Comparisons
OpenStates vs doola: Formation Scope, Pricing and Renewals
Compare OpenStates and doola on current package scope, setup and renewals, state obligations, banking eligibility and separate tax preparation.
By OpenStates Team · Published
If you're researching openstates vs doola — or hunting for a serious doola alternative — you're really asking a simple question: who gives me the most LLC for the least money and the least headache? Both services target the same audience (non-resident founders forming a US LLC), both deliver the same core deliverable (LLC + EIN + bank intro), and both lean on Mercury for banking. The real differences are in pricing structure, what's bundled vs. sold as an add-on, ongoing compliance, and how fast support replies when something goes sideways. This guide walks through all of it.
The 30-second answer
doola and OpenStates offer company-formation services with different package and renewal structures. Compare the current official package scope rather than old tier names or a claim that one always costs less. OpenStates setup and subscription prices are on /pricing; tax preparation and other professional services are separate.
OpenStates vs doola at a glance
| Feature | OpenStates | doola |
|---|---|---|
| Entity type | LLC (Wyoming / Delaware / New Mexico) | LLC or C-Corp (multiple states) |
| Setup fee | Nonresident $247; resident $197; check current /pricing Further reading: pricing | See current official provider pricing; no unverified tier quote |
| Ongoing cost | Selected subscription + applicable state and professional fees | Verify agent renewal, state obligations and optional services |
| EIN included | Verify selected plan’s scope on /pricing | Verify current provider package and eligibility; no automatic approval |
| Registered agent | Verify selected plan’s scope on /pricing | Verify current provider package and eligibility; no automatic approval |
| US bank account intro | Verify selected plan’s scope on /pricing | Verify current provider package and eligibility; no automatic approval |
| BOI / FinCEN filing | US-created LLC BOI-exempt; applicable state and transaction-based IRS review | US-created entity BOI-exempt; other filings depend on entity and activity |
| Form 5472 reminders | Included; CPA referral if you want it filed for you | Sold as a tax package add-on |
| Ongoing compliance | US-created LLC BOI-exempt; applicable state and transaction-based IRS review | US-created entity BOI-exempt; other filings depend on entity and activity |
| Support | Verify selected plan’s scope on /pricing | Verify current provider package and eligibility; no automatic approval |
| Best for | Non-resident solo founders, bootstrappers, agencies, e-commerce | Founders wanting every add-on bundled under one brand |
The single biggest difference: pricing model
Request doola’s current written quote. Check entity and state support, state fee treatment, agent renewal, address services, EIN assistance, tax preparation and cancellation terms. Old plan names and price ranges in this comparison are not a current quote.
OpenStates currently lists nonresident setup at $247 one-time and resident setup at $197. Pay As You Go is $15/month for the standard address or $25/month for the county address; Basic is $49/month and Premium is $99/month. CPA services are separate. Consult /pricing for current inclusions, renewal terms and exclusions; these figures are not a promise that state fees or all tax preparation are included. Further reading: OpenStates pricing page
Year 1 total cost, realistic
doola’s precise setup fees, tiers and inclusions are not verified here. Use its official pricing and checkout terms for a current quote, then separate formation, state fees, renewal, address and professional tax costs. No generic year-one total is asserted.
OpenStates currently lists nonresident setup at $247 one-time and resident setup at $197. Pay As You Go is $15/month for the standard address or $25/month for the county address; Basic is $49/month and Premium is $99/month. CPA services are separate. Consult /pricing for current inclusions, renewal terms and exclusions; these figures are not a promise that state fees or all tax preparation are included. Do not assume Wyoming state fees, every agent renewal or actual tax preparation are included in every plan.
Year 2 and beyond
Compare renewals for the same entity and actual scope. doola’s quoted agent or package renewal, the selected OpenStates subscription, state annual charges and professional filing fees all matter. Without that like-for-like quote this article cannot substantiate several-hundred-dollar savings or a permanently flat total.
EIN speed: stop believing the marketing
Both companies file Form SS-4 by fax with the IRS — the standard non-resident path when you don't have an SSN or ITIN. The IRS, not the formation service, decides how fast that EIN comes back. Realistic 2026 timelines are 2–6 weeksregardless of which service you use. Anyone promising a guaranteed 24-hour EIN for a non-resident with no SSN is selling expectations they cannot control. For a deeper look at how this actually works, read our EIN for non-residents guide.
Banking: nearly identical, with one OpenStates advantage
Both services route you to Mercury, the US fintech bank that has become the default for non-resident founders. OpenStates additionally introduces clients to Relay, which matters because Mercury occasionally declines or freezes accounts and having a documented backup option saves weeks of operational pain. Neither service is a bank — final approval always sits with the bank's compliance team. For a deeper dive, see our US business bank account guide for non-residents.
Compliance: the silent killer
Ask doola whether the selected package includes reminders, actual preparation, filing or professional advice; these are not interchangeable. A foreign-owned US disregarded entity must file Form 5472 attached to a pro forma Form 1120 for a year with reportable related-party transactions. Owner contributions, distributions, loans and payments can qualify, including formation funding with zero revenue. Review each tax year separately: a prior formation contribution does not itself create a transaction in every later year. Other classifications and filing exceptions require separate analysis. Companies created in the United States, including foreign-owned US LLCs, are exempt from federal FinCEN BOI reporting under the final rule issued August 11 and effective August 14, 2026. A company created under foreign law and registered in a US state is different and may still have a reporting obligation. Banks and state authorities may still request ownership information. Further reading: $25,000 minimum penalty
Check the selected OpenStates plan for reminders and agent services. Actual tax preparation and advice from a CPA are separate. A foreign-owned US disregarded entity must file Form 5472 attached to a pro forma Form 1120 for a year with reportable related-party transactions. Owner contributions, distributions, loans and payments can qualify, including formation funding with zero revenue. Review each tax year separately: a prior formation contribution does not itself create a transaction in every later year. Other classifications and filing exceptions require separate analysis. Companies created in the United States, including foreign-owned US LLCs, are exempt from federal FinCEN BOI reporting under the final rule issued August 11 and effective August 14, 2026. A company created under foreign law and registered in a US state is different and may still have a reporting obligation. Banks and state authorities may still request ownership information.
