CHARTS & GRAPHS

SURVEY RESULTS: Tax Software Satisfaction Ratings

Four software companies control more than 90 percent of the tax prep business. But which one has the biggest fans?

By CPA Trendlines Research

For a more in-depth report, we recommend The Tax Software Report: Comparative Intelligence for Data-Driven Decision-Making.

With only four companies already controlling 90 percent of the professional tax preparation software market, the competition is intense. To be sure, some 9 in 10 accountants can be counted on to renew year after year, giving vendors barely single-digit year-over-year percentage increases in organic revenue growth.

But with the advent of the cloud, evolving client needs, workflow innovations, and an uncertain outlook for a major tax code overhaul, this year could present a singular set of choices for tax professionals – and fresh opportunities for vendors.

Four companies dominate the CPA tax software market:

  1. Thomson, with UltraTax and GoSystem;
  2. CCH, with ProSystem, Axcess Tax, and ATX;
  3. Intuit, with Lacerte, ProSeries and TurboTax; and
  4. Drake

In the rest of this report, based on a survey by the AICPA of its members, we provide additional detail on:

  • Tax Prep Software Market Share
    • — Overall
    • — Small Firms
    • — Mid-Size Firms
  • Likes and Dislikes
  • Product Switching
  • Best for a New Practice
  • Training, Technology, And Support