Best Tax Software · head-to-head
TaxAct vs TurboTax
A sourced, side-by-side comparison for tax software. TaxAct has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the public page it was captured from — the vendor's own wherever the vendor publishes the number, otherwise the named public source — with the date we captured it.
TaxAct has the lower entry price — TaxAct starts at $0 per return, TurboTax at $0 per return. Free tier: TaxAct Yes, TurboTax Yes. HIPAA: TaxAct —, TurboTax —.
As of 2026-11-01 · figures link to their source below
Side by side
TaxAct
$0 per return entryTurboTax
$0 per return entrySources — TaxAct: taxact.com (verified 2026-11-01) · TurboTax: turbotax.intuit.com (verified 2026-11-01)
Key features
TaxAct: SmartFile AI in-product filing assistant; Step-by-step guided filing for all complexity levels; $100,000 accuracy guarantee; Maximum refund guarantee; IRS extension filing support; Prior year tax filing support; Unlimited Access: unlimited sessions with credentialed tax experts for $45; Xpert Full Service: complete return preparation by US-based professionals; MFA via mobile phone or Google Authenticator; TRUSTe Certified Privacy and Trustwave Trusted Commerce seals
TurboTax: Intuit Assist AI for real-time Q&A and guidance; CompleteCheck accuracy scan before filing; Photo/document snap for auto-fill of W-2s and 1099s; Pay-when-you-file model (no upfront payment required); 100% accuracy guarantee with IRS penalty coverage; Audit Support Guarantee: one-on-one Q&A guidance for the current tax year and the prior two tax years; Returns and guarantees retained for 7 years from the filing date; Maximum refund guarantee; On-demand live expert access (Live Assisted tiers); Full expert-prepared filing (Full Service tier); Read-only expert access with masked SSN for privacy