Compare · Cash App Taxes
Cash App Taxes alternative compared with TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA for the returns it cannot file
Cash App Taxes is genuinely free. Federal and state filing both cost $0, there are no paid tiers and no upsells, and it covers W-2 income, 1099 income, investments, and a Schedule C. If your return fits inside it and you are happy doing the data entry yourself, that price is hard to beat and we are not going to pretend otherwise. TaxFile is paid software and has no free plan. People look for a Cash App Taxes alternative because of the fine print: it does not support multiple state returns, part-year state returns, or nonresident state returns, it does not handle foreign earned income, income from an estate or trust, or the health coverage tax credit, and you have to download the Cash App mobile app to log in before you can file. Its support team is not a professional tax tier and cannot answer tax questions.
TaxFile charges for the work it does. You upload your W-2s and 1099s or just chat, and the AI reads your documents, prepares your federal and state return, and proactively surfaces the deductions and credits you qualify for, including Schedule C, mileage, home office, and QBI write-offs that a blank form will never point out. It runs an automated error check and hands back a review-ready return that you approve before it is e-filed through an authorized IRS e-file provider. Plans are $39 a year for a simple federal return, $89 for self-employed, and $199 for business, with your state return included. TaxFile is self-prepared tax software, not personalized tax advice, refunds are never guaranteed, and your data is encrypted and never sold. Pricing on every provider changes each season, so confirm current figures before you file.
Read docs · find deductions · check errors · you review
Filing status
Form 1099-NEC
Nonemployee compensation
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The short answer
Cash App Taxes files federal and state returns for $0 with no paid tiers, and more than 12 million returns have been filed through it. If your return fits inside its limits, it is the cheapest option available and worth using. People need an alternative when it will not file their return: it does not support multiple state returns, part-year state returns or nonresident state returns, foreign earned income, or income from an estate or trust, and you must install the Cash App mobile app to log in. TaxFile is paid software, $39 a year simple, $89 self-employed, $199 business, with your state return included, that reads your W-2s and 1099s, surfaces your deductions, and handles the multi-state returns Cash App Taxes cannot.
Cash App Taxes costs $0 and is a fine choice for a simple single-state return you enter yourself. TaxFile is paid software that reads your documents, surfaces your deductions, and handles the multi-state and self-employed returns Cash App Taxes does not support.
Side by side
Cash App Taxes vs TaxFile, honestly
A fair look at what each does well. Both are capable tools. Here is where they differ.
| What matters | TaxFile | Cash App Taxes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Paid, from $39 a year, with your state return included; there is no free plan | Free: $0 for federal and state, with no paid tiers or upsells |
| How your return gets prepared | Upload documents or chat and the AI prepares the return for you | You enter your own figures and do the data entry yourself |
| Finding deductions | Proactively surfaces deductions and credits you qualify for, including Schedule C | Deductions are supported, but you identify and enter them yourself |
| Multiple, part-year and nonresident states | Federal and state prepared together in one flow, your state return included | Not supported: no multiple state returns, and no part-year or nonresident state returns |
| Getting started | Works in your browser; no mobile app required | You must download the Cash App mobile app to log in and file |
| E-filing | Federal and state e-file through an authorized IRS e-file provider | Free federal and state e-file through its platform |
Comparison reflects general, publicly understood positioning. Capabilities change, so check each product for the latest.
Why teams pick TaxFile
One place to prepare, check and file your return
If free fits, use free
One state, a W-2 or two, and you do not mind typing it in? Cash App Taxes files that for $0 and you should keep your money. TaxFile is worth paying for when your return outgrows those limits.
The limits are the reason people leave
Cash App Taxes will not file multiple state returns, part-year or nonresident state returns, or foreign earned income, and there is no expert tier to ask. TaxFile prepares federal and state together and explains every figure.
What the fee buys
The AI reads your W-2s and 1099s, builds Schedule C, and proactively flags the write-offs and credits you may qualify for. It runs an error check, and you approve before it files. It is software, not personalized advice.
