Photo by dougbelshaw via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)Forming a company is not just about filing paperwork. It is first about choosing the right legal structure, checking the financial viability of your project, then ensuring regular follow-up of cash flow and tax filings during the early years, when the risk of failure is highest.
The market has split between online players that automate registration and publish their prices, and networks or independent firms that combine formalities with upfront advice and ongoing support afterwards. Comparing these offers requires a method, because the headline fee does not tell you everything you will actually pay over the first year.
This comparison reviews five players representative of the French market, their model, what they cover beyond simple formation, their fees where they are published, and the founder profile each one matches.
In short:
- No firm offers everything at the best price. Online players win on speed and price clarity, with Dougs advertising formation in 48 hours with a dedicated lawyer. Office-based networks win on legal structure advice and ongoing support.
- Three items make up the real cost, the statutory registry and legal notice fees, the formation support fee and the monthly accounting service. Compare all three together.
- The factor that changes the most is having a contact who anticipates legal structure mistakes and administrative oversights from the start.
- For a simple micro-business formation, an online offer is enough. For a formation as a SARL, SAS or with staff, a firm with a dedicated advisor secures your trajectory.
Comparison table of company formation services in France
The table below compares five representative players on the criteria that genuinely matter to a founder. It runs from office-based networks towards fully online players, and is not ordered by preference. Statutory registry and legal notice fees are excluded, as they are due whatever the provider.
| Criterion | In Extenso | Fiducial Expertise | Cerfrance | Dougs | Amarris Direct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | National office network | National office network | Association-based office network | Fully online | Online with dedicated accountant |
| Geographic coverage | more than 230 offices, 7,300 staff | 600 offices across France | Around 720 offices | 100% remote | 100% remote |
| Formation support fee | On quotation | On quotation | On quotation | 150 € waived subject to an accounting subscription | Formation pack from 150 € excl. VAT, free self-service option |
| Monthly accounting service | On quotation | On quotation | On quotation | From 49 € excl. VAT (sole trader), 79 € excl. VAT (company subject to corporate tax) | From 89 € excl. VAT in year one, 109 € excl. VAT thereafter |
| Advice on legal structure | Yes, in office | Yes, in office | Yes, in office | Yes, meeting with a dedicated lawyer | Yes, assistance on structure choice |
| Accounting from the start | Yes, within the engagement | Yes, within the engagement | Yes, within the engagement | Yes, from subscription | Yes, from subscription |
| Ongoing tax and payroll advice | Built into the scope of services | Built into the scope of services | Built into the scope of services | Depending on the plan | Depending on the plan |
| Stated target | Small businesses, SMEs and groups | Trades, retailers, professional services, farmers, founders | Farmers, trades, retailers and small business members | Sole traders, freelancers, companies with simple accounts | Sole traders and small businesses |
| What the model brings | Complete advice, from formation to business transfer | A dense footprint to form a company nearby | Association governance and strong management advice | Fast formation with a dedicated lawyer, fee waived subject to conditions | A clear formation pack and a dedicated accountant |
Figures and fees taken from the firms’ official websites in July 2026. Promotional offers and eligibility conditions change, so check them before subscribing.
None of these players beats the others on every criterion. The right firm is the one whose model matches your formation complexity and growth prospects.
Three formation logics, three different promises
Before comparing any fee, you need to understand what sets market players apart at formation.
The online offer, speed and price clarity
Online players built their offer on a guided journey, automated filing and published prices. Dougs advertises formation in 48 hours with a dedicated lawyer and waives its 150 euro formation fee when the founder also subscribes to an accounting plan, with registry and legal notice fees remaining payable. Amarris Direct offers a formation pack from 150 euros excluding VAT including articles of association, legal notice, registry filing and personalised advice, plus a self-service formation option and an advisory meeting for founders. This approach suits a simple project, without staff, whose structure is clear from the start. To explore this trade-off, our analysis on online accountant versus traditional firm details when each model takes the lead.
The local independent firm, proximity from the start
An independent firm relies on a close relationship and fine understanding of the local economic context. It is a reassuring choice for a founder who prefers face-to-face contact with their advisor. The trade-off is reach, as a smaller practice more rarely covers specialist expertise, from fundraising to support for a first hire or a later business transfer. The level varies widely from one practice to another.
The national network, complete advice from formation onwards
A national network brings together the two strengths the other models separate. In Extenso, founded in 1991 and owned by its partner chartered accountants, brings together more than 230 offices, 7,300 staff, 330 partners and 170,000 clients. At formation, the founder gets a dedicated advisor available in a nearby office who validates the legal structure choice and flags the sensitive tax and social points. Accounting is set up as soon as the activity starts, with no gap, and access to payroll, VAT, funding and investment advice follows as the business grows, without changing partner.
Fiducial Expertise has supported founders for more than fifty years, with 600 offices across France, roughly one every thirty kilometres, and a strong culture of trades, retail and professional services. Cerfrance, a network of around 720 offices operating as association-based businesses with no shareholders, also supports founders, with historic farming expertise. None of these networks publishes a price list, all issue a quotation.
