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Which legal structure is right for you?

Liability, taxation, social protection, admin load — compared side by side. There is no universally best choice, only the one suited to your situation.

Why is this such a powerful lever?

Sole trader (micro-enterprise)

Beginners, testing, side income

EI (Sole Proprietorship)

Stable independent activity

SASU

Premium consultants, high earners

EURL

Stable activity + cost optimization

Umbrella company

Consultants, experts, max security

Quick comparison

Compare

Setup

Revenue limit

Social cover

Asset protection

Admin load

Best for

Sole trader

Fast

Capped

Limited

None

Light

Beginners

EI

Medium

No limit

Limited

Partial

Simple

Solo work

SASU

Slow

No limit

Good

Full

Heavy

Premium

EURL

Medium

No limit

Moderate

Full

Medium

Cost savings

Umbrella Co.

Instant

No limit

Full

Full

None

Enterprise

How to choose

Just starting or testing the market

→ Sole trader (micro-enterprise)

No revenue cap with minimal structure

→ EI

Strong protection with high earnings

→ SASU

Optimize costs with limited liability

→ EURL

Full employee status, simplified admin

→ Umbrella company

Linkao recommendations

Just starting?

Begin with micro-enterprise or EI. Low risk, easy exit.

Growing fast?

Move to SASU or EURL for protection and optimization.

Need security?

Umbrella company gives you full employee benefits.

Not sure?

LINKAO advisors help you choose based on your goals.

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Frequently asked
questions

Can't find what you're looking for? Contact us at contact@linkao.fr and our team will be happy to help.

The micro-enterprise: registration takes minutes and accounting is minimal. Umbrella employment is even simpler — there is nothing to create at all.

There is no single best status: the micro-enterprise to start simply, the SASU to optimise social protection and professional image, or umbrella employment to gain employee status without creating a company. The comparison table above maps each structure to its typical profile.

Both are single-owner companies. SASU gives the president employee-like social cover at a higher cost; EURL costs less but offers lighter protection.

The micro-enterprise, with contributions proportional to revenue; among companies, the EURL costs less than the SASU. Careful: lower charges usually mean weaker social protection.

Umbrella employment — you are a genuine employee with full pension, health, provident and unemployment coverage — followed by the SASU and its assimilated-employee status.

Yes. Many freelancers start as micro-entrepreneurs and later switch to SASU, EURL, or umbrella employment as their activity grows.

None today — "auto-entrepreneur" is the former name; the two regimes merged into the micro-enterprise in 2016.

Micro-enterprise or umbrella employment: both start instantly with low risk, and umbrella employment adds full social cover from day one.