Imagine if doing your taxes was easy and inexpensive, and when you were finished, you felt confident they were done correctly.

Well, H&R Block offers several options that do exactly that. You can file online or get in-person assistance with a tax pro.

The last thing you want is to pay for features you don’t need or to have lingering doubts that you didn’t do your taxes correctly.

They aren’t the cheapest, but H&R Block has been doing taxes since 1955. This H&R Block review can help you decide if “Block” is the best tax software for you.

At a Glance

• Do your taxes yourself online, or upgrade to having them done in person at your local H&R Block office.
• Free version includes state returns.
• All paid plans include tax assistance, but that assistance may be AI.
• You can upgrade your DIY plan to include having your return reviewed by a tax pro.

Who Should Use H&R Block?

H&R Block is a good option for these tax situations for those who qualify for the free version, as state returns are included. It’s also good for those who may want to upgrade to an in-person experience. Few online tax software have the option to meet in person with tax pro.

However, if you are looking for the cheapest possible option, H&R Block is not for you.

H&R Block Alternatives

DIY Pricing	$0 to $89 for federal $0 to 39 for state	$0 – $22.95 for federal $0 – 39.95 for state	$0 for federal $14.99 for state
Access to a tax pro	Yes	Yes	Yes
Full Service available	Yes	No	No
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

H&R Block Online Prices

There are several ways to file your taxes online using H&R Block. All returns start at the Free Online level. The return upgrades to one of the three paid tiers as your taxes become more complex. Below is an overview of how much H&R Block costs with its four filing options.

Also, it’s possible to get tax expert assistance with any plan. Unlimited help from a tax pro is available on all free plans. H&R Block uses both AI and humans to answer tax questions.

H&R Block Free Online

• Federal return cost: $0
• State return cost: $0

The H&R Block Free Online package lets you file one federal and one state tax return for free. This version is for simple, non-itemized tax returns that earn W-2 income but not self-employment income.

Supported Tax Situations

Below are some of the most common tax situations you can file for free:

• W-2 income
• Unemployment income (Form 1099-G)
• Dividends and Distributions (Form 100-DIV)
• Social Security income
• Retirement income
• Interest income
• Earned Income Credit (EITC)
• Child Tax Credit
• Student loan interest deduction (1098-E)
• Tuition and fees statement (1098-T)

Is H&R Block Free Online Really Free?

A surprising number of semi-complex tax returns can qualify for Free Online. But H&R Block charges a fee for these tax situations:

• Itemized tax returns
• Health Savings Account
• Investment gains or losses
• Earn rental property income
• Earn self-employment income

So, you won’t need to pay to file if your daily wages report on a W-2 form and you earn bank interest and stock dividends. However, you will pay if you sell stock shares – even if it’s only one share.

You will also need to upgrade to a paid plan if you want live phone or chat support. You will also not have ongoing access to your return after you file. Paid versions will store the return for six years.

Special Features

The Free Online edition is the most barebones version of H&R Block that doesn’t include many assistance tools. However, if you have a simple return, access to the powerful tool suite isn’t necessary.

H&R Block offers several tools that make filing your taxes quick and easy:

• W-2 Snapshot
• Auto-import last year’s tax return (even if you didn’t use H&R Block)
• Real-time refund updates

The W-2 Snapshot tool prevents data input errors. You can use your phone to take a picture of your W-2 income tax forms, and H&R Block uploads the information to calculate your potential refund.

You can import your end-of-year tax documents for free depending on which bank and investing apps you use.

You will not be able to speak with a tax professional or get audit assistance on the free plan.

Go to H&R Block

H&R Block Deluxe

• Federal tax return: $35
• State tax return: $37

If you itemize or have a Health Savings Account (HSA) will use the H&R Deluxe filing option.

Qualifying Tax Situations

The Deluxe version covers everything in the Free version and these additional common qualifying tax situations:

• Itemized federal tax returns
• Home mortgage interest
• Real estate taxes
• Basic freelancer and self-employment income
• Child and dependent care expenses

Those who earn independent contractor income reported on IRS Tax Form 1099 can use the Deluxe filing option. However, they will not be able to take deductions for expenses. For example, a virtual assistant who works from home may have income from this job but no expenses.

