Short answer: the cheapest headline price is almost never the cheapest actual cost. As of 26 August 2026, Firstbase advertises $99 formation and StartGlobal advertises $399— but Firstbase’s figure excludes your state filing fee and its registered agent costs $299 a year, while StartGlobal’s includes every state fee and the first year of registered agent. For a Wyoming LLC, the “$399” option is the cheaper one in year one.
This comparison uses prices read directly from each company’s own pricing page on 26 August 2026, not from other roundups. Where a figure could not be verified from a primary source, that is stated rather than filled in.
Disclosure: Form5472.io is our product. We do notsell LLC formation — we handle the annual IRS filing that comes afterwards. None of the companies below is a client, affiliate, or partner. We have no commercial reason to prefer any of them, and where one is the better buy we say so.
Why formation prices are not comparable as advertised
Three variables move independently between providers, and every one of them is bigger than the differences most roundups focus on:
- State filing fee — included or not. Wyoming charges $100 and New Mexico $50 to file Articles of Organization. Some providers absorb this, some add it at checkout.
- Registered agent — bundled, first year only, or separate. Every US LLC is legally required to have one. This recurring cost usually exceeds the one-time formation fee within two years.
- Promotional vs list price.Several headline numbers currently on display are discounts against a higher list price, shown struck through on the provider’s own page.
Verified pricing, read from each provider’s own page
All figures below were read from the providers’ live pricing pages on 26 August 2026. Promotional prices are shown alongside the list price they were discounted from.
| Provider | Formation price | State fee included? | Registered agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| StartGlobal | $399 one-time | Yes— “every state and government fee included” | First year included, then $99/yr |
| Firstbase | $99 promotional (list $399) | No— “pay only your state fee” | Agent Autopilot, $299/yr, separate |
| doola | Starter $297/yr (promo $222) | No— listed as “+ State Fees” | Included in the subscription |
| Northwest Registered Agent | Could not verify | Could not verify | Could not verify |
On Northwest: their pricing page returned an access error when we attempted to read it on 26 August 2026, so we have not listed figures for them. Northwest is frequently recommended in other roundups at low headline prices; we cannot confirm those numbers from the primary source, so we are not repeating them. Check their site directly.
Note on doola’s model:doola’s Starter is an annual subscription, not a one-time formation fee. That is a genuinely different structure — it bundles the registered agent and ongoing compliance, but you keep paying it every year whether or not you need anything done.
The comparison that actually matters: three-year cost
Below, each provider is normalised to the same scenario: a Wyoming LLC (state filing fee $100, annual report $60), with the legally required registered agent included every year, held for three years.
| Provider | Year 1 | Years 2–3 (each) | 3-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| StartGlobal | $399 (all-in) | ~$159 ($99 agent + $60 report) | ~$717 |
| Firstbase (at promo) | $498 ($99 + $100 state + $299 agent) | ~$359 ($299 agent + $60 report) | ~$1,216 |
| Firstbase (at list) | $798 ($399 + $100 state + $299 agent) | ~$359 | ~$1,516 |
| doola Starter | $397 ($297 + $100 state) | ~$357 ($297 + $60 report) | ~$1,111 |
Stated assumptions, so you can check the maths: Wyoming fees of $100 formation and $60 annual report; the registered agent taken from the same provider in every year; no promotional pricing in years 2–3; no optional add-ons. Where a provider does not publish whether annual-report filing is bundled with its agent fee, we have counted the state’s $60 separately and not added a service charge. Your own numbers will shift with a different state and different add-ons — the point is the method, not these exact totals.
The headline flip. Ranked by advertised price, the order is Firstbase ($99), doola ($297), StartGlobal ($399). Ranked by three-year cost with the legally required registered agent included, the order reverses almost exactly: StartGlobal (~$717), doola (~$1,111), Firstbase (~$1,216 even at its promo rate). The cheapest sticker is the most expensive option over three years.
Whichever service forms your LLC, the annual Form 5472filing is still yours to handle. Form5472.io generates an IRS-ready Form 5472 + pro forma 1120 in about 15 minutes — from $147.
Start your filing →The gap almost every formation roundup leaves out
Forming the LLC is the beginning of your obligations, not the end of them. A foreign-owned US LLC owes the IRS Form 5472 attached to a pro forma Form 1120 every year, with a $25,000 penalty per form, per year for failing to file, filing late, or filing something substantially incomplete.
A basic formation package does not cover this:
- StartGlobal’s $399 covers formation. Federal tax filing is a separate service on their compliance menu.
- Firstbase’s $99/$399 covers incorporation. Tax filing is a paid add-on.
- doola’s $297 Starter covers formation and compliance basics. Federal filings sit in the Tax and Compliance plan at $1,999/yrlist price — a different product at roughly seven times the price.
So the honest framing is that formation and annual federal filing are two purchases, and the second one recurs forever. Our roundup of Form 5472 filing services covers that second decision, including where a CPA beats software.
