Drake Tax vs Instead
Drake Tax
drakesoftware.com
Instead
instead.comSide by side
| Figure | Drake Tax | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 6 | 2 |
| Spec score · Small Business Tax Software | 8.4 (#5) | 8.9 (#1) |
| Audience | Drake describes Drake Tax Pro as best for complex, high-volume firms and Drake Tax 1040 as ideal for 1040-focused preparers. | The product is presented for CPA firms, tax preparers, corporate tax teams, family offices, businesses, and high net worth individuals. |
| Headquarters | Franklin, North Carolina, United States | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Integrations | Listed integrations and add-ons include Drake Accounting and Payroll, Drake Workflow, Drake Portals, Drake E-Sign, Drake Pay, bank products, TheTaxBook WebLibrary Plus, and GruntWorx; additional fees may apply. | Google Drive, OneDrive, and Box are listed as live integrations with two-way sync, version tracking, and automatic folder mapping. |
| Support | Drake says all packages include free, unlimited U.S.-based support by phone, email, or live chat, plus training resources. | Terms state that standard support may use in-product help, websites, chat, email, video, phone and online communities. |
Plans
Drake Tax
- Drake Tax Online$299.99 a year
- Pay-Per-Return$379.99 a year
- Drake Tax 1040 Unlimited — Single User$1,895 a year
- Drake Tax 1040 150 — Single User$2,075 a year
- Drake Tax Pro 250 — Single User$2,375 a year
- Drake Tax Pro Unlimited — Single User$3,145 a year
In their own words
Drake Tax
Drake Tax is professional tax preparation software for preparers handling federal and state income tax returns. All states are included without additional state modules. Drake says the software runs hundreds of return diagnostics and validation rules. It can import electronic tax forms, bring in prior-year data with LookBack, trace calculations with LinkBacks, and compare scenarios in Drake Tax Planner. E-filing has no additional fees. Drake Tax Desktop is natively Windows-based, while Drake Tax Online allows users to prepare, review, and e-file returns in a browser without local installation; Drake identifies cloud hosting and Drake Tax Online as options for Mac users. A free trial download includes sample clients and practice returns for 1040 and business forms, with no trial duration stated. Packages include unlimited U.S.-based support by phone, email, or live chat, plus training resources. Listed plans include Drake Tax Online at $299.99 a year and Pay-Per-Return at $379.99 a year, both for tax year 2026. Other listed annual plans range from 1895.00 USD to 3145.00 USD for tax year 2026.
Instead
Instead is a web-based AI agent for tax research, planning, preparation, filing, and defense. It lists support for individual 1040, C corporation 1120, S corporation 1120-S, partnership 1065, and trust and estate 1041 returns. Users choose which workflows to run, and credits are consumed only when they start a task; the credit estimate is shown beforehand. Users can review the agent’s work before filing. Google Drive, OneDrive, and Box are live integrations with two-way sync, version tracking, and automatic folder mapping. Instead says it is IRS-approved and supports e-filing in 48 or more state jurisdictions, as well as local filing. Federal and state e-file and prior-year import are listed. The free Instead Platform plan is free and includes unlimited users, entities, e-file and print file, multi-entity support, and collaborators and viewers. Instead Agent is billed per credit, with pricing dependent on volume and usage; purchased credits are valid for 12 months. The service lists a free trial, US-based customer support, and 24/7 support, with email responses within 24 business hours.