Those who have business expenses will need to upgrade to the Premium option. Say, the virtual assistant from above purchased a computer to use for work, or they want to take a home office deduction, they would have to upgrade to the Premium version.

Go to H&R Block

H&R Block Premium

• Federal tax return: $65
• State tax return: $37

H&R Block Premium includes everything in Deluxe, but also includes investment income, rental property income, and small business expenses.

Qualifying Tax Situations

• Report stock, bonds, and other investment income (Schedule D)
• Crypto sales
• Rental property income (Schedule E)

Advanced Calculators

H&R Block lets you use a calculator during the tax interview. These calculators help you tabulate your taxable income and deductions from selling assets or earning side hustle income.

These calculators help you factor in tax situations like a home sale, gift and inheritance assets.

Import Investments to H&R Block

If you’ve sold investments in the past, reporting your transaction details can be quite time-consuming.

Many investing apps integrate with H&R Block as it’s one of the most popular tax software, which means you don’t have to type in your transactions manually – saving time and decreases your risk of errors.

You can look for import tools from H&R Block or directly from your broker or bank.

H&R Block Self-Employed

• Federal tax return: $85
• State tax return: $37

Small business owners will need to choose the Self-Employed package.

H&R Block walks you through the self-employment tax interview to find industry-specific deductions.

Other standard features include:

• Deduct small business expenses
• Track expenses, mileage, and receipts all year
• Calculate depreciation

Go to H&R Block

File with a Tax Pro Option

• Starts at $89

If you want help from a human tax professional you’ll need to select the option to file with a tax pro. You can meet with your tax pro virtually or in person.

Exactly how much you’ll pay will depend on the complexity of your tax situation. Spending the extra money can be worth the time savings and additional peace of mind.

With this option, you gather your tax documents and an H&R Block tax pro prepares your return. You can review the return before they file.

Tax Pro Review

You can upgrade any plan, including the free plan, to include having your return reviewed by a tax expert before filing. The price for this ranges between $55 and $95, depending on which plan you are upgrading.

After you have completed your return, you can submit it to an expert who will look for errors or missed opportunities. Once complete, the expert will sign and submit your return.

Tax Assistance

With all paid plans, you will have unlimited tax assistance. It uses both AI and human tax pros to answer tax questions. This can help you with things like information about tax forms, tax changes, guidance with the software, and questions related to tax prep.

Audit Assistance

You can purchase Peace of Mind audit assistance to receive audit defense for the life of your tax return. This means that if you get a letter from the IRS, an enrolled agent can represent you. They will do more than just answer questions, they can send letters or even represent you in court if needed.

Go to H&R Block

Other Key Features of H&R Block

Here are some of the key features of using H&R Block:

Live Tech Support

Live chat and phone support is standard with the three paid filing options. This service provides technical help to navigate the H&R Block platform but not tax advice.

Tax Refund and Payment Options

Paying H&R Block by credit card or debit card is the best option to avoid extra fees. If you can’t swing the cost of filing right now, paying with your tax refund is possible, but that costs an additional $39.

H&R Block offers these options to receive your refund:

• Direct deposit
• Paper check
• Spruce card

If you need a place to receive a direct deposit but can pay for your return at the time of service consider the Spruce Card refund option. You will receive a pre-paid debit card where your return will be deposited when it is issued from the IRS. You can even get it up to six days early.

There are no additional fees for the Spruce card.

W-2 Snapshot

You can use the H&R Block Tax Prep and File mobile app to take pictures of your W-2 to upload the tax form boxes automatically.

This feature has been around for several years and used to only be available for the paid versions. It’s now available for all H&R Block users, including Free Online.

Auto-Import

H&R Block can auto-import last year’s tax return from any tax software or local tax preparer. You simply need to upload a PDF of the return and H&R Block fills out the basic information for this year’s tax season.

It’s also possible to import brokerage and bank tax forms directly to H&R Block. Many brokers and banks integrate with H&R Block. However, TurboTax appears to have more auto-import capabilities.

Deduction Calculator

When filing an itemized return and you deduct charity donations, the H&R Block Deduction Calculator can be useful. You can use this calculator to determine the value of your physical donations and cash donations.

MyBlock Mobile App

There are two H&R Block mobile apps. The first app, H&R Block Tax Prep and File, is for preparing and filing the tax return. You also use this app for the W-2 Snapshot.

