1. Turbotax Premier Download Vs Online
2. Premier Online Dubai
3. Premier Online Resource

There are so many different options when it comes to tax software, and it can be very confusing to figure out which is best. What makes it even more confusing is that many of the companies 'hide' the real cost of their software.

Costco TurboTax vs. Online: If you’re a Costco member you are probably used to getting fabulous deals in bulk on just about everything. Come tax season you also undoubtedly see the aisles of the store lined with boxes of tax software on CD including TurboTax Deluxe, Premier, and Self-Employed (aka Home & Business) So, is it better to buy TurboTax at Costco, or download it online?

You see, most companies are simply advertising the 'Federal Return' price, and not other costs, such as State filing, and e-Filing fees that may be included. On the other hand, other companies include everything in just one price.

Costco TurboTax vs. Online: If you’re a Costco member you are probably used to getting fabulous deals in bulk on just about everything. Come tax season you also undoubtedly see the aisles of the store lined with boxes of tax software on CD including TurboTax Deluxe, Premier, and Self-Employed (aka Home & Business) So, is it better to buy TurboTax at Costco, or download it online? Dec 27, 2017 - In past years I've downloaded Turbotax, but this year I'm forced to use. Re: Turbotax Online vs. If I'm doing online would I need Premiere? With TurboTax Online, you can work on your taxes from any computer or mobile device with Internet access. With the CD/Download, you install TurboTax on your computer and you can do your taxes without the Internet. The CD/Download product is a better overall value for people who prepare tax returns for their friends and family.

Even when you see 'Free Federal', it doesn't really mean free - you'll likely be paying something to file your taxes. We break down who is really offering free tax software here.

We compared the prices of all versions of TurboTax 2019, H&R Block 2019, and Tax Act 2019 to really help you understand what you're getting. This article isn't about the features, so much as the price (we bucketed the programs in the closest features per version).

We already talked about the best tax software for early filers, which looked at the features each company is offering right now.

To make matters even more complicated, there are different prices for the online and download editions of every product. My head hurts just thinking about it.

There are three big changes for the 2018-2019 tax season:

1. H&R Block continues to be one of the best price to value ratios on the market. We especially like that they expanded their Free Online Tax Filing option to include some itemized deductions, and they made their free edition truly free. This could help a lot of people who itemize. Read our full H&R Block Review.
2. TaxAct changed their pricing structure and tiers again this year, added a Self Employed option (was called Freelancer last year), and added in a Premium level that includes audit support for the first time. Read our full TaxAct review here.
3. TurboTax Free Edition is still one of the easiest to use options, but they are the highest priced software this year, and their free level isn't as good as H&R Block. Read our full TurboTax review here.

** An important disclaimer is that these comparisons are based on full-priced offers that were available in January 2019. We will strive to update the pricing as we see it change, but remember that sales and discounts will happen all of the time throughout tax season. Furthermore, we discovered that simply going to the website of H&R Block or TurboTax, then leaving, then returning gave us a 20% discount in pricing. Yay for browser cookies!

Along those lines, we also discovered the Amazon.com is offering great deals on TurboTax. This year they are offering an Amazon exclusive edition of TurboTax - check out the Amazon exclusive TurboTax here.​

Amazon is offering a great deal on H&R Block, as well as a 5% refund bonus if yo get an Amazon gift card. Check out the H&R Block deal on Amazon here.

Comparing online, free Editions

Turbotax Premier Download Vs Online

Let's take a look at the online, free editions for each company and see how they compare.

I'm excited to see that all of the 'big 3' tax companies are offering truly free 'Free' editions this year. While this continues the trend of the prior years, each service does include a different amount of features in their free level.

H&R Block offers the most options in their free tier, including homeowners, people claiming childcare expenses, student loan interest deduction or charitable deductions and recipients of the earned income tax credit.

TaxAct charges on their free tier if you want to save your return for more than 1 year, or if you want to import your past year's data,.

Given that all three companies offer Free filing, we recommend H&R Block 2019, as it's easy to use, but includes the most option for free filers.

