10 best US LLC formation services for non-resident founders (2026 comparison)

Search for “best LLC service for non-US residents” and you’ll find dozens of lists. Most are written by affiliates, ranking whoever pays the highest commission, or by providers ranking themselves first without saying why.

This list is different in one honest way: we’re a provider, we’re on it, and we’ll tell you exactly where we fit and where we don’t. Entity Inc. appears below alongside nine competitors, including several that are cheaper than us and a few we’d genuinely recommend for certain founders. Because the right question was never “who is the best service?” It’s “who is the best service for the way you’ll actually run your business?”

Every provider here can file an LLC. The differences that matter come after: who gets your EIN, who helps with banking, who files Form 5472 (and whether they’re experienced tax professionals), and what your real first-year cost is once the add-ons are counted in.

This comparison is based on publicly available information from each provider’s website, last reviewed July 2026. Pricing and features change often; verify current details on each provider’s site before purchasing. We update this page regularly and note the review date above.

How we compared these services (and a note on bias)

You should be skeptical of any list published by a company that appears on it. That includes this one. So here’s exactly how we built it, and you can hold us to it.

We compared each provider on the criteria that actually affect non-resident founders: 

• what’s included in the base formation price versus sold as add-ons, 
• real first-year cost, 
• EIN handling for founders without an SSN, 
• banking setup support, 
• tax and compliance scope (especially Form 5472 for foreign-owned single-member LLCs), 
• who performs the work and what their credentials are, and 
• how support is delivered.

We did not rank by commission (there are no affiliate links on this page), and we did not hide providers that undercut us on price. Where a competitor is the better fit for a certain founder, we say so by name.

Quick comparison: 10 LLC formation services for non-residents

#	Provider	Best for	Base formation price	First-year reality check	Tax filing (Form 5472)	Human guidance
1	Doola	Lowest-cost start with bundles	$297/yr subscription + state fees	≈ $400	Higher-tier subscription bundles	Chat/email support
2	Firstbase	Modular setup, startup tooling	$399	≈ 863-$1,013 (agent + address); unclear if physical address required	Add-on packages	Chat/email support
3	Entity Inc.	CPA-led, tax-first formation	$899 flat (state fees included)	$899, no required add-ons	Separate flat-fee, filed by licensed US tax professionals	Dedicated specialist, consultation included
4	StartGlobal	Subscription-managed compliance	$399	$399 + $149/month managed plan ($2,187 fully managed)	Via managed plan or a la carte	Support team
5	Stripe Atlas	Delaware C Corps raising venture capital	$500	$500 all-in first year	Not included; partner referrals	Documentation-led
6	Northwest Registered Agent	Privacy and registered agent value	$39 + state fees	Low, watch renewals	Not included	US-based support staff
7	Bizee (formerly Incfile)	Cheapest possible entry	$0 + state fees	Low entry, upsell-heavy	Partner add-ons	Limited
8	ZenBusiness	US-based founders and side businesses	$0 + state fees	Subscription upsells common	Partner add-ons	Limited for non-residents
9	LegalZoom	Brand recognition, broad legal services	$0 to $299 + state fees	Add-ons raise totals	Via LZ Tax add-on	General support
10	Globalfy	Non-resident specialist with LATAM focus	$588/yr subscription + state fees	$588/yr (renews); tax filing on higher tiers	Included from the $998 Remote tier (5472 + pro forma 1120)	Named account executive

1. Doola: Best low-cost start with bundled subscriptions

• Venture-backed, automation-first platform founded in 2020
• $297/yr subscription plus state fees; among the cheapest credible entries
• Tax and bookkeeping available only through higher-tier annual bundles

Doola is fast, simple, and genuinely cheap to start, which makes it the natural pick for founders who know exactly what they need and want minimal hand-holding. Banking guidance centers on Mercury with a deposit cashback on its top-tier plan. 

Two things to watch: “expedited EIN” marketing (the IRS offers no paid acceleration; faster results reflect internal processing), and the jump in cost when you later need tax or a real bookkeeper, which come only inside larger subscription bundles.

Best for: budget-conscious founders comfortable self-managing, with simple structures and no immediate tax questions.

