Stripe Atlas vs Clerky (2026): Delaware incorporation compared
Stripe Atlas vs Clerky in 2026: the honest call on pricing, document quality, foreign-founder support, and the YC stack most founders actually use.
The honest call in 2026: go with Stripe Atlas if you're a solo or non-US founder who needs a Delaware C-corp, an EIN, and a US bank account bundled into one automated flow. Go with Clerky if you know you're raising a priced round inside 12 months and want paperwork every startup lawyer at Cooley, WSGR, or Fenwick recognizes on sight. That's the stripe atlas vs clerky decision stripped to one sentence, and the rest of this page is the evidence.
Stripe Atlas is the incorporation product inside Stripe. Over 100,000 founders have used it to form a Delaware C-corp, with the legal pack produced in collaboration with Cooley LLP. Pricing is $500 flat for formation (including government fees and the first year of registered agent service), then $100 per year. Banking, EIN, 83(b) filing, and founder equity issuance all run inside the same onboarding.
Clerky is the other direction. It was built by former startup attorneys from Orrick, with the explicit goal of producing documents that survive institutional investor diligence. Formation is $427 one-time, or $819 for the Company Lifetime Package that bundles ongoing fundraising paperwork. Per-use fees run $9 for SAFEs and $29 for stock issuance, which keeps the marginal cost low once you're actively raising.
The real axis is not price, because the numbers are close. It's what your company will look like in 12 months. If there's a realistic chance of a $3M+ priced round with an institutional lead, Clerky paper compresses legal diligence measurably. If you're a first-time or non-US founder who needs the mechanics handled while you go sell to customers, Atlas is the shorter path and ships with working banking.
This page is for founders choosing once. If you want the quick take, skip to the verdict.
At a glance
Strengths · weaknesses for each tool- $500 flat formation fee includes government fees and first year of registered agent service.
- EIN and US bank account application automated inside the same onboarding flow.
- Supports founders from 140+ countries, with bank and EIN handled as defaults.
- $2,500 in Stripe credits and $50,000+ in partner discounts on Mercury, Xero, AWS.
- 83(b) election and founder equity issuance filed automatically.
- Starter legal pack produced in collaboration with Cooley LLP.
- Documents optimized for speed, not always the cleanest for institutional diligence at priced rounds.
- $100 annual registered agent fee after year one.
- Limited flexibility for non-standard cap tables, vesting schedules, or custom stock plans.
- Banking partner availability shifts, which can delay account approval for some founders.
- Built by former startup attorneys from Orrick, with documents designed to survive VC diligence.
- Paper recognized on sight by Cooley, WSGR, Fenwick, and Gunderson, which shortens legal review.
- Per-use fundraising fees of $9 per SAFE and $29 per stock issuance keep marginal cost low.
- Strong workflows for 83(b) filings, board consents, and stock plan administration.
- Company Lifetime Package bundles ongoing paperwork for $819 one-time.
- Specific guidance for non-US founders applying for an EIN and a US corporate bank account.
- No integrated US banking; founder has to open an account separately.
- No startup credits or partner discount program.
- Per-use SAFE and stock fees accumulate quickly at high issuance cadence.
- More founder effort to set up than the fully automated Atlas flow.
Feature-by-feature
What each tool ships, at the tier most founders buy| Feature | Stripe Atlas | Clerky |
|---|---|---|
| Formation fee (one-time) | Yes: $500 Includes government fees and first year registered agent. | Yes: $427 or $819 (Lifetime) Lifetime package bundles ongoing paperwork. |
| Ongoing annual fees | Yes: $100/yr registered agent After first year. | Yes: No annual fee on Basic Registered agent sold separately. |
| US bank account application | Yes: Automated in flow Mercury and other partners. | No: Guidance only Founder applies directly. |
| EIN filing | Yes: Automated Default part of onboarding. | Yes: Supported with assistance Including for non-US founders. |
| 83(b) election filing | Yes: Automated Filed as part of founder equity issuance. | Yes: Guided workflow Template + filing instructions. |
| Document quality for institutional diligence | Yes: Cooley-reviewed starter pack Works for most seed rounds. | Yes: Designed for VC diligence Recognized across top startup firms. |
| Non-US founder support | Yes: 140+ countries supported Bank + EIN default in flow. | Yes: Supported, manual guidance Orrick alumni walk through EIN and banking. |
| Per-use fundraising fees | Yes: Included at basics Limited extras past starter pack. | Yes: $9 SAFE, $29 stock issuance Scales with fundraising activity. |
| Startup credits and partner discounts | Yes: $2,500 Stripe + $50,000+ partner Mercury, Xero, AWS included. | No: None No partner program. |
Verdict
Which tool wins for which jobPick Stripe Atlas if...
You're a non-US founder. Atlas supports founders from over 140 countries and automates the EIN and US bank application steps that are the hardest parts of the process from outside the US. Clerky can guide you through both, but Atlas does them as a default part of the flow.
You want everything in one screen. Formation, EIN, 83(b) election, founder stock issuance, bank application, and the Cooley-reviewed starter kit live inside the same onboarding. The $2,500 in Stripe credits plus $50,000+ in partner discounts on Mercury, Xero, and AWS are a bonus, not the reason to pick it.
You're pre-product or pre-revenue. A clean Delaware C-corp and a working bank account is all you need until you have something to raise against.
Pick Clerky if...
You're raising a priced round within 12 months. Every Cooley, WSGR, Fenwick, and Gunderson associate has seen Clerky's Orrick-designed paper hundreds of times. That recognition shaves hours off diligence and cuts back-and-forth on stock plan edge cases.
You're issuing SAFEs or stock on a regular cadence. At $9 per SAFE and $29 per stock issuance, per-use pricing stays cheaper than a lawyer for the first dozen transactions, and the paper stays institutional-grade.
You've got co-founders or early hires with custom vesting. Clerky's stock plan, 83(b) workflow, and board consent flows are more flexible than Atlas when you need to deviate from the defaults.
Run the YC stack if you can
Plenty of YC founders use both: Atlas to incorporate and get banking, then Clerky for every SAFE, 83(b), and stock plan after. It's two subscriptions, and the $100 Atlas registered agent fee keeps running, but it buys you the speed of Atlas setup plus the diligence-readiness of Clerky paper. If you're choosing only one, pick by the 12-month horizon above.
Neither product answers the question that comes next, which is who to actually pitch once you're incorporated. For that, the Causo Hub guide to cold-emailing VCs is where most founders get stuck.
Skip the tool-stack debate.
Causo finds VCs matching your stage, sector and thesis, picks the best-fit partner at each firm, and sends hyper-specific emails from your email.