Use Perplexity to compare which tier of FreeTaxUSA, TaxAct or TaxSlayer covers your situation, with links to each official pricing page. Then confirm on the vendor sites yourself, prepare a document checklist, and file.
Independent review. IonBin has no partnership with any tool on this page and was not paid for this page. Our evaluation is our own, based on public documentation and our research. Product names are trademarks of their owners and are used for identification only. How disclosure works.
Goal
Pick a filing service on facts from official pages, not on a headline price.
Connects through: Upload / export
Not advice
IonBin provides general information and software comparisons, not tax, legal, accounting or financial advice. Tax and legal rules vary by situation and jurisdiction; consult a qualified professional (CPA, enrolled agent or attorney) before acting.
AI tools can make mistakes. Verify every figure against the original documents and official IRS or state guidance before filing or signing.
Redact Social Security numbers, account numbers and EINs before uploading documents to any AI assistant, and check its data-retention settings. Upload originals only to the filing or signing software.
“Free” offers come with conditions: check who qualifies and what state filing costs before you start. IRS Direct File is discontinued for the 2026 season with no relaunch date; see IRS Free File for eligible filers.
Confirmed means the vendor documents it (linked). It doesn't mean IonBin has tested it. AI-platform and human steps need no source.
Human approval
You confirm prices on official pages and file yourself.
Watch out for
AI answers about prices go stale fast. Only the vendor’s own page counts.
Starter prompt
Goal: Pick a filing service on facts from official pages, not on a headline price. Tools involved: Perplexity, Claude, TaxAct, TaxSlayer (alternative). Your part: summarizes each service’s tiers and links the official pricing pages; builds the document checklist from redacted copies. Work step by step, show me each draft or proposed change, and wait for my approval before anything is sent, published, signed, filed or changed in a live system.
Assembled from this page’s goal and steps. Paste it into your AI platform and adjust it to your situation.
No platform-specific connection: the steps run in the tools themselves (browser, upload or built-in).
ChatGPT
Confirmed
No platform-specific connection: the steps run in the tools themselves (browser, upload or built-in).
Gemini
Confirmed
No platform-specific connection: the steps run in the tools themselves (browser, upload or built-in).
Perplexity
Confirmed
No platform-specific connection: the steps run in the tools themselves (browser, upload or built-in).
Computed from the MCP and API steps only: "Confirmed" needs the tool's docs to name the platform and the platform to support the connection. Browser, upload and human steps work from any platform.
What we found (checked 2026-10-17)
Prices change every season and these are for 2025 returns. Use them to know what to look for, then confirm on each vendor’s page.
Service
Lowest tier
Paid federal tiers
State
FreeTaxUSA
$0 federal
Upgrades available
$15.99
TaxAct
$0 for simple returns, if you qualify
Deluxe $59.99, Premier $99.99, Self-Employed $109.99
Additional
TaxSlayer
Simply Free $0 with state included, for simple W-2 returns
TaxAct imports last year’s return as a PDF, including one from another tax program.
TaxSlayer imports standard Form 1040 and 1040-SR PDFs from many online tax providers.
FreeTaxUSA imports a PDF of last year’s return filed with other software, plus W-2s and 1099s.
None of them has an API or MCP server we could find, so Perplexity and Claude stay outside the return. You open the service, import your documents and file yourself.