Support: a tale of two channels
Check doola’s published support channels and service commitments. No independent response-time or review dataset is available here, so this comparison does not assert that lower-tier support is slower or less reliable.
Check OpenStates’s current support scope and channels before purchasing. Channel preference can matter, but this article does not verify a universal same-day response promise.
Who doola is genuinely better for
- Founders who want every adjacent service (bookkeeping, tax filing, ITIN) bundled with one vendor and one login
- Larger operations willing to pay for the currently quoted expanded service package
- Founders who specifically want a C-Corp formed (doola supports it; OpenStates is LLC-focused)
- Founders who prefer the larger, more heavily marketed brand for perceived comfort
Who OpenStates is better for
- Non-US residents forming their first US LLC
- Bootstrapped SaaS, agency, e-commerce, dropshipping, and digital-product founders
- Freelancers and consultants invoicing US clients
- Solo founders who want WhatsApp-fast support and transparent pricing without add-on surprises
- Anyone who wants registered agent, applicable state filings and transaction-based Form 5472 review handled by default — not as an upsell
OpenStates may fit founders seeking its LLC-focused workflow and service channels. Whether it costs less than doola depends on a current like-for-like quote, applicable state obligations and tax preparation needs.
Switching from doola to OpenStates
Changing formation-service providers usually does not change the entity or EIN by itself. Arrange a successor registered agent and confirm state acceptance before cancelling existing service. Review doola’s cancellation terms, outstanding filings, any bank updates and OpenStates’s current transfer fees; do not assume a free one-form move or uninterrupted good standing.
Verdict: which one wins?
There's no universal winner — there's a winner for your situation.
- Choose doola if its currently quoted scope fits your needs; choose OpenStates if its LLC workflow and selected plan do.
- Neither is proved universally cheapest or simplest. Compare written inclusions and renewals, then check eligibility independently.
Ready to compare on your own terms? Read our full OpenStates review, see exactly what's included in our pricing, compare with OpenStates vs Stripe Atlas, or browse the best state to form your LLC and the complete non-resident LLC guide. If you're still deciding, learn more about the team behind OpenStates.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenStates a real doola alternative for non residents?
Yes, OpenStates is another LLC formation option. Compare the supported state, operating agreement, EIN assistance, registered agent scope, renewal and professional tax work with doola’s current package. Similar formation goals do not prove identical inclusions or approval outcomes.
Is OpenStates cheaper than doola?
No universal saving is verified. Compare doola’s official current quote with OpenStates’s setup and selected subscription, then add state charges, agent or address renewals and actual professional tax work.
Which one gets the EIN faster?
Both services file Form SS-4 with the IRS by fax (the standard non-resident path) and the IRS — not the formation service — controls how fast the EIN is issued. Realistic timelines are roughly the same: 2–6 weeks depending on IRS workload. Anyone promising a guaranteed 24-hour EIN for a non-resident with no SSN is overpromising.
Does doola or OpenStates offer better banking access?
Both route clients to Mercury, which is the de facto US fintech bank for non-resident founders. OpenStates additionally introduces clients to Relay as a backup option. Neither service is a bank, and final approval always sits with the bank's compliance team — but having a documented backup matters because Mercury occasionally declines or freezes accounts.
What about taxes and Form 5472 filing?
A foreign-owned US disregarded entity must file Form 5472 attached to a pro forma Form 1120 for a year with reportable related-party transactions. Owner contributions, distributions, loans and payments can qualify, including formation funding with zero revenue. Review each tax year separately: a prior formation contribution does not itself create a transaction in every later year. Other classifications and filing exceptions require separate analysis. Ask doola what actual tax work is included in its current package. OpenStates reminders are not CPA preparation; consult /pricing and obtain a separate professional scope.
Can I switch from doola to OpenStates?
Check renewal and cancellation terms, appoint a successor agent, file required state changes and confirm acceptance before ending doola’s service. Switching a provider does not automatically change the EIN; transfer costs and continuity depend on the actual filings and contracts.
Continue with the state decision
Compare formation fees, annual obligations and your actual operational footprint.
Sources
- Delaware Division of Corporations — Current alternative entity annual tax filing instructions
- Delaware Code — Title 6 §18-1107(b): current annual LLC tax
- Mercury — Current official eligibility, product and pricing information; approval remains independent
- OpenStates — Current plan prices and scope; CPA services separate
- Relay — Current official eligibility, product and pricing information; approval remains independent
- Wyoming Secretary of State — Business FAQs: annual license tax is $60 or 0.0002 of Wyoming assets, whichever is greater
- Stripe — Atlas: Delaware LLC or C corporation and current incorporation price
- doola — Current official eligibility, product and pricing information; approval remains independent
- FinCEN — BOI reporting: US-created entities exempt; foreign-created registered entities assessed separately
- IRS — How to apply for an EIN
- IRS — Effectively connected income
- IRS — Taxation of nonresident aliens: ECI and US-source FDAP
- IRS — Form 5472 instructions: who must file, reportable transactions, DE filing methods and penalties
- IRS — Form SS-4 instructions
- IRS — Form W-7 instructions: eligibility, exceptions, identification and processing
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.