Depending on which ongoing H&R Block features you use, you can download the MyBlock mobile app.

The MyBlock app offers these features:

• Upload business receipts during the year
• Track charity donations
• Access prior-year tax returns
• Manage H&R Block Emerald Card balance
• View personal credit score
• Manage Tax Identity Shield membership

This app can make preparing for next year’s tax season easier as you store your tax details in real-time using the virtual tax organizer.

Spruce Card

The H&R Block Spruce Card is a reloadable prepaid debit card that can be a good option if you don’t have a bank account to receive a tax refund. There are no fees, and you can get one at a local H&R Block office or request one when filing online.

In addition to receiving a tax refund, the Spruce Card can also receive payroll, stimulus check and unemployment benefits. Cardholders can load checks and cash but fees may apply.

Refund Advance Loan

If you file with a tax pro, you can receive a tax refund advance of up to $3,500. H&R Block issues the refund as a 0% APR loan with no fees, allowing you to get your tax refund up to 21 days sooner. The proceeds can be sent to an Emerald Card or a Spruce account, you can’t get the funds sent to a bank account but you can transfer the funds by check or ACH (once) from an Emerald Card or Spruce account for no fee.

Refund Transfer

If you can’t pay your tax prep fees upfront, you can pay an extra $39 for a Refund Transfer fee. H&R Block withholds the $39 payment plus the additional prep fees from the refund balance. The remaining balance is deposited into a temporary bank account.

Online Document Access

The three paid filing options also include six years of online access to prior-year returns.

The Free Online addition provides limited future online access after the next tax season starts.

Expat Tax Tools

H&R Block can help expatriates file their United States tax returns. It’s possible to file by yourself or hire an advisor. Filing fees start at $99.

Is H&R Block Easy to Use?

Is H&R Block easy to use? The answer is “yes” for most who use computers or mobile apps regularly.

The web platform or mobile app can be easier to navigate than most discount tax software as H&R Block due to the extensive interview process and auto-import tools.

However, TurboTax continues to be a little easier to use yet both programs produce the same results and H&R Block can be cheaper in more instances.

The paid options have live chat and phone support to resolve technical difficulties.

Go to H&R Block

H&R Block Guarantees

100% Accuracy Guarantee – H&R Block reimburses up to $10,000 in penalties and interest if their software makes a calculation error.

Maximum Refund Guarantee – If you find a calculation error, H&R Block lets you file an amended return for free and will reimburse you for the fees you paid to process your original return. You will need to discover this error and show it to H&R Block.

No Surprise Guarantee – You can get 20% off next year’s tax prep fees if H&R Block fails to provide any of these four benefits:

• Upfront transparent pricing
• Transparent process
• Free audit assistance
• Free mid-year care check-in

Customer Support

H&R Block has an extensive knowledge base of tax questions and technical support questions. If you run into tax problems, start by referencing this database to see if it has what you need.

For additional help, phone and live chat support are available. Their phone support can be reached at 1-800-472-5625 from 7 AM – 10 PM Central Time, Monday to Sunday. Online chat support is available from 7 AM to Midnight, Monday to Sunday.

Is H&R Block Expensive?

Like most online tax prep software, H&R Block offers a free tax filing option for simple tax returns. Not all companies offer a free state return, however. So, if you qualify for the free version, that will obviously be the least expensive way to go.

For the paid plans, H&R Block has competitive pricing for federal and state tax returns. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s also not the most expensive. It’s a few dollars cheaper than its main competitor, TurboTax. Here’s a comparison of H&R Block vs TurboTax, head-to-head

If you want to spend the least amount of money possible, a platform like FreeTaxUSA is better from a price perspective. It has bargain pricing for federal and state tax returns.

Is H&R Block a Good Place to Do Taxes?

If you want in-person tax assistance, H&R Block is a strong option. You most likely have an H&R Block office near you. You can start your return online, and if it gets too complicated, you can switch over and speak to a local tax pro. That’s not something you can do with other software.

H&R Block Alternatives

TurboTax

TurboTax has the same three levels of service as H&R Block; you can do your taxes yourself, you can add on tax assistance with a tax expert, or you can have your taxes done by completely by a tax pro.

