StartFleet vs doola (2026): Pricing, EIN Speed & Real Costs Compared

If you are a non-US resident ​choosing between StartFleet and doola​, you are looking at two services built for the same person: a founder outside the US who wants a US LLC, an EIN (Employer Identification Number), and a way to get paid by US customers.

The short answer: StartFleet is the better fit if your priority is a fast EIN, US bank account guidance, and predictable costs. doola is the better fit if you want bookkeeping software bundled with your company and you are comfortable with subscription pricing that grows as you add services.

doola's headline price looks lower. The full picture changes once you price the things most non-resident founders actually need — a fast EIN and the annual Form 5472 filing. The maths is below, so you can judge for yourself.

Quick Comparison: StartFleet vs doola

What is StartFleet?

StartFleet is a US LLC formation service built specifically for non-US residents. StartFleet handles LLC formation, registered agent service, the EIN application, a US mailing address, and US bank account guidance in one guided workflow — designed for founders who do not have a Social Security Number (SSN) or ITIN and do not want to decipher IRS forms alone.

We have helped founders from more than 120 countries form US companies, and we are rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

Where StartFleet does well:

• Built for non-US residents from day one. No SSN or ITIN is needed for formation or the EIN application.
• Express EIN. The Startup plan ($599 total, state fee included) cuts the IRS wait from up to 50 days down to 11–14 business days. On the Freelancer plan, the same expedite is a $139 add-on whenever you need it.
• US bank account guidance in every plan — including which institutions accept non-resident-owned LLCs, how to prepare your application, and how to maximise your chances of acceptance. The same goes for Stripe and PayPal readiness.
• Predictable costs. A one-time plan, then $329/yr from year two — covering your registered agent, 10 mail scans, your annual state filing, and one amendment (state fees billed separately).
• Affordable non-resident tax filing. Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 costs $299–$499 with us — 80% of our clients pay $299 — and it is bundled into the $1,099 Business plan together with an ITIN application.

Where StartFleet falls short:

• No phone support_. We work over email, live chat, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Apple Messages.
• No bookkeeping software. StartFleet covers formation, compliance, and banking guidance; you pair us with whichever accounting tool fits your budget.
• Not the lowest sticker price. doola's Starter plan costs less in year one if a 6–8 week EIN timeline works for your launch plan and you handle tax filing elsewhere.

What is doola?

doola is a US business formation and compliance platform with a "business-in-a-box" approach: company formation plus bookkeeping software, tax filing, and accounting tools under one annual subscription.

Where doola does well:

• Bookkeeping software. doola's higher plans include expense tracking, invoicing, and bookkeeping — StartFleet does not offer bookkeeping software.
• Tax support on higher plans. The $1,999/yr Tax & Compliance plan bundles IRS and state tax filing with a 1:1 tax consultation.

Where doola falls short for many non-US residents:

• The advertised price is rarely the real price. The features most non-resident founders need — a usably fast EIN and the annual Form 5472 filing — are either paid add-ons or sit on the $1,999/yr plan (which doola's own pricing page marks "Most Popular"). The full maths is in the next section.
• Slow EIN at the entry level. The standard EIN timeline on Starter is 6–8 weeks; expediting to 3–4 weeks costs $300 more.
• You may pay for software you do not use. If your bookkeeping is already covered — even by a spreadsheet — the bundle loses much of its value.

doola's Costs Beyond the Sticker Price

doola's pricing page describes the Tax & Compliance plan's EIN benefit as "up to 2 weeks faster" — without stating the baseline. Here are the underlying numbers (as of June 2026):

• Standard EIN timeline: 6–8 weeks on the Starter plan.
• Expedited EIN: 3–4 weeks. On Starter, the expedite costs $300 extra; on the $1,999/yr and $2,999/yr plans it is included.
• Form 5472 + pro forma 1120 for a non-resident single-member LLC: $1,500/yr as a standalone service if you stay on Starter — or included in the $1,999/yr plan. (Whereas StartFleet only charge ~$299)
• Bank accounts: you complete the bank application yourself; doola provides guidance only.

The Real Cost: Two Years and Five Years

For a fair comparison, price the same outcome on both sides: a Wyoming LLC with a fast EIN and the Form 5472 filing handled every year. That is the standard setup for an active non-resident founder.

Path 1 — doola Starter plus the add-ons you will actually need:

Path 2 — doola's Tax & Compliance plan (the bundled route):

Either path, the difference is roughly $1,300–$2,900 over two years and\$4,800–$7,000 over five — money you can put into inventory, ads, or your first hire instead of company admin.

Head-to-Head: EIN Speed for Non-US Residents

StartFleet's Express EIN is faster than doola's paid expedite. The EIN is usually the bottleneck for a non-US resident: without it there is no US bank account, no Stripe, and no payments.

• StartFleet: every plan includes the EIN application with no SSN required. Express EIN arrives in 11–14 business days — included in the $599 Startup plan, or a $139 add-on if you start on the $449 Freelancer plan and need speed later. Standard IRS processing runs 30–50 days.
• doola: 6–8 weeks standard on Starter; 3–4 weeks expedited, for $300 extra on Starter or included at $1,999/yr.

