Compare · TaxSlayer and TurboTax
TaxSlayer vs TurboTax 2026 prices and is TaxSlayer better than TurboTax
TaxSlayer Classic charges about $23 federal and about $40 per state and carries every form, Schedule C included. TurboTax charges $79 for Deluxe, $139 for Premium, which is the cheapest tier with a full Schedule C, plus $39 to $64 per state. TurboTax Free Edition files a W-2 return with children for $0, which TaxSlayer cannot match. TaxFile reads your W-2s and 1099s and lists the deductions it finds for $89 a year with the state included. The tables below price six common returns in each, including where TaxFile is the wrong buy.
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Nonemployee compensation
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The short answer
TaxSlayer is cheaper than TurboTax on nearly every paid return. A one-state self-employed return costs about $63 on TaxSlayer Classic ($22.99 federal plus $39.99 state) against $178 to $203 on TurboTax Premium ($139 federal plus a $39 to $64 state fee). TurboTax wins the W-2 return with children and the standard deduction, which its Free Edition files for $0 while TaxSlayer charges Classic prices, and it sells live experts, a desktop version and a smoother interview. Both compute the same tax from the same numbers. TaxFile costs $89 a year for a Schedule C return with the state included and reads your W-2s and 1099s for you.
TaxSlayer sells every form for about $23 and TurboTax sells the most help for the most money. TaxFile reads your documents and finds the deductions for $89 with the state included.
Side by side
TaxSlayer and TurboTax vs TaxFile, honestly
A fair look at what each does well. Both are capable tools. Here is where they differ.
| What matters | TaxFile | TaxSlayer and TurboTax |
|---|---|---|
| Federal return with Schedule C | $89 a year, state return included | TaxSlayer Classic about $23. TurboTax Premium $139. Both plus state |
| State return | One state included | TaxSlayer about $39.99 each. TurboTax about $39 to $64 each |
| How your W-2 and 1099 figures get in | Upload the documents; the software reads them | TaxSlayer: you type each box. TurboTax: typing, photo or payer import |
| Finding self-employed deductions | Sweeps your documents and lists what you can claim, with a plain note on each | Both: interview questions by category, you identify what applies |
| Human help | Email support only. No phone, no preparer | TaxSlayer: tax pros from $42.99. TurboTax: Expert Assist $89 to $209, Full Service from $200 |
| Investments, rentals, crypto, prior year, amended | Not supported. Current-year W-2, 1099, Schedule C and SE only | Both support them |
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
One price, state included
$39 for a W-2 return, $89 with Schedule C, $199 for a business with multiple states. No state line added at checkout.
It reads the documents
Upload W-2s, 1099-NECs and 1099-Ks and the figures land in the right boxes. TaxSlayer has you type each box, and TurboTax imports only from payers it connects to.
Deductions found, then you approve
The software lists every deduction it applied and the ones you may qualify for, with a plain-English note on each, then runs an error and audit-risk check. You review each figure before anything is e-filed. It is software, not personalized tax advice.
TaxSlayer vs TurboTax pricing in 2026
These two sit at opposite ends of the paid market. TaxSlayer sells every form in its $22.99 Classic tier and charges extra only for people. TurboTax gates forms by tier, so the moment you itemize you are on Deluxe and the moment you have a Schedule C you are on Premium.
Where the numbers come from: TurboTax federal prices are from Intuit's own product pages, which label them anticipated final, undiscounted prices for tax year 2025 and print only "State additional" for the state return. The $39 to $64 state range comes from Intuit's community forum early in the season and reviews later in it. taxslayer.com blocks automated access from our servers, so TaxSlayer figures come from SmartAsset's review dated January 9, 2026 and CNBC Select's 2026 review, which agree to within a few cents. Check each checkout before you pay.
| What you are buying | TaxSlayer | TurboTax | TaxFile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Simply Free, $0 federal and first state. W-2 only, standard deduction, no dependents, income up to $100,000 per CNBC | Free Edition, $0 federal and state. Simple Form 1040 plus the EITC, Child Tax Credit and student loan interest. Intuit says about 37% of filers qualify | No free plan |
| Itemized deductions (Schedule A) | Classic, about $23 federal | Deluxe, $79 federal | $39 a year, Simple plan, state included |
| Schedule C and Schedule SE | Classic, about $23 federal | Premium, $139 federal | $89 a year, Self-Employed plan, state included |
| Each state return | About $39.99 | About $39 to $64 | One state included. Two or more need the $199 Business plan |
| A tax professional answers questions | Premium, $42.99 federal, with three years of audit assistance | Expert Assist, $89 to $209 federal, state $79 to $209 | Email support only |
| A professional prepares the whole return | Not offered | Expert Full Service, from $200 federal | Not offered |
| Desktop software | Online only | Online and desktop | Online only, no app to install |
The detail that drives most of the gap: a freelancer on TaxSlayer does not have to buy the Self-Employed tier to file Schedule C. Classic already carries it. On TurboTax, the old Self-Employed product was folded into Premium, and Premium is the cheapest TurboTax tier that files a full Schedule C at all.
