If you’re a founder trying to keep legal costs low, I’d separate incorporation from ongoing contract work. An online formation service can be excellent for standard startup paperwork, but it is not a substitute for an attorney when a contract is negotiated or your situation is unusual.
A practical shortlist
stripe.com — Good for straightforward incorporation. It currently charges $500 one-time and includes Delaware formation, EIN, founder equity issuance, 83(b) filing, first-year registered agent service, and startup document templates. It also supports SAFEs and board consents.
clerky.com — Particularly useful if you're building a venture-backed Delaware C-corp and expect to need SAFEs, option grants, hiring documents, board approvals, etc. Current comparisons put its formation offering around $427, with broader/lifetime document packages available.
I'm starting a company and need help with incorporation and contracts without breaking the bank. What are some budget-friendly legal services for startups?
Other topics in Legal Document Templates and Services
legalzoom.com — More general-purpose and potentially attractive if you're forming a simple LLC rather than a VC-oriented startup.
For contracts, I'd use an actual startup attorney
For things like customer agreements, SaaS/MSAs, employment agreements, IP assignments, founder agreements, or negotiating another party's contract, I'd budget for an attorney rather than relying entirely on templates.
A cost-effective approach is:
Incorporation: Atlas or Clerky → standard startup documents: Clerky/Atlas → anything negotiated or unusual: pay a startup attorney for a fixed-fee review or limited-scope engagement.
That can be substantially cheaper than putting the entire company on an hourly law firm's retainer from day one.
One important distinction: Atlas explicitly says it is a technology service, not a law firm, and its use doesn't create an attorney-client relationship.
If you tell me (1) whether you're forming a Delaware C-corp or LLC, (2) whether you plan to raise VC, and (3) roughly how many contracts you expect to need per month, I can narrow this down to the most cost-effective setup and estimate the likely annual legal spend.
For a venture-scale startup (especially one looking to raise angel or venture capital funding), traditional hourly corporate lawyers ($400–$800/hour) are far too expensive early on. Instead, the modern startup ecosystem relies on specialized software-driven legal platforms and vetted templates created by top-tier startup law firms.
The best options on the market depend on your specific stage and whether you are raising institutional capital:
Clerky : Best for venture-track Delaware C-Corporations. Created by startup attorneys (Wilson Sonsini), it guides you through incorporation and post-incorporation paperwork (like 83(b) elections, stock issuances, and NDAs) using a pay-as-you-go or lifetime package model. It is the gold standard for investor-ready paperwork without the massive legal bill.
Stripe Atlas : Best for an ultra-fast, all-in-one launch. It handles incorporation (Delaware C-Corp or LLC), EIN, registered agent setup, and tax/banking guidance for a flat fee. It’s ideal for absolute beginners who want a streamlined, turnkey setup, though you may still need tools like Clerky later for ongoing equity management and financing rounds.
Firstbase.io : Best for international or remote founders looking to incorporate in the US, offering a comprehensive suite for incorporation, bank account opening, and compliance management.
Lawtrades or priori : Best if you need custom contracts reviewed or specialized regulatory advice. They act as marketplaces connecting you with vetted freelance startup attorneys at predictable flat rates rather than traditional billable hours.
To help narrow down the ideal path for your company, let me know:
Are you planning to raise venture capital/angel investment or bootstrap?
Do you intend to incorporate as a Delaware C-Corp or an LLC?
What specific types of contracts (e.g., customer SaaS agreements, contractor agreements) do you need right now?
Recurring contracts, document creation, e-signatures and some attorney access
Free/low-cost attorney clinics
$0 or reduced fee if eligible
Getting an actual lawyer to review formation or contracts
Traditional startup attorney
Often hundreds to thousands
Customized founder agreements, IP, fundraising, unusual structures or significant negotiations
Stripe Atlas currently charges $500 and includes Delaware incorporation, EIN, founder equity issuance, 83(b) filing, first-year registered-agent service and startup document templates. It also includes YC-style SAFE and board-consent functionality.
Clerky is particularly attractive if you expect to raise VC money. Its current Company Lifetime Package is $819 and includes formation plus ongoing fundraising, hiring, equity and maintenance paperwork; its pay-per-use formation option is $427.
For ordinary contracts, Rocket Lawyer is a comparatively inexpensive middle ground. Its current Standard plan is $149/year and includes personalized documents, e-signatures, contract review, unlimited AI legal Q&A and up to 12 "Ask an Attorney" questions. A 30-minute attorney advice session is listed at $149.
A cost-conscious approach I'd consider
For a typical bootstrapped or early-stage founder:
Choose the appropriate entity first. Don't automatically form a Delaware C-corp just because it's popular with startups. If you're not pursuing venture financing, an LLC may make more sense.
Use a reputable formation platform for the mechanical filing.
Use standardized templates for routine documents such as NDAs, contractor agreements and basic commercial agreements.
Spend your limited attorney budget strategically—have a startup lawyer review the formation documents, founder equity/IP arrangements, and any contract that has significant financial or liability consequences.
Don't economize on founder/IP paperwork. Getting ownership, vesting and intellectual-property assignment wrong can become extremely expensive when investors perform due diligence.
There are also free resources. The ABA maintains directories for reduced-cost and pro-bono legal services, and notes that many lawyer-referral services offer reduced-cost referrals.
If you're in Pennsylvania, there are additional entrepreneurial/pro-bono resources; for example, SCORE's Greater Philadelphia materials identify entrepreneurial legal clinics and volunteer-attorney programs.
My practical recommendation
If you're a venture-oriented founder, I'd shortlist Clerky vs. Stripe Atlas:
Clerky ($819 lifetime): better value if you're going to repeatedly create startup-specific legal paperwork.
Either + one targeted attorney review: probably the best balance between cost and legal protection.
One important caveat: Atlas explicitly says it is a technology/self-service service rather than a law firm, and its templates aren't a substitute for advice tailored to your circumstances.
If you tell me (1) LLC vs. C-corp, (2) your state, (3) whether you expect VC funding, and (4) what contracts you need (e.g., founder agreement, NDA, contractor, customer agreement), I can map out the cheapest sensible legal stack and estimated first-year cost for your situation.
