Firstbase vs doola: what you really pay

Updated October 24, 2026

Both form a US company for founders who live outside the United States, so they can open a US business account and use Stripe or PayPal. Their prices are built differently: Firstbase charges a one-time formation fee and sells yearly services on top, doola charges per year. The table below uses only the prices shown on each service's official page on 22 October 2026. Prices change often, so check them again before you order.

Side by side

	Firstbase	doola
Formation price	$99 one-time plus the state fee on 22 October 2026; Firstbase's Start page now says only the state fee is due	Starter plan: $297 per year, plus state fees
Where	Delaware or Wyoming	State fees vary by state; see doola's site
US tax ID (EIN)	Included (expedited)	Included; expedited processing only in higher plans
Registered agent after year one	$299 per state per year	Included in the plans
Yearly US tax filings	$899 per year for a non-US-owned single-member LLC	Tax and Compliance plan: $1,999 per year plus state fees
Bank account	Through Firstbase's banking partners	Mercury, named in doola's FAQ
Extras	Mail, accounting and sales-tax services sold separately	Bookkeeping in the Business-in-a-Box plan ($2,999 per year)
Countries not served	Public list of 22 restricted countries	No list on its pricing page

Prices as shown on the official pages on 22 October 2026, in US dollars.

What the table doesn't show

The yearly cost matters more than the setup price. A company keeps costing money every year: registered agent, state filings and, for a foreign owner, a yearly report to the IRS (Form 5472).
A foreign-owned single-member LLC must file Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 each year it has reportable transactions with its owner. The IRS penalty for not filing is $25,000, with more if the failure continues after the IRS notifies you.
The bank account is a separate approval. Mercury, for example, publishes a list of countries of residence it cannot serve, including Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Your home country may tax the company's profits or require you to declare a foreign company. Check before you form one.

How to choose

You want the lowest setup price and will handle tax filings yourself or with an accountant: look at Firstbase's formation price.
You want the yearly IRS filing done for you: compare Firstbase's tax filing ($899 per year) with doola's Tax and Compliance plan ($1,999 per year).
You live in a country on Firstbase's restricted list: Firstbase can't create your account.
You don't have steady revenue yet: a merchant of record such as Dodo Payments is usually the simpler first step, if it accepts your country.

Ready to form your US company?

Compare the total yearly cost, then start with the service that fits. Check that your country of residence is accepted before you pay.

Start with Firstbase Start with doola

📞 Book your free call — Book a free 15-minute call with doola's team to choose the right US company, state and plan before you pay anything.

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Firstbase offer. New customers get $25 off their first order: sign up through our link, then enter the code PARTNERGIFT2024 at checkout.

doola offer. 10% off your first purchase: sign up through our link, then enter the code PWB10 at checkout.

Our partners

Services we work with. Same checked statuses as everywhere else on the site — the partnership never changes a status or the order of our recommendations.

Partner

Wise

Multi-currency account to hold, receive and convert money; Wise Business for a US company. Check that Wise serves your country first.

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US companyPartner

Firstbase

Formation: $99 one-time plus the state fee on its pricing page (22 October 2026); its Start page now says "Formation is on us. Pay only your state fee." Check at checkout. Registered agent: $299 per state per year. Tax filing for a single-member LLC owned by a non-US person: $899 per year.

Go to Firstbase

US companyPartner

doola

Starter: $297 per year plus state fees (formation, EIN, operating agreement, registered agent, mailing address). Tax and Compliance: $1,999 per year plus state fees, with the yearly IRS and state filings. Business-in-a-Box: $2,999 per year plus state fees, with a dedicated bookkeeper.

Go to doola

US business account