee and the first year of registered agent service. The annual LLC tax, $400 from tax year 2026 under HB 400, is paid by you to Delaware each year by 1 June. The Atlas tax page still quotes $300.
How long does the EIN take with Stripe Atlas if I have no SSN?
The Atlas documentation says 10 to 35 business days after incorporation. The fax route the IRS offers to applicants outside the US usually takes about four business days.
Can Stripe Atlas open a US bank account for me?
It can only introduce you. Atlas lists Mercury among its partner perks and offers a Stripe financial account, but each provider reviews you on where you live and what documents you hold. Residents of countries on the Mercury prohibited list cannot use the Mercury perk.
Is doola cheaper than Stripe Atlas?
In year one, slightly. doola Starter is $297 a year plus state fees, so a Wyoming LLC costs about $457 in year one including the $60 annual report, against $500 for Atlas plus $400 in Delaware tax. But doola renews at $297 every year. Over three years in Wyoming, doola comes to about $1,171 and Atlas in Delaware to about $1,900, with Bizstartz at about $679 and StartGlobal at about $777 on the same assumptions.
Prices and rules on this page were read from each provider on 25 October 2026 and will change. Nothing here is legal or tax advice. Tell us where you live and what the company is for and we will tell you plainly which option fits, including when it is not us. Book a free consultation.
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