Atlas forms a company and you wait for the EIN. We hand you one that already has it.

If you're raising US venture capital within 24 months — or going through Y Combinator, Techstars or a similar accelerator — Stripe Atlas is the right tool. The Delaware C-corp structure, Cooley-drafted templates, 83(b) filing and pre-approved Stripe account are genuinely worth it for that founder. We won't talk you out of it.

If you're a solopreneur, agency, freelancer, e-commerce seller or bootstrapper who needs to be operational now — and you're not on a venture track — a ready-made LLC wins on the thing that matters most: time. The company already exists, the EIN already exists, and you skip the 2–4 week formation-and-EIN queue entirely. Prefer a custom name and can wait? We also register a brand-new LLC for $549.

Three things, and they're real — the credibility of the rest of this page depends on saying so clearly.

1. Pre-approved Stripe Payments account

Atlas accounts come with a Stripe Payments account approved as part of formation — no separate application, no underwriting wait. We can't match that. With a ready-made company you open banking and then apply to Stripe directly at stripe.com using your LLC's details; approval for properly-structured LLCs is common but it's between you and Stripe. If guaranteed day-one Stripe is non-negotiable, Atlas wins this category.

2. Cooley LLP-drafted formation documents

Atlas's incorporation templates are drafted with Cooley LLP, a top startup law firm. If you raise a seed round, your investor's lawyers recognise these documents instantly. A ready-made LLC ships with a solid single-member operating agreement — it doesn't need Cooley work, because LLCs have no founder vesting schedules or stock option plans to negotiate.

3. 83(b) election filed correctly, on time

The 83(b) election is one of the most consequential filings in a startup founder's career, with a hard 30-day deadline. Atlas files it automatically. This applies only to C-corps — LLCs don't issue stock, so there's no 83(b) election to miss.

None of these are gotchas — they're structural consequences of incorporating as a Delaware C-corp. Atlas's customers actively want that structure; for everyone else, each point is a downside.

You wait for the EIN

With Atlas the company is incorporated first, then the EIN is applied for — typically one to two business days, sometimes longer for non-residents. Until the EIN lands, no bank or payment processor fully onboards you. A ready-made company removes this entirely: the EIN already exists before you buy. This is the single biggest speed difference between the two products.

Double taxation is real

A C-corp pays 21% federal tax on profits, then dividends are taxed again — for non-residents that's a 30% withholding (reduced by some treaties, rarely to zero). The same profit in a properly-structured non-resident-owned LLC with no US-source income can be taxed at $0 federally under IRS LLC pass-through classification.

Delaware franchise tax — minimum $400/year

Every Delaware corporation owes franchise tax regardless of revenue: $400/year minimum (Assumed Par Value Capital method), plus a $50 annual report. A Wyoming LLC's equivalent annual cost is around $60.

Form 1120 every year, even at $0 revenue

A C-corp must file a full Form 1120 corporate return annually whether or not it traded. Non-resident-owned C-corps typically need a CPA — budget $1,500–$3,500/year. A foreign-owned single-member LLC files the lighter Form 5472 + pro-forma 1120 instead. Both structures are also subject to FinCEN Beneficial Ownership reporting.

Atlas can reject your application

Atlas screens applications and turns away businesses that don't fit its venture-scale profile — dropshipping, FBA, affiliate, content sites, lifestyle agencies and solo operators are commonly rejected. You get your money back, but you've lost weeks. We don't screen for a venture narrative. A ready-made company transfers to any buyer who passes standard ID verification.

Atlas's marketing nudges you to "form a C-corp now, just in case you raise VC later." For most non-VC founders that's the wrong call. The cleaner path: start with a ready-made LLC and convert to a Delaware C-corp only if and when a real term sheet appears.

The conversion — the "Delaware flip" — is a standard transaction startup law firms handle every week. Cost: roughly $2,000–$5,000. Timeline: 2–4 weeks. The clean window is converting before the company has material value, which for almost every early-stage founder is exactly when you'd be raising. Investors don't balk at "I flipped from LLC to C-corp last month" — they balk at messy cap tables and missed 83(b)s.

The asymmetry: most founders who think they'll raise VC don't. Starting with an LLC and flipping later costs a few thousand dollars if needed. Starting with a C-corp and never raising costs years of double taxation, franchise tax and corporate filings. Unless you have a term sheet in hand, the ready-made-LLC-first path is the lower-risk option — and it lets you trade from day one.