Incorporation

Vital signs

Why it's on the table

On the table, Incorporation (In) is seat 38 of 58, in the Back-office family. It is a commodity element — solved and undifferentiated. Spend the minimum here and reinvest the attention in elements that still reward judgment. It is marked essential: a company that leaves this seat empty is running with a gap that compounds. It sits in the lowest paid band — lunch money against the hours it returns.

Incorporation: the top 5 — v2026.Q3

Edition v2026.Q3 · ranking, pricing and status verified 2026-08-06.

1. 1Stripe AtlasStripe

   $500 one-time (incl. Delaware filing fees + first-year registered agent) · $100/yr renewal · C-corp or LLC

   Best for The default venture path: a Delaware C-corp (or LLC) formed in two business days with equity, EIN, and 83(b) handled, from anywhere in the world.

   The category's compounding default: 100,000+ founders from 140+ countries (vendor, Aug 2026), legal docs built with Cooley, next-day expedited Delaware processing, automated 83(b) filing including the non-US-founder path nobody else automates as cleanly, plus $2,500 in Stripe credits and $50k+ in partner perks. The one-time $500 covers state fees — most rivals' teaser prices don't.

   Watch Delaware only — no Wyoming, no home-state option. It ends at formation: accounting, tax filings, and mail are someone else's job (Firstbase and doola bundle them). And it is unapologetically a funnel into Stripe's payments ecosystem; the $2,500 credit is an acquisition cost, not a gift.

   $500 one-time incl. government fees + first-year registered agent; $100/yr after (vendor pricing, Aug 2026) [src] · 100,000+ founders, 140+ countries, incorporation within two business days (vendor, Aug 2026) [src] · Automated 83(b) filing incl. dedicated non-US founder flow; India ODI and Singapore founder guides (docs, Aug 2026) [src]
   Site →Docs →

2. 2ClerkyClerky (founded by startup attorneys)

   Incorporation $427 pay-per-use · Lifetime package $819 (incl. first-year registered agent + unlimited post-incorporation, hiring, and fundraising docs — SAFEs $9 à la carte)

   Best for Founders who expect real diligence — the paperwork-perfectionist option run by ex-Silicon Valley startup attorneys, and YC's standing referral.

   The quality benchmark: 20,000+ startups incorporated, alumni include Coinbase, Gusto, Segment, and Zapier, and YC partner Kirsty Nathoo's endorsement is categorical — when YC funds an unincorporated startup, she sends founders to Clerky. Law-firm partners at Gunderson Dettmer and Orrick vouch that Clerky companies arrive diligence-clean; the lifetime package then covers SAFEs, notes, hiring, and board consents forever.

   Watch Delaware C-corps (and PBCs) only — no LLC, so it can't serve the solopreneur or tax-pass-through case at all. No banking, perks, or back-office bundle; pay-per-use pricing nickel-and-dimes if you skip the $819 lifetime tier. US-founder-oriented compared with Atlas's international rails.

   20,000+ startups incorporated; YC partner endorsement on homepage (vendor, Aug 2026) [src] · $427 incorporation pay-per-use · $819 lifetime incl. unlimited fundraising/hiring/maintenance docs (vendor pricing, Aug 2026) [src]
   Site →Docs →

3. 3FirstbaseFirstbase.io

   Start $399 one-time (LLC or C-corp, Delaware or Wyoming) · Agent $299/yr/state · Mailroom $35–50/mo · One bundle $199/mo (agent + mailroom + accounting + tax)

   Best for Founders — especially non-US — who want formation plus the boring aftermath (registered agent, US address and mail, annual reports, bookkeeping, tax filings) from one vendor.

   The strongest formation-plus-operations stack: 30,000+ companies incorporated from 191 countries that went on to raise $3B (vendor, Aug 2026). It's the only top pick offering Wyoming alongside Delaware — materially cheaper ongoing compliance for LLCs — and its Agent/Mailroom/One products keep earning after the certificate arrives.

