The cheapest headline price is rarely the cheapest real setup. Compare the entry fee, state fee, registered agent renewal, address, EIN, tax filing, bookkeeping, dissolution and year-two cost before choosing Firstbase, doola, Stripe Atlas, LegalZoom, Northwest or any alternative. For non-resident founders, the decisive question is not “who files cheapest?” but “which provider covers the work I cannot safely manage myself?”
Pricing tracker table
Prices below are a research snapshot checked on 13 August 2026 from provider pricing, documentation or help-center pages. Providers can change prices, discounts, package scope and checkout terms without notice. Treat this as a decision aid, then confirm the live checkout before paying.
| Provider | Entry price | Recurring cost | State fees | Year-one model | Renewal risk | Watch item |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FirstbaseNon-resident founders who want modular US LLC or C-corp formation and optional back-office add-ons. | $399 one-time Start package | Firstbase One shown at $199/month billed yearly; Start, Agent and Mailroom can be separate. Public pages show different Agent starting prices, so confirm at checkout. | Check checkout; state fees, taxes and some add-ons can be separate. | Start + required/selected Agent + any Mailroom, tax, accounting or compliance add-ons. | Medium to high if Agent, Mailroom, Accounting, Tax or Firstbase One are added after formation. | The public $399 Start price is not the annual operating cost. Compare registered agent renewal, address, accounting and tax filing before buying. |
| doolaFounders who want formation, compliance, address and tax/bookkeeping support bundled into an annual package. | $297/year Starter + state fees; promotional discounts may appear. | Pulse bookkeeping $300/year; Tax and Compliance $1,999/year; Business-in-a-Box $2,999/year or $329/month before promotions. | State fees are extra. | Starter if formation is the main need; Tax and Compliance or Business-in-a-Box if filings/bookkeeping are the main risk. | High if the founder upgrades to tax/bookkeeping tiers before revenue justifies ongoing support. | The convenience is real, but higher tiers can be expensive for dormant or pre-revenue companies. Benchmark against a cross-border CPA. |
| Stripe AtlasDelaware startup formation where Stripe, investor readiness and standard startup documents matter. | $500 Atlas setup fee | $100/year registered agent after the first year. | Stripe states the setup fee covers incorporation plus state fees; confirm current scope before paying. | $500 setup plus future tax, bookkeeping, Delaware annual obligations and address/mail needs. | Medium: registered agent renewal is clear, but Delaware tax/accounting and startup legal work can dominate later. | Atlas is strongest when Stripe and Delaware startup norms fit. It is not automatically the best LLC path for every non-resident founder. |
| LegalZoomUS domestic small-business owners who want a broad legal-service marketplace, not a non-resident-specific formation path. | LLC starts at $0 + state filing fees; corporation starts at $149 + state filing fees. | Add-ons and subscriptions vary by package; verify operating agreement, EIN, registered agent and attorney support before checkout. | State filing fees are extra. | Headline formation + state fee + every add-on needed for EIN, agent, address, operating agreement and tax calendar. | Medium to high because add-on subscriptions can become the real cost. | A $0 formation headline can become expensive once you add the pieces a non-resident founder normally needs. |
| Northwest Registered AgentFounders who prioritize transparent registered agent pricing, privacy and a simpler formation package. | $39 + state fees advertised for LLC formation | $125/year registered agent after the included period or as standalone service. | State filing fees are extra. | $39 + state fee + any EIN, address, tax, bookkeeping or non-resident support needed outside the formation package. | Lower on registered agent pricing; higher if the founder later needs tax, EIN or banking coordination elsewhere. | It is not as non-resident-bundled as doola or Firstbase. Check EIN handling, tax forms and banking support separately. |
Provider notes and source links
Non-resident fit: Strong fit when the founder wants guided US formation and modular back-office services, but banking is still subject to partner approval.
Mailroom, registered agent, tax filing, accounting and sales-tax services.
Non-resident fit: Strong fit when the founder wants a bundled back-office path and values managed compliance over lowest cost.
Pulse bookkeeping, Tax and Compliance, Business-in-a-Box, tax consultations and dedicated bookkeeping tiers.
Non-resident fit: Best for founders who specifically want a Delaware startup path and Stripe ecosystem support, not for every low-cost LLC.
Delaware formation, EIN, registered agent, templates, Stripe account path and partner benefits.
Non-resident fit: Usually weaker for non-resident-specific needs unless the founder only needs a broad legal marketplace.
Operating agreement, EIN, registered agent, attorney plan, legal templates and expedited processing.
Non-resident fit: Good for founders who can manage the rest of the stack and mainly need agent/address infrastructure.
Registered agent, business address, mail scanning, EIN and state compliance services.
How to use this before buying
Use this tracker to shortlist providers, not to replace checkout verification. A non-resident founder should also check banking eligibility, payment processor requirements, tax filing obligations in the residence country, and whether the provider will support the exact entity type they need.
- Run Founder Path if you are unsure whether you need a US LLC, C-corp, UK Ltd or local company first.
- Check the bank eligibility matrix before paying for formation mainly to access banking or Stripe.
- Compare doola vs Firstbase if you want the two most relevant affiliate paths for non-resident LLC formation.
Provider decision table
Use the scenario table to avoid overbuying. The best provider depends on what is blocking the founder: formation, banking, Stripe, tax, compliance, bookkeeping or investor readiness.
| Founder scenario | Shortlist | Avoid | Next check |
|---|---|---|---|
| I want the lowest serious US LLC setup | Direct filing or Northwest-style registered-agent route | Buying a full annual tax/bookkeeping bundle before there is revenue or transaction complexity. | Open next step → |
| I want a guided non-resident formation package | Firstbase or doola | Comparing only the formation checkout price while ignoring agent, address, tax and bookkeeping renewals. | Open next step → |
| I mainly need banking, Stripe or marketplace approval | Provider plus bank eligibility check | Assuming any formation provider can override unsupported residence, industry or address facts. | Open next step → |
| I want US venture capital or standard startup documents | Stripe Atlas or Delaware C-corp counsel | Using an LLC only because it is cheaper today when investors may require a corporation later. | Open next step → |
| I already formed and now need filings/bookkeeping | doola Tax and Compliance, Firstbase One, or a specialist CPA/bookkeeper | Paying for a new formation package when the real need is cleanup, tax filing or compliance maintenance. | Open next step → |
The renewal traps to check manually
Before paying, write down the exact year-two price for the registered agent, business address, mail scanning, tax filing, bookkeeping, annual report handling, sales-tax support and dissolution help. If a checkout page bundles formation with “free” or discounted services, ask what renews, when it renews and how cancellation works.
For non-resident founders, tax and banking often dominate formation cost. A $39 or $399 formation path can still become expensive if the founder later needs Form 5472 cleanup, multi-member LLC filings, sales-tax registration, bookkeeping reconstruction, bank rejection recovery or a proper dissolution. Use the cost calculator and compliance calendar before buying a package mainly because the headline price looks low.