Comparison
Professional tax software pricing compared (2026)
Lacerte, ProSeries, Drake Tax and CCH Axcess: what each publishes and how each packages its price.
What each vendor publishes
| Vendor | Package | List price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lacerte | Pay-per-return (Fast Path) | $813 a year | Annual licence for a single user; each return is charged per return on top |
| Lacerte | Create a custom plan | Custom quote | Bundles of individual or business returns, or unlimited returns; priced by consultation |
| ProSeries | Pay-per-return | from $539 a year | Annual licence; per-return fees extra; “from” price |
| ProSeries | ProSeries Basic | from $729 a year | Twenty 1040 returns; “from” price |
| ProSeries | ProSeries Professional | List price not confirmed | Unlimited 1040s; includes individual and business returns; “starting at” price, list price not stated |
| Drake Tax | Drake Tax Pro | $2,375, $2,695 or $3,145 a year | Several price points by return count and single- or multi-user licence; current prices, with a higher retail price struck through that applies from Dec. 1 |
| Drake Tax | Drake Tax 1040 | $1,895, $2,075 or $2,325 a year | Several price points by return count and single- or multi-user licence; current prices, with a higher retail price struck through that applies from Dec. 1 |
| Drake Tax | Pay-Per-Return | $379.99 a year | 10 individual returns included; extra individual returns $49.99 each and business returns $74.99 each |
| Drake Tax | Drake Tax Online | $299.99 a year | First user included; $99 for each additional user; individual returns $49.99 each and business returns $74.99 each |
| CCH Axcess | Tax Essentials Basic | $2,814 to $5,264 a year | A range of package sizes; StackWatch records only the low and high ends, and the price for each size is unconfirmed |
| CCH Axcess | Tax Essentials Core, Accelerate and Advantage | Custom quote | Request a quote |
These are not like-for-like. A pay-per-return licence charges a fee on every return in addition to the annual price; a bundle includes a set number of returns; an unlimited package covers all returns of a type. “From” prices are starting prices. Prices exclude tax, promotions, hosting and per-return fees. Drake Tax and CCH Axcess show several price points for some products, and StackWatch has not confirmed which price belongs to which edition, so they are shown without edition labels.
How each vendor structures its price
- Lacerte. An annual licence. Only one price is public: the pay-per-return licence, with each return charged on top of the annual fee. Bundles and unlimited plans are quote-only (“Create a custom plan”). Hosting is a separate add-on.
- ProSeries. Annual (tax-year) licences. Since October 24, 2026 the page shows three: a pay-per-return licence, ProSeries Basic 1040 (twenty 1040 returns) and ProSeries Professional (unlimited 1040s, with individual and business returns). Until October 23 it also showed 1040 Essentials, ProSeries Essentials and a quote-only ProSeries Advanced, with promotional bundle prices beside struck-through list prices.
- Drake Tax. An annual licence per tax year. The price depends on the product, on how many returns the licence includes (unlimited or a capped number) and on whether it is single-user or multi-user. Pay-per-return products include a set number of returns, and extra returns are bought separately.
- CCH Axcess. An annual licence sold in packages sized by return volume. The page shows one price range for the Basic packages that can be bought online, and three larger packages (Core, Accelerate and Advantage) are quote-only. Per-return add-ons are charged separately.
Price history
Tax-software prices are reported by different publishers (the vendors’ own pages, trade press and review sites), each with its own definition of a package, so this site keeps each publisher’s figures in separate tables and does not subtract one from another. The history pages hold the dated figures:
What to check before you quote a tax-software price
Lacerte
- A struck-through price sits beside a lower price. The pay-per-return price is shown as $813 struck through beside $599, and the page does not say which is the list price. StackWatch’s table shows the struck-through $813; treat $599 as a figure to check, and ask what the licence costs when you buy and at renewal.
- Banner discounts are seasonal. Banners such as free extension returns or a percentage off bundles change seasonally. Treat them as temporary and not as list prices.
- The three-year offer is a contract term, not a price. The page’s disclosures describe a three-year pricing offer that caps renewal increases under an auto-renewing contract. No percentage is stated, so ask for the terms in writing.
- Compare your whole renewal invoice with today’s new-customer price. The prices on Intuit’s page are what a new customer is offered. A Lacerte user in Intuit’s Accountants Community reported a renewal about 20% higher in June 2026; that is a user report, not an Intuit list price. Before you renew, add up the whole invoice (licence, per-return fees and add-ons) and compare it with the current published price for the same option and with other vendors’ prices. Drake, for example, says its current prices run through November 30, 2026.
