Clerky vs Stripe Atlas for a Venture-Backed C Corp

Sun, 08 Nov 2026 16:21:00 +0000

Short answer: Both produce a Delaware C corp with the founder documents a seed investor expects. Stripe Atlas is cheaper up front ($500 against $819), files the 83(b) for founders and bundles YC-template SAFEs at no extra cost, but its bonus and fundraising tools assume the company runs on Stripe. Clerky costs more on day one, prepares the 83(b) for the founder to mail, and covers a wider set of post-formation paperwork (hiring, board changes, commercial templates) for the life of the company. Founders who already have a startup lawyer should look hard at Clerky, because the lawyer can be given access to the same products.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Prices and inclusions below come from Clerky’s pricing page and the Stripe Atlas page, checked November 5, 2026.

Clause by Clause

Clause	Clerky	Stripe Atlas
Entity	Delaware C corporation	Delaware C corp or LLC
Headline price	$819 one-time, Formation package	$500 one-time setup
Government filing fees	Expedited filing fees included in the package	Included in the $500
Delaware agent	First year included	First year included, then $100 a year
Founder stock	Restricted stock purchase agreements with customizable vesting	Founder equity issuance and share purchase
83(b) election	Pre-filled form, filing instructions, reminders	Filed for founders
EIN	We couldn’t confirm on the pricing page	Included
IP assignment	Confidential information and invention assignment agreements	Covered by document templates; specific agreements not itemized
SAFEs	Included in the package for life; $9 each à la carte	Post-money SAFE on the YC template, no additional cost
Convertible notes	Included in the package; $19 each à la carte	Not listed
Hiring paperwork	Offer letters, consultant and advisor templates; $19 per employee à la carte	Document templates to help sell, hire and run the business
Board changes	Add or remove directors and officers	Board consents for SAFE rounds
Lawyer access	A startup attorney can be granted access	Not offered
Perks	Not a focus	$2,500 Stripe credits, partner discounts, $500 bonus tied to a Stripe Treasury account

Formation Documents

At incorporation, the two packages overlap almost completely. Clerky’s post-incorporation setup lists the action of incorporator, bylaws, the initial board consent, restricted stock purchase agreements, notices of stock issuance and invention assignment agreements. Atlas lists formation, the EIN, founder equity issuance and share purchase, the 83(b) and a set of templates. Atlas describes outcomes, Clerky itemizes documents. A founder who wants to see exactly which agreements will exist before paying gets a clearer answer from Clerky’s page.

Both incorporate in Delaware. If the entity question is still open, it belongs in Delaware C corp vs LLC before either signup. Atlas also forms LLCs. Clerky’s formation product is the C corp.

The 83(b) Election

This is the sharpest difference. Founders who receive restricted stock subject to vesting can file an 83(b) election so the stock is taxed at grant rather than as it vests. The IRS instructions on Form 15620 set the deadline at no later than 30 days after the transfer.

Atlas lists “83(b) election filing” as part of the $500 package. The filing is handled for the founder.
Clerky provides a pre-filled 83(b), filing instructions and automated reminders. The founder signs, mails and keeps proof.

Neither approach is wrong. The Clerky approach puts the deadline in the founder’s hands, and the deadline doesn’t move. The mechanics and what to keep for the file are covered in 83(b) election explained.

Paperwork After Formation

Formation is one week. The paperwork that follows runs for years: SAFEs, board consents, new directors, offer letters, contractor agreements, a stock plan.

Clerky’s $819 Formation package includes unlimited use of its standard fundraising, hiring, commercial and maintenance products for the lifetime of the startup, excluding add-ons and third-party fees. Bought separately, SAFEs are $9 each, convertible notes $19 each, employee paperwork $19 per hire and stock plan adoption $199.

Atlas includes board consents and post-money SAFEs on the YC-drafted template, per-SAFE tracking and automatic tracking of investment funds received through Stripe Treasury, all at no additional cost. Its hiring support is described as document templates.

Worked example: first 18 months after formation

Assumptions
- Two founders, Delaware C corp.
- Raises three SAFEs from angels.
- Hires two employees and adopts a stock plan.
- Clerky priced two ways: the $819 package, or incorporation
 ($427) + post-incorporation setup ($299) + items à la carte.
- Ignores third-party fees, agent renewals and legal review.