Winner: StartFleet. Even doola's $1,999/yr plan delivers a 3–4 week EIN; StartFleet's $599 plan typically beats it by a week or more — at less than a third of the cost.

Head-to-Head: US Banking and Payments

Both services guide you to a US business bank account; the difference is depth of preparation.

• StartFleet: bank account guidance is included in every plan — which institutions accept non-resident-owned LLCs, what documents to prepare, and how to present your application to maximise your chances of acceptance. A Stripe account consultation is part of the Startup plan, and Business plan.
• doola: the Starter plan includes bank account guidance; you complete the application yourself, with help available if you get stuck.

Head-to-Head: Tax Filing and Ongoing Compliance

StartFleet files Form 5472 for about ​a fifth of doola's standalone price​. A foreign-owned single-member LLC must file Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year — the IRS penalty for missing it starts at $25,000, so this line item matters.

• StartFleet: $299–$499 as a standalone service — 80% of our clients pay $299 — or included in the $1,099 Business plan. Year-two renewals ($329) cover your registered agent and annual state filing.
• doola: $1,500/yr standalone, or bundled into the $1,999/yr Tax & Compliance plan with bookkeeping software and a 1:1 consultation.

Winner: StartFleet on price — about 5X cheaper for the same filing.

Head-to-Head: Bookkeeping Software

doola wins this criterion — bundled software is its core idea. StartFleet deliberately keeps software out of the package, and that is a feature, not a gap: you stay free to use whatever bookkeeping setup fits your size and budget. A new freelancer can run on a spreadsheet or Wave (free); a growing store might pick Zoho Books or QuickBooks at $20–$40/month. You choose — and you are not bound to a $1,999/yr subscription to keep your books, so the difference can fund marketing, product, or inventory instead.

If having your books, invoicing, and company in one dashboard matters more to you than that flexibility, doola is the stronger choice on this criterion.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose StartFleet if:

• You are a non-US resident whose bottleneck is the EIN, the US bank account, and getting paid
• You want predictable costs: one-time formation, $329/yr after, Form 5472 filing from $299
• You prefer guided human support over software dashboards
• You want affordable IRS tax reporting (Form 5472/Pro Forma 1120)

Choose doola if:

• Built-in bookkeeping software is a priority and you will actually use it
• A 6–8 week EIN timeline (or 3–4 weeks expedited) fits your launch schedule
• The $1,999/yr plan fits your budget when you need tax filing

Both services take non-resident founders seriously — which already puts either choice ahead of forming through a service that treats international founders as an afterthought.

The Bottom Line

doola is a fair choice if bundled bookkeeping is what you want and the subscription fits your budget. For the founder this page is written for — a non-US resident who needs a working, bank-ready US LLC quickly and predictable costs after that — StartFleet is the stronger fit: formation from $449 all-in, Express EIN in 11–14 business days, bank account guidance that maximizes your approval chances, Form 5472 filing from $299, and $329/yr from year two.

View StartFleet plans →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between StartFleet and doola?

Focus. StartFleet is built to get non-US residents operational: LLC formation, a fast EIN, US bank account guidance, and Form 5472 filing from $299. doola wraps formation in a software subscription that adds bookkeeping and invoicing tools. Choose StartFleet for speed and predictable costs; choose doola if bundled accounting software is a priority, and its $1,999/yr Tax & Compliance plan fits your budget.

Which is faster for an EIN — StartFleet or doola?

StartFleet. Express EIN typically arrives in 11–14 business days and is included in the $599 Startup plan (or a $139 add-on on the Freelancer plan). doola's standard EIN takes 6–8 weeks; its expedited option takes 3–4 weeks and costs $300 extra on the Starter plan (as of June 2026).

Which is cheaper — StartFleet or doola?

At the sticker price, doola's Starter plan ($297/yr + state fees) feels cheaper. Priced for what most non-resident founders actually need — a fast EIN plus the annual Form 5472 filing — StartFleet costs roughly $1,227 over two years versus $2,494–$4,098 with doola (full tables above).

Is StartFleet a good alternative to doola?

Yes — for non-US residents, StartFleet is the closest like-for-like doola alternative, with a faster EIN, lower long-term costs, and Form 5472 filing at about a fifth of doola's standalone price. doola is a legitimate, established service in its own right, and remains a pick if you want bookkeeping bundled with your company and its $1,999/yr Tax & Compliance plan fits your budget.

Does StartFleet include an EIN without an SSN?

Yes. Every StartFleet plan includes the EIN application with no SSN or ITIN required. The Startup plan includes Express EIN (11–14 business days); on the Freelancer plan the expedite is a $139 add-on.

I already formed my LLC with doola. Can I switch to StartFleet?

Yes — you can move your registered agent and annual compliance to StartFleet without re-forming your company. Email hello@startfleet.io and we will walk you through the transfer.

More StartFleet Comparisons

Weighing other options? We compare them the same way — verified pricing, honest trade-offs:

• StartFleet vs Stripe Atlas — Delaware-only setup vs state flexibility
• StartFleet vs Firstbase — all-in-one back-office platform vs focused formation
• StartFleet vs Northwest Registered Agent — privacy-first US service vs non-resident focus
• StartFleet vs Bizee — free formation + add-ons vs bundled setup

New to the process? Start with our complete guide: US LLC for Non-US Residents.