doola is built for an international founder forming their first US entity. FileForms is built for the years after that: professional services firms managing compliance portfolios across all 50 states, and software platforms embedding formation, annual reports, and registered agent service through one API. Here is exactly how they compare.
Overview
doola launched in 2020 to help international founders form and maintain a US business entity, bundling formation, EIN, banking setup, bookkeeping, and tax filing into one subscription. In 2026 it added a Partner API that lets other software products form companies for their users. FileForms is built for what happens after formation and at scale: US professional services firms managing compliance for dozens to thousands of domestic entities, and software platforms that need to embed the full entity lifecycle, including the annual reports and foreign qualifications a company owes for as long as it exists. Both offer all 50 states. The difference is how much of a company’s life each one covers.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | FileForms ✓ Best for Firms | doola |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Audience | CPAs, law firms, family offices, multi-entity managers, and software platforms embedding compliance | International founders, digital nomads, e-commerce sellers forming a first US entity |
| Annual Report Filing | ✓ All 50 states, automated, portfolio-scale — from $99/filing; API orders renew as a subscription | ✗ Single entity, bundled in paid compliance plans; not available through the API (fee quote and due date only) |
| Registered Agent | ✓ All 50 states — $149/state/yr; change of agent supported | ✗ Formation state only; no change-of-agent filing |
| Foreign Qualifications | ✓ All 50 states — no upfront fees | ✗ Not offered |
| Multi-Entity Dashboard | ✓ Unlimited entities, firm-wide view | ✗ Single entity per account, no portfolio view |
| Bulk Entity Upload | ✓ Upload entire client portfolios instantly | ✗ Single entity setup only |
| Onboarding Speed | ✓ Live in under 24 hours — self-serve or guided | ✗ No firm-level onboarding; API keys issued after partner approval |
| Embedded Payments | ✓ Integrated billing & payment collection built in; API partners draw from a prepaid balance | — Not documented |
| White-Label Portal | ✓ Full white-label — your brand, your domain, your clients, with magic-link sign-in | ✗ No branded end-user dashboard; white-label is API-only |
| Reseller & Referral Revenue | ✓ Resell at your own margin OR earn 25% referral commissions — your choice | ✓ Affiliate and wholesale API models; pre-pay for batches of 100 filings (upfront payment only) |
| API Integration | ✓ Full REST API — self-serve sandbox, no volume minimum, files all five products | ✓ Partner API — formation, EIN, and registered agent only; access on request |
| API Files Annual Reports | ✓ Yes, as a renewing subscription | ✗ No — read-only compliance calendar |
| API Files Foreign Qualifications | ✓ Yes, all 50 states | ✗ No |
| SOC 2 Compliant | ✓ SOC 2 Type I certified, encryption practices published | — Not published |
Key Differentiators
Built for the firms that manage compliance on behalf of clients, and the platforms that embed it for theirs.
FileForms was built for scale: dozens to thousands of entities across all 50 states from a single dashboard, with each company’s registration tracked per state. doola is designed for an individual founder managing a single entity.
Run the compliance dashboard under your own brand on your own domain, and sign your clients straight in with a magic link, or embed it in your product. doola’s white-label option is API-only; there is no branded end-user dashboard.
Formation is day one. FileForms also files the annual report every year, appoints a registered agent in any state, and qualifies the company in new states as it grows. doola stops at formation, EIN, and a registered agent in the formation state.
A single REST API places formation, EIN, registered agent, annual report, and foreign qualification orders across all 50 states, with a self-serve sandbox and no volume minimum. doola’s Partner API forms companies and stops there.
Build a recurring compliance revenue stream with wholesale pricing, custom retail prices, and a 25% referral commission if you’d rather refer than resell. doola offers affiliate and wholesale API tiers but no comparable referral program.
API partners fund a prepaid balance that every order draws down: wholesale fee plus state fee, one ledger, automatic top-up, and an automatic credit if a filing is cancelled. No batch purchases, no separate state-fee invoice, and a $500 minimum to start.
API Comparison
A business formation API lets a software product create legal entities and file state paperwork on behalf of its users. The useful question is not whether it can form a company, but how much of the company’s life it can handle afterward. As of September 2026, doola’s Partner API attaches exactly three filing services to every company it creates: Formation, EIN, and Registered Agent. Its compliance endpoints return an annual report fee quote and due date and are described in doola’s own documentation as read-only. The FileForms API accepts one order request that can include formation, EIN, registered agent, annual report, and foreign qualification for a company in any state.
| Filing / Capability | FileForms API | doola Partner API |
|---|---|---|
| LLC formation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Corporation formation | ✓ C-corp or S-corp tax election | ✓ C-corp only |
| EIN | ✓ | ✓ incl. SS-4 / 8821 signing for non-US founders |
| Registered agent | ✓ Any state; change of agent; bring your own agent | ✓ Formation state only |
| Annual report | ✓ Renewing subscription | ✗ Fee quote and due date only |
| Foreign qualification | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self-serve sandbox | ✓ Separate test environment; sign up and place test orders without a call | ✗ Keys issued after partner approval |
| Webhooks | ✓ Signed; endpoints, deliveries, resend, and retry all via API | ✓ Signed; configured in Partner Portal only |
| Update a company after creation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Branded end-user dashboard | ✓ Magic link, iframe, your domain | ✗ |
| Pricing | Prepaid balance, $500 minimum, auto top-up, no volume minimum | Arranged by sales call, sized to volume |
Annual report and registered agent are subscription products in the FileForms API. One order establishes a renewing subscription for that company and state, renewal reports are generated automatically, and the partner receives a webhook when each one is filed. A company is formed once and owes a state report every year it exists; for a platform embedding compliance, that recurring filing is where the relationship with the user lives.
