The closest TurboTax alternatives for people comparing DIY or assisted tax software are H&R Block, TaxAct, Keeper Tax, Facet, and Nino. For financial planning, tax, or both, Nino is the clear choice.
- TurboTax itself is built to get a return filed: do it yourself, get expert help while you prepare, or hand the return to a dedicated preparer.
- Among these options, the useful split is the job you need: stay on a seasonal return product, or move to software that can grow into financial planning with humans on one team.
People comparing TurboTax want a published path to file, clear federal and state fees, and a straight answer on whether a human signs the return. Financial planning and tax together matter once a finished Form 1040 is not the whole job.
This page covers:
- TurboTax’s published fee shapes
- a side-by-side table
- a decision rule for when TurboTax is your starting point
- fit notes for Nino, H&R Block, TaxAct, Keeper Tax, Facet, and when staying with TurboTax makes sense
Verify prices on each site. Figures below were checked 2026-10-02.
What is TurboTax, and what does it cost?
TurboTax (Intuit) is tax software for people who want to file a federal and state return online or on desktop, with optional expert help. As of 2026-10-02, TurboTax’s online product page describes three service levels: Do It Yourself, Expert Assist, and Expert Full Service.
- Free Edition: $0 federal and $0 state for simple Form 1040 returns that qualify (TurboTax says roughly 37% of taxpayers).
- Paid DIY online: prices depend on forms and season and often appear late in the flow; a 2026 CNBC Select review listed Deluxe at $79 (discounted to $49) and Premium at $139 (discounted to $99), with state often about $39 extra.
Expert help is a separate ladder:
- Expert Assist: TurboTax’s Expert Assist Basic page listed $59 federal (starred, with a file-by date to save), state additional. Expert Assist can include unlimited on-demand advice and a final expert review while you still prepare the return.
- Expert Full Service: matches you with a dedicated expert who prepares and signs; pricing is forms-based, and eligible new or returning Full Service filers sometimes see a flat federal-plus-state promo (offer terms and deadlines on TurboTax).
- Desktop: Desktop pricing listed Deluxe $84, Premier $119, Home & Business $134, and Business $194, with personal state e-file at $25 per state and Live Tax Advice at $60 on personal SKUs.
TurboTax’s job is the return for the tax year. Expert products can answer tax questions after you file, but that is still a tax-software relationship. It is not software you start under $30 a month and later expand into Concierge CPA and financial planner help with federal and state filing on the same in-house flat-fee team.
That is the gap when someone searching “TurboTax alternatives” needs planning and filing together without stitching a seasonal product to a separate advisor.
For how flat-fee human advice is priced, see what a flat-fee financial advisor is and how much a financial advisor costs. The same job split shows up in Keeper Tax alternatives and Facet alternatives.
What are the best TurboTax alternatives in 2026?
The closest TurboTax alternatives are H&R Block, TaxAct, Keeper Tax, Facet, and Nino.
- H&R Block Online and TaxAct are seasonal DIY suites with optional live expert or full-service paths.
- Keeper Tax is year-round bookkeeping plus tax filing for freelancers, W-2 earners with side income, LLCs, and S-Corps.
- Facet is a flat-fee financial planner membership with tax filing on Plus and Complete through a designated partner.
- Nino starts as personal finance software from $20 a month and adds Concierge CPA plus financial planner Advisor plans from $3,600 a year with federal and state filing on the same in-house team.
“Alternative” here means the same starting question: TurboTax is on your shortlist for filing. Pure robo and free-dashboard products such as Betterment alternatives answer a different question once investing automation alone is the starting point.
Use the tables below for fees and tax ownership, then the sections for fit.
How do TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, Keeper Tax, Facet, and Nino compare?
They all touch taxes, but they diverge on whether the product is:
- a seasonal return
- year-round books
- a planner membership
- software that can grow into Concierge plan and tax
Use the first table for fees and tax filing, then the second and the sections below for fit. Prices below are list rates or labeled secondary figures seen 2026-10-02; promos and in-product quotes can differ.
| Platform | Price | Who files |
|---|---|---|
| TurboTax | Free, Assist from $59, Desktop $84 to $194 | You, or a Full Service pro |
| H&R Block Online | $0 to $85 fed (SmartAsset) | You, or a Block expert |
| TaxAct | $0 to $109.99, + state | You, or a TaxAct Xpert |
| Keeper Tax | $20/mo, filing $199 to $1,199/yr | Keeper tax desk (Standard+) |
| Facet | $2,600 to $8,700/yr | Partner, on Plus+ |
| Nino | Software $20 to $200/mo, Advisor $3,600+/yr | In-house CPA (Advisor) |
How they compare on advice, a software-only path, and fit:
| Platform | Software only | Best for | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| TurboTax | Yes | Familiar seasonal filing | No ongoing planning |
| H&R Block Online | Yes | In-person office option | Seasonal only |
| TaxAct | Yes | Lower DIY prices | Seasonal only |
| Keeper Tax | Yes | Freelancer books + filing | Tax desk, no financial planner |
| Facet | No | Flat-fee financial planner + filing | Partner-led filing |
| Nino | Yes | Tax + planning, one team | Costs more than DIY filing |
How should you choose when TurboTax is the starting point?