Which one fits your situation
| If you… | Consider | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Want the lowest genuine multi-year cost and will handle filings yourself | StartGlobal | Lowest three-year total in the scenario above; all-in pricing with no checkout surprises |
| Are raising venture capital and may need a Delaware C-Corp rather than an LLC | Firstbase | Built around the funded-startup path; the polished dashboard and investor-facing document handling are the real product |
| Want bookkeeping, compliance, and taxes managed in one subscription and will actually use them | doola | The subscription only makes sense if you use the bundle; for formation alone it is expensive |
| Are price-shopping on the headline number alone | Recalculate first | Add the state fee and three years of registered agent before choosing — the ranking usually inverts |
When you should not use a formation service at all
If you are comfortable filing Articles of Organization directly with the state and buying a registered agent separately, you can form an LLC for the state fee plus the agent’s fee and skip the formation product entirely. That is a legitimate route. Formation services sell convenience, document templates, and EIN handling — not access. Nothing about being a non-resident requires you to use one.
Choose the state before the service
The state drives more of your long-run cost than the provider does. Wyoming charges $100 to file and $60 a year after; New Mexico charges $50 and requires no annual report at all; Delaware carries a $300 annual franchise tax that dwarfs any formation discount.
Decide the state first, then price providers against that state. Our Wyoming vs Delaware vs New Mexico comparison and best state to form a US LLC as a foreigner cover that decision properly.
Five questions to ask before you pay
- Is the state filing fee included, or added at checkout?
- Is the registered agent included, and for how long? Year one only is common.
- Is this price promotional? Look for a struck- through list price on the same page.
- Is the EIN included, and how is it obtained? Non-residents cannot use the IRS online tool — see our Form SS-4 walkthrough. Also confirm whose name goes on the record as responsible party; some services list their own staff.
- Does anything here cover the annual Form 5472? Usually not. Budget for it separately.
Key takeaways
- Headline formation prices are not comparable — state fees and registered agent inclusion differ by provider.
- On a three-year Wyoming scenario, the advertised price ranking reverses: StartGlobal ~$717, doola ~$1,111, Firstbase ~$1,216.
- Firstbase’s $99 and doola’s discounts were promotional as of 26 August 2026. Verify before buying.
- Northwest could not be verified from its own pricing page on that date; we have deliberately not repeated third-party figures for it.
- No formation package removes the Form 5472 obligation or its $25,000 penalty.
Last reviewed: 26 August 2026. Pricing in this market changes frequently and several figures above were promotional on that date. This article is general information about publicly advertised pricing, not tax, legal, or financial advice for your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest LLC formation service for non-residents?
It depends on whether state fees and the registered agent are included. As of 26 August 2026, Firstbase advertises $99 formation but excludes the state fee and charges $299 a year for a registered agent. StartGlobal charges $399 with all state fees and the first year of registered agent included. For a Wyoming LLC that makes StartGlobal cheaper in year one despite the higher sticker price.
Do LLC formation services include the state filing fee?
Some do and some do not— the single biggest reason headline prices are not comparable. StartGlobal states that every state and government fee is included in its $399. Firstbase’s promotional $99 explicitly says “pay only your state fee”, and doola lists its plans as “+ State Fees”. Always add the state fee before comparing.
Do formation services file Form 5472 for me?
Not in a basic formation package. Formation and annual federal tax filing are separate products. doola includes federal filings in its Tax and Compliance plan at $1,999 per year list price, and Firstbase offers tax filing as a paid add-on. A basic formation purchase leaves the Form 5472 obligation, and its $25,000 penalty, entirely with you.
Can a non-resident form a US LLC without an SSN?
Yes. No US Social Security Number, ITIN, or US residency is required to form an LLC or to obtain an EIN for it. Non-residents apply for the EIN using Form SS-4 by fax, phone, or mail rather than the IRS online tool, which requires the responsible party to already hold a US taxpayer ID.
Is the registered agent fee included in formation pricing?
Rarely beyond year one. StartGlobal includes the first year and then charges $99 per year. Firstbase lists its Agent Autopilot registered agent service at $299 per year as a separate product. Because a registered agent is legally required in every state, this recurring fee usually matters more than the one-time formation price.
Are the advertised formation prices permanent?
Several are promotional. As of 26 August 2026, Firstbase displayed $99 struck through against a $399 list price, and doola displayed discounted rates against higher list prices across its plans. Roundups that quote a promotional figure as the standard price will be wrong the moment the promotion ends, so check the live pricing page before deciding.
Sources
- doola — Pricing page. doola.com/pricing. Accessed 26 August 2026.
- Firstbase — Pricing page. firstbase.io/pricing. Accessed 26 August 2026.
- StartGlobal — Pricing page. startglobal.co/pricing. Accessed 26 August 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service — About Form 5472. irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-5472. Accessed 26 August 2026.
- Northwest Registered Agent — pricing page returned an access error on 26 August 2026; figures unverified and therefore omitted.
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