Pricing works like a utility account. Every order debits a prepaid balance at the partner’s wholesale rate plus the state fee at the moment it is placed. The minimum initial top-up is $500, auto top-up replenishes the balance below a threshold the partner sets, a cancelled filing is credited back automatically, and every entry is visible in a transactions ledger with CSV export. There is no volume commitment. Partners set their own retail price and keep the margin. doola does not publish partner API pricing; its partner page directs prospective partners to book a call for pricing sized to their volume.
doola may be worth considering if you are a non-US resident forming your first US entity, want banking setup, bookkeeping, and tax filing bundled with it, and only ever need a registered agent in the state you formed in. Its non-US founder EIN workflow is well built for that case.
FileForms is the right choice if you are a US-based CPA firm, law firm, family office, real estate operator, or professional services firm managing compliance for many client entities, or a software platform embedding compliance for your users. FileForms files the annual report every year as a subscription, appoints a registered agent in any state, qualifies companies in new states, and does all of it through one API with a self-serve sandbox and a prepaid balance instead of a volume commitment. Onboarding in under 24 hours, white-label delivery on your own domain, and the choice to resell at your own margin or refer for a 25% commission complete the picture.
What Professionals Are Saying
“FileForms deserves all the praise for revolutionizing the way our firm manages client compliance filings. The website’s intuitive design made it incredibly easy to navigate, and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I could complete and submit required reports. FileForms is the ultimate solution for hassle-free compliance filing!”
“Offering our clients a seamless, reliable solution that saves both our team and our clients valuable time has been a game changer. While other firms are bogged down managing filings manually, we’ve been able to streamline the entire experience — thanks to FileForms.”
“FileForms has proven to be a game-changer for managing federal and state compliance filings. The platform not only streamlines complex reporting processes but also creates new opportunities for accountants to expand their service offerings and generate additional revenue.”
Common Questions
Yes. FileForms is purpose-built for CPA firms managing entity compliance for clients, with multi-entity dashboards, bulk CSV upload, white-label branding on the firm’s own domain, automated deadline tracking, and partner commission programs. doola is designed for an individual founder managing a single entity and does not offer firm-level tools.
No. FileForms is a compliance automation platform focused on annual reports, registered agent services, entity formations, foreign qualifications, and EINs. Bookkeeping and tax preparation remain with your existing workflow.
doola is designed for individual business owners managing a single entity. It does not offer a multi-client dashboard, bulk entity management, or a white-label client portal. Its Partner API can form companies for a platform’s users but does not file annual reports or foreign qualifications.
FileForms. It handles foreign qualifications, registered agent services, and annual reports across all 50 states. doola does not offer foreign qualification, and its registered agent service covers the formation state only.
Both can form a company in any of the 50 states. After formation, doola’s registered agent is limited to the formation state and it does not offer foreign qualification. FileForms provides registered agent services, annual report filing, and foreign qualification in all 50 states.
FileForms lets firms resell compliance services at their own margin on wholesale pricing, or refer clients for a 25% commission. doola offers affiliate and wholesale API partner tiers but no published referral commission and no branded client portal.
The FileForms API files annual reports through the same order endpoint it uses for formations, and treats them as a renewing subscription so the company stays filed year after year. doola’s API returns annual report fee quotes and due dates but does not file the report.
No. As of September 2026, doola’s Partner API documentation lists no foreign qualification endpoint. FileForms supports foreign qualification in all 50 states through its API.
No. FileForms API partners fund a prepaid balance with a $500 minimum initial top-up, no volume minimum, and automatic replenishment. Each order debits the balance as it is placed, and cancelled filings are credited back.
Yes. The FileForms test environment has its own self-serve signup, its own API keys, and Stripe test mode. Integration code is identical between test and live except for the base URL and key. doola issues API keys after a partner is approved.
Discover why CPAs, law firms, family offices, and software platforms trust FileForms to manage entity compliance at scale, with white-label tools, bulk filing, portfolio automation, and one API for every filing.
Comparison last verified September 18, 2026, against the published documentation and API specifications of FileForms and doola. If you find something out of date, email info@fileforms.com.
FileForms:
Product availability ·
How billing works ·
Annual reports ·
Registered agent ·
Environments ·
Users and magic links
doola:
Partner API page ·
Company services ·
Authentication ·
Documentation index
