Stripe Atlas vs Firstbase: How $399 Can Cost More

For a Delaware startup buying formation and the provider’s registered-agent service, Stripe Atlas is cheaper over two years at the vendors’ standard prices. Stripe Atlas’s $500 package includes Delaware filing fees, an EIN, founder equity issuance, an 83(b) election filing where applicable, and the first agent year; the agent then costs $100 annually.

Firstbase’s pricing shows $399 as the crossed-out standard Start price, a current $99 formation offer, and a separate $299 annual agent charge per state. At the standard price, Start plus two agent years totals $997, against $600 for Atlas. Even if the displayed $99 offer applies, Start plus two agent years totals $697. Those figures exclude later government charges and tax preparation.

The costs that belong in a two-year comparison

The calculations use a Delaware C corporation, one registered-agent state and two years of vendor service at the displayed rates. They assume the same agent and subscription prices at renewal. Formation fees cover the initial filing; neither provider’s formation price settles the corporation’s future annual report and franchise tax. Payment processing, legal advice, federal income tax owed and registration in another state are outside this example.

The Delaware annual-report schedule lists a $50 filing fee for a non-exempt domestic corporation and a $175 minimum franchise tax under the authorized-shares method. The minimum under the assumed-par-value method is $400. The lower applicable minimum produces an illustrative $225 per reporting cycle, or $450 for two cycles. A company’s actual franchise tax depends on its shares and calculation method; annual reports are due by March 1 for the prior year, so reporting cycles do not necessarily align with agent subscription years.

Three ways the bill adds up

Formation purchase. Atlas is $500; Firstbase Start is $399 at the standard price, a $101 initial difference. If Firstbase’s displayed $99 offer applies, its initial formation charge is lower still. This scenario compares the formation purchase only. A Delaware corporation needs a registered agent, and Firstbase Start prices its agent separately.
Formation plus the provider’s agent. Atlas is $500 in the first service year and $100 in the second, totaling $600. Firstbase is $399 plus $299 in the first year and another $299 in the second, totaling $997 at the standard Start price. That is $198 more in year one and $397 more across two years. At the displayed $99 offer, the corresponding Firstbase totals are $398 and $697. Adding the illustrative $450 for two Delaware reporting cycles brings the standard-price totals to $1,050 for Atlas and $1,447 for Firstbase; the Firstbase promotional total would be $1,147.
Formation plus a full back office. Firstbase One is listed at $2,388 annually and bundles its domicile-state agent with mailroom, accounting and tax-filing services. Standard-price Start plus two One subscriptions would total $5,175 before government charges, or $5,625 with the illustrative Delaware amount. Using the displayed $99 Start offer instead would make those totals $4,875 and $5,325. Atlas publishes no equivalent combined bookkeeping-and-tax subscription price, so its $600 formation-and-agent total is not a like-for-like rival to this package.

The Firstbase One terms state that Start is a separate purchase and the included agent covers the company’s domicile state. They also explain that accounting usage or a higher service tier can change the subscription price after the first year. The full-back-office figures therefore model two years at the displayed annual rate, rather than guaranteeing a renewal quote.

Formation documents and recurring work

Both services include company formation and an EIN, but their listed document workflows differ. Atlas expressly includes founder equity issuance, share purchase paperwork and an 83(b) election filing. Firstbase Start lists essential documents, including bylaws and stock purchase agreements; its Start inclusions do not list an 83(b) filing. For founders receiving shares subject to vesting, that difference can create a separate task or professional cost. It should be considered alongside the agent fee, even though it cannot be assigned a universal dollar amount.

The agent subscription and tax preparation also serve different purposes. Firstbase Agent includes compliance reminders and annual-report filing services, while state fees and taxes are paid separately. Firstbase sells tax filing as a separate annual package, with a listed C corporation and multi-member LLC package price of $1,799; its accounting price depends on expected monthly expenses. A founder buying only Start and Agent has not bought that bookkeeping and federal-return support. Likewise, Atlas’s incorporation and agent prices provide no quoted budget for ongoing books or business tax returns.

Entity choice and founders outside the US

Atlas offers Delaware C corporations and LLCs. Firstbase Start offers those entity types in Delaware or Wyoming, so the Delaware cost model does not price a Wyoming formation. Both services provide an EIN process for founders forming a US company remotely. Firstbase also sells a US mailroom, while One includes a mailroom subscription; that can change the value of its broader package for a founder who needs an address and mail handling.

Ownership and transactions can change the tax work a company needs. The IRS Form 5472 guidance describes reporting for corporations with reportable transactions involving a foreign or domestic related party. Firstbase lists Form 5472 among its tax-filing services, but eligibility for a particular return depends on the entity and its facts. Neither an EIN nor a registered agent replaces advice on which returns the company must file.

Where the price difference matters

For a Delaware corporation seeking formation, founder equity paperwork and an agent, Atlas has the lower standard-price two-year vendor total. Firstbase’s promotion narrows the first-year bill enough to put it below Atlas, but the separate agent renewal reverses that result in the second-year total. Firstbase offers a broader paid administrative package and a Wyoming option; their value depends on whether the company needs those services and on the renewal rate it qualifies for.