Corply vs Stripe Atlas
Formation, annual filings, and founder decisions compared.
Stripe Atlas opens a Delaware C-Corp for $500, usually within two business days. After that, Atlas sends you email reminders. Corply opens the same company and then does the Delaware work those reminders are about, from the AI agent you already use.
By Corply · Updated
The short version
- Atlas reminds you that Delaware's annual report and franchise tax are due March 1. We run both tax calculations, your officer approves the exact amount, and we file it.
- When a cofounder leaves, a director joins, or a hire gets shares, you tell your agent. We draft the consents, collect every signature, and update your company records.
- Atlas costs $500 for any number of founders. We charge $458 for one and $738 for three, then $600+ total estimated yearly cost, including $150 for registered-agent and filing services.
Your first year, side by side
| Corply | Stripe Atlas | |
|---|---|---|
| Day one | You answer a few questions in your agent. We prepare the documents, every founder signs, and a person on our team checks the filing before it goes to Delaware. | You fill in a web form. Atlas files with next-day expedited processing, and you're usually incorporated within two business days. |
| The EIN | We prepare the IRS application and our team submits it. | Included. |
| The 83(b), due 30 days after you get your shares | Each founder chooses self-filing with instructions and reminders, or paid Corply-managed mail. For managed mail, they sign a limited authorization before formation; after stock is issued, Corply executes the authorized election, sends it by standard USPS Certified Mail with an acknowledgment copy and stamped return envelope, and keeps the receipt. | Atlas files it for every founder. |
| Bank and perks | Apply through Corply’s Mercury partner page. Mercury reviews the application; Corply may receive referral compensation. | $2,500 in Stripe credits, over $50,000 in partner discounts, and your $500 back when you deposit $5,000 into Stripe Treasury. |
| Board and stockholder decisions | A cofounder leaves before their shares start vesting, you add a director, you issue shares to a hire. Tell your agent. We draft the consents, collect every signature, and file with Delaware when the change needs it. | Board consent and YC post-money SAFE templates, written with Cooley LLP, plus per-SAFE tracking. You fill them in and sign. |
| March 1: annual report and franchise tax | We run both of Delaware's tax calculations so you pay the lower one. Your officer approves the exact amount, and we file. | An email reminder before the deadline, with links to partners. |
| Year two | from $600/year total: $150 for the registered agent and Corply filing services, $50 report fee, and franchise tax estimated at $400. | $100 for the registered agent. The annual filing is yours to do. |
| A question about your company | Ask your agent what's due, who owns what, or what to do next. The answer comes from your company's records. | A web dashboard. Stripe's MCP server covers payments and Treasury, not your Atlas company. |
Competitor details come from stripe.com/atlas, support.stripe.com/questions/key-tax-dates-for-atlas-companies and docs.stripe.com/mcp, checked . Prices change, so check before you buy. Corply prices come from the same quote our checkout charges.
What March 1 looks like
Every Delaware C-Corp owes an annual report and franchise tax by March 1, even with no revenue. With the standard 10,000,000 authorized shares, Delaware's default calculation comes to $85,165. Recalculated with the assumed par value capital method, an early startup typically lands near the $400 minimum. You only get that number if someone files with your gross assets and issued shares.
With Atlas, that email lands in your inbox and the math is yours. With Corply, we run both calculations, show your officer the lower number and every fee, and file once they approve. The franchise tax guide walks through the arithmetic.
Where Atlas is the better pick
Atlas bundles formation and every founder's election for $500, and Stripe gives the $500 back when you deposit $5,000 into Stripe Treasury. It includes next-day expedited filing, board consents, and YC post-money SAFEs with per-SAFE tracking, on templates written with Cooley LLP. We don't draft SAFEs.
It also comes with $2,500 in Stripe credits and over $50,000 in partner discounts. It forms LLCs and subsidiaries as well as C-Corps, where we form Delaware C-Corps and member-managed Florida LLCs. And over 100,000 founders have used it.
If you're running payments on Stripe from day one and you're happy to do the yearly filings yourself, Atlas is a fine way to start.
What you'll pay
Delaware formation starts at $318 when founders file their own 83(b) elections. The one-founder and three-founder totals below include Corply-managed mail for each founder. Self-filing has no Corply 83(b) fee and includes instructions and deadline reminders.
| Corply | Stripe Atlas | |
|---|---|---|
| One founder, upfront | $458 | $500 |
| Three founders, upfront | $738 | $500 |
| Each year after | from $600/year total: $150 for the registered agent and Corply filing services, $50 report fee, and franchise tax estimated at $400 | $100 agent + $50 report + estimated $400 franchise tax; you file |
| Delaware's report fee and franchise tax | Passed through at cost, filed by us | Paid and filed by you |
| Expedited Delaware filing | Extra | Next-day, included |
Our Delaware annual total assumes the standard charter and the estimated franchise-tax minimum; actual tax can be higher. Registering or paying taxes in the state where you operate, income-tax preparation, and expediting are additional costs.
Banking is available through the Mercury × Corply partner page. Corply may receive referral compensation. Mercury decides account eligibility and approval. Bank incentives are separate from Corply’s prices and are not deducted from these totals.
Every line of our quote is itemized before you pay. Delaware's fees and taxes pass through at cost. Our fee is its own line, and at formation it equals the filing, registered agent, and 83(b) charges. Expedited filing is extra. See the live quote for your company.
Start with one set of company records
Forming with Corply keeps the signed formation documents, founder stock, filing evidence, and later decisions in the same company record. That avoids a document migration before the first annual filing. If your company already exists, our import path can review its records and identify missing work; see the migration scope in the FAQ below.
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.
FAQ
- Is Corply a Stripe Atlas alternative?
- Yes. Both form a Delaware C-Corp with founder stock and an EIN, and Corply also forms Florida LLCs. The difference is what happens after. Atlas sends reminders. Corply files the annual report, runs board and stockholder consents, and keeps your company records current, all from your AI agent.
- Is Stripe Atlas cheaper?
- Compare the filing choices. Atlas is $500 for any number of founders, and Stripe gives it back when you deposit $5,000 into Stripe Treasury. Corply is $458 for one founder or $738 for three when all choose managed 83(b) mail. Formation with self-filed elections starts at $318; self-filing has no Corply 83(b) fee. Each year after, budget from $600/year total: $150 for the registered agent and Corply filing services, $50 report fee, and franchise tax estimated at $400. Atlas charges $100 for its agent before Delaware’s report fee and franchise tax, and you file the report yourself.
- Which is faster?
- Atlas. Its price includes next-day expedited processing, and it says most companies are incorporated within two business days. Corply's quote uses Delaware's standard filing, and expedited processing costs extra. A person on our team checks every Corply filing before it goes to Delaware.
- Do I have to use the terminal?
- No. Start a Delaware C-Corp in your browser at corply.dev/signup?next=/welcome. Florida LLCs currently start in a connected AI agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or OpenCode. Every founder can review and sign in the browser.
- Can I move my Atlas company to Corply?
- Yes. Import your Delaware C-Corp's records for review and an itemized quote for missing work. After Corply accepts the current charter, bylaws, organizational and ownership documents, and recorded director, officer and voting records, an imported company with a single common voting class can use Corply to appoint, remove or record the resignation of directors and officers. The required people still approve and sign. Changes to those records require a refreshed review. Restricted-stock issuance, charter amendments and unvested-share repurchases need separate authority and are outside this import review. Annual filings are also available.
- Does Corply give legal advice?
- No. Corply is software, not a law firm. When something needs a lawyer's judgment, Corply flags it and keeps it open until counsel has weighed in.
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.