Stripe Atlas and Firstbase both form US companies online and solve the same first step. They are built for different founders, though. Atlas is a one-time product optimized for venture-track Delaware startups inside the Stripe ecosystem. Firstbase is a services platform where formation is the entry point to a subscription stack of mail, compliance, bookkeeping, and tax products.
Here is the head-to-head on pricing, inclusions, ongoing costs, and international support, with every number checked on the official sites on October 17, 2026. One disclosure up front: Rho (that's us) sells a competing incorporation product, covered below as a third option.
Stripe Atlas costs $500 one time, includes the first year of registered agent service, and then costs $100 per year. Firstbase Start is listed at a promotional $99 (regularly $399) plus your state fee, and registered agent service, which Firstbase says is required for incorporation, is a separate $299 per year per state.
Atlas files the 83(b) election for every C-corp founder. Firstbase's homepage says its post-formation toolkit lets you file your 83(b) for free.
Atlas forms Delaware entities only. Firstbase adds Wyoming as a second state option.
Both serve international founders: Stripe says startups in over 175 countries have used Atlas, and Firstbase says it is trusted by founders in 188 countries.
Two-year cost for a C-corp: $600 with Atlas, versus $697 plus your state fee with Firstbase at today's promotional price once the registered agent is included.
Rho is the third option: when you incorporate a Delaware C-corp with Rho ($400), your business account application opens in the same flow, subject to approval. Rho also forms LLCs for $349 all in, state filing fee included.
Stripe Atlas or Firstbase: which should you choose?
Choose Stripe Atlas if you are building a venture-track Delaware startup and want one flat fee: $500 one time, with state filing fees, 83(b) election filing, and your first year of registered agent service included, then $100 a year. Choose Firstbase if you want Wyoming as an option or a subscription stack of mailroom, accounting, and tax services: Start is listed at a promotional $99 (regularly $399) plus your state fee, and registered agent service, which Firstbase says is required for incorporation, is $299 a year per state. The third option is Rho: Delaware C-corp $400, LLC $349 all in with the state filing fee included.
Rho is best for founders forming a Delaware C-corp who want their company formed and a business account opened in the same flow, subject to approval.
We assess each option on published price, what that price includes, speed, and whether a business account can open in the same flow as formation.
Quick comparison
Stripe Atlas | Firstbase | Rho | |
|---|---|---|---|
Formation price | $500 one time | $99 promotional (regularly $399), one time | Delaware C-corp $400; LLC $349 all in |
States | Delaware only | Delaware or Wyoming | Delaware for C-corps |
Entities | C corp or LLC | C corp or LLC | C-corp or LLC |
State filing fees | Included | Paid separately | LLC: included |
EIN | Included | Expedited EIN setup included | Delaware C-corp: your EIN application is filed for you |
83(b) election | Filed for you | Homepage says you can file your 83(b) for free | Delaware C-corp: 83(b) election support |
Registered agent | First year included, then $100/yr | Required, $299/yr per state | Delaware C-corp: covered for year one |
Legal documents | Templates included | Post-incorporation documents included | Delaware C-corp: attorney-reviewed formation documents |
Business account | Stripe business account offered | Banking partner applications, subject to partner approval | Delaware C-corp: application in the same flow, subject to approval |
Perks and add-ons | $2,500 Stripe credits, $50k+ partner discounts | $350K+ in deals and rewards, VC discovery; mailroom, accounting, tax filing, Firstbase One | Banking, invoicing, cards, and bill pay, all live the moment your account is approved |
Pricing: $500 one time vs $99 plus your state fee and subscriptions
Atlas is deliberately simple: $500 covers the Delaware filing with state fees, the EIN, founder equity issuance and share purchase agreements, 83(b) filing, legal templates, and the first year of registered agent service. After year one, the only required cost from Stripe is $100 per year for the agent.
Firstbase Start is listed at a promotional $99 one time (regularly $399), and Firstbase says you pay your state fee on top. In Delaware, a certificate of incorporation starts at $109, per the Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule revised August 1, 2026. Start includes expedited EIN setup, post-incorporation documents such as a stock purchase agreement and bylaws, and help opening a business bank account with one of Firstbase's banking partners. Firstbase says registered agent service is required for incorporation and sells it separately at $299 per year per state. So the realistic day-one price for a compliant company is $398 plus your state fee, and every year after costs $299 for the agent versus Atlas's $100.
