Comparison
Professional tax software pricing compared (2026)
Lacerte, ProSeries, Drake Tax and CCH Axcess: what each publishes and how each packages its price.
What each vendor publishes
| Vendor | Package | List price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lacerte | Pay-per-return (Fast Path) | $813 a year | Annual licence for a single user; each return is charged per return on top |
| Lacerte | Create a custom plan | Custom quote | Bundles of individual or business returns, or unlimited returns; priced by consultation |
| ProSeries | Pay-per-return | from $539 a year | Annual licence; per-return fees extra; “from” price |
| ProSeries | ProSeries Basic | from $729 a year | Twenty 1040 returns; “from” price |
| ProSeries | 1040 Essentials | from $4,007 a year | Unlimited 1040 and state returns; business returns charged per return |
| ProSeries | ProSeries Essentials | $5,602 a year | Bundle of individual and business returns (the page text says 200 or 400) |
| ProSeries | ProSeries Advanced | Custom quote | Unlimited individual and business returns; call for pricing |
| Drake Tax | Drake Tax Pro | $2,375, $2,695 or $3,145 a year | Several price points by return count and single- or multi-user licence; current prices, with a higher retail price struck through that applies from Dec. 1 |
| Drake Tax | Drake Tax 1040 | $1,895, $2,075 or $2,325 a year | Several price points by return count and single- or multi-user licence; current prices, with a higher retail price struck through that applies from Dec. 1 |
| Drake Tax | Pay-Per-Return | $379.99 a year | 10 individual returns included; extra individual returns $49.99 each and business returns $74.99 each |
| Drake Tax | Drake Tax Online | $299.99 a year | First user included; $99 for each additional user; individual returns $49.99 each and business returns $74.99 each |
| CCH Axcess | Tax Essentials Basic | $2,814 to $5,264 a year | A range of package sizes; StackWatch records only the low and high ends, and the price for each size is unconfirmed |
| CCH Axcess | Tax Essentials Core, Accelerate and Advantage | Custom quote | Request a quote |
These are not like-for-like. A pay-per-return licence charges a fee on every return in addition to the annual price; a bundle includes a set number of returns; an unlimited package covers all returns of a type. “From” prices are starting prices. Prices exclude tax, promotions, hosting and per-return fees. Drake Tax and CCH Axcess show several price points for some products, and StackWatch has not confirmed which price belongs to which edition, so they are shown without edition labels.
How each vendor structures its price
- Lacerte. An annual licence. Only one price is public: the pay-per-return licence, with each return charged on top of the annual fee. Bundles and unlimited plans are quote-only (“Create a custom plan”). Hosting is a separate add-on.
- ProSeries. Annual (tax-year) licences: a pay-per-return option, a Basic tier and unlimited bundles, some of which combine individual and business modules. The page leads with promotional bundle prices and strikes through the list prices. ProSeries Advanced is quoted on request.
- Drake Tax. An annual licence per tax year. The price depends on the product, on how many returns the licence includes (unlimited or a capped number) and on whether it is single-user or multi-user. Pay-per-return products include a set number of returns, and extra returns are bought separately.
- CCH Axcess. An annual licence sold in packages sized by return volume. The page shows one price range for the Basic packages that can be bought online, and three larger packages (Core, Accelerate and Advantage) are quote-only. Per-return add-ons are charged separately.
Price history
Tax-software prices are reported by different publishers (the vendors’ own pages, trade press and review sites), each with its own definition of a package, so this site keeps each publisher’s figures in separate tables and does not subtract one from another. The history pages hold the dated figures:
What to check before you quote a tax-software price
Lacerte
- A struck-through price sits beside a lower price. The pay-per-return price is shown as $813 struck through beside $599, and the page does not say which is the list price. StackWatch’s table shows the struck-through $813; treat $599 as a figure to check, and ask what the licence costs when you buy and at renewal.
- Banner discounts are seasonal. Banners such as free extension returns or a percentage off bundles change seasonally. Treat them as temporary and not as list prices.
- The three-year offer is a contract term, not a price. The page’s disclosures describe a three-year pricing offer that caps renewal increases under an auto-renewing contract. No percentage is stated, so ask for the terms in writing.