Four criteria that settle the formation decision
The right firm is not the same for a micro-entrepreneur and for a multi-site SAS founder. Four criteria drive the decision.
Legal structure advice beforehand
Choosing between micro-business, sole trader, SARL or SAS is not a formality, it is the decision that sets your tax position, your social protection and your ability to hire or raise funds. A guided online journey covers standard cases, and some players add a meeting with a lawyer. An advisor in a local office factors in your personal situation and your three-year outlook. On a project with several partners or incoming investors, that opinion is often worth far more than its cost.
Accounting in place from the start
Accounting does not start after registration, but from the first expense incurred. Check from when entries are actually taken on and how pre-registration expenses are handled, as this is a classic source of catch-up work. Both models can do it, provided it is framed at the point of subscription.
Anticipating social and tax filings
Every stage of the first year hides deadlines, social contributions, VAT where applicable, the first tax return. A dedicated advisor puts them in a calendar. On an online offer, check which alerts and which filings are included in the package, and which remain yours to handle.
Fee transparency and scope
A low entry price can hide advice billed case by case, and a promotional offer comes with eligibility conditions worth reading. Insist on an engagement letter that sets out exactly what is covered from formation and what is extra, and compare on a like-for-like basis, statutory fees included. It is the only fair way to choose, as our guide on how to choose a chartered accountant recalls.
Firm or support network: what each one covers
Comparing firms against each other is not enough, because a firm is only one link in the business creation support ecosystem. Alongside paid offers there are public and associative networks, widely under-used, several of them free.
| Support networks | Chartered accountancy firm | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Bpifrance Création, CCI, CMA, BGE, ADIE, Initiative France, Réseau Entreprendre, France Active | In Extenso, Fiducial, Cerfrance, Dougs, Amarris Direct |
| Cost | Free or subsidised depending on the provider and the service | Paid service, quoted or packaged |
| Strength | Upstream framing, orientation, seed funding, honour loans | Legal structure, forecasts, follow-up after incorporation |
| What they do not cover | Accounting and tax follow-up over time | Upstream orientation and access to public aid |
| When they step in | Before and during formation | At structuring choices, then afterwards |
The distinction that matters fits in one sentence. Network support generally stops at launch, whereas the first tax return, the first VAT filing and the first decision on the director’s pay all come afterwards. That is precisely the firm’s space.
So the most effective path is to line them up rather than choose between them. Frame the project with Bpifrance Création’s free resources, get challenged by a network suited to your activity, look for funding in the right place for your profile, then settle the structuring choices with a firm. Our article on business creation support networks sets out who does what and when.
Our verdict
The best firm for your company formation depends first on the complexity of your project. For a simple formation, without staff and with a clear structure, an online offer like Dougs or Amarris Direct does the job with a published price and a short turnaround. For a founder forming a company, planning to hire or preparing funding, a national network remains the most solid choice. On that ground In Extenso combines a dedicated advisor who frames the legal structure choice, accounting in place from the start and access to tax, social and legal advice as the business grows, structured as a ten-step business creation journey. Fiducial Expertise and Cerfrance are the two other networks to put in competition, particularly in trades, retail and farming. Define your formation type, ask for a detailed engagement letter, then compare offers on a like-for-like basis before committing. To explore further the choice of accounting partner, read our comprehensive guide to the best accounting firms that covers broader considerations beyond formation alone.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm to choose for company formation?
The best firm depends on your needs beyond registration alone. Online players handle formalities quickly at published prices, with Dougs waiving its 150 euro formation fee provided you also subscribe to an accounting plan, and Amarris Direct offering a formation pack from 150 euros excluding VAT. An office-based network combines formalities with advice on legal structure, accounting from day one and follow-up over time. In Extenso, founded in 1991 with more than 230 offices and 7,300 staff, covers that ground, as do Fiducial Expertise and Cerfrance which also support founders.
Do I need an accountant from day one of company formation?
It is not mandatory, but it is often useful. From the start you need help choosing your legal structure between micro-business, sole trader, SARL or SAS, checking the financial viability of the project and anticipating VAT or social contribution filings. Some online offers include an advisory meeting or a dedicated lawyer for the formation, others bill advice per item. A firm with a dedicated advisor anticipates these questions within the engagement, which limits costly mistakes that are hard to fix later.
What is the average cost of a company formation service?
Three items need separating. The statutory registry and legal notice fees, due whatever the provider. The formation support fee, around 150 euros excluding VAT at online players, sometimes waived subject to an accounting subscription, and on quotation at office-based networks. Finally the monthly accounting service, from 49 to 89 euros excluding VAT per month at online players and on quotation in office-based networks. Compare across all three items, not on the headline price alone.
Does In Extenso support company formation?
Yes, formation support is part of its scope of services, alongside accounting, tax, payroll and social matters, legal and business transfer. In practice it covers advice on the choice of legal structure, help with formalities through the local office, setting up the accounts as soon as the activity starts, then follow-up by the same advisor as the business develops. The fee is set out in a quotation, based on transaction volume and the assignments entrusted.