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Form a Business

Comparison · checked November 15, 2026

Stripe Atlas vs Corpus

Stripe Atlas forms Delaware companies only: a C corporation or an LLC for $500, which its page says includes Delaware's filing fee, the IRS EIN filing and the first year of registered agent. The agent then renews at $100 a year. Corpus forms LLCs in all 50 states and DC, with one itemized total per state that includes year one of registered agent, then $99 a year with no automatic charge. Both can be driven by an AI agent; Atlas's agent tools prepare a draft that the founder pays for, signs and submits in the Stripe Dashboard.

We are a competitor, so every Stripe Atlas figure below links the Stripe Atlas page it came from, and the page says where Stripe Atlas may be the better pick.

At a glance

Stripe AtlasCorpus
Price“$500, including Delaware filing fees and your first year of registered agent service” sourceState fees + Corpus service fee, itemized per state before you pay
States and entitiesDelaware only: “Delaware C corporations and LLCs, including C corporations formed as subsidiaries of an existing company” sourceLLCs in all 50 states and DC; nonprofit corporations in most states
Registered agentYear 1 included; “After the first year, registered agent service costs $100 per year” sourceYear 1 included in the total; renews at $99/yr
Registered agent renewalRenews automatically each year, per its docs; cancelling takes at least 30 days' notice, and prepaid fees are not refunded Atlas sign-up Atlas terms of serviceNo automatic charge. Corpus reminds you before renewal and you choose whether to renew
EINIRS EIN filing is included in the $500 sourceOptional add-on, priced separately, when available
Processing (Atlas's estimate)“most companies are incorporated within one business day”; its docs say 1–2 business days Atlas Atlas sign-upFiled after review; state times are on each state's page
Refunds“We’ll refund your fee if we’re unable to support your business”; its terms say a declined applicant has “no recourse” Atlas sign-up Atlas terms of serviceFull refund before Corpus begins processing your filing
AI agentsAn OAuth MCP tool and CLI prepare and validate a draft; the founder reviews, pays, signs and submits in the Dashboard Atlas with AI agents MCPPublic MCP server, no account needed to start: an assistant collects your answers and hands you a prefilled link to review and pay

What Stripe Atlas charges

  • “Atlas costs $500, including Delaware filing fees and your first year of registered agent service.” source
  • Stripe's pricing page calls it a “one-time setup fee (includes government fees and your first year of registered agent services)”. source
  • Also listed in the price: the IRS EIN filing, founder equity issuance and, for C corporations, “83(b) tax election filing”. source
  • “After the first year, registered agent service costs $100 per year.” source
  • Delaware's annual LLC tax is paid separately; Atlas's docs give it as “currently at a flat rate of 300 USD” and say it “isn’t prorated.” Atlas business taxes Atlas company types

What renews, and how to stop it

  • “Atlas includes one year of registered agent services, which automatically renews each year.” source
  • The terms say the agent “may automatically renew, and you must pay any renewal fees for any renewal period.” source
  • To cancel, the terms ask for “at least 30 days advance notice”; the agent stays appointed until you name a replacement. source
  • “If you cancel the Registered Agent, you will not receive a refund for any prepaid fees.” source
  • “We may revise the Fees at any time.” source

First year in Delaware

  • $500 covers Delaware's filing fee and year one of registered agent, and the IRS EIN filing is included too. source
  • Atlas's docs list Delaware's annual LLC tax at a flat $300, due June 1, on top of the $500. source
  • Stripe Atlas $500 for the first year, Delaware's filing fee included according to Stripe Atlas's own page.
  • Corpus $300 all-in, itemized: Delaware's state fees, the first year of registered agent and the Corpus service fee. Delaware page

Both totals are for forming a Delaware LLC. Atlas's $500 also includes an EIN filing, which the Corpus total does not. Delaware charges every LLC its annual tax whichever service forms it, and neither total includes that tax. Registered agent then renews at $100 a year at Atlas and $99 a year at Corpus.

Registered agent, years 2 to 5

Every LLC needs a registered agent for as long as it exists in most states, so the renewal price is the number that adds up. At each provider’s listed annual price:

  • Stripe Atlas $400 at $100/yr (year 1 is included in the $500)
  • Corpus $396 at $99/yr (year 1 is included in the formation total)

AI agents

Stripe Atlas

  • “Preparing or validating a draft through an agent or the CLI doesn’t submit it or form your company.” source
  • The atlas_company_formation MCP tool “lists, creates, retrieves, and advances draft applications”; the CLI has create_atlas_application and retrieve_atlas_formation. source
  • The Atlas agent docs say to connect to Stripe MCP and “authenticate with OAuth”. source
  • The founder then has to “Finish in the Stripe Dashboard to review documents, pay, sign, and submit your application.” source
  • “Another create request starts another application,” so a retried call opens a second draft. source

Corpus

  • Public MCP server for LLCs in all 50 states and DC. Research and formation tools work with no account, key or OAuth.
  • formation.checkout creates the order and a payment link (card through Stripe Checkout, or USDC on request, as of November 15, 2026) that the founder pays; nothing is filed until the founder confirms by email.
  • Or the agent hands the founder a prefilled link to review, sign in and pay.
  • A Corpus person reviews each filing before it goes to the state, unless the founder chooses to skip review on an expedited order.

Where Stripe Atlas may suit you better

  • You plan to raise venture capital. Stripe's docs say a Delaware C corporation is “Preferred by institutional investors who might be unable to invest in LLCs”, and Corpus forms LLCs and nonprofits, not C corporations. source
  • You want founder equity, 83(b) filing and investor-ready documents in one package. Atlas lists founder equity issuance, “83(b) tax election filing” and documents “designed with Cooley”. source
  • You want the EIN inside the price. Atlas files it as part of the $500, and says “Founders from anywhere in the world can use Atlas”. source
  • You will run payments on Stripe anyway. Atlas lists “$2.5K in Stripe product credits” with the formation. source

How Corpus prices the same thing

State fees + Corpus service fee. Choose your state to see the current state fees and Corpus service fee before purchase. Registered-agent service for year 1 is included in your total. EIN filing is optional and priced separately, when available. Registered agent renews at a flat $99/yr after your included first year. We remind you before it's due; you're never charged automatically.

Each state’s itemized Corpus price is on the price grid and its own state page. All 19 LLC services side by side, scored by one rubric with Corpus’s own gaps included, are on the full comparison.

Corpus also searches federal, state and city law. How that compares with Municode, Justia and the other law databases is on legal code databases compared.

Check it yourself

These are Stripe Atlas’s own pages. Read them rather than trusting our summary of them.

Your next step

See your state’s Corpus price

Corpus shows the state fees, the Corpus service fee, what is included and what renews before you enter payment information.

Continue with CorpusUse your AI assistant

Prices, offers and terms change. This page records what Stripe Atlas’s pages said on November 15, 2026; review its current terms before purchasing.

Stripe and Stripe Atlas are not affiliated with Corpus. Their names are used to identify the pages described. Corpus is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.