Stripe Atlas vs doola vs Firstbase: The Real 3-Year Cost

Stripe Atlas is the cheapest of the three over three years for a Delaware LLC (about $1,900), doola is cheapest in year one ($407) and the only sub-$1,200 option over three years if you pick Wyoming, and Firstbase costs the most at list price but sells the yearly non-resident tax filing as a defined add-on. Which one fits depends less on the headline price than on three things: the state you want, whether you will use Stripe, and who will file your Form 5472 every year.

Every price below comes from the vendor’s own pricing page or the state’s fee schedule, checked 28 October 2026. Prices change often, so recheck before you pay. This is not sponsored and contains no affiliate links.

The list prices, side by side

Sources: Stripe Atlas, doola pricing, Firstbase pricing. As of October 2026. The doola $1,999 tier is a separate plan; check its page for exactly what it covers.

The services also do not charge the same way. Atlas is a one-time fee plus a small renewal. doola Starter is a subscription that bundles the registered agent and an address. Firstbase charges for formation, then sells the registered agent, mailroom and tax filing as separate yearly lines.

What the state charges on top

Formation services quote their own fee. The state collects its own every year, whoever formed the company.

Sources: Delaware fee schedule, Delaware LLC tax, Wyoming fees. For a deeper look at the state choice, see Delaware vs Wyoming LLC for non-residents.

The 3-year cost table

This is the number vendor comparison pages rarely show. Assumptions: a single-member LLC, the cheapest plan that keeps a registered agent for all three years, three Delaware LLC tax payments (or two Wyoming annual reports at the $60 minimum), and no tax filing service. Prices as of October 2026.

The arithmetic, line by line

Stripe Atlas, Delaware: $500 (includes the $110 Delaware filing and year-one agent) + $100 × 2 renewal years + $400 × 3 Delaware LLC tax = $1,900. If you qualify for the $500 refund, $1,400.

doola Starter, Delaware: $297 × 3 + $110 formation + $400 × 3 = $891 + $110 + $1,200 = $2,201.

Firstbase, Delaware: $399 + $299 × 3 agent + $110 + $400 × 3 = $399 + $897 + $110 + $1,200 = $2,606. With the $99 offer instead of $399: $2,306.

doola Starter, Wyoming: $891 + $100 formation + $60 × 2 annual reports = $1,111.

Firstbase, Wyoming: $399 + $897 + $100 + $120 = $1,516, or $1,216 with the $99 offer.

Two things fall out of this. In Delaware, the $400 yearly LLC tax is the biggest single line for every provider: $1,200 of each total. And the price gap between providers is mostly the registered agent: $100 a year on Atlas against roughly $300 a year elsewhere.

Year one versus year three

Year 1 counts the first Delaware LLC tax payment (due 1 June after formation). doola is cheapest to start; Atlas overtakes it in year two and stays ahead.

Fit: US founders vs Canadian and Australian non-residents

US founders

A US resident with a Social Security number gets an EIN online in minutes from the IRS, and has fewer hoops at US banks. For you, the formation service is mostly a convenience and a registered agent. The 3-year table is a fair guide: Atlas if you are happy in Delaware and use Stripe, doola if you want Wyoming or a bundled address.

Canadian and Australian founders (and other non-residents)

For a founder in Toronto or Sydney, the formation fee is the small part. What costs time and money comes after:

• The EIN. Without a US principal place of business you cannot use the IRS online application. International applicants call 267-941-1099 (6am to 11pm ET, Monday to Friday), fax Form SS-4 (about 4 business days) or mail it (about 4 weeks). With no SSN or ITIN, you write “foreign” on line 7b (IRS SS-4 instructions). Ask each provider whether EIN filing is included in your plan. Our EIN guide for non-US residents covers the DIY route.
• Form 5472 every year. A single-member LLC owned by a non-US person must file a pro forma Form 1120 with Form 5472. It cannot be e-filed. The penalty for not filing is $25,000, plus $25,000 for each 30 days it stays unfiled after 90 days from an IRS notice (IRS). This is why the tax-filing add-on matters more to non-residents than the formation price.
• A real business address for banking. Mercury, for example, does not accept a registered-agent address, PO box or UPS box as the business address (Mercury). Check whether a provider’s address product meets your bank’s rules before paying for it.
• Home-country tax. Your home country may tax the LLC’s profits even when the US does not, and it may classify the LLC differently from the US. Speak to a cross-border accountant before you form. See US LLC for Canadians and US company for Australian founders.

Prices here are in USD. Your card issuer will apply its own exchange rate and any foreign transaction fee, and check at checkout whether any tax is added for your country.

A worked example for a non-resident

Liam, in Brisbane, wants a single-member Delaware LLC and does not want to prepare Form 5472 himself. Over three years:

• Firstbase with tax filing: $2,606 + $2,697 = $5,303 at list ($5,003 with the $99 offer).
• Stripe Atlas plus a separate preparer: $1,900 + whatever an independent preparer charges for three pro forma 1120 and 5472 filings. Atlas is cheaper only if three years of that preparer cost less than about $3,403 ($3,103 against the Firstbase offer).
• doola: compare Starter ($2,201) plus a separate preparer, or the $1,999-a-year Tax & Compliance tier, against the totals above. Check what the higher tier includes before assuming it replaces Starter.

The point is not that one service is best. It is that a non-resident should compare formation plus three years of 5472 filings, not formation alone.

Who should and should NOT use each

None of the three is the wrong choice for a typical founder. The wrong choice is buying on the first-year price and ignoring the registered agent renewal, the state tax and, for non-residents, Form 5472.

Quick decision guide

1. Do you need Wyoming or another non-Delaware state? Yes: doola or Firstbase. No: keep reading.
2. Will you use Stripe and can you park $5,000 in Stripe Treasury within 90 days? Yes: Atlas is hard to beat on cost. Check that Treasury is available for your company before counting on the refund.
3. Are you a non-US owner of a single-member LLC? Price formation plus three years of Form 5472 filing, as in the example above. Firstbase’s $899 add-on is the simplest to price; otherwise get a quote from an independent preparer.
4. Raising venture capital as a Delaware C-corp? Compare each provider’s corporation package directly, and budget for Delaware’s franchise tax and annual report due 1 March (minimum tax $175 or $400, plus a $50 report fee) (Delaware). Our C-corp vs LLC guide explains the trade-off.

One thing you can drop from the comparison: BOI reporting. US-formed companies have been exempt since 14 August 2026, so a provider’s BOI add-on is no longer worth paying for. See BOI reporting in 2026. More setup guides are in the US company setup hub.

This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm with a CPA (US) or a cross-border accountant in Canada or Australia for your situation.