2. Firstbase: Best for modular setup and startup tooling

• One of the most established names in remote formation (2019)
• $399 formation, with essentials like registered agent ($299/year per state) and US address ($315/year, Mailroom Basic) as add-ons
• Banking through the Loop marketplace: Mercury, Brex, Ramp, plus Payoneer for payouts

Firstbase offers a polished, flexible experience where you assemble your own stack. That flexibility cuts both ways: the $399 sticker becomes roughly $1,013 ($399 + $299 agent + $315 address; verify at checkout) once required add-ons are included. 

And it’s on you to figure out which extras you actually need. For example, Firstbase says a US address is required to incorporate but doesn’t specify what kind. So, it’s unclear whether the registered agent’s address suffices or a physical US address is needed.

Best for: founders who value control and a good dashboard, and who will read the fine print on add-ons.

3. Entity Inc.: Best for CPA-led, tax-first formation

Full disclosure: this is us. Here’s the case, and the caveats.

• Founded by the CPA team behind Online Taxman, serving non-US residents and expats since 2010
• $899 flat package: state fees, LLC filing, EIN, registered agent (1 year), all legal documents, guided banking setup with various banks, and a 30-minute consultation with an incorporation specialist
• Tax, compliance, and bookkeeping available and handled in-house by the same team, with flat-fee packages and discounted bundles

Entity Inc. exists for one type of founder: the one who wants the structure done right the first time, by experienced people standing behind it. 

Formation starts with a consultation and every setup decision is made through a US tax lens. This means when the Form 5472 season arrives, licensed tax professionals prepare the filing and their bookkeeping colleagues can keep your records 5472-ready all year.

Entity’s team provides services in English, Spanish, and Serbian.

Who shouldn’t choose us: founders on a tight budget who are confident in managing their own compliance, and founders who prefer a fully self-serve dashboard over talking to a specialist. Doola or Northwest will serve you cheaper. We’d rather you pick the right tool than overpay for guidance you won’t use.

4. StartGlobal: Best for subscription-managed compliance

• Software-led platform with a $399 one-time formation fee
• Ongoing management via a $149/month plan or a la carte add-ons from $99/year
• Money-back guarantee and fast support response targets

StartGlobal’s model is clean: pay once to form, subscribe for everything after. For founders who genuinely need continuous management and like predictable monthly billing, it can work well. 

Run the math for your case, though: the managed plan totals $1,788 per year on top of formation, which over a full year exceeds most flat-fee alternatives for a simple single-member LLC. 

Also note that the website presents its founders and investors, both from technology backgrounds, without naming licensed tax professionals; ask who prepares your filings before you rely on the tax add-ons. We compare StartGlobal and Entity Inc. in depth in our dedicated comparison.

Best for: founders who want a software-led experience with ongoing management bundled into one monthly fee.

5. Stripe Atlas: Best for Delaware C Corps raising venture capital

• Built by Stripe, $500 flat, optimized for startups
• Forms Delaware C Corps (and LLCs), with standard startup legal templates and an 83(b) filing workflow
• Deep integration with Stripe’s payment ecosystem

Stripe Atlas is excellent at what it’s for, and what it’s for is mostly not the readers of this list. If you’re building a venture-scale startup that will raise from US investors, a Delaware C Corp via Atlas is a credible default. 

If you’re a freelancer, or agency owner, a C Corp means corporate tax filings and complexity you don’t need, and Atlas leaves ongoing tax compliance to third parties.

Best for: founders raising venture capital who need a Delaware C Corp, not a pass-through LLC.

6. Northwest Registered Agent: Best for privacy and registered agent value

• $39 plus state fees, with a full year of registered agent service included
• Strong privacy stance: uses its own address on filings where possible, doesn’t sell your data
• US-based human support (“Corporate Guides”)

Northwest is the value pick respected even by people who compare formation services for a living. The catch for non-residents: it’s a formation and registered agent specialist, not a cross-border firm. 

Northwest offers a paid EIN add-on for founders without an SSN ($200; $50 with SSN); banking under KYC and Form 5472 remain yours to manage. Pair Northwest with a separate tax professional and you have a lean, capable setup, if you’re willing to be your own general contractor.

Best for: self-sufficient founders who want quality formation and registered agent service at minimal cost.

7. Bizee (formerly Incfile): Best free entry point

• $0 formation plus state fees on the base plan
• Established brand with high review volume
• Revenue model relies on upsells and partner referrals

Bizee’s free tier is real: you pay only state fees to form. The trade-off is a sales experience built around upsells, some useful, some not, and thin support for non-resident specifics. 

