Comparison
Delaware LLC vs Wyoming LLC for non-residents: which to choose in 2026
Honest comparison of Delaware and Wyoming LLCs for non-resident founders. Recognition, cost, case-law depth, and practical tradeoffs.
The cost difference is real but smaller than it looks
Delaware's $300 annual franchise tax is the headline cost. Wyoming's $60 annual report fee is one-fifth of that. Over 5 years, the gap is roughly $1,200 saved.
But the absolute cost of a non-resident formation includes much more than state franchise tax: registered agent (~$50-$99/year either way), CPA fees for Form 5472 ($200-$500/year), and the formation service. The state franchise-tax delta is a small slice of total cost.
Recognition is where Delaware wins
More than 60% of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware. About 66% of US public companies use Delaware. Every US venture capital partner and US startup lawyer expects Delaware as the default. Wyoming is recognized but treated as second-tier.
For non-resident bootstrap founders, recognition matters because every US contract, every Stripe onboarding, every Amazon Seller Central registration involves a US counterparty making a quick judgment about your entity. Delaware passes that judgment without explanation.
When Wyoming is the right pick
Privacy-first founders who do not want member names in any registry should consider Wyoming. Wyoming does not require public disclosure of member names; Delaware does not either, but Wyoming's privacy practice is more robust at the state level.
Solo founders running entirely-offshore operations who never need US-counterparty contracts may also prefer Wyoming purely for the cost savings. The recognition gap matters less when you are not signing US contracts.
Form your Delaware LLC with Delewarellc
$297 + Delaware state fee, one-time. 8-10 day turnaround. Multilingual founder-led support.
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