Doola vs Stripe Atlas

Features, pricing, and contract terms compared

Patrick Ward Patrick Ward Follow Published: Dec 08, 2022

Doola and Stripe Atlas both serve non-resident founders. The key difference is that Doola can provide LLCs, while Stripe Atlas does Delaware C-Corp formations exclusively. Overall, Stripe Atlas is the best formation option for most startup companies thanks to the brand equity with investors. For those creating LLCs, Doola is a unique option for owners with no citizenship or residence in the US; otherwise, more established formation services like Bizee and ZenBusiness provide more reliability at a lower price.

Content on this page does not constitute financial advice. It is intended for general information purposes only. NanoGlobals may be compensated when featuring partner brands.

  • Best for LLC formations: Doola (View current offers)
  • Specialized in startup formations: Stripe Atlas

Note: most of our clients choose Stripe Atlas over Doola based on their longer track record and brand familiarity with investors.

Doola

3.2/5 stars

Doola offers a wide variety of options and services for non-resident founders setting up US companies, including DAO and API products. Their core LLC formation service tends to suggest Wyoming, which indicates that they are better for bootstrapped and debt-funded companies.

Doola data validated April 2024
Base price $297 + state fees
Registered Agent service Included
Registered agent renewal fee $197

Stripe Atlas

3.2/5 stars

Stripe Atlas offers a one-size-fits-all Delaware C-Corp + banking offering for startups that want to access the US venture capital system. Their process is designed specifically to create a legal formation that appeals to investors. However, it's far from the lowest-cost option.

Stripe Atlas data validated April 2024
Base Price $410
Registered Agent service Included
Registered agent renewal fee $100

Summary of key differences

FeatureDoolaStripe Atlas
Entry price$297 + state fees$410
Standard processing time1–3 business day1-3 business days
Banking, mail, tax service✅✅
View PlansView Plans

Pricing Analysis: Doola vs Stripe Atlas

Stripe Atlas has a very low price tag compared to having a startup lawyer set up a Delaware C-Corp, which has the benefit of making it accessible for pre-funding founders. However, Doola is by far the cheaper option in most cases. If your goal is to get the lowest cost and you don't intend to pitch your company to venture capitalists, Doola is almost always the better choice in terms of cost.

Doola pricing

The base pricing from Doola is less expensive than Stripe Atlas. However, note that pricing is impacted by state fees. For example, Doola customers setting up an LLC in Delaware will see an initial cost of $387 (package cost plus the state LLC fee). In Wyoming, the same package would cost $497 because of the higher state fee.

Doola pricing data validated April 2024
Base Price $297 + state fees
Registered agent renewal fee $197
Foreign qualification fee Variable

Stripe Atlas pricing

Stripe Atlas is the more expensive formation service offering compared with Doola.

Stripe Atlas data validated April 2024
Base Price $410
Registered agent renewal fee $100
Foreign qualification fee Not offered

Doola vs Stripe Atlas market value analysis

Market average based on analysis of 10 formation services providers.
MetricMarket AverageDoolaStripe Atlas
Lowest package price$124 before state fees$297 + state fees$410
Formation processing time8 business days1–3 business day1-3 business days
Registered agent annual cost$164 Variable Not offered
Foreign qualification fee $142 Variable Not offered

User experience & onboarding

Doola offers a mix of developer-friendly and user-friendly products, with the centerpiece being their chat-based formation process. Their chatbot follows a strict if/else script to collect basic information about your business and provides recommendations along the way about which state to incorporate based on your inputs. While we don't agree with their suggestions in many cases, the service is free and helpful for some companies. Pricing is up-front, although the renewal fees aren't displayed until the end of the chat. To be fair, these fees can vary based on the state and formation type, which is probably why they info-gate it.

Onboarding for Stripe Atlas is dependent on a major factor: whether or not you have a Stripe account. Assuming you do, the process is fairly simple - after all Stripe Atlas really only has a solitary option: to become a Delaware Incorporated Company. Given the simplicity of the product, and all of Silicon Valley conventions behind it, Stripe Atlas is fairly painless when it comes to onboarding.

Doola and Stripe Atlas both have extremely user-friendly onboarding systems. Stripe Atlas is simpler simply because they only offer one thing: Delaware C-Corp. Considering the wider arrange of offerings, Doola does a good job of making it easy to get in the right flow. Our main criticism of Doola in this case is that they push Wyoming LLCs without confirming that founders understand the implications around VC funding.

Formation speed

Doola and Stripe Atlas have similar processing times, with both accomplishing formation in as little as 1–3 days when state processing times don't get in the way. Doola has a unique API product that makes their automations available for white label.

Doola's services are tailored around their API offerings, meaning that it's heavily automated and extremely fast. The only holdup customers will experience is with state processing times; Doola's processing times are effectively instant.

Stripe Atlas, as is expected for Silicon Valley tech, tends towards the swift processing times that have become industry standard. Ranging from one to three business days, Stripe Atlas is good at getting your Delaware-based company up and running fast.

Are they worth the cost?

Doola is heavily focused on non-US residents, and is unique in their product offerings for specific LLC use cases such as DAOs. While their obvious competitors like Stripe Atlas focus on the venture-funded startup crowd, Doola provides tools for more modest e-commerce and software companies. In addition to formation, they offer basic legal and regulatory compliance services in the $1.5–3k range.

Backed by the tech conglomerate that is Stripe, the target of Startups is fairly explicit for Stripe Atlas. The two key personas are either International Founders looking to start a tech business in the U.S. (given Stripe's strong emphasis on social proof from 140 countries) and Startups that looking towards fundraising, specifically VC and Private Equity, or joining an accelerator. The message is clear - if you're looking to be the next Silicon Valley Unicorn, Stripe Atlas wants you.

NanoGlobals' editor's rating of Doola is among the lower ones in our index. It is based on Doola's value matrix for a clear demographic, but offset by issues including high cost of upsold services and low company history. On the plus side, Doola provides ultra-tailored tools for non-residents and DAOs rather than trying to serve every type of business.

With all the hype around Silicon Valley Unicorns, NanoGlobals editor's rating for Stripe Atlas might seem surprising at first. They are one of the more straight forward products in the business formation space and are clear on who they serve. But, as with many in Silicon Valley, they overcharge substantially due to the gloss of 'new age tech' - a gloss for a fairly simple product that seems to be a clear revenue grab for Stripe because they can lean on their brand's clout. The other big detraction for Stripe Atlas is the implied restriction on how you run your business - it has to be 'Stripe-friendly' and they quickly enmesh your business into their network, leading to a potential lack of operational flexibility.

Author Credentials

Patrick Ward is an expert on working with startups and new businesses. He has 8 years experience serving tech-enabled companies with staffing and growth.

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