EasyFiling or Stripe Atlas: Which Incorporation Service Is Right for You?

EasyFiling starts at $0 in service fees (plus state filing fees) and forms LLCs and C-Corps in all 50 states. Stripe Atlas charges a flat $500 and only incorporates in Delaware. If you need an LLC in Wyoming or New Mexico, Stripe Atlas is not an option. If you need a Delaware C-Corp with Stripe payment integration on day one, Atlas has a faster path to that specific outcome.

The right choice depends on the entity type you need, the state that makes sense for your business, and how much post-formation support you expect from your provider. We process formations for founders in 175+ countries, and the majority of non-resident founders we work with choose Wyoming or Delaware LLCs rather than Delaware C-Corps. That single fact already narrows the decision for most readers.

EasyFiling or Stripe Atlas: What Does Each Service Include?

Stripe Atlas offers one package at $500. That fee covers Delaware incorporation (C-Corp or LLC), an EIN from the IRS, one year of registered agent service in Delaware, legal document templates created with Cooley LLP, founder equity issuance and 83(b) election filing (for C-Corps), and access to $2,500 in Stripe product credits plus over $50,000 in partner perks from companies like Mercury, Xero, and AWS. After year one, the registered agent renewal costs $100 per year.

EasyFiling offers tiered plans. The Starter plan costs $249 per year (plus state filing fees) and includes company formation, registered agent service, and an annual state report filing. The Business 360 plan costs $999 per year (plus state filing fees) and bundles formation, EIN, registered agent, monthly bookkeeping, and tax return filing. The Basic plan offers Articles of Organization filing only at $0 in service fees, with the founder paying only the state filing fee.

Here is a key difference we see every week: Stripe Atlas does not file your taxes. It does not do your bookkeeping. It does not help you get an ITIN. It does not file Form 5472. These are all services you will need as a non-resident LLC owner, and you will need to source them separately if you use Atlas. We include bookkeeping and tax filing in our Business 360 plan because we know from processing over 10,000 formations that compliance gaps are where founders get into trouble, not the formation itself.

State Options: Delaware Only vs. All 50 States

Stripe Atlas forms companies exclusively in Delaware. That is the only state available. You cannot form in Wyoming, New Mexico, Florida, Texas, or any other state through Atlas.

EasyFiling forms LLCs, C-Corps, and S-Corps in all 50 states. We file Articles of Organization (for LLCs) or Articles of Incorporation (for C-Corps) directly with the relevant Secretary of State.

For non-resident founders running online businesses, this matters more than most comparison articles acknowledge. Delaware charges a $300 annual LLC tax (due June 1 each year) and a $90 filing fee for formation. Wyoming charges a $100 state filing fee and a $60 annual report fee, with no state income tax and no franchise tax. Over three years, the difference in state-level costs alone between a Delaware LLC and a Wyoming LLC exceeds $700.

Delaware’s Court of Chancery and its well-developed body of corporate case law are genuinely valuable, but primarily for venture-backed C-Corps with multiple shareholders and complex equity structures. A solo freelancer from Brazil selling SaaS subscriptions does not need the Court of Chancery. That founder needs low annual fees, privacy protections, and a state that will not add a surprise tax bill. Wyoming delivers all three.

We see this firsthand. Roughly 65% of our non-resident LLC formations are filed in Wyoming. About 20% go to Delaware (usually C-Corps for founders planning to raise venture capital). The rest are split across New Mexico, Florida, and other states based on specific business circumstances.

EIN Processing: How Long Does It Actually Take?

This is where real-world experience diverges significantly from what service pages claim.

If you have a U.S. Social Security Number, Stripe Atlas obtains your EIN within 1 to 2 business days after incorporation. That is genuinely fast. Atlas submits the EIN application electronically, and the IRS processes it almost instantly for SSN holders.

If you do not have an SSN, which describes the vast majority of non-resident founders, Stripe Atlas states the EIN takes 15 to 25 business days. In practice, we have seen Atlas EIN timelines for non-residents stretch to 6-8 weeks, particularly during peak tax season (January through April).

At EasyFiling, we fax Form SS-4 to the IRS for non-resident clients who cannot apply online. Our typical turnaround is 4 to 6 weeks as of May 2026. During peak season earlier this year, we saw that extend to 7-8 weeks for some applications. We faxed 52 EIN applications in April 2026, with an average turnaround of 6.2 weeks.

The honest answer is that neither service controls IRS processing times. The IRS sets the pace for non-SSN EIN applications, regardless of which provider submits Form SS-4.

Cost Comparison: Formation Through Year Three

Costs add up quickly after formation. The table below compares total estimated costs for a single-member LLC owned by a non-resident founder, assuming the company has fewer than 50 monthly transactions.

