Starcycle vs SimpleClosure: Shutdown Services Compared

Short answer

Starcycle is built around the founder's experience of closing a company. It starts at $399 and makes the shutdown process seamless, covers all 50 states, closes payroll tax accounts and arranges final returns through partner CPAs, typically in 8 to 10 weeks. SimpleClosure's published scope includes investor waterfalls and asset sales, and it doesn't publish a price.

You're deciding who handles the paperwork of closing your company. The two services divide that work differently, and the tables below show where, with a source and a date on each rival row. Starcycle's experience is turnkey and hands-off, and Starcycle does the heavy lifting.

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

Where do Starcycle and SimpleClosure differ?

Topic	Starcycle	SimpleClosure
Scope	A tailored action plan, state filings including dissolution articles, IRS Form 966, EIN cancellation, payroll tax account closure, sales tax account closure through a partner, help tracking contracts and subscriptions, document management and coverage in all 50 states	Six phases covering plan, legal filings, tax and government, people and vendors, asset sales and final distributions, described as more than 90 steps (2026-10-06)
Final tax filing	Arranged through partner CPAs, or Starcycle works with your own CPA	A separate service per SimpleClosure's 2026-06-23 reply (2026-10-06)
Investor work	Documents a board and stockholders need, plus key dates	SAFE, note and equity review, plus waterfall and distribution calculations (2026-10-06)
Assets	A complimentary asset recovery review, through a network of partners	AssetHub, domain and IP sales and bulk laptop sales (2026-10-06)
Price	Starting at $399; state fees are extra, so $399 is the floor	Not published; "we meet with each customer" (2026-10-06)
How you start	Get started online, or ask for a shutdown plan	An intake form (2026-10-06)

What does each service include?

Starcycle's column comes from starcycle.ai, while SimpleClosure's column comes from the pages linked in each row. SimpleClosure's site also notes that not every business will need every service listed.

What is covered	Starcycle	SimpleClosure	Source
Overall structure	A tailored plan, turnkey and hands-off, with key-date tracking	Six phases, described as more than 90 steps with one team responsible	SimpleClosure services
Plan, board resolutions and shareholder consent	Supports the documents a board and stockholders need	Company assessment, closure plan, board resolutions and shareholder consent	SimpleClosure services
Dissolution in the state of formation	Dissolution articles prepared and submitted	Dissolution in the state of incorporation	SimpleClosure services
Foreign-state filings and withdrawals	Prepared as part of a multi-state plan, covering all 50 states	Foreign state filings and withdrawals, plus registered agent cancellations	SimpleClosure services
IRS Form 966	Prepared with the dissolution filings	Listed under the tax and government phase	SimpleClosure services
EIN cancellation	Included	Included in the tax and government phase	SimpleClosure services
Franchise tax and final state reports	Key-date tracking with good-standing checks in all 50 states	Franchise tax and final state reports listed	SimpleClosure services
Payroll tax account closure	Starcycle closes payroll tax accounts	State payroll withdrawals and payroll account closures listed	SimpleClosure services
Sales tax account closure	Taken care of through a partner	Not listed among the published steps	SimpleClosure services
Final federal and state income tax returns	Arranged through partner CPAs, or Starcycle works with your own CPA	Offered as a separate service, not part of the base price	SimpleClosure Trustpilot reply, 2026-06-23
SAFE, note and equity review, waterfall calculations	Handled by your counsel or CPA	Review of SAFEs, notes and equity, plus waterfall and distribution calculations, with a Carta integration for waterfalls	SimpleClosure services, investors page
Contract and vendor cancellation	Helps you track contracts and subscriptions and key dates so everything is shut down; you take the cancellation action	Vendor releases and stakeholder notices	SimpleClosure for lawyers
Documents	Document management	A Closing Binder sent to your lawyer when the work is complete	SimpleClosure for lawyers
Asset sales	A complimentary asset recovery review, through a network of partners	AssetHub for source code and workspace data, plus domain and IP sales	AssetHub
Legal and financial advice	Operational support only, no legal or tax advice	"Does not offer legal or financial advice"	SimpleClosure services
Team	Turnkey and hands-off, with little for you to do; a dedicated team member on the white-glove tier	One team responsible for all steps	SimpleClosure services
Price	Starting at $399. That is the service fee and state fees are extra, so $399 is the floor	Not published; depends on industry, complexity, investment structure and number of foreign qualifications	SimpleClosure how it works
Timeline	Typically 8 to 10 weeks	The FAQ answer gives no duration	SimpleClosure how it works
How you start	Get started online or ask for a shutdown plan	Intake form that tailors the solution	SimpleClosure get started
Entity types	U.S. businesses and residents only; LLCs and corporations in all 50 states	Entity types and states not stated	SimpleClosure how it works
Companies that cannot pay their debts	Serves companies that can pay their debts	Managed wind-down is "not limited to solvent companies"	SimpleClosure wind-down guide

Who does Starcycle fit?

Starcycle's services page describes two tiers, split by facts about the company.

Self-serve fits a single-member LLC or straightforward corporation with one state registration, no investors or cap table and no active contracts.
White-glove fits a Delaware C-corp or multi-state entity, a company with investors and a cap table, or one with active contracts, subscriptions or leases, and a dedicated team member works with you.
Starcycle works only with entities in the United States, in all 50 states.
Starcycle has partner CPAs and lawyers for pretty much every situation.
The experience is turnkey and hands-off: Starcycle does the heavy lifting and there is little for you to do.
Waterfall calculations and distributions to investors stay with your counsel or CPA rather than with Starcycle.