   Watch The model is the upsell: $399 gets you in, but the maintained state costs $199/mo on the One bundle and tax filing runs $1,799/yr for C-corps. Documents are solid but not the attorney-maintained gold standard Clerky sells. Don't confuse it with firstbasehq.com, an unrelated remote-equipment company.

   30,000+ companies from 191 countries; $3B raised by customers (vendor homepage, Aug 2026) [src] · Start $399 one-time, Delaware or Wyoming, LLC or C-corp; Agent $299/yr; One $199/mo (vendor pricing, Aug 2026) [src]
   Site →Docs →

4. 4dooladoola

   Starter $297/yr + state fees (LLC, EIN, registered agent, virtual address) · Tax & Compliance $1,599/yr · Business-in-a-Box $2,399/yr

   Best for Non-US solo founders and e-commerce operators forming a US LLC to bank and bill in dollars — no SSN, no US visit.

   The international LLC specialist: 15,000+ founders from 175+ countries (vendor, Aug 2026), with EIN/ITIN handling for founders who lack an SSN and bundles that carry a non-resident through bookkeeping and the 1120/5472 filings that trip up foreign-owned single-member LLCs. Its AI Co-Founder assistant signals where the category is heading — formation as the front door to an automated back office.

   Watch LLC-first — the wrong tool for a venture-path Delaware C-corp, and its formation pricing is an annual subscription ($297/yr) rather than a one-time fee, so compare lifetime cost honestly. Smaller company than the picks above; homepage stats are vendor-reported and unaudited.

   15,000+ founders from 175+ countries (vendor homepage, Aug 2026) [src] · Starter $297/yr + state fees · Tax & Compliance $1,599/yr · Business-in-a-Box $2,399/yr (vendor pricing, Aug 2026) [src]
   Site →Docs →

5. 5LegalZoomLegalZoom (NASDAQ: LZ)

   Formation $0 + state fees · Pro $249 (operating agreement, EIN, attorney consults) · Premium $299 · watch the auto-renewing subscriptions attached to paid tiers

   Best for The mass-market comparison: any state, any entity type, 25 years of brand trust — right for a home-state small business, not for a venture-path startup.

   The scale reference every startup-formation service is measured against: 9M+ legal milestones over 25 years, and since 2021 the first US public company to own and operate a law firm. Its $0-plus-state-fees entry defines the industry's loss-leader pricing floor, and it files in all 50 states — something none of the startup-grade picks do.

   Watch Not startup-grade: no standard VC-ready equity structure, vesting, or automated 83(b) workflow — founders who form here routinely pay a lawyer to redo the stack before a priced round. Paid tiers bolt on auto-renewing subscriptions ($49/mo attorney plan, $9.99/mo bookkeeping) that outlast the formation.

   9M+ legal milestones; 25 years; first public company to own a US law firm, 2021 (vendor, Aug 2026) [src] · $0 + state fees Basic · Pro $249 · Premium $299, with auto-renewing add-on subscriptions (vendor pricing, Aug 2026) [src]
   Site →Docs →

Incorporation: the top 8 compared

Edition v2026.Q3 · ranking, pricing and status verified 2026-08-06.

How to choose your incorporation

If you're on the venture path and want to be a company this week

Stripe Atlas Delaware C-corp — $500 covers state fees, equity, EIN, and 83(b), live in two business days. Don't overthink it; this is what 100k+ founders did.

If you expect YC, institutional investors, or acquirer diligence to read your paperwork

Clerky's $819 lifetime package — attorney-maintained docs that law firms don't rewrite, plus unlimited SAFEs and hiring paperwork forever.

If you're a non-US founder without an SSN monetizing US customers as a solo operator

doola (or StartGlobal) for the LLC + EIN/ITIN + bookkeeping + 5472-safe tax path; Atlas if you actually need a C-corp for investors.

If you want Wyoming's cheaper compliance, or formation bundled with a US address, mail, registered agent, and annual reports

Firstbase Start at $399 — then budget honestly for the $199/mo One bundle you'll be sold.

If you're building a home-state small business — agency, restaurant, consultancy — not raising venture money

Skip Delaware entirely; a $0-tier home-state LLC via LegalZoom or Bizee plus your state's fee is correct, and dual-state registration costs are the trap Delaware defaults create.

