Northwest vs Tailor vs Firstbase vs doola

All four providers will file an LLC for you. The differences that matter are what happens after the filing: who is the registered agent, whether the EIN service works without an SSN, what renews automatically, and whether the “compliance” plan is actually tax filing or just reminders.

Prices are public list prices checked 22 October 2026. State fees are not included. “Included, year 1” means the package lists registered-agent service; confirm the renewal price before you buy. Sources: Northwest, Northwest, Tailor Brands pricing, Firstbase pricing, doola pricing.

Northwest Registered Agent: the legible option

Northwest's LLC package is $39 plus state fees, and the page lists registered-agent service, a business address, mail scanning and compliance reminders as part of the package. The standalone registered-agent price is $125 per year, and the company says it has not raised that price in 20 years. For an EIN without an SSN, Northwest publishes a $50 standalone service; an EIN with an SSN is $25.

The appeal for a European founder is predictability. The formation price is low, the agent renewal is published, and there is no annual software subscription bundled into the LLC. The trade-off is that Northwest is a formation and registered-agent company, not a tax preparer. It will not file your Form 5472, your state annual report in every state, or your EU tax return. You still need a system for those.

Northwest is our default recommendation for a solo consultant or small e-commerce LLC that wants a US entity without a monthly platform. It is not automatically the best choice if you want an all-in-one dashboard, bookkeeping or tax filing in the same subscription. Read the full Northwest review.

Tailor Brands: fast, polished, upsell-heavy

Tailor Brands has three published LLC plans: Lite at $0, Essential at $199/year and Elite at $249/year, all plus state fees. Lite processes in up to 14 business days; Essential and Elite advertise one-business-day processing. Registered-agent service is priced separately at $199/year, and an EIN filing is $99. The plans bundle branding tools, a domain and a bookkeeping trial, which is useful if you also need a logo and a website.

The risk is the checkout. A $0 formation can become a $199 or $249 annual plan plus a $199 agent plus a $99 EIN, and the bookkeeping trial converts to a paid subscription after 30 days unless you cancel. That is not a scam; it is a bundle. But compare the total, not the headline. If you already have a brand and an accountant, you are paying for tools you may not use.

Tailor is a reasonable choice if you want a fast, guided formation and a branded starter kit, and you are comfortable managing renewals. It is a weaker choice if you want the lowest three-year cost or a provider that stays out of the tax-filing conversation. Read the full Tailor Brands review.

Firstbase: built for startups, priced like one

Firstbase's Start package is listed at $99 against a $399 list price, plus state fees, and includes expedited EIN setup and formation in Delaware or Wyoming. Registered-agent service is required and priced separately at $299 on the pricing page. The company also sells a $199/month compliance bundle (billed yearly at $2,388) that includes registered agent, annual report filings and other services.

Firstbase is aimed at startups that want a US entity, a bank introduction and a compliance dashboard. If you are forming a simple consulting LLC and you already have an accountant, the $299 agent and the annual bundle can be more than you need. If you are raising money, hiring or opening a US bank account and want a guided process, the bundle may be worth comparing with a US law firm's startup package.

The promotional price is real but time-limited; the list price is the number to use for a three-year budget. Read the full Firstbase review.

doola: formation plus a back office

doola's Starter plan is $297/year plus state fees and renews at $300/year. The page describes it as US LLC or C-Corp formation, EIN and a US business address. Tax and Compliance is $1,999/year, and Business-in-a-Box is $2,999/year. The higher tiers include federal and state tax filing, bookkeeping or both, depending on the plan.

doola makes the most sense if you want one vendor for formation, mail, bookkeeping and US tax filing. The annual subscription is higher than Northwest's formation fee, but it can replace an accountant for a simple LLC. If you already have a tax adviser, or your situation is complex (multi-member, US payroll, sales tax in several states), compare the scope of the $1,999 plan with a local US CPA quote before you commit.

What none of them do for you

• They do not file Form 5472 for you unless you buy a tax plan that explicitly says so. A formation package is not a tax return.
• They do not make you tax-compliant in Europe. Your home-country return, CFC analysis and VAT obligations are outside their scope.
• They do not guarantee a bank account. A bank introduction is not an approval.
• They do not remove the state annual report. Some file it for you as an add-on; confirm the price and the deadline.
• They do not make an unnecessary ITIN necessary. Do not let a checkout add a personal tax ID you do not need.

How to choose in one minute

The three-year view

A $0 formation fee is not a three-year cost. Add the state fee, the registered agent renewal and any annual plan. For a Wyoming LLC with Northwest, the state and agent alone are about $185 a year after year one. With Tailor Essential and its agent, the recurring total is closer to $584 a year before state fees. With Firstbase's $299 agent, it is $359. With doola Starter, it is $300 plus the state annual cost. None of these numbers includes tax filing, which is the line item most likely to surprise you.

Use the calculator with your own quotes. The defaults are editable because the right answer depends on the state, the provider and the services you actually need.