Stripe Atlas review: $500 flat-fee Delaware incorporation
Data last updated: Apr 21, 2026Overview
Stripe Atlas launched in 2016 as a product line inside Stripe. The parent company has dual HQ in South San Francisco and Dublin, and the Atlas team inherits Stripe's engineering standards, which shows up in the signup flow and the dashboard. Over 140 countries have sent founders through Atlas, so the non-US customer base is real.
The product competes with Clerky on the VC-track Delaware C-corp segment and with doola and Firstbase on non-US founders. Against Clerky, Atlas is cheaper for simple formation ($500 vs $427 Pay Per Use plus $299 post-incorporation setup, which totals $726 at Clerky), but Clerky's document library goes deeper into fundraising workflows once you are doing priced rounds. Against doola and Firstbase, Atlas is a one-time fee rather than annual subscription, which is cleaner pricing if you do not need ongoing tax filing or bookkeeping bundled in.
Where Stripe Atlas fits, and where it doesn't
Good fit for Stripe Atlas
You are a YC-track startup (or a founder on that trajectory) and you want a Delaware C-corp with Cooley-drafted bylaws, clean stock issuance, and an 83(b) filing handled inside the flow. You are a non-US founder from any of the 140+ supported countries who needs a US entity to access Stripe payments, and you want the incorporation service to be run by Stripe itself. You want the lowest ongoing registered agent cost in the category; Atlas renews at $100/yr, which beats Northwest's $125, Bizee's $119, and Firstbase's $299. You like flat pricing and do not want a tier grid to work through.
Look elsewhere if
You want to form in a state other than Delaware or Wyoming. Atlas steers toward Delaware. You want the cheapest LLC sticker with a one-time fee (better match: Northwest at $100 regular or Bizee Basic at $0). You want ongoing tax filing and bookkeeping packaged with formation (better match: doola Tax and Compliance at $1,499/yr or Firstbase One at $2,388/yr). You need phone support. Atlas is email and dashboard only.
Pricing tiers
All prices exclude state filing fees. State fees range from $35 in Montana to $500 in Massachusetts depending on where you form.
| Tier | Price | RA year 1 | RA renewal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas | $500 | Included | $100/yr | Flat $500 one-time fee covers government filing fees and the first year of registered agent service. Registered agent renews automatically at $100/yr after year one. Includes Delaware incorporation (next-day expedited), EIN, founder equity issuance, share purchase agreements, and 83(b) election filing. Customers also receive $2,500 in Stripe product credits and access to $50K+ in partner discounts. |
Pricing honesty
Stripe Atlas charges $500 one-time, and the line items inside that number are more generous than any other single-fee service in this category. The $500 covers government filing fees in Delaware (normally $110 plus $100 expedite), EIN acquisition, first-year registered agent, bylaws or operating agreement templates drafted in partnership with Cooley LLP, founder stock issuance paperwork, and the 83(b) election filing. You also get $2,500 in Stripe product credits and access to more than $50,000 in partner discounts (AWS, Notion, others), though partner offers vary.
Registered agent renews at $100/yr automatically after year one, which is the lowest renewal rate in the mainstream service set. For a five-year comparison: Atlas totals $900 ($500 formation plus four renewals at $100), Northwest totals $600 ($100 formation plus four renewals at $125), Bizee Basic totals $476 ($0 plus four renewals at $119), Firstbase totals $1,595 ($399 plus five years of $299 Agent), and Clerky Lifetime totals $1,319 ($819 plus four renewals at $125). Atlas does not come out as the cheapest on total cost, but it has the lowest ongoing RA cost once formation is paid.
One note on what Atlas does not do. Atlas does not file Delaware's annual franchise tax return for you; the dashboard reminds you of the deadline but the filing itself is your job. Delaware's minimum franchise tax for a C-corp is $450, billed by the state on March 1 each year.
What you'll actually pay
Sticker prices on formation services rarely reflect what a real filer ends up paying. This is the honest math for Stripe Atlas across three common buying patterns. All figures exclude state fees, which are identical regardless of service.
| Scenario | Year 1 total | Year 2+ annual | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just the basics Cheapest tier, skip the EIN and OA add-ons. Get your EIN from the IRS yourself. | $500 | $100/yr RA | $900 |
| Common buyer: EIN and operating agreement included Most new LLCs end up here. Adds $70 EIN and $99 OA where the service sells them as add-ons. | $500 | $100/yr RA | $900 |
| Standalone registered agent only You formed the LLC elsewhere and just want Stripe Atlas as your RA. | Not offered | Varies | Varies |
Feature summary
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Flat $500 pricing with no tier grid, no add-on upsells, and no surprise line items. Lowest ongoing registered agent cost in the category at $100/yr, with automatic renewal. Cooley-drafted bylaws and operating agreement templates are attorney-grade, not boilerplate. Mercury banking partnership is tight; the account provisions automatically once the Delaware filing clears. EIN included for both US and non-US founders, with the non-US paper SS-4 path handled in-house. 140+ countries supported, which is the widest non-US geographic reach in the category. $2,500 Stripe product credits and substantial partner discounts on AWS and others are real dollar value if you use them. Stripe's engineering team runs the flow, and it shows; the signup experience is the best in the category.
Weaknesses
Delaware is the default state and the flow is biased toward it; if you want to form in Florida or Texas, this is the wrong service. Atlas does not file Delaware's annual franchise tax return on your behalf, which is the single most common compliance miss for first-year Delaware C-corps. No phone support channel, no live chat specifically for Atlas customers. No formal Trustpilot profile for Atlas alone; the Stripe Trustpilot page covers the entire payments business and is not representative. No mail scanning, which Firstbase Mailroom bundles and Northwest includes by default. $500 is more expensive than the US-founder LLC alternatives at Bizee or Northwest if you are a US resident with an SSN who can file your own EIN.