TurboTax doesn’t use AI for their tax assistance, so you can be assured you’re talking to a human. However, you also can’t meet your tax expert in person like you can with H&R Block. So, which service is better depends on what features you plan on using.

TurboTax’s free plan includes one state. The DIY plan goes up to $89 for federal and $39 for state returns. Assisted returns are between $49 and $169, and Full Service starts at $89.

Here’s our full Turbo Tax review to learn more.

Go to TurboTax

TaxSlayer

TaxSlayer offers do-it-yourself services and you can add on tax assistance if desired. The free plan includes one state return and can process simple tax returns. The Classic plan covers all tax situations and is only $22.95 for federal and $39.95 for state.

If you want to speak to a tax expert, you’ll need to upgrade to the Premium plan for $42.95 for federal returns and $39.95 for state. $20 to speak to an expert is quite reasonable.

There is no option to have a professional prepare your taxes on your behalf.

Here’s our full TaxSlayer review for more information.

Go to TaxSlayer

FreeTaxUSA

FreeTaxUSA has one plan that covers all tax situations, and it’s free to file your federal return and $14.99 for each state return. You can add on access to a tax pro for $39.99.

You can also upgrade to the Deluxe version for $7.99 which gives you access to support via chat and unlimited amended returns.

Here’s our full FreeTaxUSA review for more information.

Go to FreeTaxUSA

Summary

H&R Block is a reliable tax software and is great for those who may want to speak to a tax professional in person. An above-average amount of simple tax returns can file for free and the free version includes one state return. So it’s possible to file for completely free if you qualify.

Having add-on tax expert access for personalized advice is another positive for those who prefer hands-on help.

The post H&R Block Review 2025: From Online to In-Person Filing appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Filing taxes is an annual practice that most of us try to do as quickly as possible and at the lowest cost. TaxAct is a popular tax software that can produce the same results as the more expensive platforms. TaxAct used to be among the cheapest tax software, but the price has crept up over the last few years.

TaxAct offers a free plan plus three paid plans: Deluxe, Premier, and Self-Employed. Then, each plan has an upgraded version, allowing you to speak with a tax expert.

Deluxe supports unemployment income, mortgage interest, and itemized returns. Premier supports the sale of a home, the sale of investments, and foreign bank accounts. Self-employed supports business income. 

At a Glance

• TaxAct’s free plan includes unemployment income, dependents, and retirement income.
• Free plan does not include your state return.
• Access to a tax pro can be added to any plan for $60.
• Audit assistance is limited to an FAQ database.
• Kind of expensive for what you get.

Who Should Use TaxAct?

TaxAct is a good alternative to the more expensive TurboTax, as long as you don’t qualify for the free version of TurboTax. If you’ve used TaxAct in the past and are comfortable with the software, you can go ahead and use it again this year —the price is middle of the road.

However, there are less expensive options if you are looking for new software, such as TaxSlayer.

TaxAct Alternatives

Free version cost with state	$0	$0	$0
Prices start at	$22.95 for federal $39.95 for state	$49 for federal $39 per state	$35 for federal $37 per state
Tax assistance available	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

Is TaxAct Really Free?

TaxAct offers free federal filing for non-itemized simple tax returns that can include these income streams:

• W-2 income
• Unemployment income
• Retirement income
• Child tax credits
• Earned income credits

Unfortunately, it costs to use TaxAct if you earn self-employed income or sell investments. Filing an itemized tax return. State returns also cost $39.99.

There isn’t a maximum income limit to qualify for the free version of TaxAct. Instead, how much you pay depends on which taxable events you report.

Free

• Federal cost: $0
• State cost: $39.99 per state

Qualifying simple tax returns can file federal returns for free and state returns are $39.99. The tax situations that can file for free with TaxAct are similar to most online tax prep software.

You can prepare a non-itemized 1040 Individual Income Tax Return. It’s possible to claim these income streams, tax credits, and tax deductions in the Free edition:

• W-2 income
• Retirement income
• Unemployment income
• Child tax credit
• Earned income tax credit
• Dependents
• Tuition and fees
• Student loan interest

Those currently making student loan payments will need to pay to use TaxAct to claim the student loan interest deduction. However, current students can deduct tuition and fees for the current year.

You can import returns from prior years, and you get tech support. However, you do not get any assistance with your actual taxes. If you have tax questions, you’ll have to add on their Xpert plan for $60.

