What does AI recommend for business formation services (startups)? Checked 2026-10-22

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-10-22

Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

The question asked, verbatim: best business formation services for startups. This page records one answer on one date. It is a measurement, not a ranking and not a recommendation.

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. Clerky mentioned
   Clerky - $819 lifetime package.
2. Stripe mentioned
   Stripe Atlas - $500 one-time.
3. Stripe Atlas mentioned
   Stripe Atlas - $500 one-time.
4. EIN mentioned
   The $500 covers Delaware filing including state fees, EIN, founder equity issuance, share purchase agreements, 83(b) filing, legal templates, and your first year of registered agent ($100/yr after).
5. Rho mentioned
   Rho - free Delaware C-corp formation.
6. Firstbase mentioned
   Firstbase - $399.
7. Northwest mentioned
   Northwest Registered Agent - $39 + state fee.
8. Northwest Registered Agent mentioned
   Northwest Registered Agent - $39 + state fee.
9. Privacy mentioned
   No upsell tiers, no bait pricing, real humans answer the phone, and they put their address on public filings instead of your home address - "Privacy by Default," and they've done it since 1998.
10. Default mentioned
    No upsell tiers, no bait pricing, real humans answer the phone, and they put their address on public filings instead of your home address - "Privacy by Default," and they've done it since 1998.
11. ZenBusiness mentioned
    ZenBusiness - $0 + state fees on the starter plan, with fast filing and very well-rated support.
12. LegalZoom mentioned
    LegalZoom.
13. Inc Authority mentioned
    Inc Authority, Swyft Filings, Tailor Brands, Bizee/Incfile - these show up on every "best LLC service" list because those lists run on affiliate commissions.
14. Tailor Brands mentioned
    Inc Authority, Swyft Filings, Tailor Brands, Bizee/Incfile - these show up on every "best LLC service" list because those lists run on affiliate commissions.
15. Bizee mentioned
    Inc Authority, Swyft Filings, Tailor Brands, Bizee/Incfile - these show up on every "best LLC service" list because those lists run on affiliate commissions.

