Firstbase alternatives for non-residents (2026).

delewarellc.com is the closest one-to-one Firstbase replacement for non-resident founders forming a Delaware LLC. The $397 formation fee is one-time and includes the $90 Delaware state filing fee, the EIN filing by fax, the operating agreement, and Year 1 of registered agent service. From Year 2 onward the registered agent costs $100 per year — versus $299 per year at Firstbase. Over 3 years that adds up to $597 in agent savings, before counting the $300 Delaware franchise tax that every Delaware LLC owes regardless of which formation service filed it.

Northwest is the long-standing baseline in this category for founders who want to unbundle. The $39 formation service plus the $90 Delaware state fee gets you the LLC; the $125-per-year registered agent is the lowest at a full-service provider with US phone support. The catch for non-residents is that Northwest does not file Form SS-4 by fax in the base package. You either submit the EIN application yourself (the IRS confirms by fax in 10 business days if you follow their instructions correctly) or pay an EIN add-on, which puts the total closer to delewarellc.com's bundled price.

Stripe Atlas is the only major alternative that does not charge a recurring agent fee at all. The $500 one-time fee covers the $90 state fee, the EIN application, the operating agreement, and the registered agent for Year 1. After Year 1 you bring your own agent ($100 to $125 per year at market rates) so the long-term cost is competitive. The slow EIN turnaround is the real cost — 4 to 6 weeks pushes back Mercury onboarding, Stripe activation, and any contract that requires the EIN.

Doola Starter delivers the EIN faster than Firstbase (1 to 3 weeks vs 2 to 4 weeks) and bundles the registered agent into the subscription. The subscription model is the catch: $297 every year, indefinitely. Year 1 cost is roughly even with Firstbase, but by Year 3 a Doola customer has paid 1.5x what a Firstbase customer paid and 2.2x what a delewarellc.com customer paid. For founders who specifically want the ongoing managed-compliance model, Doola Pro at $1,999 per year adds bookkeeping, Form 5472 filing, and ITIN application.

StartGlobal Pro is the maximalist option. The $599 formation fee plus $150 per month covers monthly bookkeeping, quarterly compliance reviews, a dedicated account manager, and all standard filings. For non-residents running a venture-funded business with no internal finance function, the bundle is reasonable — outsourced books at this price beat hiring a fractional CFO. For founders who already work with a CPA or do their own books, the recurring fee is the largest single line item on the comparison table.