Lacerte Tax vs ATX

Lacerte Tax8.7Visit AATX8.0Visit

Higher score Lacerte Tax #4 in Small Business Tax Software 8.7/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Lacerte Tax

vs

A ATX #10 in Small Business Tax Software 8.0/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 4 features Visit ATX

• Lacerte Tax fits best

  High-volume firms needing deep tax coverage

• ATX fits best

  Firms needing extensive forms and research

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Side by side

Feature	Lacerte Tax 8.7/10 Visit ↗	AATX 8.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.0
Ranking	#4 in Small Business Tax Software	#10 in Small Business Tax Software
Best for	High-volume firms needing deep tax coverage	Firms needing extensive forms and research
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	—	—
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Cloud	Self-hosted, Desktop
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Solo
Features Lacerte Tax 0/4 · ATX 2/4
Federal e-file	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
State e-file	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Bookkeeping imports	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Prior-year import	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Business entity support	Not checked yet	C corporations, S corporations, partnerships, estates and trusts
Included state returns	Not checked yet	0 returns
Our review
Pros	25,000+ diagnostics and 7,200+ tax forms Broad coverage for individual, business, fiduciary, and nonprofit returns Imports, client portal tools, e-filing, and optional hosted access	More than 6,000 federal, state, and local compliance forms Diagnostics flag e-filing errors, omissions, and overridden entries Includes tax research, electronic signatures, and payroll reporting
Cons	$813 annual starting license before applicable per-return charges Windows desktop software with single-user access on the annual license E-file availability varies by return and jurisdiction	ATX 1040 excludes state business returns Desktop software may not fit cloud-first workflows No free plan is available
Our verdict	Lacerte Tax is professional tax preparation software for accounting firms handling complex individual, business, fiduciary, estate, gift, nonprofit, and benefit-plan returns. It runs on Windows desktop software, with optional hosted remote… Read the review →	ATX is desktop, forms-based tax preparation software from Wolters Kluwer for CPAs, individual tax preparers, and small firms. It supports federal, state, and local returns across individual, C corporation, S corporation, partnership,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Lacerte Tax — where it wins

  • 25,000+ diagnostics and 7,200+ tax forms
  • Broad coverage for individual, business, fiduciary, and nonprofit returns
  • Imports, client portal tools, e-filing, and optional hosted access

  Where it doesn't

  • $813 annual starting license before applicable per-return charges
  • Windows desktop software with single-user access on the annual license
  • E-file availability varies by return and jurisdiction

• ATX — where it wins

  • More than 6,000 federal, state, and local compliance forms
  • Diagnostics flag e-filing errors, omissions, and overridden entries
  • Includes tax research, electronic signatures, and payroll reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • ATX 1040 excludes state business returns
  • Desktop software may not fit cloud-first workflows
  • No free plan is available

• Lacerte Tax8.7/10 · Paid

  Deep tax coverage for high-volume firms, with a high annual license and per-return costs.

  Visit Lacerte TaxFull verdict →
• AATX8.0/10 · Paid

  A forms-focused tax suite for firms handling complex federal, state, and local returns.

  Visit ATXFull verdict →