Best Tax Software

TurboTax

TurboTax turned tax filing into a slick, hand-holding interview so good it became the default verb for the category — and then Intuit spent years lobbying to keep a truly-free option from existing, which is why the FTC came knocking. It's still the gold standard for interface polish and handling gnarly situations like crypto, K-1s, and multi-state returns, but you'll pay handsomely for that comfort, often $89-$219 before state fees. It tops the list on capability even as it earns the most side-eye for pricing tactics.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $89Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 9/10Support Quality: 8/10Handles Complex Returns: 9/10

added by IJRTurboTax

H&R Block

With thousands of physical offices backing up the software, H&R Block built its reputation on the promise that a real human is never far away if the algorithm gets confused. Its desktop and online products are nearly as robust as TurboTax's for a noticeably lower price, and the in-person audit support is a genuine differentiator for anxious filers. It lands just behind TurboTax because the online UI, while good, still feels a half-step less intuitive.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $55Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 8/10Support Quality: 8/10Handles Complex Returns: 8/10

added by IJRH&R Block

TaxAct

TaxAct made its name in the late '90s as the discount alternative that could still handle a Schedule C, and it's stayed remarkably true to that scrappy, no-frills identity ever since. Its $100k Accuracy Guarantee and straightforward pricing tiers make it a favorite for self-employed filers who want real functionality without TurboTax's price tag. It ranks mid-pack because the interface, while functional, can feel like a spreadsheet wearing a tax costume.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $40Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 7/10Support Quality: 6/10Handles Complex Returns: 7/10

added by IJR

TaxSlayer

TaxSlayer built its cult following among freelancers and gig workers by offering its Self-Employed tier — with 1099 guidance and quarterly estimated tax tools — at a fraction of the big-name cost. It's also long been a go-to for military filers thanks to free federal filing for active duty. The software itself is a bit less polished and support is thinner, which keeps it solidly mid-tier despite the killer pricing.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $37Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 7/10Support Quality: 6/10Handles Complex Returns: 7/10

added by IJR

FreeTaxUSA

FreeTaxUSA's entire pitch is a magic trick: federal filing is genuinely free no matter how complicated your return is, itemized deductions, investments, rental income and all, with state returns running about $15. It became the internet's favorite tax-software secret precisely because it refuses to upsell you into oblivion the way its bigger rivals do. It ranks high on value even though the interface looks like it hasn't been redesigned since 2010 — because for accuracy-per-dollar, almost nothing beats it.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $15Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 7/10Support Quality: 5/10Handles Complex Returns: 6/10

added by IJR

Cash App Taxes

When Credit Karma Tax was sold off, Cash App absorbed it and did something almost unheard of: kept it completely free for both federal and state, no upsells, no tiers, no catch. It became the folk hero of tax software for straightforward filers willing to trade some missing forms (multi-state, certain business situations) for a genuinely zero-dollar experience. It's ranked highly for value but capped by real gaps in supported tax situations.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $0Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 6/10Support Quality: 4/10Handles Complex Returns: 5/10

added by IJR

IRS Free File

IRS Free File is the government's decades-old public-private partnership that quietly offers true no-cost filing through partner software to anyone under an income threshold (around $79,000), yet remains one of the most underused resources in American finance. Its signature moment was less a triumph than an embarrassment — years of low awareness and confusing landing pages meant most eligible filers never found it. It ranks respectably for what it enables but loses points for a clunky, portal-hopping user experience.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $0Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 5/10Support Quality: 3/10Handles Complex Returns: 4/10

added by IJR

IRS Direct File

IRS Direct File was the government's most audacious swing yet — a pilot letting select-state filers submit simple returns straight to the IRS for free, no software company middleman at all. Its 2024 launch was a genuine watershed moment, proving the IRS could build a usable product and terrifying an entire industry that had lobbied against it for years. It ranks well on principle and simplicity but is still hamstrung by limited state availability and narrow eligibility for complex returns.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $0Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 6/10Support Quality: 4/10Handles Complex Returns: 3/10

added by IJRIRS Direct File

Jackson Hewitt

Jackson Hewitt made its name planted inside Walmart stores, catching last-minute filers doing their shopping and turning tax season into a drive-by errand. Its flat-fee online product — one price covers everything regardless of complexity — is a refreshingly honest pitch in an industry built on surprise upsells. It sits in the middle of the pack because the software itself feels dated next to competitors, even if the pricing philosophy deserves applause.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $25Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 6/10Support Quality: 6/10Handles Complex Returns: 6/10

