TurboTax Alternatives 2026: Pricing and Features Compared

TurboTax Alternatives at a Glance

The table lists each price as the product's own site states it, using the lower figure where a site shows two. H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA and TaxSlayer are not in the table because their websites returned no plan pricing on November 13, 2026. Prices are for tax year 2025 returns and can change during filing season.

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TaxAct

TaxAct is a tiered online filer that publishes four federal prices: Free at $0, Deluxe at $59.99, Premier at $99.99 and Self-Employed at $109.99. Each tier is marked state additional, and the pages checked show no state price, so a state return adds a cost this page cannot state.

The Free tier covers W-2 and unemployment income, current students and the Child Tax Credit. Deluxe adds home ownership, child and dependent care and Health Savings Account (HSA) reporting. Premier adds stock or crypto sales, a home sale and rental income. Self-Employed adds contract, freelance and rideshare income plus owner or sole proprietor filing. Each tier includes everything in the one below it, so the price follows the forms a return needs.

TaxAct lists Xpert Full Service, where a tax professional files the return, from $99 with state additional. Its pages show two prices for the Xpert Assist add-on, $45 and $60, so no Assist price is stated here.

Against TurboTax, TaxAct shows one federal number per tier, where TurboTax shows a range of $0 to $139 for its DIY products and asks questions about the return before it shows a price. TaxAct falls short on military pricing, because its pages show no military offer while TurboTax lists free filing for enlisted members. A worked example: a rideshare driver sees $109.99 for Self-Employed federal plus an unpublished state fee, against $34.99 for federal and state at 1040.com.

Cash App Taxes

Cash App Taxes states that it is 100% free for state and federal returns and that it costs $0 to file even with stock or bitcoin sales. Filing requires a Cash App account, the Cash App download to log in and phone number verification. Returns can be filed from a phone or a computer.

The site says it files simple and complex returns including W-2s, 1099s and investments, and that free filing covers self-employment, side gig, contract work and small business income. It lists phone support daily from 8AM to 9:30PM Eastern Time and in-app chat around the clock, so questions get an answer outside business hours.

Cash App Taxes falls short of TurboTax on professional help. The page checked lists chat and phone support but no option where a tax professional prepares the return, which TurboTax offers as Expert Full Service from $129. Refund timing is not guaranteed, and the up-to-five-day early refund requires depositing the refund into Cash App. Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit refunds are held until mid-February.

A worked example: a household with one state return, stock sales and a side gig pays $0 by Cash App Taxes' published terms. The same household at TurboTax pays a price set by the tier its answers select, with state additional on paid products.

Jackson Hewitt

Jackson Hewitt Online lists a $25 flat fee for federal and state returns, with the same price for simple and more complex returns. Creating an account is free, and the $25 is charged when the return is filed. The page names W-2 wages, unemployment, 1099 gig income, dependents with Child Tax Credits, 1098-T education credits and multi-state filing as covered for that one fee.

Live chat support is described as free. Jackson Hewitt lists a maximum refund guarantee that reimburses preparation fees for federal returns if a bigger refund turns up elsewhere. It also lists a 100% Accuracy Guarantee under which it pays IRS interest and penalties that its own mistake causes. For in-person help, it points to local offices and Walmart stores.

Jackson Hewitt falls short of TurboTax on free filing. No free tier appears on the pages checked, so a simple return that TurboTax Free Edition covers at $0 costs $25 at Jackson Hewitt. The pages checked also show no military offer.

A worked example: a W-2 filer with two state returns pays $25 at Jackson Hewitt by its flat-fee wording. A freelancer who adds 1099 income still pays $25 there, against $109.99 for TaxAct Self-Employed federal before any state fee.

Liberty Tax Service

Liberty Tax Service publishes three online DIY tiers. Its pricing chart shows two figures for each, $57.95 and $47.95 for Basic, $77.95 and $67.95 for Deluxe, and $97.95 and $87.95 for Premium. The examples below use the lower figures. State returns are listed at $36.95, and the chart notes that the final price may differ with the filer's tax situation.

Basic covers a simple situation such as single or married with no dependents, with Form 1040 and Schedules A and B. Deluxe adds kids, investments, child care, college and home ownership, with Schedule C. Premium targets freelancers, contractors and other less common income, with Schedules A, B, C, E, F and K-1.

Liberty Tax Service also lists Remote Tax Filing, where a filer photographs tax documents and an expert completes the return remotely, but it states no price for that service. It lists 2,300+ locations and a free import of a return filed with a competitor, so the first-year data entry shrinks.

Liberty Tax Service falls short of TurboTax on free filing and on bundled state returns, because it lists no $0 tier and charges the state fee separately. A worked example: Deluxe plus one state costs $67.95 plus $36.95, or $104.90. Premium plus one state costs $87.95 plus $36.95, or $124.90. Basic plus one state costs $84.90, against $25 at Jackson Hewitt and $34.99 at 1040.com.

1040.com

1040.com lists one price, $34.99, for federal and state returns. The site says every form is included at that price, with Schedule C filing at no extra cost, and that filers who moved during the year can file multiple states for the same flat rate. Filers pay when they file, and an extension can be filed by April 15 for an October 15 deadline.

