UltraTax CS vs CrossLink

UltraTax CS9.0Visit CrossLink6.5Visit

Higher score UltraTax CS #1 in Income Tax software 9.0/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit UltraTax CS

vs

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

• UltraTax CS fits best

  Professional firms with multi-entity tax work

• CrossLink fits best

  Professional preparers needing hosted and desktop filing

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Side by side

Feature	UltraTax CS 9.0/10 Visit ↗	CrossLink 6.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	6.5
Ranking	#1 in Income Tax software	#8 in Income Tax software
Best for	Professional firms with multi-entity tax work	Professional preparers needing hosted and desktop filing
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	Not published	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows	Web, Windows
Support	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs	Email, Phone, Docs
Integrations	11 integrations	7,000+ integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features UltraTax CS 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 individual, corporate, partnership, estate and trust returns Diagnostics, validation and missing-data checklists flag issues before filing Shares data across related returns and supports multistate allocation	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	Custom pricing depends on users, returns, states and jurisdictions Support is not available 24/7 Firm-focused workflows may exceed the needs of a single self-filer	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	UltraTax CS is professional tax preparation software from Thomson Reuters for accounting firms and tax preparers. It covers federal, state and local returns for individuals, corporations, partnerships, estates and trusts, alongside… 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

• UltraTax CS — where it wins

  • Prepares individual, corporate, partnership, estate and trust returns
  • Diagnostics, validation and missing-data checklists flag issues before filing
  • Shares data across related returns and supports multistate allocation

  Where it doesn't

  • Custom pricing depends on users, returns, states and jurisdictions
  • Support is not available 24/7
  • Firm-focused workflows may exceed the needs of a single self-filer

• 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

• UltraTax CS9.0/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad tax-preparation suite for firms handling varied return types and jurisdictions.

  Visit UltraTax CSFull verdict →
• CrossLink6.5/10 · Paid

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

  Visit CrossLinkFull verdict →