Support quality
If you're paying for a formation service, support quality is half of what you're buying. The other half is convenience. A service that can't answer a Tuesday-afternoon filing question is harder to justify than one that picks up the phone.
Phone
Not offered
Available
Live chat
Not offered
Stripe Atlas offers only one support channel, which is unusual for a paid formation service. If you're paying more than $100, look for services with at least phone and email available.
Ratings and review volume
A 4.8 from 50 reviews is noise. A 4.7 from 25,000 is signal. Review volume matters as much as the star rating because formation services that actively solicit reviews push their rating up and the sample size way up, while services that don't solicit tend to have smaller samples skewed by motivated complaints.
No Trustpilot data published for this service.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How much does Stripe Atlas actually cost?
$500 one-time, which covers Delaware state filing fees, expedited processing, EIN acquisition, first-year registered agent service, bylaws or operating agreement, founder stock issuance, and the 83(b) election filing. Registered agent renews automatically at $100/yr from year two onward. There are no additional tiers or add-ons; Atlas sells one product at one price.
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Does Stripe Atlas form LLCs or only C-corps?
Both. The Atlas signup flow supports C corporation, LLC, and Subsidiary as entity types, though the C-corp is the default and the flow is tuned for Delaware. LLCs are typically filed in Delaware or Wyoming. If you want an LLC in a state like Texas or Florida, doola, Bizee, or Northwest are better fits.
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Can non-US founders use Stripe Atlas?
Yes. Atlas supports founders in more than 140 countries, which is the widest reach in the category. EIN acquisition is handled in-house for non-US founders without a US Social Security Number, and the Mercury banking integration is built around non-US founder onboarding. Stripe's experience running payments globally shows up in the Atlas flow for international founders.
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How much is the registered agent after year one?
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Does Atlas file Delaware's annual franchise tax?
No. Atlas reminds you of the deadline in the dashboard but the filing itself is your responsibility. Delaware's minimum franchise tax for a C-corp is $450, billed by the state each March 1. If you want ongoing tax filing bundled, doola Tax and Compliance ($1,499/yr) or Firstbase One ($2,388/yr) handle it.
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Is Stripe Atlas better than Clerky?
Depends on how much legal complexity you expect. Atlas is cheaper for a clean formation ($500 vs $427 Pay Per Use plus $299 post-incorporation setup at Clerky, totaling $726). Clerky's document library goes deeper once you are running priced rounds, hiring with option grants, or negotiating commercial agreements. For many YC-track founders, Atlas handles the initial incorporation and Clerky Lifetime at $819 handles everything afterward, and some founders use both.
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What is the Mercury banking integration like?
Mercury is the named banking partner for Atlas, and the integration is tight. Once your Delaware filing clears, the Mercury application is pre-filled with your company details and KYC runs automatically. You still complete the final step with Mercury directly, but you do not re-enter your formation information. The same Mercury partnership exists at Firstbase and doola.
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Is $500 worth it versus a cheaper service?
For a Delaware C-corp with attorney-grade paperwork, 83(b) handled, Mercury banking, and $100/yr RA renewal, yes. For a US founder who wants a simple LLC in their home state and is comfortable handling their own EIN, Northwest at $100 regular plus $125/yr RA or Bizee Basic at $0 plus $119/yr RA will cost less. Atlas's value is concentrated in Delaware C-corp formations and non-US founders.
Compare Stripe Atlas to another formation service
Side-by-side pricing, features, support, and ratings against every other service we cover.
Sources
- Pricing: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
Pricing page: $500 one-time fee that includes government filing fees and first year of registered agent. Registered agent renews automatically at $100/yr after year one. - Registered agent renewal usd: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
Atlas page states: 'US$100 annually after your first year (renews automatically).' - Features: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
Atlas supports three entity types on its signup flow: C corporation, LLC, and Subsidiary. C-corp is listed first and historically the primary product; LLC is offered but commonly steered to Delaware or Wyoming. Only Delaware is named on the pricing page as the incorporation state for C-corps. - E in cluded: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
EIN acquisition is included in the flat $500. - Operating agreement: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
Atlas includes bylaws for C-corps and operating agreement templates for LLCs, produced in collaboration with Cooley LLP. - International: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
Atlas states startups in over 140 countries have used the service. Explicitly designed for non-US founders who want a US entity and US payments access. - Annual report filing: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
Atlas does not file Delaware annual franchise tax reports on the customer's behalf; compliance reminders are surfaced in the dashboard but the filing itself is not a bundled service. - Banking partner: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
Atlas partners with Mercury for bank account opening. Account is provisioned after the Delaware filing completes. - Founded: stripe.com/atlas · verified April 21, 2026
Stripe Atlas launched in 2016 as a Stripe product. Parent company Stripe was founded in 2010. - Headquarters: stripe.com/about · verified April 21, 2026
Stripe (parent) has dual HQ in South San Francisco, CA and Dublin, Ireland. Atlas is a product line, not a separately incorporated company. - Ratings: www.trustpilot.com/review/stripe.com · verified April 21, 2026
The only Trustpilot profile for Stripe covers the entire Stripe payments business, not Atlas specifically. Setting rating to null because the profile is unrepresentative of Atlas. - Support: support.stripe.com/ · verified April 21, 2026
Atlas customers receive support through the Stripe dashboard and email. Stripe does not publish a phone support channel for Atlas; live chat is via the general Stripe support product.