Starcycle vs Inkle: Company Shutdown Compared

Short answer

Starcycle starts at $399 and makes the shutdown process seamless for customers. It covers all 50 states, closes payroll tax accounts and arranges final returns through partner CPAs, typically in 8 to 10 weeks. Inkle is an accounting platform that lists dissolution at $350 on its pricing page.

You may already keep your books with Inkle, or you may be pricing the cheapest route for a Delaware C-corp. This page puts the two services side by side, with a source and a date on every Inkle fact.

At a glance What's included Pricing Who does what FAQ Get started

Where do Starcycle and Inkle differ?

	Starcycle	Inkle
Scope	A shutdown service with a tailored action plan, state filings including dissolution articles, EIN and payroll tax account closure, help tracking contracts and subscriptions, and document management. Turnkey and hands-off, with little for you to do	An accounting, tax and compliance platform that lists dissolution among its services. The pricing page lists a Delaware filing, consent and resolution preparation, IRS account closure and a checklist
Tax filing	Final federal and state returns are arranged through partner CPAs, or Starcycle works with your own CPA	The service page says Inkle's team prepares and files final returns. Return prices are listed separately, from $650/year for Form 1120
Investor work	White-glove tier for companies with investors and a cap table. Starcycle supports board and stockholder documents; your counsel or CPA handles investor distributions	Not listed for dissolution on the pages we read
Assets	A complimentary asset recovery review, through a network of partners	Not listed for dissolution on the pages we read
Price	Starting at $399. That is the service fee, state fees are extra, and $399 is the floor	$350 per dissolution, with four listed inclusions
Time to complete	Typically 8 to 10 weeks	No timeline is stated for the service
How you start	"Get started" or "Get my shutdown plan" on starcycle.ai	"Talk to our team" on the pricing page

What does each service include?

Inkle's pricing page and its dissolution service page describe different scopes. We link both below. Confirm with Inkle which scope applies to your entity before you buy.

What is covered	Starcycle	Inkle
State dissolution filing	State filings, including dissolution articles, prepared and submitted.	Files the Dissolution Certificate with the Delaware Secretary of State.
Board and stockholder paperwork	Supports the resolutions and consents your board and stockholders need.	Preparation of the Stockholder Consent and Board of Directors Resolution.
IRS account and EIN	EIN cancellation is included, and Starcycle prepares IRS Form 966 with the dissolution filings.	Lists closure of the IRS tax account on the pricing page. The service page says Inkle closes federal accounts, including the EIN.
Payroll and sales tax account closure	Starcycle closes payroll tax accounts and takes care of sales tax account closure through a partner.	The pricing card does not list payroll closure. Inkle's employee guide covers state payroll account closures as part of a wind-down.
Final tax returns	Arranged through partner CPAs, or Starcycle works with your own CPA.	The service page says the in-house team prepares and files final state and federal returns. The $350 card does not list them. Return prices appear separately, from $650/year for Form 1120.
Withdrawal from other states	Covers all 50 states, with key-date tracking and good-standing checks, plus withdrawals from other states prepared as part of a multi-state plan.	The service page says Inkle withdraws the business from the state of operations, including registered agents. The what-is-Inkle page says "every foreign-qualified state." The $350 card lists neither.
Checklist and plan	A tailored action plan for your company.	A checklist and guidance for winding down other activities and accounts.
Contracts and subscriptions	Helps you track contracts and subscriptions and their key dates so everything is shut down, on request and most often on complex cases. You take the cancellation action.	Not listed as a separate item on the pricing card.
Document management	Included on both tiers.	Not listed on the pages we read.
Entity types	LLCs and corporations, U.S. entities only.	The pricing card uses corporation wording. LLC dissolution appears in Inkle's blog posts, and the paid plan does not name LLCs.
Timeline	Typically 8 to 10 weeks.	No timeline is stated for the service.
Support model	Turnkey and hands-off: Starcycle does the heavy lifting and there is little for you to do. The white-glove tier adds a dedicated team member.	An in-house team and dedicated experts. Chat response times are stated differently across Inkle's pages.

Who does Starcycle fit?

Starcycle's two tiers are described by the facts of the company, so the fit follows from those facts.

The self-serve tier covers a single-member LLC or a straightforward corporation with one state registration, no investors or cap table, and no active contracts.
The white-glove tier covers a Delaware C-corp or multi-state entity, a company with investors and a cap table, or one with active contracts, subscriptions or leases. It comes with a dedicated team member.
Starcycle works with U.S. businesses and residents only.
Starcycle has partner CPAs and lawyers for pretty much every situation, and works with yours if you prefer. Tax and legal questions go to one of them.

Which situation looks like yours?

Delaware C-corp with no employees and one state. Inkle's pricing card is written for this case, with a Delaware certificate, board paperwork and IRS account closure at $350. Starcycle's self-serve tier also fits a straightforward corporation with one state registration, starting at $399, with the Delaware state fee paid separately. Compare who prepares your final return and what that costs, and note that Starcycle arranges one through partner CPAs or works with yours.

Company registered in several states. Inkle's service page and what-is-Inkle page mention withdrawals from foreign-qualified states, and the pricing card does not. Starcycle covers all 50 states, and its white-glove tier covers multi-state entities with a dedicated team member. Ask each provider to list every state withdrawal it files.

LLC. Inkle's pricing card uses corporation wording, and its LLC coverage appears in blog posts. Starcycle serves LLCs and corporations. Ask Inkle in writing whether the $350 plan applies to an LLC.

