IBFD Tax Research Platform vs Instead

IBFD Tax Research Platform is a web-based subscription database for worldwide tax research, liability and compliance work. Its collections cover international tax, transfer pricing, VAT and other sales taxes, treaties, case law, legislation and jurisdiction-specific information. The platform includes over 1,500 country-based tax tables, over 1,300 country tax guide chapters, over 13,000 primary sources, over 15,000 case law summaries and over 15,000 treaty and model documents. Search offers filters, topic categories and full-text search using artificial intelligence technology. Research tools include tax calculations, country comparisons, treaty article comparisons, treaty-status monitoring and compliance checklists. Users can save documents, overviews and searches, add notes, and export treaty articles to Word, Excel or PDF. A standard online collection subscription covers up to five users at one location; extra users or locations may incur a surcharge. Subscriptions run for 12 months and renew automatically 60 days before the next period. IBFD is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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.