No we don't. UG is still a GmbH bureaucratic monster which a bit less start capital. You still need to follow all taxation rules like GmbH, which costs you few more thousands per year (Bilanzeirung, Steuerberater, Abschluss, ...) just to be legaly compliant.
American LLC taxation is as simple as or even simpler than Anlage EÜR. And you don't need a tax advisor to do it.
You don't need money for the UG either. You might need money for operating expenses later etc, but that's not what OP complained about and should be similar for an LLC. (Depending on type of business, location etc)