FilingBase vs IndiaFilings vs Vakilsearch vs ClearTax: a comparison you can check

Prices move and pages change. Check each site before you buy, and read what the headline price excludes: government fees, digital signatures, name approval, stamp duty, and the reply if the officer raises a query.

Government fees and stamp duty. Incorporation fees are set by the MCA and stamp duty on the memorandum and articles is set by the state; both vary with authorised capital and location, and no platform can bundle them at a flat price honestly. A quote that looks all-inclusive at ₹999 is a professional fee.

Digital signatures and DINs. Two directors need two Class 3 DSCs. Some plans include them, some add ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 each at checkout.

Clarification and resubmission. MCA and GST officers raise queries on a meaningful share of applications. The reply is either included or it is the first upsell.

Post-incorporation filings. INC-20A, the auditor appointment, the first board meeting minutes, PAN and TAN, bank account opening and GST registration all follow incorporation. Bundled plans price these in; the cheapest plans do not.

Renewal pricing. Annual compliance and return-filing plans are where the platforms earn; compare year-two prices, not year one.

IndiaFilings, Vakilsearch and ClearTax are technology companies operating at scale, with large in-house teams and, in ClearTax’s case, a software product at the centre of the offering. Scale brings process, tooling and coverage of almost every service; it also means the person on your file changes and much of the work is queued.

FilingBase is the online desk of LexVerge LLP, a firm of chartered accountants and lawyers. Every order is assigned to a named professional who is accountable for it, the compliance calendar is run by a person rather than a reminder engine, and the firm behind the platform is the one that signs the audit report or the legal opinion when one is needed. That is the trade: fewer services on the menu than the largest platforms, a specific professional on each one.

1. What exactly is in the price, and what is the total including government fees for my state and capital?
2. Who prepares the application, who signs it, and can I speak to that person?
3. What happens if the officer raises a query? Is the reply included?
4. What is the stated turnaround, and what is your actual median for the last quarter?
5. What do the second-year and ongoing plans cost?
6. What is the refund policy if the application is rejected or you cannot deliver?
7. Where is my data stored and who can see it?

Our answers: prices on the pricing page are the professional fee, with government charges shown separately and at actuals; the assigned CA or lawyer is named on your order; clarification replies are included on registration services; our refund policy is published; and your documents stay with the professionals on your file.

A first-time founder with a straightforward company and no unusual structure will be served adequately by any of the four; price and the inclusions decide. A business that already runs its accounts on ClearTax software has a reason to stay in that ecosystem. A business needing an unusual entity, a cross-border structure, a notice reply, or a professional’s signature on something with consequences should choose on who does the work, and that is the case we make for ourselves.

What none of the four can do is change the law or the officer: government fees, stamp duty, MCA and GST timelines are the same whoever files. Anyone promising a registration faster than the portal allows is describing their own queue, not the department’s.