Firstbase's pricing page also says a US address is required for incorporation; its Mailroom starts at $35 per month if you don't have one. Accounting (from $189 per month), Tax Filing ($1,799 per year), and the Firstbase One bundle ($199 per month, billed yearly at $2,388) are optional. That is the business model: Firstbase wants the ongoing relationship, Stripe wants you processing payments on Stripe.
What each includes for startup paperwork
For a venture-track C corp, the details matter more than the sticker price.
Atlas issues founder equity with standard share purchase agreements, files your 83(b) election (a 30-day, hard-deadline filing for founders with vesting stock), and provides a library of legal templates. This is the paperwork investors and startup lawyers expect to see done correctly. Our full Stripe Atlas review goes deeper on quality.
Firstbase prepares post-incorporation documents, including a stock purchase agreement and bylaws. Its homepage says founders can file their 83(b) for free and on time through its post-formation toolkit. If you are forming a C-corp with founder vesting, confirm how and when your 83(b) gets filed, because missing the 30-day window is one of the most expensive unforced errors in startup formation.
Atlas says plainly that it is not a law firm. Standard formations are exactly what these products are for; anything unusual about your cap table or founder situation is worth an attorney's time regardless of which service you use.
Entity types and states
Atlas forms Delaware C corps and Delaware LLCs, plus C corporation subsidiaries. That is the whole menu, and for startups it is usually the right menu.
Firstbase forms C corps and LLCs in Delaware or Wyoming. Wyoming is mostly interesting for LLCs. If that trade-off is live for you, our comparison of Delaware vs Wyoming LLCs walks through the ongoing costs; on the Delaware side, an LLC pays a $400 annual tax by June 1, per the Delaware Division of Corporations. For a venture-track C corp, Delaware remains the standard either way.
International founders
Both services work for non-US founders. Stripe says startups in over 175 countries have used Atlas, and without a US Social Security number Atlas gets your EIN in 10 to 35 business days after incorporation. Firstbase says you don't need to be a US resident to get your EIN through it, with no SSN or ITIN required, and it sells a US address with mail scanning through Mailroom plus access to its banking partners. If your main problem is "I have no US footprint at all," Firstbase's stack addresses more of it, at subscription prices.
Ecosystem and perks
Atlas includes $2,500 in Stripe product credits for your first year and access to over $50,000 in partner discounts, and it drops you into the Stripe ecosystem, which is where many software companies want to be anyway. Firstbase lists more than $350K in deals and rewards and a way to get discovered by VCs. Both perk sets are real but should be tiebreakers, not deciding factors.
Who should pick which
Pick Stripe Atlas if you are building a venture-track startup, you want the 83(b) filed and founder equity issued inside the product, and you prefer one flat fee with a $100 per year tail. It is built for Delaware C corps.
Pick Firstbase if you are a non-US founder who needs the full footprint (address, mail, banking help, compliance) from one vendor, or you specifically want a Wyoming entity. Price the registered agent and any subscriptions into your comparison. Our standalone Firstbase review covers the full stack.
If you are weighing Atlas against a lawyer-drafted alternative instead, see Stripe Atlas vs Clerky, and for the whole field, our guide to the best incorporation services.
Where Rho fits: a third option
Rho Incorporation (yes, that's us) forms Delaware C-corps for $400 and LLCs for $349 all in, state filing fee included. Best for: founders forming a Delaware C-corp who want their company formed and a business account opened in the same flow, subject to approval.
For a Delaware C-corp, every formation document is reviewed and signed off by a licensed attorney, filing takes about 24 hours with the clock starting the next business day after submission, your EIN application is filed for you, you get 83(b) election support, and registered agent service is covered for year one. Banking, invoicing, cards, and bill pay, all live the moment your account is approved. When you incorporate a Delaware C-corp with Rho, at least one owner or officer must be US-based, the company needs a US operating address, and it must operate in an eligible industry.
Related incorporation guides
The full ranking: See our roundup of the best incorporation services for startups, scored on price, speed, and what comes after filing.
Atlas, reviewed: Read our full Stripe Atlas review for what the $500 covers and where it stops.
Firstbase, reviewed: Read our full Firstbase review for how the subscription stack adds up.
Firstbase pricing: Our Firstbase pricing guide itemizes the formation fee and every add-on subscription.
Beyond Stripe Atlas: Browse the best Stripe Atlas alternatives for providers that pair formation with business account help, bookkeeping, or lower fees.
Ready to incorporate? Rho Incorporation forms your Delaware C-corp for $400, with your business account application in the same flow, subject to approval, and banking, invoicing, cards, and bill pay, all live the moment your account is approved. Rho also forms LLCs for $349 all in, state filing fee included.