Company with employees. Starcycle closes payroll tax accounts, and takes care of sales tax account closure through a partner. Inkle publishes a guide to employee obligations in a wind-down, and its pricing page does not list payroll closure. Either way, plan the final payroll steps with your CPA first.

Starting at

$399

State filing fees are paid at the state's own rate.

What does it cost?

Starcycle starts at $399. That price is the service fee and covers the action plan, key-date tracking in all 50 states, help tracking contracts and subscriptions, document management, dissolution filing preparation and submission, and EIN cancellation. State fees are extra and paid at the state's own rate, so $399 is the floor, and white-glove cases are quoted individually.

Inkle's pricing page lists Assisted Dissolution at $350 per dissolution with four inclusions: the Delaware filing, stockholder consent and board resolution preparation, closure of the IRS tax account, and a wind-down checklist. The page does not say whether the Delaware state fee is part of the $350. Final returns are priced separately from $650/year for Form 1120, and the same page lists other state income tax at $100/year. Inkle's service page describes final returns as part of dissolution without a price, so ask Inkle whether the return fee sits on top of the $350.

The state sets its own filing fee. Among four states we checked, the fee ranges from nothing in California to $224 in Delaware, before franchise taxes, registered agent costs and tax preparation:

State	Dissolution filing fee	Source
Delaware	$224 for a stock corporation certificate of dissolution	Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule, revised August 1, 2026
California	No filing fee for a stock corporation	California Secretary of State
New York	$60 for a domestic business corporation	New York Department of State
Texas	$40 for a certificate of termination	Texas Secretary of State

Delaware requires all taxes through the dissolution date to be paid and annual franchise tax reports filed before the certificate files, according to the Division of Corporations' dissolution instructions. Your CPA or lawyer can tell you how these rules apply to your company.

Who does what in a shutdown?

Task	You	Starcycle	Partner or your CPA or lawyer
Decide to close and approve it	Board and stockholders vote	Supports the documents	Counsel advises on the vote
State filings	Sign and approve	Prepares and submits
EIN cancellation	Approve	Handles it
Contracts and subscriptions	Share the list and cancel each one	Helps you track them and key dates
Payroll and sales tax account closure	Provide records	Closes payroll tax accounts, and handles sales tax closure through a partner
Final tax returns	Provide records	Arranges them	Partner CPA or your CPA prepares and files
Investor distributions	Decide		Counsel or CPA
Key dates	Review	Tracks them across all 50 states
Asset recovery	Decide	Complimentary advisory through a network of partners	Counsel for any asset sale agreement

Questions to ask any provider

What exactly does the quoted price include?
- Ask for the list in writing, because pricing and service pages can differ.
Are state government fees inside the price or on top of it?
Who prepares and files the final federal and state returns, and what do they charge?
Which states does the provider withdraw from, and is that in the base price?
Does the service cover your entity type, LLC or corporation?
Who answers questions during the process, and how quickly?
What happens to contracts, subscriptions and the registered agent?
Which tasks stay with your CPA or lawyer?

How we compared

We read Inkle's pricing page, dissolution service page, what-is-Inkle page, services page, state compliance page and blog posts on inkle.ai (inkle.io redirects there). Every Inkle fact in the tables comes from one of those pages and is linked beside the row. Starcycle's column comes from starcycle.ai and from our own scope notes. We describe what each page says and do not judge either service. We left out customer counts and review scores, because they vary by page and by source. State fees come from each state's own site.

Glossary

EIN: the Employer Identification Number the IRS assigns to your company. The IRS closes the account by letter after final returns and taxes are paid.
Form 966: the IRS form that reports a corporate dissolution or liquidation. It is due within 30 days after the resolution or plan is adopted, per the IRS Form 966 instructions.
Registered agent: the person or company that receives legal and state mail for your company in a state.
Franchise tax: a state tax on keeping an entity registered, which several states ask you to clear before they accept a dissolution.

Conclusion

Inkle and Starcycle both file the paperwork to dissolve a company, and they start from different places. Inkle is an accounting and tax platform with dissolution among its services, and Starcycle is built for shutdowns, with a plan, all 50 states covered, payroll tax account closure and a turnkey, hands-off experience. Before you decide, get each provider's inclusions in writing, compare who files your final returns, and ask a CPA or lawyer about the parts that depend on your company. If you want a plan for your own shutdown, Get started. We can also make intros to lawyers and accountants.

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Frequently asked questions

What does Inkle's $350 dissolution price include?

Inkle's pricing page lists four items: the Delaware Secretary of State filing, stockholder consent and board resolution preparation, closure of the IRS tax account, and a checklist with guidance. The page does not list final returns or foreign-state withdrawals, and Inkle's service page describes both. Confirm the scope with Inkle.

Are final tax returns included in Inkle's price?

The pricing card does not list them, and return prices appear separately, from $650/year for Form 1120. Inkle's service page says its team prepares and files final returns. Ask Inkle whether the return fee is in addition to the $350.

What does Starcycle cost, and are state fees included?

Starcycle starts at $399. That is the service fee, and state fees are extra at the state's own rate, so $399 is the floor. White-glove cases are quoted individually.

Can Inkle or Starcycle dissolve an LLC?

Starcycle serves LLCs and corporations in the U.S. Inkle's pricing card uses corporation wording, and LLC dissolution appears in its blog posts, so ask Inkle whether the paid plan covers an LLC.

Do I still need a lawyer or CPA?

Starcycle handles administrative paperwork and does not give legal or tax advice, so questions about your own case go to a CPA or lawyer. Starcycle has partner CPAs and lawyers for pretty much every situation. We can also make intros to lawyers and accountants.

Starcycle vs Inkle