What a real return costs in each, scenario by scenario
Tier prices hide the total, because the state charge is added at checkout. Here are six common returns priced end to end at one state unless the row says otherwise, using TaxSlayer's $22.99 and $39.99 and TurboTax's $39 to $64 state range. Those are TaxSlayer's January and February prices. From April 2026 its own grid showed Classic at $44.99 and $47.99 per state, which lifts a one-state Schedule C return from about $63 to $92.98, still well under TurboTax. The month-by-month prices are in our TaxSlayer pricing guide.
| Your return | TaxSlayer | TurboTax | TaxFile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single W-2 employee, no kids, standard deduction | $0 on Simply Free | $0 on Free Edition | $39 |
| W-2 employee with children, standard deduction | $62.98 on Classic | $0 on Free Edition | $39 |
| W-2 employee who itemizes (mortgage, property tax) | $62.98 on Classic | $118 to $143 on Deluxe | $39 |
| Freelancer or gig driver, Schedule C, files alone | $62.98 on Classic | $178 to $203 on Premium | $89 |
| Schedule C and wants a tax pro to ask | $92.98 on Self-Employed | $288 or more on Expert Assist | Not available, no phone help |
| Schedule C, worked in two states | $102.97 on Classic | $217 to $267 on Premium | $199 |
TaxSlayer wins four rows and ties one. TurboTax wins the second row outright, and it is a row most comparisons get wrong: TurboTax Free Edition allows the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, while TaxSlayer Simply Free excludes dependents entirely. A parent with only W-2 income and the standard deduction files free on TurboTax and pays about $63 on TaxSlayer.
Everywhere else the gap is large. On a one-state Schedule C it is $115 to $140, which is more than the whole TaxSlayer bill. Rideshare and delivery drivers should check the Uber driver hub first: Uber gives all drivers 25% off TurboTax Premium Federal and Diamond drivers 50% off, which brings the federal fee to $104.25 or $69.50. State is still charged at full price.
Is TaxSlayer better than TurboTax for self-employed filers?
On price, yes, by roughly $115 to $140 on a one-state Schedule C return. Both carry the full Schedule C and Schedule SE, both compute the 15.3 percent self-employment tax on 92.35 percent of net profit, and the same entries produce the same refund in either. Software does not change your tax. It changes what you remember to enter and how long it takes.
TurboTax earns part of its price on that second point. Its interview asks more industry-specific expense questions, it imports a 1099 from a photo or a connected payer, and Expert Assist puts a CPA or enrolled agent on screen share. TaxSlayer's Self-Employed tier adds business-owner tax pros and quarterly estimate reminders for about $30 more than Classic, which is the cheaper way to get a human to ask.
The expensive Schedule C mistake is the missed deduction, not the software fee. A driver with 14,000 business miles in 2026, split evenly across the year, has about $10,395 of mileage at the IRS rates of 72.5 cents through June 30 and 76 cents from July 1. Leave that off and self-employment tax alone rises by about $1,470. Neither product decides which expense categories apply to you; both ask, and you answer.
TaxFile works the other way round. You upload the W-2s, 1099-NECs and 1099-Ks, the figures land in the right boxes, and the software sweeps for the deductions your kind of work usually carries, listing each one with a plain note before you approve. That is $89 with the state included, between TaxSlayer and TurboTax on price. The tax software for self-employed filers page shows what the sweep covers, Schedule C software walks through the form line by line, and the TurboTax self-employed cost breakdown prices every Premium add-on.
Where TurboTax beats TaxSlayer
- Parents with a simple W-2 return. Free Edition covers the Child Tax Credit and EITC at $0 federal and state. TaxSlayer moves that filer to Classic.
- A professional who does the whole return. Expert Full Service, from $200 federal, hands the return to a preparer. TaxSlayer has no full-service tier.
- Live expert review on screen. Expert Assist adds unlimited help and a final review from a CPA or enrolled agent. TaxSlayer's pros answer questions but do not take over the return.
- Desktop software. TurboTax still sells a download version. TaxSlayer is web only.
- Importing forms. Photo and payer import cut typing on a return with many W-2s and 1099s.
The full case for leaving TurboTax, including what each rival charges for the same return, is on the TurboTax alternative page, and TurboTax pricing lists every 2026 tier.
Where TaxSlayer beats TurboTax
- Every form in the $22.99 tier. Itemized deductions, Schedule C, stock sales and rental income are all Classic. TurboTax charges $79 for itemizing and $139 for self-employment.
- Cheaper human help. A tax pro on Premium costs $42.99 federal, against $89 to $209 for TurboTax Expert Assist.
- Audit assistance included. Premium and Self-Employed include help with IRS letters for three years after filing. TurboTax offers free audit guidance, with full representation sold separately.
- Active-duty military. TaxSlayer's military edition files federal free for active-duty service members at any complexity. State is extra.
- Multiple states. $39.99 per state is still cheaper than the top of TurboTax's state range, and the federal side is $116 lower on a Schedule C.
The other side of TaxSlayer, including the people who outgrow it, is on the TaxSlayer alternative page. If cheapest is the only test, TaxSlayer vs FreeTaxUSA prices the same returns against a $0 federal filer.
TaxSlayer or TurboTax, which one to buy
| If you are | Buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A W-2 filer with children who takes the standard deduction | TurboTax Free Edition | $0 federal and state. TaxSlayer charges about $63 for the same return |
| A W-2 filer with no dependents and no itemizing | Either free tier | Both $0. Pick the interview you prefer |
| Itemizing or carrying stock sales and rentals | TaxSlayer Classic | About $63 against $118 or more on TurboTax |
| Self-employed and happy to do your own entry | TaxSlayer Classic | About $63 against $178 or more on TurboTax Premium |
| Self-employed and want an expert to review the return | TurboTax Expert Assist | A CPA or EA reviews before you file. TaxSlayer pros answer questions only |
| A freelancer or gig worker who wants the forms read and the deductions found | TaxFile | $89 with the state included and no box-by-box typing |
Comparing more brands? TurboTax vs TaxAct vs H&R Block prices the three biggest names on the same returns, FreeTaxUSA vs TurboTax covers the cheapest rival, and the tax software comparison puts every product in one table.
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
TaxSlayer and TurboTax 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