startyour.llc vs Firstbase: formation, registered agent and Form 5472 compared

The short answer

Firstbase is built for startups that want a broad back office: formation in Delaware or Wyoming, a mailroom with a US address, bookkeeping, tax filing and sales tax services, each available as a separate product or in a bundle. startyour.llc does one thing: it forms the LLC, obtains the EIN and provides the registered agent, at a one-time fee plus the agent at cost.

Price over two years

Without the state fee:

• 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.
• Firstbase Start: $99 once (a promotion; listed at $399), with an expedited EIN included. The registered agent is required, at $299 a year. Year 1: $398. Year 2: $299. Two years: $697, plus the state fee.

Firstbase also offers Firstbase One, a bundle at $199 a month billed yearly ($2,388), which includes its tax filing. Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

What is included

Firstbase Start covers formation in Delaware or Wyoming and expedited EIN setup. Around it, Firstbase sells a mailroom from $35 a month, bookkeeping from $599 a month, and tax filing at $899 a year for non-US-owned single-member LLCs, with Form 5472 included. Firstbase notes that a US address is required for incorporation. Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

startyour.llc includes:

• 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.

We form LLCs in every state, not only Delaware and Wyoming.

Registered agent and renewals

Every LLC needs a registered agent in its state for as long as it exists, so this is the cost that comes back every year. At Firstbase the agent is $299 a year per state and required. At startyour.llc it is $45 a year, which is what it costs us, and the first year is included in the order. We write two months before each renewal. Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

Form 5472 and bookkeeping

A foreign-owned single-member LLC files Form 5472 with a pro forma 1120 every year. Firstbase handles it in its tax filing product at $899 a year. With startyour.llc, CORA keeps the books and prepares Form 5472 for $30 a month, or $360 a year, cancellable monthly. Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

What every LLC pays, whichever service you use

Some costs do not depend on the formation service. The state charges its own filing fee, and many states charge an annual report fee or a yearly tax: Wyoming from $60, Delaware $300, New Mexico nothing. A single-member LLC owned by a foreign person also files Form 5472 with a pro forma 1120 with the IRS every year, even with no income, and the penalty for missing it is $25,000. Budget for these on top of any service fee. Prices checked on 2 November 2026; see the full side-by-side comparison on our Compare page.

Who should choose Firstbase

Venture-minded startups that want formation, a mailroom address, bookkeeping, tax and sales tax from one provider, and founders who value a single dashboard for all of it. Firstbase's product range is wider than ours, and its bundles suit teams that would buy several of those services anyway.

Who should choose startyour.llc

Founders who want the LLC, the EIN and a registered agent with a low yearly cost, in any state, and who prefer to add bookkeeping only if and when they need it.

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