Cost Category	EasyFiling (Wyoming LLC, Business 360)	Stripe Atlas (Delaware LLC)
Formation service fee	$999/year (includes EIN, bookkeeping, tax filing)	$500 one-time
State filing fee	$100 (Wyoming)	$90 (Delaware, included in Atlas fee)
Registered agent (Year 1)	Included	Included
Registered agent (Year 2+)	Included in plan	$100/year
Annual state fees	$60/year (Wyoming annual report)	$300/year (Delaware LLC tax)
Bookkeeping	Included in plan	$150 to $400/month (third-party)
Tax return filing (Form 1065 or Form 5472)	Included in plan	$500 to $2,000/year (external CPA)
Estimated Year 1 total	~$1,099	~$2,690 to $5,390
Estimated 3-year total	~$3,297	~$6,280 to $13,670

All figures estimated as of May 2026. State filing fees were verified against the Wyoming Secretary of State and Delaware Division of Corporations websites. External bookkeeping and CPA costs are market estimates and vary by provider.

The $500 Atlas formation fee looks lower upfront. But Atlas does not include bookkeeping, tax filing, or Form 5472 compliance, and non-resident founders need all three. Form 5472 is required annually for every foreign-owned single-member LLC. The IRS penalty for failing to file Form 5472 is $25,000 per form. That is not a typo. We file Form 5472 for our clients as part of the tax return service included in the Business 360 plan.

Entity Types: What Can You Form?

Stripe Atlas offers Delaware C-Corps and Delaware LLCs. It also supports the formation of a subsidiary (as a C-Corp). Atlas added LLC support in recent years after originally focusing exclusively on C-Corps.

EasyFiling forms LLCs, C-Corps, and S-Corps across all 50 states. We also handle entity classification elections (Form 8832) and S-Corp elections (Form 2553) for founders who need specific tax treatment.

For non-resident founders, the choice of entity type matters greatly for tax purposes. A single-member LLC owned by a non-resident is treated as a disregarded entity for U.S. federal tax purposes, meaning the LLC itself does not pay U.S. income tax on foreign-sourced income. A C-Corp, by contrast, pays a 21% federal corporate income tax rate on its worldwide income. Founders who choose a C-Corp through Atlas because “Delaware C-Corp” sounds official may be taking on significant tax obligations they did not anticipate.

We walk every client through entity type selection during our free consultation because choosing the wrong structure can create problems that are expensive to fix later. Changing from a C-Corp to an LLC after formation involves dissolving one entity and forming another, which means new state filings, a new EIN application, updated bank accounts, and updated contracts with every vendor and client.

Post-Formation Support: Where the Real Difference Shows

Stripe Atlas provides a dashboard featuring your formation documents, a post-incorporation checklist, guides to U.S. business taxes, and referrals to partner accounting firms such as Fondo and Bench. Atlas also integrates Mercury bank account opening into its formation flow. These are useful resources, and the Stripe partner perks ($2,500 in Stripe credits, discounts on AWS, Xero, and other tools) are real value if you plan to use those specific services.

Atlas does not provide ongoing compliance management. It does not file your annual report with the Delaware Secretary of State. It does not do bookkeeping. It does not file your federal tax return. It does not obtain an ITIN for you. It does not file BOI reports. After formation, you are responsible for managing all of these obligations yourself or hiring additional providers.

EasyFiling provides a client dashboard with formation documents, a dedicated account manager, annual report filing, registered agent service, mail scanning and forwarding through our virtual mailroom, bookkeeping, tax filing (Forms 1065, 1120, 1120-S, 5472, and individual returns), ITIN assistance, and BOI reporting where required. We also provide company dissolution services for founders who need to formally close their entity.

We handle the entire lifecycle. A client from Nigeria who formed a Wyoming LLC with us in January 2025 had his EIN issued within 5 weeks, his Mercury bank account opened within 2 weeks after that, and his first year of bookkeeping and Form 5472 filing completed without a single missed deadline. That is the kind of end-to-end support that a formation-only service cannot provide.

Banking: Will Your Bank Account Application Get Approved?

Stripe Atlas integrates Mercury account opening directly into the formation flow. Historically, this gave Atlas-formed entities a streamlined approval process with Mercury. Atlas has also facilitated banking with Brex.
That advantage has narrowed. Mercury has increased scrutiny on non-resident applications throughout 2025 and into 2026. Founders report extended review periods, additional documentation requests, and outright rejections for newly formed entities with no revenue history. Formation through Atlas does not guarantee approval for Mercury banking.