The multi-state gap is the most common reason people leave
Of everything Cash App Taxes does not cover, the state limit catches the most people, because it does not announce itself until you are most of the way through the return. One state return per filing, no part-year returns, no nonresident returns. That rules out anyone who moved during the year, anyone who lives in one state and works in another, and anyone who spent a few remote months somewhere else.
| Your 2025 situation | Cash App Taxes | TaxFile |
|---|---|---|
| One state, W-2 income | Supported, $0 | $39 a year, state return included. Use the free option |
| Moved between two states | Not supported | Part-year return in each state, included |
| Live in one state, work in another | Not supported | Nonresident return then resident return with the out-of-state credit |
| Remote work under a convenience rule state | Not supported | Nonresident return in the employer state, credit claimed at home |
| Foreign earned income | Not supported | Not supported either. See a CPA |
That last row matters for honesty: TaxFile does not cover everything Cash App Taxes misses. It also does not e-file Form 4868 extensions, prepare amended returns on Form 1040-X, or handle capital gains on Schedule D, rental income on Schedule E, or cryptocurrency. Where the two products genuinely diverge is the state side.
If that is your situation, multi state tax filing explains which return each state wants, why the nonresident return is prepared first, and how the credit for taxes paid to another state stops the same income being taxed twice. The convenience of the employer rule covers the eight states that tax remote workers as if they never left the office, and the state tax filing pillar lists every state's forms and deadlines.
Cash App Taxes vs TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA on price and what each will not file
Most people comparing Cash App Taxes are really comparing three products, because the same search sends them to TurboTax at the top of the price range and FreeTaxUSA in the middle. Here is the full cost of a return in each, with the limit that decides most cases in the last column. TurboTax figures are from Intuit's product pages this month. FreeTaxUSA figures are from SmartAsset's April 2026 comparison, because freetaxusa.com blocks automated access from our servers. Cash App Taxes was verified on its own site earlier this season.
| Product | Federal | State | Will not file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash App Taxes | $0, Schedule C included | $0, one state only | Multiple states, part-year or nonresident state returns, foreign earned income. Login requires the mobile app |
| FreeTaxUSA | $0, Schedule C included | $15.99 per state, any number | Nothing common. Investments, rentals, prior year and amended all supported. No phone support without the $44.99 Pro Support add-on |
| TurboTax | $0 Free Edition (simple 1040 only), $79 Deluxe, $139 Premium for Schedule C | Additional on paid tiers, amount shown at checkout | Nothing common. Free Edition excludes Schedule C entirely |
| TaxFile | $39 simple, $89 self-employed, $199 business, per year | Included. Multiple states on the $199 plan | Investments, rentals, crypto, prior year, amended returns. Current-year W-2, 1099, Schedule C and SE only |
Read across and the decision is short. A one-state filer with a return Cash App Taxes supports should use it and pay nothing; no product on this page beats $0 and $0. A filer who moved states, worked in two, or has foreign earned income cannot use it at all, and the cheapest working option is FreeTaxUSA at $15.99 per state, unless the deductions on a Schedule C are worth paying $89 to have found. A filer who wants a person on the phone is choosing between FreeTaxUSA's $44.99 add-on and TurboTax's $89 to $209 Expert Assist tiers. The two-product head-to-head that leaves Cash App Taxes out is on the FreeTaxUSA vs TurboTax page, and the multi-state filing page explains the nonresident-first order the returns need when the multi-state limit is what sent you here.
Is Cash App Taxes better than TurboTax?
Cash App Taxes is better than TurboTax on price for any return it can file: $0 federal and $0 state against $79 to $139 federal plus a state charge. TurboTax is better when you need a second state, a part-year return, photo import of your forms, or a person to call. Both compute the same refund from the same numbers, so the difference is coverage and help, not the result.
The practical test is the state question. If you lived and worked in one state all year, Cash App Taxes covers you and TurboTax charges you for the same outcome. If not, Cash App Taxes is off the table regardless of how good the price is, and the comparison becomes TurboTax against FreeTaxUSA or TaxFile, which the table above prices out.
See how TaxFile handles your return
Upload your W-2s and 1099s or answer a few questions. TaxFile finds your deductions and prepares the return itself, no side-by-side guessing required.
Good questions
Cash App Taxes vs TaxFile, answered
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See how TaxFile files your taxes online
Upload your documents or answer a few questions and TaxFile prepares your return, finds the deductions you qualify for, and checks it for errors. You review and approve before anything is filed.
Not tax advice · you review before filing · e-file via an authorized IRS e-file provider