- Only one price is public. The main offering (bundles and unlimited plans) sits behind a custom-plan card with no figure. Do not assume the pay-per-return price is what a typical firm pays.
ProSeries
- Struck-through prices sit beside lower promotional prices. The page banner offers a percentage off bundles for tax year 2026. The bundles show a lower price with a higher price struck through; the page does not call the struck-through figure the list price, and StackWatch’s table shows that figure. Headline prices move when the promotion changes, so ask what you will pay when you buy.
- Several prices are “from” prices. The pay-per-return, Basic and 1040 Essentials prices are written as starting prices. Ask for the price that matches your return volume.
- One bundle price can cover several products. A bundle can include individual and business modules together, so a single number may stand for several products. Check what a bundle includes before comparing it with single-product prices.
- Bank set-up fees are not software prices. Pay-by-Refund bank set-up fees appear on the page. They are bank fees, so leave them out when comparing licences.
Drake Tax
- Every price sits beside a struck-through higher price. Each product shows a struck-through retail price with an asterisk, and a footnote reading “Retail price effective Dec. 1”, beside a lower current price. Quote the lower number as today’s price, and ask Drake what you will pay if you buy after Dec. 1. Other vendors’ struck-through prices mean something different (a list price beside a promotion).
- The page is a configurator. The same product appears at several price points by return count and by single-user or multi-user licence, so one product name can show different prices. Pick the combination that matches your firm and do not compare the lowest figure for one product with the highest for another.
- Pay-per-return covers 10 returns, not unlimited use. Additional returns are bought separately, so work out the cost per return before comparing it with an unlimited licence.
- Prices are labelled for a tax year. The whole page rolls over each year, so check the tax-year label before quoting a price.
CCH Axcess
- The Basic packages appear as one price range. The number you see depends on package size: $2,814 and $5,264 are the endpoints for the smallest and largest Basic packages. Pick the package that matches your return volume.
- Three larger packages show no price. Core, Accelerate and Advantage are quote-only, so the Basic range is not the full price list.
- Per-return charges come on top. The page lists per-return add-ons and overage fees that are charged in addition to the package price, so budget for them separately.
- Essentials is not the full suite. The page covers the small-firm Tax Essentials packages for new customers. Do not read these prices as the cost of the full CCH Axcess Tax suite.
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Get free price alertsCommon questions
How much does professional tax software cost?
It depends on the vendor, the package and the number of returns. As read on October 11, 2026; CCH Axcess last read October 8, 2026: Lacerte: Pay-per-return (Fast Path) $813 a year; Create a custom plan is quote only; ProSeries: Pay-per-return from $539 a year; ProSeries Basic from $729 a year; 1040 Essentials from $4,007 a year; ProSeries Essentials $5,602 a year; ProSeries Advanced is quote only; Drake Tax: Drake Tax Pro $2,375, $2,695 or $3,145 a year (several price points by return count and single- or multi-user licence; current prices, each shown beside a higher struck-through retail price that Drake says applies from Dec. 1); Drake Tax 1040 $1,895, $2,075 or $2,325 a year (several price points by return count and single- or multi-user licence; current prices, each shown beside a higher struck-through retail price that Drake says applies from Dec. 1); Pay-Per-Return $379.99 a year; Drake Tax Online $299.99 a year; CCH Axcess: Tax Essentials Basic $2,814 to $5,264 a year (low and high ends of the range shown; package sizes unconfirmed); Tax Essentials Core, Accelerate and Advantage are quote only.
What is the difference between pay-per-return and unlimited tax software?
A pay-per-return licence has an annual fee plus a fee for every return filed. Bundles include a set number of returns, and unlimited packages cover all returns of a type for a flat annual price. Which is cheaper depends on how many returns you file.
Which tax software publishes its prices?
Lacerte publishes only its pay-per-return licence price, and CCH Axcess publishes a range for its Basic packages and quotes the rest. ProSeries and Drake Tax also publish prices for bundled or unlimited packages, though Drake shows several price points per product and ProSeries quotes its Advanced package.