Formation Services

Firstbase vs Bizee: Side-by-Side Comparison

Side-by-side comparison across 11 dimensions. Data is approximate and for informational purposes only.

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Entity Types
Firstbase
LLC, C-Corp
Bizee
LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, Nonprofit
Setup Fee
Firstbase
$399
Bizee
$0 + state fees
Annual Fee
Firstbase
$299/yr per state (Firstbase Agent)
Bizee
$149/yr (registered agent renewal; free 1st year)
Timeline
Firstbase
1–3 business days
Bizee
2–4 weeks (standard)
States Available
Firstbase
Delaware or Wyoming (foreign qualification in all 50 states post-formation)
Bizee
All 50 states + Washington DC
EIN Filing
Firstbase
Included
Bizee
Included (Standard $199 / Premium $299); $70 standalone — NOT included in Basic $0
Registered Agent
Firstbase
Not included — Firstbase Agent required, from $299/yr per state
Bizee
1 year free
Banking Integration
Firstbase
Marketplace (apply/referral): Mercury, Payoneer, Relay, Brex — partner approval required
Bizee
Bank of America setup (all packages)
Compliance Support
Firstbase
Full (GS assessment)
Bizee
Partial (GS assessment)
Non-Resident Support
Firstbase
Full (GS assessment)
Bizee
Limited (GS assessment)
Platform Type
Firstbase
Full-service
Bizee
Guided DIY

Key Notes

Firstbase

Built specifically for non-US founders, and it does deliver every leg — but almost nothing is inside the headline price. The $399 Start fee does NOT include registered agent (Firstbase Agent is a separate $299/yr, charged per state), so year one is $698 plus state fees while every other service in this table bundles the first year. If you have no US address of your own, Firstbase Mailroom is mandatory, from $35/month. Firstbase will get your EIN without an SSN or ITIN, and says so plainly — expect 20-30 business days against 1-3 with one. Annual reports, franchise tax and BOI are filed for you only at Agent Autopilot ($299/yr/state); the cheaper Light tier only reminds you. Formation is Delaware or Wyoming only; other states require foreign qualification as a separate paid step afterwards. Tax filing (Form 5472 + pro-forma 1120 for foreign-owned single-member LLCs) is a separate add-on at $1,799/yr per package. Firstbase also publishes a restricted list of 22 countries (including Venezuela) whose residents it cannot onboard.

Bizee

Formerly Incfile. Free basic formation, one free year of registered agent, and free lifetime compliance alerts; it files annual reports and foreign qualifications for you as paid standalone services. The catch for a non-resident founder is the EIN, and it is a hard one: the $0 Basic package does not include an EIN at all, and Bizee's only sentence addressing our reader's exact case says that without an SSN or ITIN "you will need to apply for an EIN by mail or fax through the IRS" — i.e. yourself. It publishes no price or timeline for a no-SSN EIN. Elsewhere Bizee markets the opposite ("we step in to handle… securing an EIN, so you don't need a US address"); the two pages contradict each other and only the first names the condition. Note also that Bizee runs a live A/B test in which the copy shipped in the HTML is the STALE arm — non-JS readers, including AI crawlers, see Premium $399 and registered agent "3-12 months", while a browser shows $299 and one free year. This dataset encodes the browser values, which Bizee's own code comments call "current prod copy".

What Real Users Say

Anonymized and paraphrased observations from founder communities, review platforms, and forums.

Bizee targets US-based small business owners. Firstbase targets non-resident founders. The pricing, support, and documentation flow reflect those different audiences.

Source: Reddit r/smallbusiness

Bizee upsells hit hard — registered agent, compliance alerts, EIN filing all cost extra. Firstbase bundles most of these in the base price.

Source: Trustpilot reviews

Bizee has been around longer (as Incfile since 2004). Firstbase launched in 2019 but built specifically for the cross-border use case.

Source: G2 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Firstbase pricing compare to Bizee?

Firstbase setup fee: $399. Bizee setup fee: $0 + state fees. Total costs vary depending on add-ons, state fees, and renewal rates.

Which is more accessible for non-US residents, Firstbase or Bizee?

Firstbase: Full (GS assessment). Bizee: Limited (GS assessment). Accessibility depends on entity type, country of residence, and specific documentation requirements.

Does Firstbase or Bizee include EIN filing?

Firstbase EIN filing: Included. Bizee EIN filing: Included (Standard $199 / Premium $299); $70 standalone — NOT included in Basic $0. EIN is required for US bank account opening and tax filing.

Is Firstbase or Bizee a stronger fit for cross-border founders?

The answer depends on your specific situation — entity type, country of residence, budget, and operational needs. Both services address different trade-offs. Use our free risk check to map your structural exposure before choosing.

How We Compared

We collected pricing, included services, non-resident support levels, and formation timelines from each provider's public website. Costs are compared at initial setup and annual renewal rates.

11 data points per service·Last reviewed March 2026

Why Trust This

  • Built by Jett Fu — 20+ years running cross-border businesses
  • Affiliate links are marked. Most services listed have no affiliate relationship. Details
  • Data sourced from provider websites. We verify pricing and features periodically.

Disclaimer: All data on this page is approximate and for informational purposes only. Pricing, features, and availability change frequently. This is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Verify all figures directly with each provider before making decisions. Data reflects conditions as of early 2026.

Not sure which service fits your situation?

Choosing between services depends on where you live, where your clients are, and how your income flows. Our free risk check maps your structural exposure in 3 minutes.