What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for business formation services (startups) on 2026-10-26

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-10-26

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

The question asked, verbatim: best business formation services for startups

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. Clerky mentioned
   Clerky - This is what I'd pick, and it's what most YC-adjacent founders use.
2. Stripe Atlas mentioned
   Stripe Atlas - The fastest and cheapest credible path to a Delaware C-corp: $500 one-time including the first year of registered agent, then $100/year, incorporated in 1-2 business days.
3. EIN mentioned
   It also does founder stock, 83(b) filing, and EIN, plus bank account setup and some partner credits.
4. Gunderson Dettmer mentioned
   A startup law firm directly (Gunderson Dettmer, Cooley, Orrick, Fenwick, Wilson Sonsini) - Worth naming because it's the option people forget.
5. Cooley mentioned
   A startup law firm directly (Gunderson Dettmer, Cooley, Orrick, Fenwick, Wilson Sonsini) - Worth naming because it's the option people forget.
6. Orrick mentioned
   A startup law firm directly (Gunderson Dettmer, Cooley, Orrick, Fenwick, Wilson Sonsini) - Worth naming because it's the option people forget.
7. Wilson Sonsini mentioned
   A startup law firm directly (Gunderson Dettmer, Cooley, Orrick, Fenwick, Wilson Sonsini) - Worth naming because it's the option people forget.
8. Firstbase mentioned
   Firstbase - Built for exactly this: formation plus the back-office you can't easily get from abroad (US mailing address, registered agent, compliance calendar, bookkeeping, tax filings).
9. Northwest recommended
   Northwest Registered Agent - My default recommendation here.
10. Northwest Registered Agent recommended
    Northwest Registered Agent - My default recommendation here.
11. Bizee mentioned
    Bizee (formerly Incfile) - Free formation (you pay state fees) with a year of registered agent included.
12. LegalZoom mentioned
    LegalZoom - I'd name it last among the LLC options.
13. Rocket Lawyer mentioned
    Who I'd skip: ZenBusiness and Rocket Lawyer are fine but don't beat Northwest on anything specific;
14. Rho mentioned
    Rho and similar "incorporation + banking" bundles are really banking products using free formation as acquisition - fine if you want their bank, but don't let it drive your entity decision.

Sources the engine cited

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The answer, as recorded

The right answer depends a lot on whether "startup" means venture-track (you'll raise from investors, Delaware C-corp, stock splits among cofounders) or small business (LLC, you own it, no outside equity). Here's who I'd actually name, in order: **If you're venture-track and plan to raise:** 1. **Clerky** - This is what I'd pick, and it's what most YC-adjacent founders use. It's not just a filing service: it handles the full paperwork chain that actually matters later - incorporation, founder stock purchase agreements with vesting, 83(b) elections, IP assignments, SAFEs and priced rounds. The reason this matters is that cleanup from botched early paperwork is the single most common diligence headache in a seed round, and Clerky's documents are the ones investor lawyers expect to see. ~$819 for the lifetime package, Delaware corporations only. ([rho.co](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky), [startupsavant.com](https://startupsavant.com/service-reviews/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky)) 2. **Stripe Atlas** - The fastest and cheapest credible path to a Delaware C-corp: $500 one-time including the first year of registered agent, then $100/year, incorporated in 1-2 business days. It also does founder stock, 83(b) filing, and EIN, plus bank account setup and some partner credits. Pick this over Clerky if you want to move today, are cost-sensitive, and are comfortable doing later financing documents through a law firm. ([rho.co](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-firstbase)) 3. **A startup law firm directly** (Gunderson Dettmer, Cooley, Orrick, Fenwick, Wilson Sonsini) - Worth naming because it's the option people forget. Many will defer fees until your first priced round. If you already have investor interest or a non-trivial cap table (4+ founders, advisors, a co-founder departure, foreign entity to flip), skip the self-serve tools and start here. **If you're a non-US founder:** 4. **Firstbase** - Built for exactly this: formation plus the back-office you can't easily get from abroad (US mailing address, registered agent, compliance calendar, bookkeeping, tax filings). $399 to start, registered agent $299/year separately, and it'll do Wyoming as well as Delaware. ([rho.co](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-firstbase)) 5. **doola** - The other serious option for non-US founders, with more emphasis on ongoing compliance and bookkeeping support. Reasonable alternative to Firstbase; I'd compare them on total first-two-year cost rather than headline price. ([rho.co](https://www.rho.co/blog/best-incorporation-services)) **If you're actually forming an LLC, not a venture startup:** 6. **Northwest Registered Agent** - My default recommendation here. $39 + state fee, genuinely good human support, and notably they don't upsell aggressively or sell your data - which is the main complaint about the category. Their registered agent service is the real product and it's priced fairly (~$125/year). ([newsweek.com](https://www.newsweek.com/readerschoice/best-business-formation-service-2026)) 7. **Bizee** (formerly Incfile) - Free formation (you pay state fees) with a year of registered agent included. Cheapest viable option; the tradeoff is heavier upselling and renewal pricing that jumps. 8. **LegalZoom** - I'd name it last among the LLC options. It works, and the optional attorney access is real value if you want someone to ask questions to, but you'll pay a premium over Northwest for the same filing. **Who I'd skip:** ZenBusiness and Rocket Lawyer are fine but don't beat Northwest on anything specific; Rho and similar "incorporation + banking" bundles are really banking products using free formation as acquisition - fine if you want their bank, but don't let it drive your entity decision. One thing worth doing regardless of provider: file your **83(b) election within 30 days** of your stock purchase. It's a hard deadline with no remedy if missed, and it's the most expensive mistake available to a new founder. Clerky and Atlas both handle it; if you DIY, don't forget it. **Sources:** - [Stripe Atlas vs. Clerky: 2026 Incorporation Guide for Startup Founders - Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky) - [Stripe Atlas vs. Firstbase - Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/stripe-atlas-vs-firstbase) - [The 10 Best Incorporation Services for Startups in 2026 - Rho](https://www.rho.co/blog/best-incorporation-services) - [Stripe Atlas vs. Clerky - StartupSavant](https://startupsavant.com/service-reviews/stripe-atlas-vs-clerky) - [8 Best Online Incorporation Services for Startups - StartupSavant](https://startupsavant.com/best-incorporation-services-for-startups) - [Best Business Formation Service 2026 - Newsweek Readers' Choice](https://www.newsweek.com/readerschoice/best-business-formation-service-2026)

Near this answer

The same question, recorded on other dates: 2026-10-24, 2026-10-22, 2026-10-20, 2026-10-19, 2026-10-16, 2026-10-14, 2026-10-12, 2026-10-11, 2026-10-09, 2026-10-07, 2026-10-04.

business formation services, asked for other audiences: small businesses (asked 2026-10-26).

Other categories with a recorded answer: accounting firms, business coaching services, compliance consulting firms, contract review services.

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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.