added by IJR

Liberty Tax

Liberty Tax is the company behind the roadside Statue of Liberty costume-wavers, and its software carries the same slightly scrappy, franchise-driven energy — competent but never cutting-edge. It offers real in-person backup and reasonable pricing for simple-to-moderate returns, filling a niche for filers who want a local office fallback without H&R Block's bigger footprint. It ranks lower here mainly because the online experience has lagged the rest of the field for years.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $45Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 6/10Support Quality: 6/10Handles Complex Returns: 6/10

added by IJR

TurboTax Live

TurboTax Live's signature innovation was putting a real CPA or EA on video chat inside the same product, letting anxious filers get a human sanity check without leaving their couch — or in the Full Service tier, handing the whole return off entirely. It's the plushest, most expensive way to file taxes in America, often running $200-$400+, and it delivers real peace of mind for complex situations. It ranks high on capability and support but takes a hit for being the priciest option on this entire list.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $169Free Filing Option: —Ease of Use: 9/10Support Quality: 10/10Handles Complex Returns: 10/10

added by IJR

H&R Block Online Assist

H&R Block's answer to TurboTax Live bolts on-demand access to tax pros onto its existing online software, letting filers screen-share their way through a confusing 1099 or new-parent tax credit. It's a smart mid-tier compromise — cheaper than TurboTax Live while still offering real expert backup — and it leans on Block's decades of in-person credibility. It ranks solidly in the upper-middle for blending human support with digital convenience at a fairer price.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $95Free Filing Option: —Ease of Use: 8/10Support Quality: 9/10Handles Complex Returns: 9/10

added by IJR

TaxHawk

TaxHawk is the quieter sibling brand behind FreeTaxUSA's engine, offering nearly identical no-nonsense functionality under its own name for filers who stumble onto it separately. Its claim to fame is simply existing as proof that the same low-cost, high-capability backend can be white-labeled without losing accuracy. It ranks respectably for value but sits below its better-known twin mainly on brand recognition and support polish.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $15Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 6/10Support Quality: 5/10Handles Complex Returns: 6/10

added by IJR

eSmart Tax

eSmart Tax, Liberty Tax's online-only offshoot, tried to capture DIY filers with a simpler, web-native experience separate from the franchise storefronts. It never quite built the brand traction of its bigger competitors and has increasingly faded from the conversation as filers consolidated around a handful of dominant platforms. It ranks near the bottom here for offering competent basics without any real signature strength to lean on.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $30Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 6/10Support Quality: 5/10Handles Complex Returns: 5/10

added by IJR

Drake Tax

Drake Tax isn't built for the average filer at all — it's a professional-grade engine that tax preparers use to crank through hundreds of client returns during crunch season, prized for its speed and keyboard-shortcut-driven efficiency. Its signature strength is raw throughput: seasoned preparers swear by how fast they can move once they've memorized its interface. It ranks here mainly as a nod to its dominance in the pro-prep world, even though it's inaccessible and irrelevant to everyday consumers.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $330Free Filing Option: —Ease of Use: 5/10Support Quality: 7/10Handles Complex Returns: 10/10

added by IJR

ProSeries (Intuit)

ProSeries is Intuit's professional counterpart to TurboTax, the software accountants use behind the scenes to prepare client returns with far more granular control than any consumer product offers. Its integration with the broader Intuit ecosystem (QuickBooks, e-filing infrastructure) made it a staple in small and mid-size prep firms for decades. It ranks alongside Drake as a professional-tier tool whose relevance to this consumer ranking is more historical footnote than everyday recommendation.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $400Free Filing Option: —Ease of Use: 5/10Support Quality: 7/10Handles Complex Returns: 10/10

added by IJR

Credit Karma Tax (legacy)

Credit Karma Tax briefly disrupted the entire industry by offering a genuinely free, genuinely capable filing product back when 'free' from other providers always came with an asterisk — its signature moment was forcing competitors to justify their pricing. Then Intuit bought Credit Karma and, in a delicious irony, was forced to sell off the tax product entirely to Cash App over antitrust concerns. It ranks here as a legacy entry: gone as a brand, but its DNA lives on and its disruption permanently changed the market.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $0Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 6/10Support Quality: 3/10Handles Complex Returns: 4/10

added by IJR

1040.com

1040.com carved out a niche with dead-simple flat-fee pricing, one flat rate covers your whole federal-plus-state return regardless of how many forms you need, a refreshing contrast to the incremental upsell ladders elsewhere. It never became a household name, but for filers who found it, the predictability was the whole appeal. It ranks in the lower-middle tier: solid value proposition, but thinner support and fewer bells and whistles than the category leaders.

Starting Price (Paid Tier): $25Free Filing Option: ✓Ease of Use: 6/10Support Quality: 5/10Handles Complex Returns: 5/10

added by IJR