ZenBusiness Velo vs Clerky: Which One Actually Does More for a New Business in 2026?

What Clerky offers, including its AI status

Clerky is legal-paperwork software for startups, and it does that job unusually well. The most important fact for this comparison is also the simplest: Clerky does not offer an AI assistant. It is structured, self-serve legal software, not an AI guide. Treating it as a Velo competitor on the AI dimension would misrepresent what it is, so the fair framing is that these tools solve different problems.

Clerky was built by two former startup attorneys who previously worked at a top Silicon Valley startup practice, and it is aimed squarely at high-growth, venture-track companies. Its core is Delaware C corporation incorporation, the standard structure for startups planning to raise institutional money, along with the fundraising and hiring paperwork those companies need. Clerky is widely recommended by startup attorneys and accelerators, and its whole reputation is built on producing documents that hold up under investor due diligence. For a founder who genuinely intends to raise a priced round, issue SAFEs, and grant equity, that pedigree is a real advantage, and it deserves to be stated as one.

Key features of Clerky:

• Delaware C corporation incorporation, typically processed by the state within a few business days.
• Fundraising paperwork including SAFEs and convertible notes with configurable terms.
• Hiring and equity documents such as offer letters, consulting and advisor agreements, confidential information and invention assignment agreements, restricted stock, and stock options.
• Post-incorporation setup: founder stock with vesting, bylaws, officer and director appointments, and intellectual property assignment.
• Best-practice support for 83(b) elections with pre-filled forms, filing instructions, and automated reminders.
• Maintenance filings and a collaboration model that lets your attorney review and comment.

On pricing, Clerky uses one-time fees rather than subscriptions. Its Pay Per Use option is a $427 one-time fee that includes Delaware expedited filing fees and the first year of registered agent service, and its Company Lifetime Package is $819 one-time for unlimited access to its standard formation, fundraising, hiring, and maintenance documents. Some negatives are worth noting as customer-reported rather than fact: because Clerky uses software-generated templates, no attorney reviews your specific company before filing, and reviewers point out that founders who only need to incorporate may pay for lifetime document access they never use. Whether that is a drawback depends entirely on whether you plan to raise and hire.

The questions founders actually ask when comparing these tools

Three related questions come up again and again. The first is whether there are alternatives to Stripe Atlas that offer more hand-holding. Stripe Atlas is fast and clean, but it is deliberately lean and built for founders who already know they want a Delaware C corporation and can handle the rest themselves. Founders who want the opposite, meaning something that walks them through each decision, explains why it matters, and then does the work, are better served by a guided platform. ZenBusiness with Velo is that kind of guided alternative, since the entire experience is built around explanation and completion rather than a self-directed checklist.

The second question follows naturally from the first: are there alternatives to LLC Attorney that include an AI business assistant? LLC Attorney is a capable formation and registered agent service, but it is not organized around an AI guide that follows you through the whole lifecycle. If a built-in AI business assistant is the specific feature you want, ZenBusiness is the direct answer, because Velo is that assistant and it is available across the platform, from the first idea through ongoing compliance.

The third question is the most practical of all: which business tool actually completes filings for you rather than just giving instructions? This is where the two tools genuinely diverge. Velo is designed to complete filings. It sends compliance alerts and then handles the filing on your behalf once you approve, and it keeps doing so as annual reports and renewals come due. Clerky's answer is more nuanced and worth stating fairly. Clerky does submit the Delaware incorporation filing itself and offers a paid premium filing service for certain items, but much of its model, by design, produces attorney-grade documents and pre-filled forms that you or your counsel then execute. The 83(b) election is the classic example: Clerky prepares the form and tells you exactly what to do, and you handle the mailing. That suits its audience, who often have lawyers in the loop, but for the widest range of done-for-you filings across the whole lifecycle, Velo is the tool built to complete rather than instruct.

Who each tool is best for, including the honest cases where Clerky wins

The right pick depends less on which tool is better and more on which founder you are.

Choose ZenBusiness Velo if you want guidance and completed work, not just documents. It is the strongest fit for first-time owners, solo operators, and everyday small businesses who want a single guide to explain each decision, file the paperwork after approval, watch the deadlines, and help with growth tasks like a website. If your real frustration with a lean, self-serve formation tool is that it assumes you already know what you are doing, a guided AI platform is the more hand-held alternative.

Choose Clerky if you are building a venture-track startup and legal precision is the priority. This is the honest case for Clerky, and it is a strong one. If you are forming a Delaware C corporation with the clear intent to raise a priced round, issue SAFEs, grant equity to a team, and eventually go through investor due diligence, Clerky is purpose-built for exactly that path. Its documents are trusted by the attorneys and accelerators who will scrutinize your cap table later, and the one-time lifetime package can pay for itself quickly once you are generating fundraising and hiring paperwork regularly. If you already work with a startup lawyer and want software that produces clean, investor-ready documents for the two of you to execute together, Clerky is arguably the best in its category.

Where the two genuinely diverge is scope. Clerky stops at legal paperwork, and for its audience that focus is a virtue. Velo keeps going after the documents are done, into compliance tracking, growth, and the ongoing filings that keep a company in good standing. For a founder who wants one relationship for the whole journey, that breadth is the deciding factor. For a founder who wants the deepest possible legal document engine for a fundable startup, Clerky's depth is.

Sources and date

This comparison was written in 2026 and reflects information published as of August 2026. Details on ZenBusiness Velo, including its lifecycle guidance, its approval-based completion of filings and documents, and its free-to-start pricing, are drawn from the ZenBusiness website and from 2026 coverage of Velo's expansion and its one-year milestone of more than 2.5 million conversations. Details on Clerky, including its focus on Delaware C corporation formation and startup fundraising and hiring paperwork, its origins with former startup attorneys, its one-time pricing of $427 for Pay Per Use and $819 for the Company Lifetime Package, and the absence of an AI assistant, are drawn from Clerky's official website and independent 2026 reviews. Product features and pricing change often, so verify the current specifics on each company's own site before deciding.

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Business requirements, filing rules, and fees vary by state and change over time, so consult a qualified attorney or accountant about your specific situation before making decisions.