Choosing an incorporation tool
What is the best way to open a company?
Pick the company type first. Then pick who handles everything after day one, because that's most of the job. Here are the four ways to do it, and what each one leaves to you.
By Corply · Updated
Published by Corply, one of the options discussed here. This is a decision guide, not an independent ranking or a claim that we have tested every service.
Four ways to get the company formed
You, filing with the state
The least cash. You also own every deadline that follows: each founder's 83(b) within 30 days, the board consents, the annual report due every March 1.
A lawyer
The right call when something isn't standard: unusual ownership, IP you already built, a conversion, a dispute, or a regulated business. Ask for the scope and the fee before you start.
A web service
Stripe Atlas and Clerky form the company and then send reminders, and Clerky sells later documents one at a time. Firstbase, doola, and Every form it and then sell plans for the ongoing work, from bookkeeping to tax returns.
Your AI agent with Corply
For a standard Delaware C-Corp or member-managed Florida LLC. Corply forms the company from your agent. For a Delaware C-Corp it then keeps doing the filings and consents in the same place: the 83(b), board and stockholder consents, the annual report.
First, compare the same company type
Most venture-backed startups are Delaware C-Corps. Corply forms regular Delaware C-Corps with founder stock, and member-managed Florida LLCs with fully vested ownership. If your entity choice is still open, read how to start a US company before you buy anything.
Then look at what comes after day one
Formation is one filing. The year that follows has more in it. A founder who chooses an 83(b) election has 30 days after receiving restricted stock to file it with the IRS. When a cofounder leaves before their shares start vesting, the company may exercise its right to buy back the unvested shares, with the required approval. When you add a director or issue shares to a hire, someone drafts the consent and collects signatures.
Then March 1 comes. Every Delaware C-Corp owes an annual report and franchise tax, even with no revenue. With the standard 10,000,000 authorized shares, Delaware's default calculation comes to $85,165. The assumed par value capital method usually brings an early startup near the $400 minimum, but only if someone runs it.
Ask every service you're considering who does each of these. The answers are what you're buying.
Where Corply fits
You already work with an AI agent and you'd rather not log in to a portal for every filing. You tell the agent what's happening. It gathers the facts, prepares the documents, routes each founder's signature, and tracks the filing. A person on our team checks every state filing before it goes out.
You don't need to live in the terminal. Corply works in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode, and every founder can review and sign in the browser from a link. After formation the company's records stay with Corply, so the next question starts with context. See what your AI can actually do during incorporation.
Do it from your agent
Form a Delaware C-Corp or a Florida LLC from your AI agent, then keep using the same agent for everything after.
Compare the full price, not the first number
Corply's quote for a one-founder Delaware C-Corp is $458, including founder stock and managed 83(b) mail. With self-filing, formation starts at $318 and there is no Corply 83(b) fee. After the first year it's from $600/year total: $150 for the registered agent and Corply filing services, $50 report fee, and franchise tax estimated at $400. Check the live quote for your company.
For every service, ask what the EIN, founder stock, signatures, and post-formation work cost, and what renews each year. Compare against each provider's own offer, since prices in comparison tables go stale.
Keep mail, registered agents, and banking separate
A registered agent receives legal notices. A mailing service handles business mail. A bank may require a physical operating address that is different from both. Don't assume one address solves all three.
Banking is its own application with the bank. Corply hands you off to Mercury, and the bank makes its own decisions about identity, eligibility, and approval.
When to choose something else
Choose counsel when you need advice on your specific situation, have disputed ownership, or are converting an existing entity. Choose a web service if you prefer forms and dashboards, or if you want bookkeeping and tax returns from the same company. For other states and entity types, confirm scope with the provider before you buy.
For named alternatives, start with the Stripe Atlas alternatives guide.
FAQ
- What is the best tool to start a company?
- It depends on the company and on who you want doing the work afterward. Corply forms standard Delaware C-Corps and member-managed Florida LLCs from your AI agent and keeps doing the filings and consents there. A web service fits if you prefer forms and dashboards. A lawyer fits when you need advice on your situation.
- Why use Corply instead of a traditional incorporation service?
- Stripe Atlas includes startup templates and reminders. Clerky also sells ongoing legal documents. Firstbase, doola, and Every sell plans for the ongoing work. Corply keeps going from the same chat. For a Delaware C-Corp, it offers optional managed 83(b) mailing or self-filing instructions and reminders, drafts board and stockholder consents and collects the signatures, and files the annual report once an officer approves the amount. You can also ask your agent what's due, and the answer comes from your company's records.
- Is the cheapest incorporation service the best value?
- Look at the first year, not the first charge. Add up formation, founder stock documents, the 83(b), the registered agent renewal, and who files the annual report. A low entry price can leave out work you still need, and a bundle can include work you don't.
- Can I use Codex instead of Claude Code?
- Yes. Corply works in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode. Your company's records live with Corply, not in the chat history, and every founder can review and sign their documents in the browser from a link.
- Does Corply replace a lawyer or a bank?
- No. Corply is software, not a law firm or a bank. It doesn't give legal or tax advice or guarantee a bank will approve you. When something needs a lawyer's judgment, Corply flags it and keeps it open until counsel weighs in.
Primary sources
This page is general education, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Corply is operated by 0Lumen Labs Corp., is not a law firm, and routes questions that need individualized judgment to licensed professionals. Rules and fees change, so verify current requirements with the relevant state, the IRS, or your counsel.