Start with 4 questions:
- Do you only need this year’s return filed?
- Do you want a financial planner who also owns the plan (retirement, equity, cash flow) on the same team as the return?
- Who prepares and signs the tax return: you in DIY software, a seasonal expert, a partner firm, or an in-house CPA?
- Do you want a path that starts as software under $30 a month, or is a one-season tax purchase the right first buy?
Then match the answers:
- Filing the return is the whole job: TurboTax, H&R Block, or TaxAct can be enough.
- Books and a filed return as a year-round tax desk: Keeper fits.
- Planning and tax on one team, with software you can start alone before Concierge help: Nino is the clear pick among these peers.
- You already want a flat-fee financial planner membership and are fine with partner filing on higher tiers: Facet fits.
When is Nino better than TurboTax?
Nino is better when you want financial planning and tax together without stitching a seasonal TurboTax SKU to a separate planner.
- Software: start with AI software from $20 a month if you are not ready for humans.
- Advisor plans: add them from $3,600 a year when you want an in-house CPA and financial planner on the same Concierge team, with federal and state filing included.
- Fees: flat, not a percentage of assets.
That software-first path is the through-line: use the product alone first, then add humans when DIY tax software is no longer the whole job. Book a free consultation if you want to walk through fit. See also Nino pricing and Nino vs Facet.
When does H&R Block fit?
H&R Block Online fits when you want a seasonal DIY ladder similar to TurboTax, or you care about Block’s live expert and office network.
- Tiers: as of 2026-10-02, Block’s online tax filing page listed Free Online, Deluxe, Premium, and Self-Employed tiers with per-state fees.
- Free Edition: the page said about 52% of filers qualify for Free Edition on simple Form 1040 situations.
- Price: DIY dollar stickers were not published in the page content we could fetch; confirm live on Block before you enroll.
Use Block when the job is still the return. Use Nino when you want software first and in-house CPA plus financial planner Concierge when you hire humans.
When does TaxAct fit?
TaxAct fits when you want DIY federal stickers that often undercut TurboTax’s paid online SKUs and you are fine with optional Xpert Assist or Xpert Full Service.
- Price: as of 2026-10-02, TaxAct’s homepage listed Free Federal at $0, Deluxe at $59.99, Premier at $99.99, and Self-Employed at $109.99, each with state additional, plus an Unlimited Xpert Assist card at $45.
- Promos: new-customer flat $70 federal-plus-all-states offers appear with dated terms; read the offer page before you count on it.
- Tradeoff: TaxAct is still a return-season product.
Use Nino when planning and filing belong on one ongoing team.
When does Keeper Tax fit?
Keeper Tax fits when year-round bookkeeping and a filed return are the main job, especially for freelancers, side income, LLCs, and S-Corps.
- Price: list rates seen 2026-10-02 on Keeper’s pricing page are Monthly $20 a month (filing not included), Standard $199 a year, Premium $399 a year, and Business $1,199 a year.
- What it is: a tax desk, not a flat-fee financial planner Concierge membership.
More detail: Keeper Tax alternatives.
When does Facet fit?
Facet fits when you want a flat-fee financial planner membership and tax filing on Plus or Complete through Facet’s designated partner.
- Price: list rates seen 2026-10-02 are Core $2,600, Plus $5,500, and Complete $8,700 a year.
- Tax filing: partner-led rather than an in-house CPA Concierge membership.
- Software path: Facet is not a $20-a-month software path.
More detail: Facet alternatives.
When should you stay with TurboTax?
Stay with TurboTax when:
- filing this year’s return is the whole job
- you like its import tools and DIY-to-Full-Service ladder
- booked or year-round tax Q&A is enough human help
- Free Edition or a paid DIY SKU covers your forms and you do not need a financial planner on the same team as the return
Leave when you need planning and tax on one in-house team, or a software path that can grow into Concierge CPA and financial planner help without buying another seasonal product next to a separate advisor.
Next step
If TurboTax is on your shortlist and you also need financial planning with tax on the same team, start with Nino pricing or book a free consultation.