- Only one price is public. The main offering (bundles and unlimited plans) sits behind a custom-plan card with no figure. Do not assume the pay-per-return price is what a typical firm pays.
ProSeries
- Struck-through prices sit beside lower promotional prices. Until October 23, 2026 the page offered a percentage off bundles for tax year 2026, showing a lower price with a higher price struck through; StackWatch’s table showed the struck-through figure. Headline prices move when a promotion changes, so ask what you will pay, and what you will renew at, when you buy.
- Several prices are “from” prices. The pay-per-return, Basic and Professional prices are written as starting prices. Ask for the price that matches your return volume.
- One bundle price can cover several products. A bundle can include individual and business modules together, so a single number may stand for several products. Check what a bundle includes before comparing it with single-product prices.
- Bank set-up fees are not software prices. Pay-by-Refund bank set-up fees appear on the page. They are bank fees, so leave them out when comparing licences.
- Compare your whole renewal invoice with today’s new-customer price. The prices on Intuit’s page are what a new customer is offered. In 2026 several ProSeries users in Intuit’s Accountants Community reported renewal quotes above the new-customer price shown online, and a higher Fast Path add-on fee on the same invoice; these are user reports, not Intuit list prices. Before you renew, add up the whole invoice (licence, Fast Path or other add-ons, and per-return fees) and compare it with the current published price for the same package and with other vendors’ prices. Drake, for example, says its current prices run through November 30, 2026.
Drake Tax
- Every price sits beside a struck-through higher price. Each product shows a struck-through retail price with an asterisk, and a footnote reading “Retail price effective Dec. 1”, beside a lower current price. Quote the lower number as today’s price, and ask Drake what you will pay if you buy after Dec. 1. Other vendors’ struck-through prices mean something different (a list price beside a promotion).
- The page is a configurator. The same product appears at several price points by return count and by single-user or multi-user licence, so one product name can show different prices. Pick the combination that matches your firm and do not compare the lowest figure for one product with the highest for another.
- Pay-per-return covers 10 returns, not unlimited use. Additional returns are bought separately, so work out the cost per return before comparing it with an unlimited licence.
- Prices are labelled for a tax year. The whole page rolls over each year, so check the tax-year label before quoting a price.
CCH Axcess
- The Basic packages appear as one price range. The number you see depends on package size: $2,814 and $5,264 are the endpoints for the smallest and largest Basic packages. Pick the package that matches your return volume.
- Three larger packages show no price. Core, Accelerate and Advantage are quote-only, so the Basic range is not the full price list.
- Per-return charges come on top. The page lists per-return add-ons and overage fees that are charged in addition to the package price, so budget for them separately.
- Essentials is not the full suite. The page covers the small-firm Tax Essentials packages for new customers. Do not read these prices as the cost of the full CCH Axcess Tax suite.
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Get free price alertsCommon questions
How much does professional tax software cost?
It depends on the vendor, the package and the number of returns. As read on October 31, 2026: Lacerte: Pay-per-return (Fast Path) $813 a year; Create a custom plan is quote only; ProSeries: Pay-per-return from $539 a year; ProSeries Basic from $729 a year; ProSeries Professional list price not confirmed; Drake Tax: Drake Tax Pro $2,375, $2,695 or $3,145 a year (several price points by return count and single- or multi-user licence; current prices, each shown beside a higher struck-through retail price that Drake says applies from Dec. 1); Drake Tax 1040 $1,895, $2,075 or $2,325 a year (several price points by return count and single- or multi-user licence; current prices, each shown beside a higher struck-through retail price that Drake says applies from Dec. 1); Pay-Per-Return $379.99 a year; Drake Tax Online $299.99 a year; CCH Axcess: Tax Essentials Basic $2,814 to $5,264 a year (low and high ends of the range shown; package sizes unconfirmed); Tax Essentials Core, Accelerate and Advantage are quote only.
What is the difference between pay-per-return and unlimited tax software?
A pay-per-return licence has an annual fee plus a fee for every return filed. Bundles include a set number of returns, and unlimited packages cover all returns of a type for a flat annual price. Which is cheaper depends on how many returns you file.
Which tax software publishes its prices?
Lacerte publishes only its pay-per-return licence price, and CCH Axcess publishes a range for its Basic packages and quotes the rest. ProSeries and Drake Tax also publish prices for bundled or unlimited packages, though Drake shows several price points per product and ProSeries quotes its Advanced package.