startyour.llc vs Doola: which is the better fit for a non-resident LLC?

The short answer

Both services form US LLCs for founders outside the United States, and both include the EIN, also when the owner has no Social Security Number. The difference is the model. Doola sells a yearly plan: the price comes back every year, and the higher plans add bookkeeping and tax filing. startyour.llc charges once for the formation work and passes the registered agent on at cost, with bookkeeping as a separate, monthly option.

If you want one provider to handle formation, books and tax filing under a single yearly plan, Doola is built for that. If you mainly want the company formed, the EIN obtained and a low yearly running cost, startyour.llc is the simpler fit.

Price over two years

Without the state fee, which every service passes on:

• startyour.llc: $40 once for our work, EIN included, plus $45 for the first year of registered agent service. Year 2: $45. Two years: $130, plus the state fee.
• Doola Starter: $297 a year, with formation, the EIN, a US business address and registered agent service in the plan. Year 2: $297. Two years: $594, plus the state fee.
• Doola Tax and Compliance: $1,999 a year, which adds federal and state tax filing and a one-to-one tax consultation.

Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

What is included

Doola Starter covers LLC or C-corp formation, the EIN and a US business address, and Doola says formation is filed in one to two business days. Its separate bookkeeping product, Pulse, renews at $300 a year after a 30-day trial. Business-in-a-Box, at $2,999 a year, adds monthly financial statements and estimated quarterly taxes on top of tax filing. Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

With startyour.llc you pay for the formation itself:

• Name check and the formation filing, filed within 48 hours.
• The EIN application, also for owners without an SSN or ITIN.
• The first year of registered agent service, then $45 a year at cost.
• An operating agreement, which banks and payment providers ask for.
• Optional: CORA bookkeeping at $30 a month, which includes the yearly Form 5472.

The yearly IRS filing

A single-member LLC owned by a foreign person files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year, even with no income. At Doola, tax filing sits in the Tax and Compliance plan at $1,999 a year. At startyour.llc it is part of CORA, the bookkeeping tool we work with, at $30 a month, or $360 a year, including the books themselves. You can also use your own accountant with either service. Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

EIN for non-residents

Both services obtain the EIN for owners without an SSN. Doola includes it in every plan. At startyour.llc it is part of the $40 fee: we prepare the application and send it to the IRS once the state has approved the LLC. In both cases the IRS sets the pace, and an EIN for a foreign owner takes longer than one for a US resident. Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

Who should choose Doola

Founders who prefer one yearly plan that covers formation, bookkeeping and tax filing with the same company, who want a US business address included, or who plan to form a C-corp rather than an LLC. Doola's higher plans are designed for owners who want to hand over the finance side entirely.

Who should choose startyour.llc

Founders who want the LLC, the EIN and the operating agreement at a one-time price, a registered agent at cost from year two, and no yearly plan. If you later want help with the books and Form 5472, CORA is available by the month and can be cancelled monthly.

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