These standard features can make filing a free tax return easier:

• Import prior-year tax returns
• Online tax glossary for self-help
• Chat, email, and phone technical support
• FAFSA assistance
• One year of online return access and six years of PDF access
• Real-time filing status updates by text or email

Deluxe

• Federal cost: $29.99
• State cost: $39.99 per state

If you want to itemize or claim dependent care credits then you’ll need to upgrade to TaxAct Deluxe. Parents and homeowners are most likely to need this version.

The TaxAct Deluxe edition covers everything in the Free version, plus:

• Itemized deductions
• Adoption credits
• Child and dependent care
• Mortgage interest
• Real estate taxes
• Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions

If you have charity contributions, you may appreciate the Donation Assistant that tracks the value of cash and physical donations.

You can look for answers to your tax questions in the free TaxAct online library, but if you want to speak to tax professional you’ll need to get the Xpert Assist which will cost an additional $60.

Premier

• Federal cost: $49.99
• State cost: $39.99 per state

Premier takes has all the deductions allowed in Deluxe, and adds in several other types of income. If you sold a home, any investments, or received a 1099-k then you’ll need to upgrade to the Premier plan. These tax events report on a Schedule D (Capital Gains or Losses) and Schedule E (Supplemental Income and Loss).

Premier includes everything from Deluxe and:

• Stock, gains and losses
• Sale of home
• Rental property income
• Royalty and Schedule K-1 income
• Foreign bank and financial accounts

The TaxAct tax software will guide you through the process of reporting your investment and real estate gains and losses. It’s possible to import the end-of-year brokerage documents from select online brokers. If a direct import isn’t possible, you can upload a CSV file.

You get tech support included, but if you have questions about your taxes you’ll need to add on Xpert Assist for an additional $60.

Self-Employed

• Federal cost: $69.99
• State cost: $39.99 per state

If you earn business, freelance, or farm income, you’ll need to opt for the Self-Employed version. This version allows you to file a Schedule C and Schedule F

Self-Employed incudes everything from Premier, plus:

• Freelance income
• Business income
• Farm income
• Personalized business deductions
• Depreciation
• Year-round resources

The Self-Employed version also helps you calculate your business depreciation and next year’s estimated taxes.

As with the other plans, Self-Employed comes with tech support but if you have tax questions you’ll have to add on the Xpert Assist feature which costs an additional $59.99

Live Tax Advice

You can add unlimited access to a tax expert to any plan (including the free plan) for $60.

If you need help you submit a request and a tax pro will call you. You can ask questions and share your screen so they can give you the exact guidance you’re looking for. They are available Monday through Friday, between 8 am and 5pm central time, between January 2nd and January 18th.

Between January 19th and April 6th, tax experts are available Monday through Friday 8 am to 9 pm and 9 am to 6 pm on weekends.

Receiving a Refund

If you qualify for a tax refund, TaxAct won’t charge any extra fees for these payout methods:

• Direct deposit
• Paper check
• American Express Serve prepaid debit card

There is a $49.95 fee if you choose to pay the TaxAct fees from your refund amount. Immediately paying TaxAct when you e-file with a credit card or debit card lets you avoid this extra fee.

TaxAct Features

While TaxAct doesn’t boast as many features as other platforms, there are several that can make preparing your taxes easy.

Step-by-Step Interview

After selecting your TaxAct package, you complete your taxes with a step-by-step interview. You will answer different questions about these tax factors:

• Personal information
• Last year’s tax return
• Income
• Deductions
• Credits
• Taxes (i.e., Alternative Minimum Tax, self-employment tax)
• Miscellaneous (i.e., estimated taxes, disaster designation, combat zone)

You can skip around sections and bookmark questions to answer later.

Data Import

You can import last year’s tax return from any other software as long as it’s a PDF copy. The TaxAct mobile app can upload W-2 forms. Some online brokerages can upload documents, but you can also upload a CSV document.

TaxAct Mobile App

The TaxAct Express app is available for Android and iOS devices. This free mobile app supports uploading your W-2 and driver’s license information. In-app chat support is available too.

Real-Time Refund Calculator

Like other tax prep software, an indicator displays your estimated refund or tax liability as you work on your return.