Clerky, Formation package
 $819 (SAFEs and hiring paperwork included) = $819
 Stock plan adoption is listed separately at $199;
 if not covered by the package = up to $1,018

Clerky, à la carte
 $427 + $299 + (3 x $9) + (2 x $19) + $199 = $990

Stripe Atlas
 $500 setup; SAFEs and board consents included = $500
 Stock plan and option grants: not listed in Atlas
 (a separate provider or lawyer) = $500 + ?

The gap narrows once a stock plan enters the picture, because Atlas doesn’t list one. Founders who plan to grant options in the first year should price that separately whichever way they go.

Fees Over Two Years

Atlas charges $100 a year for the Delaware agent from year two, renewing automatically. Clerky’s package covers the first-year agent fee and reminders for the annual report and franchise tax. Its page notes that third-party fees for maintenance products are excluded, and we couldn’t confirm Clerky’s year-two agent price.

Neither price includes the franchise tax and annual report that Delaware collects from corporations directly. The Delaware Division of Corporations publishes the current amounts and due dates.

Atlas’s $500 bonus deserves one sentence of scrutiny: it requires opening a Stripe Treasury account within seven days of incorporation. That’s a condition, not a discount on the fee.

Working With a Lawyer

Clerky lets founders sign up directly or ask their startup attorney for access to its products, and its page tells companies formed elsewhere to check with their attorney about which products they can use. That makes Clerky a tool a law firm can sit on top of. Atlas doesn’t describe a lawyer access route. For founders who expect a law firm to run the seed round, that can decide it. The practical test is simple: ask the firm which formation product it prefers to receive. A firm that already works in Clerky will review documents it recognizes, which can cut the hours billed for cleanup.

Where Both Stop

Neither product is a law firm, and neither page claims to be one. Three gaps show up on both sides.

Priced rounds. Clerky’s fundraising line lists two supported financing types: SAFEs and convertible notes. Atlas lists post-money SAFEs. Neither page lists a priced preferred-stock round. When a seed or Series A lead sends a term sheet for preferred stock, the company’s counsel drafts the charter amendment, stock purchase agreement, investors’ rights agreement and voting agreement. A formation package doesn’t replace that.

409A valuations. Neither page lists a 409A. A company that grants options needs a fair market value for the exercise price, and that comes from a valuation provider or an equity management platform, not from either formation product.

Ongoing cap table management. Both issue the founders’ shares. Neither presents itself as the system of record for options, warrants and SAFE conversions once a company has dozens of holders. That is a job for a dedicated cap table tool, ideally chosen before the first priced round so the migration happens while the ledger is still short.

What each product does well is the part where mistakes are hardest to fix later: who owns what on day one, under which vesting schedule, with which IP assigned and which 83(b) filed. That foundation is what investor counsel checks first, and both products are built to get it right.

Which Fits Which Company

Pure-software company already billing through Stripe, two founders, SAFE round planned: Atlas. Lowest day-one cost, 83(b) filed, SAFEs included.
Company with counsel engaged, or planning hires and board changes in year one: Clerky. The package covers that paperwork for life.
Founders who want to control every document and the 83(b) mailing themselves: Clerky.
Founders who want the 83(b) taken off their plate entirely: Atlas.

Either way, the founder split belongs in writing first. A co-founder agreement costs less to fix before the stock is issued than after. Accelerators on the best startup accelerators list generally expect a Delaware C corp, which both deliver.

Also consider

Firstbase: formation in Delaware or Wyoming, $99 offer price against a $399 list, plus a required $299-a-year agent fee. We couldn’t confirm 83(b) handling.

doola: $297 a year plus state fees for a C corp, EIN and address, built around founders outside the US. Founder stock documents and the 83(b) aren’t listed.

Gust Launch: $450 a year for incorporation, founder stock with 83(b) forms and a cap table; SAFEs sit in the $1,250 tier.

All five are compared in Stripe Atlas alternatives.

Clerky on Stack & Scale Journal