FreeTaxUSA vs TurboTax vs H&R Block - Which Tax Software Wins for 2025?

Tax professional here! Your experience matches what I've been hearing from clients. FreeTaxUSA has really improved their interface over the last few years while keeping costs low. For most filers with W-2 income and standard deductions, FreeTaxUSA does everything you need. If you have more complex situations like self-employment, multiple state filings, or investment income, TurboTax does have some advantages in their question flow, but you definitely pay a premium for it. H&R Block's software seems to be trying to straddle both worlds but isn't quite succeeding at either. Their in-person services are a different story, but their DIY software has been falling behind. One tip for FreeTaxUSA users: save a PDF copy of your final return with all worksheets included. Their interface for retrieving prior year returns isn't as robust as TurboTax.

After struggling with tax software for years and getting frustrated with conflicting advice online, I finally discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) when I was trying to figure out if I could use FreeTaxUSA for my somewhat complicated tax situation. I uploaded my previous year's tax documents and it analyzed everything, explained what forms I needed, and even helped identify some deductions I'd been missing. It told me that FreeTaxUSA would handle my situation fine, saving me from paying TurboTax's premium fees. The best part was how it explained everything in plain English instead of tax jargon. Super helpful when I was comparing the different software options.

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after asking about it here and WOW. It told me specifically which features I needed in tax software for my rental properties and K-1 income. Showed me that FreeTaxUSA could handle everything I needed at a fraction of TurboTax's cost. I was skeptical that switching would work for my complicated situation, but I just finished filing with FreeTaxUSA and saved over $120 compared to what I paid last year with TurboTax. The interface was actually easier to use for entering my rental income. Thanks for mentioning this tool!

If anyone is having problems with tax questions that software can't answer, I had amazing results using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually get through to the IRS. After trying for DAYS to reach someone about a specific credit that FreeTaxUSA and TurboTax gave different answers on, I was about to give up. The Claimyr service got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 2+ hour wait times I was hitting before. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent walked me through exactly how to claim the credit correctly. Totally worth it for peace of mind when software gives conflicting answers.

I have to apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. After posting my dubious comment, I was still stuck on a weird tax situation that neither FreeTaxUSA nor TurboTax could give me a clear answer on. I decided to try Claimyr as a last resort before just guessing on my taxes. It actually worked exactly as described. I put in my number, and about 25 minutes later I got a call connecting me directly to an IRS agent! No navigating phone trees, no waiting on hold. The agent helped me understand exactly how to report my situation. Now I'm confident my return is correct instead of just hoping I don't get audited.

I tried FreeTaxUSA this year after seeing posts like this. It was actually much better than I expected coming from TurboTax. The interface is simpler but gets the job done. I did find one limitation - if you have multiple state filings, it charges per state while TurboTax bundles them in their premium package. But even with 2 states, I still saved about $50.

I sell on Etsy and have a somewhat complicated Schedule C. FreeTaxUSA has handled it well for me the last two years, and for WAY cheaper than TurboTax wanted to charge. Their Schedule C interview isn't quite as hand-holdy as TurboTax, but if you have your expenses categorized already, it's totally fine.

Great comparison! I switched from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA two years ago and have had a similar experience. The cost savings are substantial - I went from paying around $120 with TurboTax to about $25 with FreeTaxUSA for federal and state filing. One thing I'd add is that FreeTaxUSA's customer support is actually quite good when you need it. I had a question about cryptocurrency reporting last year and their chat support was knowledgeable and helpful. TurboTax's support always felt like they were trying to upsell me to a higher tier. The only thing I miss from TurboTax is the mobile app for taking photos of tax documents, but honestly, I can just scan them myself. For the money I save, it's worth the minor inconvenience. Has anyone tried Credit Karma Tax (now Cash App Taxes)? I'm curious how it compares to FreeTaxUSA since it's completely free.

This is exactly the kind of thorough comparison I was looking for! I've been using TurboTax for years but getting increasingly frustrated with the constant upselling and rising costs. Your experience with FreeTaxUSA giving you a higher state refund is particularly interesting - that suggests their calculations might be more thorough or they're better at identifying deductions that the other platforms miss. I have a question about FreeTaxUSA's audit support. One thing TurboTax markets heavily is their audit protection and representation services. Does FreeTaxUSA offer anything similar, or is that something you'd need to handle separately if it ever came up? Also, for anyone who's switched from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA - did you notice any significant differences in the types of deductions each platform identified or suggested?