Tax software, comparedOnline tax filing software compared on what each plan costs for the federal and state return, who qualifies for the free plan, and what a freelancer pays. Every price is dated and read on the vendor's own site.
Independent research. Every number is checked against the provider's own page and dated. Some links may earn us a commission, which never changes a ranking. How we make money
8 tax software products compared; 8 of 8 in the main list were re-read in the last 14 days (newest read Oct 14, 2026). Ranking rule: We weigh what a typical filer pays for the plan that covers them, how plainly the price is shown before you start, how honest the free offer is, and what happens to your refund. It is an editorial order, not a score, and ease of use is not scored. Every price is read on the vendor's own pricing page, dated, and shown with the tax year it applies to. A commission never changes the order. How we rate
Each pick wins a specific rule, written on its label, and is chosen from the numbers on its own page. They are listed in the order of our ranking, and who pays us has no say in it.
Free federal return for every situation, $15.99 per state, with optional paid support. Prices for tax year 2025.
Free federal return, freelance income included; a state return is $15.99.
2 others we list also qualify; this one ranks first in our order.
Free federal and state filing, including freelance and investment income, if you use a Cash App account. Tax year 2025.
Cash App Taxes: $0 federal, state return included.
One flat $25 for the federal return and every state return, even with freelance income. No free plan. Tax year 2025.
$25 flat fee, with every state return included.
Eight online tax products are compared on this page, all at their tax year 2025 prices (the returns filed in 2026), each read on the vendor's own site on October 14, 2026. Vendors post the next season's prices around December or January, and we will update every number then. The short version: seven of the eight have a free federal plan for a simple return, so what you really pay depends on your situation and your state. An employee with one W-2 filing federal plus one state pays $0 at Cash App Taxes, TurboTax and H&R Block if they fit the free plans, $15 at Credit Karma Tax, $15.99 at FreeTaxUSA, $25 at Jackson Hewitt Online and $54.99 at TaxAct. A freelancer filing federal plus one state pays $0 at Cash App Taxes, $15 at Credit Karma Tax, $15.99 at FreeTaxUSA, $25 at Jackson Hewitt Online, $92.98 at TaxSlayer, $174.98 at TaxAct, $179 at H&R Block and $203 at TurboTax. We weigh what a typical filer pays, how plainly the price is shown, how honest the free offer is, and what happens to the refund. We have not scored ease of use.
| Tax software | Federal from | Employee, 1 state | Freelancer, 1 state | Free plan | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $15.99 | $15.99 | Yes | Oct 14, 2026 |
| $0 | $0 | $0 | Yes | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | $15 | $15 | Yes | Oct 14, 2026 |
| $25 | $25 | $25 | No | Oct 14, 2026 | |
 | $0 | $0 | $179 | Yes | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | $0 | $203 | Yes | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | $0 + state | $92.98 | Yes | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | $54.99 | $174.98 | Yes | Oct 14, 2026 |
Each date is when we last checked the provider's own page. Rates and terms can change, so confirm with the provider before you apply.
Federal plus one state return, at the cheapest plan that covers the situation. Prices are for the tax year shown on each product page, read on the vendors' own sites (latest check October 14, 2026). Extras such as expert help or audit protection are not included.
| Product | Employee (W-2), 1 state | Freelancer, 1 state |
|---|---|---|
| $15.99 Federal for every situation: $0 federal + $15.99 state | $15.99 Federal for every situation: $0 federal + $15.99 state |
| $0Lowest Cash App Taxes: $0 federal + $0 state | $0Lowest Cash App Taxes: $0 federal + $0 state |
| $15 Federal for everyone: $0 federal + $15 state | $15 Federal for everyone: $0 federal + $15 state |
$25 Online (one flat fee): $25 federal + $0 state | $25 Online (one flat fee): $25 federal + $0 state | |
| $0Lowest Free Online: $0 federal + $0 state | $179 Self-Employed: $130 federal + $49 state |
| $0Lowest Free Edition: $0 federal + $0 state | $203 Do It Yourself Premium: $139 federal + $64 state |
| $0 + state Simply Free: $0 federal, state price unclear (see the product page) | $92.98 Classic: $44.99 federal + $47.99 state |
| $54.99 Free Federal: $0 federal + $54.99 state | $174.98 Self-Employed (Entrepreneur): $109.99 federal + $64.99 state |
In ranking order. Each one lists the numbers that decide the choice, its main strengths and its main catches.