If headlines about companies fleeing Delaware make you hesitate

Stay Delaware anyway for a venture C-corp in 2026 — the DExit wave (Tesla, Dropbox, a16z to Nevada, Jul 2025) is a public-company and GP fight; investors still expect Delaware paper, and Atlas/Clerky/Gust file nowhere else.

Incorporation: the whole field

14 more tools tracked in this category, including 3 dead, renamed, or sunsetting — a reference that hides the graveyard isn't one. Verified 2026-08-06.

Incorporation: the category in numbers

Edition v2026.Q3 · ranking, pricing and status verified 2026-08-06.

• US business applications ran at 531,423/month (seasonally adjusted, Jun 2026, +1.1% MoM) — a ~6M/yr formation pace keeps the category structurally huge [src]
• Delaware remains the default jurisdiction: 2M+ legal entities and >66% of the Fortune 500 (Division of Corporations, accessed Aug 2026) [src]
• DExit is real but elite: a16z reincorporated in Nevada Jul 9, 2025 and urged portfolio companies to consider following, citing Chancery unpredictability, after Tesla, Dropbox, and Tripadvisor departures [src]
• Stripe Atlas passed 100,000 founders from 140+ countries; $500 all-in with two-business-day formation (vendor, Aug 2026) [src]
• Pricing bifurcation: mass-market formation collapsed to $0-plus-state-fees loss leaders (LegalZoom, Bizee, ZenBusiness, Swyft, Tailor Brands) while startup-grade flat fees hold at $399–$819 — the margin moved to registered-agent renewals, compliance, tax, and bookkeeping subscriptions [src]
• Formation is becoming the front door to an AI back office: doola ships an 'AI Co-Founder' assistant and Firstbase bundles accounting/tax into a $199/mo One subscription (both Aug 2026) [src]

Incorporation: method & sources

Ranking criteria: correctness of the legal stack under later diligence, all-in cost honesty (state fees and renewals included), speed, non-US-founder support, and what happens after the certificate. The C-corp-vs-LLC decision is the category's real fork: Delaware C-corp if you'll raise venture money (Atlas, Clerky, Gust file nothing else that matters); LLC if you're a solo operator or non-US founder monetizing US customers (doola, StartGlobal, Firstbase-Wyoming) — converting an LLC to a C-corp later costs more than choosing right. Delaware franchise tax is the recurring gotcha: $175 minimum via authorized-shares method but $400 minimum under assumed-par-value (corp.delaware.gov calculator) — startups with standard 10M authorized shares must use the assumed-par-value method or face five-figure bills. Conflicts resolved: doola's homepage markets LLC-only while its checkout supports C-corps — we classify it LLC-first; Capbase's site still sells but is branded 'by MainStreet' post-acquisition with unverifiable freshness — status 'acquired', not 'active'; AngelList Stack's death is inferred from its landing page now serving Rollups content (single-source, no official sunset notice found). The parent-table claim that 'one in five Atlas startups charges a customer within 30 days' traces to Stripe's annual letters, which are PDF-only and were not verifiable this session. Delaware's SB 21 response to DExit (reported Mar 2025) could not be verified against a primary source — re-check before citing. Widely-recommended 'Atlas vs X' SEO comparisons are mostly affiliate content; none informed rankings. Adjacent elements: bank accounts (Mercury, Brex) → Bk; cap tables (Carta, Pulley) → Eq; contracts and counsel → Lg; bookkeeping/tax after formation → Ac; hiring across borders → Hr. Non-US-jurisdiction formation (Osome, Ownr, SeedLegals-style UK tooling) is noted in the field but out of canonical scope, which is US-entity formation. Ranking criteria: verified commercial traction, independent satisfaction surveys, agent benchmarks, and founder-fit (price floor, lock-in, surfaces). Editorial, never paid — the charter. Machine-readable twin: in.json.

Our take

One in five Atlas startups now charges a customer within thirty days of forming. The paperwork stopped being the bottleneck.

Combines with