Comparing Online Deluxe Editions

Next, let's look at the online 'basic' editions of each product. It's important to note that this is a really strange tier. I really hate this product because it typically is what gets people who think they qualify for free file, but actually have to pay for the service.

For example, you get half way through your return and learn you need to pay for a feature or tax deduction, this is the tier you usually end up at.

In many cases, H&R Block Free Online Tax Filing is a great choice for people who might fall into this tier because it's actually free.

Note: TaxAct has a TaxAct Basic+ tier this year that falls between Free and Deluxe. It's basically for free filers that have dependents, so they don't qualify for free with TaxAct. It's such an odd product we couldn't include it anywhere as a comparison. If you fall into this tier, you're better off at another place.

While TaxAct is definitely the cheapest at this level - we think that most people will actually qualify for free filing with H&R Block. As such, H&R Block is actually our recommendation here.

Comparing Online Premium Editions

This is where the versions really matter. Make sure you read what different options are offered. This tier is many geared towards homeowners, investors, and some side hustlers.

It's important to note that H&R Block allows the Schedule C-EZ with their Deluxe version, which could be a good deal for some side hustlers.

Premier Online Dubai

Also, H&R Block significantly cut their prices on this tier this year, while other have stayed the same or gone higher.

Once again, TaxAct is the lowest price offering. However, not by much this year.

Based on our experiences, we recommend H&R Block Premium for this tier as well, as the extra $3 is worth the experience.

Comparing Online Small Business Editions

Each of the three companies offer a small business edition of their software. This is important if you are filing a Schedule C for your tax return (which is for side hustlers as well).

H&R Block this year has a partnership wth Uber that allows you to easily import your information. I can see this as a trend as more companies offer easily side hustling opportunities and many people are unfamiliar with small business tax returns.

Premier Online Resource

Once again, TaxAct is the lowest priced option when it comes to small business editions - and the increase in savings keeps growing with each version! If you are looking to file a small business return, check out TaxAct Self Employed+ as the lowest priced option.

However, a new player this year is TaxSlayer which you might consider for your self employed return. It's not listed here, but it's a strong player in this space. Check out our full TaxSlayer review here.

Comparing Download Editions​ of TurboTax, H&R Block, and TaxAct

Just when you thought things couldn't get more complicated, each company offers a downloadable version of their software. This is designed for people who want to do their taxes while NOT being online. This is a more expensive way to go, and the pricing is very different from the online versions for many of the companies.

Remember, you might have better luck on pricing shopping on Amazon.com - we already discussed how Amazon has an exclusive price on TurboTax this year.​

This is also the same version of the software that you'll typically find in retail stores, if you buy the CD. As such, you may be able to find cheaper pricing online from retailers.

We don't recommend people use downloadable software. The online versions are safer and more up-to-date. But, we know there are some old school people out there still!

Comparing Downloadable Basic Editions

TaxAct is still the low priced option for basic editions. However, I recommend that you avoid the basic editions, they are actually higher priced than other options.

Comparing Downloadable Deluxe Editions

I don't know if you noticed, but the Deluxe versions of TurboTax and H&R Block are actually cheaper than the basic versions. Talk about marketing gimmicks!

This year, H&R Block Deluxe takes the lead as the cheapest downloadable deluxe option.

Comparing Downloadable Premium Editions

This year, H&R Block Premium takes the lead on download Premium Edition pricing as well.

Comparing Downloadable Small Business Editions

H&R Block is the cheapest this year since TaxAct raised their prices by about $30 on this version. Check out H&R Block Premium & Business here.

Conclusion

After looking at the pricing of every edition from all three companies, it became clear that a trend emerged: H&R Block has become a value leader in the 'major' tax products space. They've lowered their pricing on most products, and launched a robust free filing option.

If you're looking at the battle between TurboTax and H&R Block, H&R Block is our recommendation. If you want to buy software to download or buy software in the store, H&R Block is usually always the cheapest option.

Check out our full H&R Block review if you're curious about using it this year.

​What are your thoughts on tax software pricing? Have you used any of these companies?