Free federal return for every situation, $15.99 per state, with optional paid support. Prices for tax year 2025.
FreeTaxUSA is a web-based tax filing service from TaxHawk, Inc. Its pitch is simple: your federal return is free no matter how complicated it gets.
Watch out
Free federal and state filing, including freelance and investment income, if you use a Cash App account. Tax year 2025.
Cash App Taxes is a free tax filing service run by Cash App Taxes, Inc., part of Block, Inc., the company behind Cash App. It used to be Credit Karma Tax and was renamed in October 2021.
Watch out
Free federal filing for every form, $15 per state, powered by TurboTax. Needs a free Credit Karma account. Tax year 2025.
Credit Karma Tax is a tax filing service inside Credit Karma, the free credit-score site owned by Intuit. It is powered by TurboTax technology.
Watch out
One flat $25 for the federal return and every state return, even with freelance income. No free plan. Tax year 2025.
Jackson Hewitt is best known for its tax offices, most of them independently owned franchises. This page covers only its do-it-yourself online product, which is a different thing: one plan, one flat price.
Watch out
Free for simple returns, then $65 to $130 federal plus $49 per state, with unlimited expert help on paid plans. Tax year 2025.
H&R Block's online do-it-yourself filing has four plans: Free Online, Deluxe, Premium and Self-Employed. Free Online is for simple returns, and H&R Block says approximately 52% of filers qualify.
Watch out
Free for simple returns, $79 or $139 federal for the rest, $64 per state, plus paid expert help. Prices for tax year 2025.
Watch out
Free for the simplest returns, $44.99 federal for everything else, $47.99 per state. Prices for tax year 2025.
TaxSlayer is an online tax filing service from TaxSlayer LLC in Augusta, Georgia. It sells a very narrow free plan and then, unusually, one mid-priced plan that handles everything.
Watch out
Four online plans from free to $109.99 federal, with the state return extra on every plan. Prices for tax year 2025.
TaxAct is an online tax filing service with four do-it-yourself plans that step up with how complicated your year was: Free Federal, Deluxe, Premier and Self-Employed.
Watch out
FreeTaxUSA's federal return is free for every situation it supports, so a freelancer with stock sales and a rental pays $0 federal and $15.99 for one state. That is the best mix of low price and broad coverage on this list. The trade-off is hand-holding: live advice from a tax professional is Pro Support at $64.99, and you still file the return yourself.
Federal and one state for $0, including freelance and investment income. The conditions are practical ones: you need a Cash App account, it handles one state for full-year residents in 40 states, and a list of forms is not supported. If your return fits, nothing else here is cheaper.
A free Credit Karma account unlocks a free federal return with all IRS forms and schedules, and a state return is $15. It is built by Intuit, the company behind TurboTax, and it is not the old always-free Credit Karma Tax, which became Cash App Taxes in 2021. Audit defense and expert review are paid extras ($29 and $39).
There is no free plan, but there is also no ladder: $25 covers federal and every state return, including gig income. It is the one to look at if you file in several states: two state returns at FreeTaxUSA would be $31.98, against $25 here for everything. It is thin on extras: no audit protection or expert review is described for the online product, and the fee to pay from your refund is not posted.
Free Online covers unemployment income and small interest and dividends, with a free state return, and H&R Block says approximately 52% of filers qualify. Paid plans are $65, $105 and $130 federal with $49 per state, and unlimited expert help is included. It costs more than the cheaper options for a freelancer ($179 for federal plus one state), and its FTC order in 2025 is a reminder to read the free plan's limits.
TurboTax has the most expert-help options, from Expert Assist advice to an expert who files for you, and a free plan for simple returns. It also has the highest prices here: a freelancer needs Premium at $139 federal plus $64 for a state, $203 in total, and prices are shown with an asterisk and set when you file. Its "free" advertising has been challenged by the states and the FTC, so read the free plan's rules first.
Simply Free is only for the simplest returns: no dependents, under 65, standard deduction. Beyond that, Classic at $44.99 federal handles every form with no extra tiers needed, which is unusual. With a $47.99 state return, federal plus one state is $92.98. Premium's extra $20 buys support, not forms.
