The headline comparison
| Malta | USA (Wyoming LLC baseline) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entity type | Private Limited Company (Ltd) | LLC (state-level) |
| Filing fee (one-off) | $260 | $100 |
| Annual maintenance | $110 | $62 |
| Year-1 total | $370 | $162 |
| Headline corporate tax | 35% | 21% (C-Corp); 0% (LLC pass-through) |
| VAT / Sales tax | 18% | 0% federal (state sales tax varies) |
| Banking accessibility | 6/10 | 10/10 (Mercury, Brex, every US bank) |
| Privacy | 5/10 — UBO public | 7/10 — UBO private (FinCEN BOI internal) |
| Remote formation | Yes | Yes, fully remote |
| Stripe | ✅ Supported | ✅ Native |
| Processing time | 10 days | 1–10 days depending on state |
When Malta wins over a US LLC
- Effective 5% via refund system
- EU member
- English-speaking
- You sell to customers in Europe and benefit from local market presence.
When a US LLC wins over Malta
- Banking: Mercury, Brex, and every US bank accept non-residents. Malta banking is 6/10.
- Stripe and payment rails: US has the most mature payment ecosystem in the world.
- Pass-through taxation: a US LLC owes 0% federal corporate tax on retained or distributed profits. Tax obligation falls on the owner personally — and if the owner is a non-resident with no US-source ECI, that's also often 0%.
- Filing cost: $162 year-1 in Wyoming vs $370 in Malta.
- Speed: Wyoming LLC in 1-2 days vs 10 days in Malta.
The hybrid approach many founders use
Many non-US founders form both entities:
- A US LLC (usually Wyoming) for Stripe, US customers, and US-facing brand.
- A local Malta entity for substance, local employment, and local market.
The US LLC bills the Malta entity or vice versa, with transfer-pricing documentation. This is common in SaaS and digital agencies. Talk to a cross-border CPA before structuring.
Decision matrix
- Selling globally / mostly US? → US LLC.
- Selling in Europe / locally? → Malta entity.
- Need both Stripe and EU/local presence? → Hybrid.
- VC fundraising plans? → Delaware C-Corp (not LLC, not Malta).
For US-specific deep dive, see our United States company formation guide. For a personalized recommendation, run the 5-question quiz.