The site describes itself as an IRS-authorized e-file provider run by Taxwell. Its pages list a knowledge base and contact support, and its FAQ says most filers finish in under an hour. That speed matters to filers who want a return filed in one sitting.

1040.com falls short of TurboTax on assisted options. The pages checked list no option for a tax professional to prepare the return, no free tier and no military offer. TurboTax lists all three kinds of help, a Free Edition and a military discount.

A worked example: a freelancer who moved from one state to another during the year files Schedule C and two state returns for $34.99 at 1040.com. At Liberty Tax Service, Premium plus two state returns costs $87.95 plus $73.90, or $161.85, if each state return carries the listed $36.95.

How to Choose a TurboTax Alternative

The right TurboTax alternative depends on four facts about the return, and the published prices make each one measurable.

1. Income and forms. A W-2 return with no extra schedules fits the free tiers at Cash App Taxes, TaxAct and TurboTax. Stock sales, rental income or Schedule C (the IRS form for self-employment profit or loss) push TaxAct to $99.99 or $109.99, Liberty Tax Service to Deluxe or Premium, and TurboTax to a paid DIY tier.
2. State count. Jackson Hewitt and 1040.com include state returns in their flat fees. TaxAct and Liberty Tax Service charge for state separately, and TurboTax adds state on paid products.
3. Who prepares the return. TurboTax Expert Full Service starts at $129 and TaxAct Xpert Full Service starts at $99, both with state additional. Liberty Tax Service lists remote filing without a price, and Jackson Hewitt lists local offices.
4. Military status. TurboTax offers free federal and state filing to enlisted active duty and reserve members with a DFAS W-2. Retirees with 1099-R income are a different case, covered in the guide to military retirement taxes.

A worked comparison: one W-2 return with one state costs $0 at Cash App Taxes, $0 at TurboTax Free Edition if the return qualifies, $25 at Jackson Hewitt, $34.99 at 1040.com and $84.90 at Liberty Tax Service Basic with its state return. TaxAct Free adds a state fee that its pages do not state. Refund speed is a fifth factor. TurboTax lists Refund Advance loans up to $4,000 with $0 loan fees for eligible filers, and Cash App Taxes lists refunds up to five days early when deposited to Cash App.

Who This Is Not For

These alternatives fit individual Form 1040 filers, and several kinds of filer fit better elsewhere.

• Enlisted active duty and reserve members with a DFAS W-2 get $0 federal and state filing from TurboTax, so a paid alternative only adds cost for them. National Guard members are excluded from that TurboTax offer.
• Sole proprietors and single-member limited liability company (LLC) owners who want bookkeeping and advisory fit TurboTax Expert 365 Business, listed at $61 per month plus QuickBooks Simple Start at $38 per month. None of the five alternatives here lists a comparable service.
• Filers who want free help from a person fit programs outside commercial software. MilTax, the free filing service on Military OneSource for service members and their families, offers tax experts who answer questions at no cost. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is an IRS program offering free basic return preparation, and its sites generally serve taxpayers who meet Earned Income Tax Credit income guidelines. Combat zone pay has its own rules, covered in the combat zone tax exclusion guide.

What Would Change Our Answer

Five changes to published terms would reorder this comparison.

• TaxAct publishing a state price would let its tiers be totaled the way Jackson Hewitt, Liberty Tax Service and 1040.com already are.
• Cash App Taxes adding an income cap or a fee would remove its $0 position.
• TurboTax widening its military offer to National Guard members or to its Experts products would extend its advantage to more service members.
• Jackson Hewitt changing its $25 flat fee or 1040.com changing its $34.99 flat fee would move both off the lowest paid positions.
• Prices for H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA and TaxSlayer becoming available would add three more rows. Their vendors can use the contact links on this page to be added.

TurboTax states that its prices are subject to change without notice, so every figure here carries the November 13, 2026 date.

When TurboTax Is Still the Better Fit

TurboTax fits filers who qualify for its free tiers or want one product that scales to expert help. Its Free Edition lists $0 federal, $0 state and $0 to file for simple Form 1040 returns, and its page says roughly 37% of taxpayers qualify.

Enlisted active duty and reserve members with a DFAS W-2 get free federal and state filing, which no alternative above beats and only Cash App Taxes matches. The offer excludes National Guard members and TurboTax Experts products.

TurboTax also lists on-demand expert help from $59 to $209 and Expert Full Service from $129 that includes a W-2 and a Form 1040. A filer who starts in the DIY tier can add help in the same product. TurboTax lists Refund Advance loans up to $4,000 with $0 loan fees and 0% APR (annual percentage rate) for eligible filers, and a guarantee that refunds the federal or state purchase price under the terms on its page.

Verdict

Cash App Taxes lists the lowest price at $0 for federal and state returns. Jackson Hewitt at $25 and 1040.com at $34.99 include state returns in a flat fee. TaxAct and Liberty Tax Service publish tiered prices with state returns billed apart.

TurboTax lists the widest range, from a Free Edition to Full Service, plus free filing for enlisted military. Count the forms and states on the return, then compare the matching table rows.