TaxAct's free plan covers only a bare Form 1040, and its state return is $54.99 even on that plan. A freelancer pays $109.99 federal plus $64.99 per state, $174.98 in total. Some of TaxAct's own pricing pages show old spring wording and conflicting Xpert Assist prices, so confirm the price at checkout.
Start with your own return, not a brand. A handful of questions decide almost all of the price, and none of them needs a tax degree.
A simple return is one job on a W-2, the standard deduction and a few common credits. If that is you, the free plans at TurboTax, H&R Block and Cash App Taxes cover federal and one state at $0. TurboTax says roughly 37% of taxpayers qualify for its free plan and H&R Block says approximately 52% do. Read each plan's own list of what it covers before you start.
Freelance income goes on Schedule C, the IRS form for self-employment. FreeTaxUSA, Cash App Taxes and Credit Karma Tax charge nothing for the federal return even then. Jackson Hewitt Online is a flat $25, TaxSlayer Classic is $44.99, TaxAct's Self-Employed plan is $109.99, H&R Block's is $130 and TurboTax Premium is $139.
The state return is where free often ends. It is $15 at Credit Karma Tax, $15.99 at FreeTaxUSA, $47.99 at TaxSlayer, $49 at H&R Block on paid plans, $54.99 to $64.99 at TaxAct and $64 at TurboTax on its do-it-yourself plans. Jackson Hewitt Online includes every state in its $25. Cash App Taxes is free for one state, for people who lived there all year.
H&R Block includes unlimited expert help in its paid plans. TurboTax sells expert help as separate Expert Assist plans from $59 and an Expert Full Service where an expert files for you. TaxAct's Xpert Assist add-on is $45. FreeTaxUSA's Pro Support is $64.99. Jackson Hewitt Online and Cash App Taxes sell none, so a free plan with no help can cost you time instead of money.
Paying the software out of your refund is where fees appear: TurboTax says a $40 service fee may apply, H&R Block charges $42, TaxSlayer $41.99 and FreeTaxUSA $24.99. Paying by card avoids those fees. Refund advance loans, where offered, are loans and not part of the refund.
These products let you start for free and ask you to upgrade when you enter something the free plan does not cover. TaxSlayer, for example, moves you to Classic at $44.99 when your return goes beyond Simply Free. Check the plan's rules first, and re-check the price when the new season opens, because every number here is tax year 2025.
We weigh what a typical filer pays for the plan that covers them, how plainly the price is shown before you start, how honest the free offer is, and what happens to your refund. It is an editorial order, not a score, and ease of use is not scored. Every price is read on the vendor's own pricing page, dated, and shown with the tax year it applies to. A commission never changes the order.
Providers cannot pay to change this order. If a paid placement ever appears in a list, it is labeled Sponsored and never carries a “best for” label.
Federal plus one state for an employee and for a freelancer, at the cheapest plan that covers the situation, using the vendor's posted prices.
Whether the price is a number or a "starting at", whether the state return is spelled out, and what is set only at checkout.
What the free plan covers, who is moved to a paid plan, and whether the state return is free too.
The fee to pay from your refund, what audit help and expert help cost, and any regulator action we can confirm on an official page.
Tax year 2025 prices, read on each vendor's own site
It depends on your return. 7 of the 8 products here have a free federal plan for a simple return (FreeTaxUSA, Cash App Taxes, Credit Karma Tax, H&R Block, TurboTax, TaxSlayer and TaxAct), but each one defines "simple" differently, and the state return is usually separate. A freelancer, who needs a plan that handles Schedule C, pays from $0 to $203 for federal plus one state. These prices are for tax year 2025, the returns filed in 2026.
At the cheapest plan that covers a simple W-2 return, the lowest total here is $0 at Cash App Taxes, and the highest is $54.99 at TaxAct (tax year 2025, the returns filed in 2026).
Self-employment income needs a plan that handles Schedule C (the form for freelance and business income). The lowest total here is $0 at Cash App Taxes, and the highest is $203 at TurboTax (tax year 2025, the returns filed in 2026).
Not yet. They are the prices posted for tax year 2025, the returns filed in 2026. Vendors usually post new-season prices around December or January, and we re-check every product when they do. Until then, treat these as a guide to how the plans compare, not a quote.
No. Financeradar is an independent research site, not a tax professional. For a complicated situation, check the IRS instructions or ask a qualified preparer.
Best Tax Software was last updated in October 2026 and uses rates and fees we verified against each provider's own page. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
