Drake Tax vs CrossLink

Drake Tax6.6Visit CrossLink6.5Visit

Higher score Drake Tax #6 in Income Tax software 6.6/10 From $379.99/yr ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Drake Tax

vs

CrossLink #8 in Income Tax software 6.5/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit CrossLink

• Drake Tax fits best

  Tax practices needing broad desktop return coverage

• CrossLink fits best

  Professional preparers needing hosted and desktop filing

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Side by side

Feature	Drake Tax 6.6/10 Visit ↗	CrossLink 6.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	6.6	6.5
Ranking	#6 in Income Tax software	#8 in Income Tax software
Best for	Tax practices needing broad desktop return coverage	Professional preparers needing hosted and desktop filing
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$379.99/yr	Not published
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Windows	Web, Windows
Support	Phone, Email, Live chat, Docs	Email, Phone, Docs
Compliance	2FA	2FA
Integrations	8 integrations	7,000+ integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Drake Tax 0/2 · CrossLink 0/2
E-filing	Not published	Not published
Professional preparer use	Not published	Not published
Specs
Return types	Not published	Not published
Tax jurisdictions	Not published	Not published
Returns included	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Prepares federal and state individual and business returns, including multi-state filings Built-in diagnostics, planning tools, and prior-year LookBack and LinkBack references Integrates with Drake practice tools, GruntWorx Tax Automation, and Bank Products	Supports unlimited 1040-series returns and state returns on CrossLink 1040 Combines OCR import, return verification, and document archiving Offers remote signatures, TaxPass collection, and TextLink messaging
Cons	Windows desktop deployment limits platform flexibility Some plans cap return volumes, while 1040 plans charge extra for business returns State amended-return e-filing availability varies by state	Business returns require a CrossLink 1040 license The Franchise or Service Bureau plan adds fewer listed tax-workflow features Pricing is paid, with no free plan
Our verdict	Tax practices preparing individual and business returns can use Drake Tax for federal and state preparation, e-filing, and multi-state returns. It supports forms including 1040, 1065, 1120, 1120-S, 1041, 990, 706, and 709, making it… Read the review →	CrossLink is professional tax-preparation software for tax preparers, tax offices, service bureaus, and franchise operations. Its individual-return offering covers 1040-series filing, while a separate business product supports business… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Drake Tax — where it wins

  • Prepares federal and state individual and business returns, including multi-state filings
  • Built-in diagnostics, planning tools, and prior-year LookBack and LinkBack references
  • Integrates with Drake practice tools, GruntWorx Tax Automation, and Bank Products

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows desktop deployment limits platform flexibility
  • Some plans cap return volumes, while 1040 plans charge extra for business returns
  • State amended-return e-filing availability varies by state

• CrossLink — where it wins

  • Supports unlimited 1040-series returns and state returns on CrossLink 1040
  • Combines OCR import, return verification, and document archiving
  • Offers remote signatures, TaxPass collection, and TextLink messaging

  Where it doesn't

  • Business returns require a CrossLink 1040 license
  • The Franchise or Service Bureau plan adds fewer listed tax-workflow features
  • Pricing is paid, with no free plan

• Drake Tax6.6/10 · From $379.99/yr

  Broad federal and state return coverage for tax practices that work on Windows.

  Visit Drake TaxFull verdict →
• CrossLink6.5/10 · Paid

  A broad tax-preparation suite for offices that need desktop and hosted filing.

  Visit CrossLinkFull verdict →