We have seen the same trend at EasyFiling. A client from the Philippines had their Mercury account flagged in early 2026 because the registered agent address was classified as a virtual office. We resolved it by providing a physical office address for a registered agent in Delaware. Another client from India was rejected by Mercury after forming through a different provider and came to us for help. We assisted with a Wise Business account application instead, which was approved within a week using only a passport and the company’s EIN letter.

We guide clients through bank account applications with Mercury, Wise, and Relay as part of our formation packages. No U.S. visit is required. The bank handles identity verification through passport-based KYC.

Who Is Each Service Built For?

Stripe Atlas is best for:

Founders building venture-backed startups who need a Delaware C-Corp, plan to issue equity to co-founders and employees, will file 83(b) elections, and want tight integration with Stripe’s payment processing ecosystem. Atlas has onboarded over 100,000 companies and enjoys strong brand recognition among investors and accelerators like Y Combinator. If you are raising a seed round from U.S. VCs and need your cap table structured on day one, Atlas is purpose-built for that path.

EasyFiling is best for:

Non-resident founders and freelancers who need an LLC (in any state), want their EIN, bookkeeping, tax filing, and compliance handled by one provider, and are not planning to raise venture capital. Solo founders running SaaS businesses, e-commerce stores, consulting firms, or agency businesses from outside the U.S. are the exact profile we serve every day. We have worked with founders from 175+ countries across 6 continents, and we structure our plans around what non-resident founders actually need after formation, not just the formation event itself.

Common Mistakes We See When Founders Choose the Wrong Service

Forming a Delaware C-Corp when you need a Wyoming LLC. A non-resident freelancer does not need the corporate structure that Atlas defaults to. A C-Corp creates a 21% federal income tax obligation. A Wyoming LLC with a non-resident single member has no state-level tax obligation in Wyoming, and foreign-sourced income is generally not subject to U.S. federal income tax.

Ignoring Form 5472. Atlas does not file Form 5472 for you. Many founders do not realize this filing exists until they receive a $25,000 penalty notice from the IRS. Every foreign-owned single-member LLC must file Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 annually, even if the LLC has zero revenue.

Skipping the Delaware annual LLC tax. Delaware charges a $300 annual LLC tax due June 1 each year. Miss this deadline and the state imposes a $200 penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest. We automatically handle this filing for our clients. Atlas leaves it to you.

Assuming the formation fee is the total cost. The $500 Atlas fee covers formation and a year-one registered agent. By the end of year one, you will also owe Delaware’s $300 LLC tax, and you will need to pay an external bookkeeper and CPA. The true first-year cost of a Delaware LLC through Atlas, with all compliance obligations met, typically ranges from $2,500 to $5,000.

How to Decide

Ask yourself three questions.

Are you raising venture capital from U.S. investors? If yes, you likely need a Delaware C-Corp with standard equity documents. Stripe Atlas is designed for this. EasyFiling also forms Delaware C-Corps, but Atlas’s partnership with Cooley LLP and its equity issuance workflow are specifically tailored for the VC path.

Do you want one provider handling formation, compliance, bookkeeping, and taxes? If yes, EasyFiling’s Business 360 plan bundles these into a single annual fee. Stripe Atlas requires you to piece together 3 to 4 separate providers after formation.

Do you need to form in a state other than Delaware? If yes, Stripe Atlas cannot help. EasyFiling forms in all 50 states. Start your formation here, or book a free consultation to discuss which state makes the most sense for your business.

Have questions? Reach out directly on WhatsApp at wa.me/5104884946. We respond across time zones because most of our clients are not in the U.S.

FAQ

Is Stripe Atlas worth $500?

For a VC-track Delaware C-Corp, yes. For an LLC, your real first-year cost with Atlas exceeds $1,400 once you add Delaware’s $300 LLC tax, registered agent renewal, and external tax filing. EasyFiling’s Starter plan is $249/year plus state fees.

Does Stripe Atlas form LLCs in Wyoming?

No. Delaware only. EasyFiling forms in all 50 states.

Does Stripe Atlas file taxes?

No. You arrange tax filing separately. EasyFiling’s Business 360 plan includes tax returns and Form 5472.

What is Form 5472?

An IRS filing is required annually from every foreign-owned single-member LLC. The penalty for not filing is $25,000. Atlas does not file it. We do.

Can non-residents use both services?

Yes. No SSN or U.S. visit required for either.

How fast is incorporation?

Atlas: 1 to 2 business days in Delaware. EasyFiling: 3 to 10 business days, depending on the state. EIN timelines for non-residents are 4 to 8 weeks with either service.

Do I need BOI reporting?

As of March 2025, U.S.-formed entities are exempt. Only foreign-formed entities registered in a U.S. state must file. A final FinCEN rule expected in 2026 may change this.