WISO Steuer vs ZHprivateTax
WISO Steuer
buhl.deZHprivateTax
zhprivatetax.chSide by side
| Figure | WISO Steuer | ZHprivateTax |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €3/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · Tax Software | 9.5 (#1) | 8.1 (#60) |
| Spec score · Personal Tax Software | 9.4 (#2) | 7.9 (#64) |
| Document scanning | Users can photograph payslips, invoices and receipts; the app extracts key fields and places them into the return. | Users can photograph paper documents with a smartphone or upload files in a browser without an additional app. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Neunkirchen, Germany | Zürich, Switzerland |
| Intended users | The maker describes the product as suitable for employees, self-employed people, retirees, landlords, families, and beginners. | The site presents ZHprivateTax as the standard online tax-return solution for taxpayers in the Canton of Zurich from tax period 2025. |
| Purpose | WISO Steuer guides users through preparing and submitting German income tax returns. | ZHprivateTax is the Canton of Zurich’s online solution for filing tax returns digitally in a browser without installation. |
| Support | The Vorteils-Abo includes a technical support hotline, and support requests can also be submitted through Buhl's ticket system. | Technical support is available by phone on weekdays from 8:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00, and on weekends around the regular end-of-March filing deadline. |
Plans
WISO Steuer
- TestversionFree
- Vorteils-Abo€35.99 a year
- Einzelkauf€45.99, paid once
- TestversionFree
- Vorteils-Abo€35.99 a year
- Einzelkauf€45.99, paid once
In their own words
WISO Steuer
WISO Steuer guides people through preparing and filing German income tax returns. Users can photograph wage statements and receipts for automatic recognition, and the software updates an expected refund estimate as information is entered. With consent, it can retrieve tax data such as wage-tax information from the tax administration. SteuerGPT answers tax questions in natural language, while Tax Banking can retrieve and categorize transactions when connected to a finanzblick account. Completed returns are sent electronically to the tax office using the official ELSTER interface. One license allows up to five returns, and eligibility is limited to people with unlimited tax liability in Germany. The software is available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows. A free test version allows all functions to be tried, with payment requested when submitting a return. The Vorteils-Abo costs €35.99 a year and renews automatically each November; Einzelkauf costs €45.99 a month, billed as a one-time purchase for a tax year. Buhl says data is stored on servers in Germany and protected with HTTPS and AES-256 encryption in transit and storage.
ZHprivateTax
ZHprivateTax has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.