Comparison
Stripe Atlas vs Clerky.
Both form the venture-standard Delaware C-Corp. Atlas sells it as one $500 purchase with Stripe credits on top. Clerky sells it in pieces, $427 to incorporate and then each later document on its own. And in August 2026 Clerky announced it's joining Stripe.
By Corply · Updated
Side by side
| Stripe Atlas | Clerky | |
|---|---|---|
| How you use it | One guided web flow and a dashboard | Guided web forms, one product per document |
| Who owns it | Stripe | Joining Stripe, announced August 2026 |
| Entity types | C-Corps, LLCs, and subsidiaries | Delaware C-Corps, including public benefit corporations |
| Price to incorporate | $500, including state fees and next-day expedited filing. Refunded when you deposit $5,000 into Stripe Treasury. | $427 with expedited filing, plus $299 for post-incorporation setup, or $819 for the Company Lifetime package |
| Registered agent | First year included, then $100 a year | First year included |
| Founder stock and the 83(b) | Share purchase agreements and the 83(b) filing, included | Post-incorporation setup includes a prefilled 83(b), instructions, reminders, and invention assignment. Managed filing with evidence is a paid per-filing add-on, including with Company Lifetime. |
| After formation | Board consent and YC post-money SAFE templates written with Cooley LLP, per-SAFE tracking, reminders before Delaware deadlines, $2,500 in Stripe credits, and over $50,000 in partner discounts | Documents per use: SAFE $9, board consent $9, option grant $29, stock plan $199 |
| From an AI agent | Stripe's MCP covers payments and Treasury, not your Atlas company | Read-only MCP: list teams, read your cap table |
Competitor details come from stripe.com/atlas, support.stripe.com/questions/key-tax-dates-for-atlas-companies, docs.stripe.com/mcp, clerky.com/pricing, developers.clerky.com/mcp-server, clerky.com/blog/managed-83b-elections and clerky.com/blog/clerky-is-joining-stripe, checked . Prices change, so check before you buy. Corply prices come from the same quote our checkout charges.
Where Stripe Atlas is stronger
One purchase covers the whole standard setup: the Delaware filing with next-day expedite, the EIN, founder share purchase agreements, the 83(b) filing, a year of registered agent, and board consent and YC SAFE templates written with Cooley LLP. Stripe gives the $500 back when you deposit $5,000 into Stripe Treasury. On top come $2,500 in Stripe credits and over $50,000 in partner discounts. Atlas also forms LLCs and subsidiaries, which Clerky doesn't, and over 100,000 founders have been through it.
Where Clerky is stronger
The paperwork after formation, especially when a lawyer is running your process and already works in Clerky. Its library is deep, with SAFEs, convertible notes, option grants, a stock plan, and hiring documents, and the $819 Company Lifetime package makes all of it a one-time purchase. If you only want to incorporate, $427 gets you a company.
The verdict
No lawyer yet, one purchase, payments on Stripe: Atlas. A lawyer involved, or SAFEs and option grants coming soon: Clerky. Either way you end up with the same Delaware C-Corp and the standard documents. Atlas sells an ecosystem. Clerky sells a paperwork library.
Wider field? See how to choose an incorporation service and the Stripe Atlas alternatives roundup.
What neither one does
Corply is this site's own product, so we won't pretend to be neutral about it. Here is what both leave to you. By March 1 each year, Delaware wants an annual report and franchise tax. Atlas and Clerky both send you a reminder, and neither lists filing it for you. When a cofounder leaves or a director joins, you fill in the consent yourself.
Corply forms the same Delaware C-Corp from the AI agent you already use, and then does that work: we draft the consents and collect the signatures, and we prepare and file the annual report once your officer approves the amount. It forms member-managed Florida LLCs too. Full details are in Corply vs Stripe Atlas and Corply vs Clerky.
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 Stripe Atlas or Clerky better for a first-time founder?
- If you don't have a lawyer yet, Atlas is the simpler purchase. One $500 payment covers the company, the EIN, founder stock, the 83(b), and a year of registered agent. Clerky pays off if your lawyer is involved or you know you'll need SAFEs, option grants, and hiring documents soon.
- Is Stripe Atlas or Clerky cheaper?
- Atlas is $500. Clerky is $427 plus $299, or $819 for the Company Lifetime package, which covers its standard documents from then on. If you'd buy SAFEs and hiring paperwork anyway, that package can come out ahead.
- Do startup lawyers prefer Clerky?
- If your lawyer already works in Clerky, that's a good reason to use it. Both services produce the standard Delaware C-Corp documents, so ask your lawyer which set they'd rather review.
- Does either one file the Delaware annual report?
- Both send reminders before Delaware's deadlines, and neither lists filing the report for you. The March 1 report and franchise tax are yours to file, or you can bring the company to Corply, which files them.
- How is Corply different from both?
- Corply is this site's own product, so we're not neutral about it. It forms the same Delaware C-Corp, or a member-managed Florida LLC, from your AI agent. For a Delaware C-Corp it then keeps doing the work: the 83(b), board and stockholder consents, and the annual report due every March 1.
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.