Overview

Start with a base projection, add scenarios, and compare the resulting tax insights. The workflow can usually produce a projection in a few minutes, so it is well suited to focused decisions where tax impact is the question at hand. Plus and the professional plans can save insights for later review; Personal cannot, which makes it a starting point rather than an ongoing record of comparisons.

Key features

Catalyst supports scenario modeling, capital gains modeling, and retirement income modeling. Its calculators address required minimum distributions (RMDs), real estate sales and purchases, self-employment, IRA phase-outs, time value, and education costs. That breadth helps cover common decision-specific tax questions, but the product remains a specialist companion rather than a comprehensive planning environment.

Pro and Enterprise let professionals manage insights across a client base and share data with colleagues in their organization. Those collaboration features make the professional editions more relevant to advisor teams than the personal plans. Email support is included across the plans.

Pricing

Personal is free forever and includes personal use, tax insights, and scenario comparisons. It is a low-risk way for an individual or family to explore a decision, but it does not save insights over time or include the advanced calculators.

Plus costs $49/year and adds saving insights over time and calculators for advanced tax evaluations. It is the sensible upgrade for individuals and families who expect to revisit scenarios, without paying for client-management features they do not need.

Pro costs $499/year for 3 users, with additional users available for a fee and custom pricing for 6+ advisors. It includes a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. The seat allowance and sharing workflow target small advisory teams; larger practices should compare the custom-priced Enterprise option.

Enterprise costs $199/user/year and is designed for groups of 6+ advisors, with custom pricing for 6+ advisors and additional users available for a fee. Its per-user billing fits larger teams that need to work across a client base, though the custom-pricing terms mean the listed rate is not the whole cost picture for qualifying groups.

Platforms

Catalyst runs on the web, making it a browser-based option for personal users and professional teams.

Who it's for

Plus and Personal are aimed at individuals and families modeling the tax effects of major financial decisions. Pro is for financial advisors, CPAs, and other professionals communicating those effects to clients; Enterprise is positioned for larger advisor groups. Anyone needing a complete financial plan should use Catalyst alongside planning software, not as its replacement.

Pros and cons

Pro: A quick base-projection-and-scenario workflow can bring tax consequences into a decision without turning the task into a full planning exercise.
Pro: Calculators span retirement distributions, property, self-employment, education, and other tax questions, while scenario, capital gains, and retirement income modeling support comparisons.
Pro: Pro and Enterprise add client-base management and organizational sharing, with a 3-user Pro plan and an Enterprise option for larger groups.
Con: Catalyst is explicitly a companion to existing planning software, so it is not the right choice for replacing comprehensive financial planning tools.
Con: Personal lacks saved insights and advanced calculators, so recurring use is more practical on Plus or a professional plan.

Alternatives

For a broader starting point, browse Tax Planning Software. Choose Taxottic instead if you want an Android or iOS option alongside web access, or prefer a free plan limited to one company and paid monthly tiers. TaxCalc is a better fit for desktop tax-return work: it has Linux, macOS, and Windows versions, no free plan, and an annual individual option covering six returns for 2025–26. Consider Instead when multi-entity support and unlimited users, entities, and e-file and print files matter more than Catalyst's tax-scenario focus. CFS TaxTools is a Windows alternative with more than 300 tax utility worksheets, forms, and a tax planner, and two concurrent users on its Pro plan. Pick Optiml if you want a web-based what-if planning tool with unlimited scenarios on Essentials. TaxMoov offers a free tax snapshot for one destination, with a one-time report option for a selected destination. Dhanlytics is the alternative to consider if you want a free web-based core planning tool with all features available. Tallyfor TaxCalc is another web-based alternative, with additional binders sold yearly in packs of five.

Verdict

Choose Catalyst Tax Insights if you are an individual, family, or advisor who needs focused tax projections and scenario comparisons, and especially if you need to save or share those insights. Its specialist scope is also its main constraint: look elsewhere if your priority is a complete financial plan or tax-return preparation.

	Catalyst Tax Insights	Optiml
Free plan	Yes
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$4.08/mo	C$8.25/mo
Platforms	Web	Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Scenario modeling	Yes	Yes
Capital gains modeling	Yes	Yes
Retirement income modeling	Yes	Yes
Client collaboration	Yes	Yes
Multi-year projection		Yes
Data import		Yes

Catalyst Tax Insights vs Optiml

Catalyst Tax Insights

Optiml