Which situation sounds like yours?

Each situation below lists what to look at in the tables above.

Venture-backed company with a cap table: SimpleClosure's published scope names SAFE, note and equity review and waterfall calculations. Starcycle's white-glove tier covers companies with investors, and your counsel or CPA handles distributions, so ask each provider who calculates what investors receive.

Multi-state company with employees: SimpleClosure lists foreign-state withdrawals, state payroll withdrawals and employee separation guidance, while Starcycle covers all 50 states, closes payroll tax accounts and prepares withdrawals as part of a multi-state plan. Ask each provider who files each withdrawal and who closes each payroll account.

Operator with an online store in many states: Look at who handles each state registration and who takes each cancellation action. Both services list contract or vendor work, and each describes it differently in the table. Starcycle helps you track contracts and subscriptions, and a complimentary asset recovery review is available through a network of partners.

Solo founder with a single-member LLC: Starcycle's self-serve tier is written for this case, starting at $399, plus state fees. SimpleClosure's site says not every business needs every service, and its price is quoted after intake.

Starting at

$399

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

What does it cost?

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

SimpleClosure doesn't publish a price, and its site says pricing depends on several factors and that the team reviews each customer's needs first.

State filing fees are public, and among four states the filing fee ranges from $0 to $224 before taxes, registered agent and preparation costs:

Delaware charges $224 for a Certificate of Dissolution, per its fee schedule revised August 1, 2026.
California charges no filing fee for a stock corporation's Certificate of Dissolution.
New York charges $60 for a domestic business corporation's Certificate of Dissolution.
Texas charges $40 for a Certificate of Termination.

Who does what in a shutdown?

Task	You	Starcycle	Partner CPA or lawyer
Decide to close, approve board and stockholder actions	Yes	Supports the documents	Your counsel advises
State dissolution filing and EIN cancellation	Review and sign	Prepares and submits	Optional review
Key dates and good-standing checks	Receive reminders	Covers all 50 states and tracks them	None
Contract and subscription cancellations	Take the cancellation action	Helps you track contracts, subscriptions and key dates	Lawyer reviews terms if needed
Payroll tax account closure	Provide records	Closes the accounts	CPA if needed
Final tax returns	Provide records	Arranges them through partner CPAs, or works with yours	Prepared by a partner CPA or yours
Investor distributions	Approve	Not calculated by Starcycle	Counsel or CPA
Assets	Decide what to do	Complimentary asset recovery review, through a network of partners	Counsel reviews any asset sale agreement

What should you ask any provider?

Which filings do you prepare for my company, and which of those do you also submit to the state or the IRS?
Is final tax return preparation included in the price, and if it is, who prepares the returns?
Who calculates what investors are owed, and who sends the money out to them?
Which states and entity types do you work with, and which ones fall outside your scope?
What does the quoted price include, and what does it leave out that I would pay for separately?
Are state fees, registered agent fees and payroll account closures included in the price you quoted?
What will I receive from you when the work is complete, and in what form will I receive it?

How we compared

We read starcycle.ai and SimpleClosure's published pages, and every SimpleClosure row links the page it came from. We left out review scores and marketing claims that carry no stated method, and state fees come from each state's own filing office. Facts change, so check each provider's current pages before you decide.

Four terms appear in the tables above, and each is defined in the list below:

EIN: the Employer Identification Number the IRS assigned to your company, and the IRS closes the account by letter after final returns and taxes are filed and paid.
Form 966: the IRS form that reports a corporate dissolution or liquidation, and it is due within 30 days after the resolution or plan is adopted.
Registered agent: the person or company a state lists to receive legal notices for your entity.
Franchise tax: a state tax on the right to do business as an entity, owed by some states' corporations and LLCs.

Conclusion

Both services prepare the dissolution filings, and they split the surrounding work differently. SimpleClosure's published scope reaches into investor distributions and asset sales and lists final tax filing separately. Starcycle's scope centers on filings, payroll tax account closure, the EIN and all 50 states, with partner CPAs arranging final returns, typically in 8 to 10 weeks. Match each row to your company's facts, then ask both providers the questions above, and we can also make intros to lawyers and accountants.

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Frequently asked questions

What does SimpleClosure include?

Its site describes six phases: plan, legal filings, tax and government, people and vendors, asset sales, and final distributions. The site says not every business needs every service, and the team reviews your entity type, state registrations, tax accounts, investors, assets and obligations first.

Is final tax filing included with SimpleClosure?

In a reply dated 2026-06-23 on its Trustpilot page, SimpleClosure said tax filing is available as its own service and is not included in the base price.

How long does a shutdown take?

SimpleClosure's FAQ gives no duration. Starcycle's shutdown typically takes 8 to 10 weeks.

Does Starcycle file final tax returns?

Starcycle arranges final federal and state returns through partner CPAs, or works with your own CPA.

Do I need a lawyer?

SimpleClosure's wind-down guide says an attorney is "not always required if you're solvent or have manageable debt." Starcycle doesn't give legal advice, so questions about your case go to a lawyer, and we can make intros.

What does Starcycle do if I'm multi-state?

Starcycle covers all 50 states and tracks key dates with good-standing checks, and the white-glove tier covers multi-state entities with a dedicated team member. Withdrawals from other states are prepared as part of a multi-state plan.

Starcycle vs SimpleClosure