Stripe Atlas vs. Clerky: Head-to-Head Comparison

What Stripe Atlas Does

Stripe launched Atlas in 2016. You pay $500 one time and get your company formed in Delaware.

Here is what you get for $500:

• Delaware C Corp or LLC incorporation, processed in 1 to 2 business days

• EIN registration. 1 to 2 business days if you have a US SSN. 15 to 25 business days if you do not

• Founder equity issuance and stock purchase agreements

• 83(b) election filing. Atlas does this automatically for all founders

• First year of registered agent service ($100 per year after that)

• Legal documents built in collaboration with Cooley LLP

• $2,500 in Stripe product credits plus $50,000 in partner discounts from AWS, Mercury, Xero, and others

• Ability to open a bank account with Mercury or Brex before your EIN arrives

Atlas is not a law firm. It does not review your specific situation. Once your documents are filed, Atlas is done.

What Clerky Does

Two startup attorneys built Clerky. The goal was to give founders attorney-quality documents without paying attorney prices.

The Company Lifetime Package costs $819 one time. A Pay Per Use option also exists if you only need the formation itself.

Here is what the Lifetime Package includes:

• Delaware C Corp incorporation, processed in 2 to 3 business days

• Post-incorporation setup including founder stock with vesting, bylaws, IP assignment, and board consents

• Pre-filled 83(b) elections with automated reminders

• Advanced delay protection if Delaware rejects your filing

• Unlimited lifetime access to SAFEs, convertible notes, hiring paperwork, equity grants, and maintenance filings

• First year of registered agent service ($125 per year after that)

Clerky also uses software-generated templates. No attorney reviews your specific company before filing. The difference from Atlas is what you get after you incorporate.

Pricing

Atlas charges you $500 once. Your only recurring cost is $100 per year for the registered agent after year one.

Clerky charges $819 for the Lifetime Package. You get unlimited access to all their standard post-formation documents. If you plan to raise a round and need SAFEs, hiring templates, and equity paperwork, the Lifetime Package pays for itself quickly. If you just want to incorporate and handle everything else elsewhere, you are paying $319 more than Atlas for documents you may never use.

Clerky also offers Pay Per Use at a lower upfront cost. You buy documents individually as you need them.

Document Quality

Both services produce Delaware-standard startup formation documents. Both work with experienced startup attorneys to build their templates. For a standard setup with two founders, a typical equity split, and no unusual provisions, either service gives you legally sound documents.

The problem shows up when your situation is not standard. Neither Atlas nor Clerky can handle double trigger acceleration, super voting shares, or non-standard vesting. If you need any of those, you take the generated documents to an outside attorney and pay to revise them.

About 40% of incorporations involve questions that go beyond what a template can answer. Most incorporations are standard. But not all of them are.

Processing Speed

Atlas processes your Delaware incorporation in 1 to 2 business days. That is the typical timeline, not a hard guarantee.

Clerky processes in 2 to 3 business days. Their Advanced Delay Protection monitors your filing and responds to any rejections from Delaware. Atlas does not offer this.

For most founders, the difference in processing time does not matter. If you have an investor waiting or a contract that needs a signed entity, Atlas gives you a slight speed advantage.

EIN

Your EIN timeline depends on your situation.

If you have a US SSN, a US address, and a US phone number, Atlas gets your EIN in 1 to 2 business days. If you are an international founder without an SSN, the IRS takes 15 to 25 business days. Clerky follows the same pattern.

Neither service can speed up the IRS.

One thing Atlas does that Clerky does not: you can open a bank account with Mercury or Brex and start accepting Stripe payments before your EIN arrives. That helps international founders who need to start operating while they wait.

What Happens After You Incorporate

This is where Atlas and Clerky actually differ.

After Atlas, you have your documents and your Stripe account. You figure out the rest yourself. Need a SAFE for your first angel? You find a template, hire a lawyer, or use another platform.

After Clerky, those documents are already waiting for you. SAFEs, convertible notes, advisor agreements, offer letters, equity grants, and maintenance filings all live inside Clerky. The templates are attorney-designed. Founders who use Clerky through their seed round stay in it because the context carries forward.

If you will need legal documents in the next 12 to 18 months, the $319 premium Clerky charges over Atlas is worth it. If you will not, it is not.

Who Should Use Stripe Atlas

Use Atlas if:

• You want the lowest-cost path to a Delaware C Corp

• You already use Stripe and want everything connected

• You do not plan to need ongoing legal documents

• You are comfortable finding future legal documents on your own

Who Should Use Clerky

Use Clerky if:

• You expect to raise a round in the next 12 to 18 months

• You will need SAFEs, convertible notes, or hiring paperwork

• You want all your legal documents in one place

• Document quality matters more to you than upfront cost

The Verdict

For most founders on a venture track, go with Clerky.

The $319 price difference is real. But Clerky was built for exactly this use case and the lifetime document access makes it worth it if you are raising capital.

Go with Atlas if you are on a tight budget, your incorporation is completely standard, or you are already deep in the Stripe ecosystem. Atlas is not a worse product. It is a different product built for a different kind of founder.

Neither choice is wrong. You just need to decide whether you want an incorporation service or a legal platform.

What Founders on Reddit Say About Stripe Atlas vs. Clerky

Across threads in r/startups and r/ycombinator, founders who have been through this give consistent advice.

Both services work for standard setups. Clerky wins if you are raising capital.

A startup attorney in this r/startups thread said it directly:

"I'm a startup lawyer and often recommend Clerky unless you have a complicated setup. If you're worried about it, you could hire a lawyer to look over your shoulder as you complete Clerky/Atlas to provide guidance and explain anything that needs explaining."

For most founders, this choice is not high-stakes. A lawyer reviewing your documents after the fact costs less than people expect.

For a simple filing, either works. File your 83(b).

A commenter in this r/startups thread on incorporation services put it plainly:

"If you're looking to simply file, Clerky or Stripe Atlas. The other advice on formation, be mindful to file your 83b election."

The 83(b) comes up in every single thread. Both services support it. Neither one can make you actually do it. You have 30 days from stock issuance and there are no extensions.

Pick your structure first, then pick your service.

A top comment in this r/ycombinator thread laid it out clearly:

"Short answer: it depends on your goals. If seeking investors or plan to give shares to cofounders: C-Corp is the way to go. Delaware is not the only option, but it's the standard one. The cheapest and fastest way to do this is with a boilerplate service like Clerky, Stripe Atlas, etc. You can always pay a lawyer later to change the agreement."

The service is secondary. Getting the structure right is what matters.

What Reddit agrees on:

• Both services work for standard Delaware C-Corp incorporations

• Clerky is the better pick if you are raising capital and need ongoing legal documents

• Atlas is faster and cheaper if you just need the company formed

• The 83(b) election is the most commonly missed step. Treat it as mandatory

• For anything non-standard, talk to a lawyer before you file