Watch registered agent renewal pricing after the first year, and don’t expect guidance on EIN-without-SSN edge cases or foreign-owner tax filings.

Best for: founders who want the absolute minimum spent on formation and will handle everything else independently.

8. ZenBusiness: Best for US-based founders and side businesses

• $0 plus state fees entry, polished onboarding, strong US brand
• Subscription services (worry-free compliance, bookkeeping) aimed at US domestic small business
• Limited depth on non-resident needs

ZenBusiness is a fine product for its core market: US residents starting small businesses. For non-residents it’s a weaker fit: the platform is built primarily for US-resident founders. 

Non-resident EIN support exists (they help prepare Form SS-4, EIN add-on ~$99), but cross-border tax isn’t the focus. It earns its place on this list mainly so you know why it keeps appearing on other lists that weren’t written with non-residents in mind. 

Best for: US-based founders; non-residents will usually do better elsewhere on this list.

9. LegalZoom: Best-known brand with broad legal services

• The most recognized name in US online legal services
• Formation from $0 to $299 plus state fees, with a large menu of add-ons including LZ Tax
• Access to attorney consultations through subscription plans

LegalZoom’s strength is breadth: formation, trademarks, contracts, attorney access, all under one household-name roof. Its weakness for this audience is the same as ZenBusiness: the product is built for the US domestic market, pricing climbs quickly through add-ons. 

Non-resident specifics (banking, 5472, treaty questions) are not the specialty.

Best for: founders who value a big-brand safety net and may need adjacent legal services like trademarks.

10. Globalfy: Best for non-resident founders wanting a LATAM-focused platform 

• Non-resident specialist founded in 2015, strong Portuguese and Spanish-language support
• $588/year Starter subscription plus state fees; registered agent, US address, and EIN included
• Bank account help with Mercury and Lili; tax filing (including Form 5472) starts on the $998/year 

Globalfy is a genuine non-resident specialist rather than a domestic platform with a bolt-on. It earns credit for that, especially for founders in Brazil and across Latin America who value localized support in their own language. 

Formation is an annual subscription, not a one-time fee: the $588 Starter covers formation, a US address, registered agent, and EIN. Federal tax filing (with Form 5472 and a pro forma 1120) begins on the $998 Remote plan, and a dedicated bookkeeper only comes with the higher Essential ($1,308) and Scale ($5,028) tiers. 

Note that state fees are billed separately, and Globalfy has publicly described its banking service as undergoing restructuring, so confirm current banking options before relying on them. 

Best for: non-resident founders, particularly Portuguese or Spanish-speaking, who want a specialist platform and predictable annual subscription rather than à la carte pricing. 

How to choose: three questions that decide it

1. How much guidance do you want? If the answer is “none, just file it,” Northwest or Bizee wins on price. If it’s “a dashboard and some structure,” Doola, Firstbase, or StartGlobal fit. If it’s “an expert who tells me what I don’t know to ask,” that’s a CPA-led firm like ours.

2. What will year one really cost? Add up formation, state fees, registered agent, any required address, Form 5472 preparation, and renewals, for each provider, on your actual scope. Entry prices reorder dramatically once you do.

3. Who signs your tax return? For any provider whose tax services you’ll use, ask whether filings are prepared in-house or contracted out, and whether the preparer is a licensed professional. A $25,000 penalty form is not the place to economize blindly.

Common questions about choosing an LLC formation service

What’s the best LLC formation service for non-US residents overall?

Can I form a US LLC without an SSN or visiting the US?

Do I owe US taxes if I own a US LLC but live abroad?

Which state should I form in?

Why should I trust a list that includes the company that wrote it?

LLC formation services – the bottom line

All ten of these services can form your LLC. The real decision is what happens in month two, when the EIN letter is delayed, the bank asks for a document you’ve never heard of, or April arrives with a US tax form carrying a five-figure penalty. 

Choose the provider whose model matches how you’ll handle that moment: alone with a dashboard, on a subscription with a support queue, or with a licensed team that has seen it a few thousand times since 2010.

Whichever you pick, verify current pricing on the provider’s own site, read the renewal terms, and ask who prepares the tax filings. That habit will save you more than any discount.