Sources the engine cited

The answer, as recorded

The honest answer splits on one question: are you raising venture capital, or building a business that funds itself? Different tools entirely. Here's who I'd actually name, in order. ## If you're venture-track (Delaware C-corp, planning to raise) **1. Clerky - $819 lifetime package.** This is what I'd recommend to most founders who intend to raise a priced round. It's not the cheapest, but it's the only one built specifically around the paperwork that breaks fundraises: founder stock, vesting, 83(b) elections, SAFEs, convertible notes, option grants, board consents. Lawyers at firms that do seed rounds recognize Clerky docs and don't bill you to clean them up. The lifetime package gets you every document workflow forever, not just incorporation. Delaware state fee is ~$89 on top; registered agent renews around $100/yr after year one. **2. Stripe Atlas - $500 one-time.** The closest like-for-like to Clerky and the better pick if you want speed and a lighter touch. The $500 covers Delaware filing including state fees, EIN, founder equity issuance, share purchase agreements, 83(b) filing, legal templates, and your first year of registered agent ($100/yr after). Strongest option for international founders - the non-US founder workflow is genuinely better than anyone else's - and it supports LLCs too. Comes with Stripe credits. Downside: shallower document tooling than Clerky once you're past formation. **3. Rho - free Delaware C-corp formation.** Worth knowing about because the price is zero and documents are attorney-reviewed and filed for you, and you can open the business bank account same-day, before the EIN arrives. The catch is the model: a $400 refundable deposit, returned once you open a Rho account and hold a $10,000 average checking balance for 60 days. It's a banking product using formation as the front door. Fine if you were going to keep real money in a startup account anyway, and a bad fit if that $10k balance would be painful. **4. Firstbase - $399.** I'd name it fourth, not second. Formation is the entry point to a subscription stack - mail, compliance, bookkeeping, tax - and registered agent is a separate $299/yr from day one, which makes it the most expensive of this group over time. Reasonable if you actually want the whole back-office bundle from one vendor. ## If you're forming an LLC (bootstrapped, consulting, small business) **1. Northwest Registered Agent - $39 + state fee.** My default recommendation in this category, and it's not close. No upsell tiers, no bait pricing, real humans answer the phone, and they put *their* address on public filings instead of your home address - "Privacy by Default," and they've done it since 1998. First year of registered agent is free, then $125/yr. **2. ZenBusiness - $0 + state fees** on the starter plan, with fast filing and very well-rated support. Good if budget is the binding constraint; just read what's on the renewal, since the economics live in the add-ons. **3. LegalZoom.** I'd name it only if you specifically want attorney access bolted onto formation and will pay for the brand and the hand-holding. Otherwise you're overpaying for filings Northwest does better. ## What I'd skip Inc Authority, Swyft Filings, Tailor Brands, Bizee/Incfile - these show up on every "best LLC service" list because those lists run on affiliate commissions. They're not bad, they're just not better than Northwest at anything that matters. And don't form an LLC if you plan to raise venture money; you'll pay a lawyer to convert it to a Delaware C-corp later. One thing nobody in this market will tell you: formation is the easy part. The expensive mistakes are a missed 83(b) election (30-day deadline from stock issuance, no extensions, no fixes) and sloppy founder vesting. That's the actual reason to pay for Clerky or Atlas rather than the cheapest filer. Sources: - [The 10 Best Incorporation Services for Startups in 2026 - Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/best-incorporation-services) - [Clerky Review 2026: Pricing, Alternatives, and Who It's Actually For - Flowjam](https://www.flowjam.com/blog/clerky-review-2026-pricing-alternatives-by-founder-type) - [Stripe Atlas vs Firstbase - Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-firstbase) - [How to incorporate a startup in 2026 - costs, steps, and the free option - Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/how-to-incorporate-a-startup) - [Northwest Registered Agent Review 2026 - StartupSavant](https://startupsavant.com/northwest-llc-service-review) - [Best Registered Agent Services in 2026 - Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/best-registered-agent-services) - [Best Delaware C-Corp Formation for Startups & Foreign Founders - Binderr](https://binderr.com/marketplace/us/delaware-c-corp-formation-guide)

Recorded 2026-10-22 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search, model claude-opus-5. Permanent address: /answers/s/business-formation-services-startups-2026-10-22

Sources cited across the 22 recorded answers to this question

Alphabetical. A domain with a dated record links to it; the record says how often and when. Is one of these your site? Its record lists every recorded answer that cited it and carries the alert for the next citation.

binderr.com · bizreport.com · carta.com · clerky.com · cooley.com · cooleygo.com · dealroom.co · ecommerceparadise.com · every.io · finovate.com · flowjam.com · forbes.com · freenetlaw.com · globalsolo.global · guptadeepak.com · howtostartanllc.com · kanopylabs.com · leanlaw.co · llccompass.com · llcuniversity.com · medium.com · nav.com · newsweek.com · opencapstack.com · quicksprout.com · registeredagentcost.com · rho.co · sparklaun.ch · startupowl.com · startupsavant.com · stripe.com · venturesmarter.com · wolterskluwer.com · zenbusiness.com · zippyllcs.com

Earlier recordings of this question

• asked 2026-10-20
• asked 2026-10-19
• asked 2026-10-16
• asked 2026-10-14
• asked 2026-10-12
• asked 2026-10-11
• asked 2026-10-09
• asked 2026-10-07
• asked 2026-10-04
• asked 2026-10-02
• asked 2026-09-30
• asked 2026-09-27
• asked 2026-09-25
• asked 2026-09-23
• asked 2026-09-21
• asked 2026-09-17
• asked 2026-09-15
• asked 2026-09-13
• asked 2026-09-11
• asked 2026-09-09
• asked 2026-09-06

Markdown edition · all recorded answers · weekly source index · AEO Watch

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.