Deduction Maximizer

Many freelancers and real estate investors choose to hire a tax expert to prepare their taxes to avoid overlooking deductions. The Deduction Maximizer tool can produce similar results by helping you find any relevant deduction.

$100K Accuracy Guarantee

As you complete your return, TaxAct looks for IRS audit flags and reporting errors. Your tax return has an accuracy guarantee of up to $100,000. If TaxAct miscalculates your results, you receive the cash difference for the actual refund or tax liability when another tax software produces the accurate result.

This guarantee applies to the consumer 1040 federal and state tax returns but not the business filings.

Audit Assistance

TaxAct offers free audit assistance, which is an online FAQs page. You can find answers explaining the different IRS forms or how to contact an IRS agent. The phone and chat support may not help you prepare for an audit.

They partner with ProtectionPlus to offer audit defense. This provides coverage for audit defense for three years after you file your taxes. The cost is not disclosed.

Seven Years of Tax Return Access

TaxAct provides one year of online access and six years of PDF access to each tax return. It’s possible to download and print a tax return during this period.

Is TaxAct Easy to Use?

Most people will find TaxAct easy to use. The step-by-step interview can make sure you don’t forget any tax details. You can also bookmark sections and return to them later. It’s possible to get the same results but at a lower cost.

Spending the extra money might be worth it for complex returns requiring plenty of manual entry. TaxAct has limited upload options that can make reporting sold investment and real estate income prone to reporting errors.

Technical support is free and available by chat, phone, or email.

For personal tax advice, an add-on package is available. TaxAct provides an online tax glossary that can answer common tax questions. Those wanting one-on-one assistance may find another platform more desirable.

Is TaxAct Secure?

Filing your taxes can be a prime opportunity for identity theft. TaxAct uses standard industry security measures to protect your sensitive information.

Some of the best security practices include:

• Two-factor authentication by email, phone, or Google Authenticator
• Social Security Number alerts (if TaxAct detects another tax return with your SSN)
• Complex password requirements
• Trusted device verification
• Device sign in history
• Customizable security rules

TaxAct encrypts each webpage as well.

TaxAct Alternatives

Using other tax software can be better depending on your personal needs.

TaxSlayer

TaxSlayer’s free plan includes one free state, but you can only use the free plan if your taxable income is under $100,000. TaxSlayer’s free plans are reasonably priced; the Classic plan covers all tax situations and is $22.95 for federal and $39.95 for state.

You’ll have to upgrade to the Premium plan if you want access to a tax pro in order to ask tax questions. But the Premium plan is only $42.95 for federal and $39.95 for state.

Here’s our full TaxSlayer review for more information.

Go to TaxSlayer

TurboTax

Many consider TurboTax to be the “gold standard” tax software, and they’ve lowered their prices again this year to be more competitive. The free plan includes one state return, so you could potentially file your taxes for completely fre.

Federal returns without any tax assistance will cost between $0 and $89, and state returns are $39 each. If you want to speak with a tax professional, it will cost between $49 and $169 for federal and $49 per state.

TurboTax also offers the option to have a tax pro do your taxes for you. This starts at $89 for the federal return and goes up from there, depending on the complexity of the return. The state return is $49 per state.

Here’s our full TurboTax review for more information.

Go to TurboTax

H&R Block

H&R Block offers online and local tax prep services and offers more features than TaxAct. Its free plan includes one free state, which TaxAct does not.

Their paid plans start at $35 for federal returns and $37 for each state. Included in the do-it-yourself package is access to both AI and human chat to ask tax questions. You can also have your taxes done for you by heading down to your local H&R Block office.

Here’s our full H&R Block review for more information.

Go to H&R Block

The post TaxAct Review 2025: Quality Service, Average Pricing appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

At a Glance

• The Classic plan covers all tax situations for only $22.95 for federal returns and $39.95 for state returns.
• You must be under 65, earn under $100,000, and not have any dependents to qualify for the free plan.
• Active military can file a federal return for free.
• Tax assistance is email only and doesn’t provide personalized advice.
• Audit inquiry assistance is included in all paid plans.

Who Should Use TaxSlayer

TaxSlayer is good for those who want an easy to use, premium experience for a lower cost. However, in exchange for this, you’ll give up some bells and whistles the higher-priced services offer, such as personalized tax advice.

If you expect to need to speak to a tax pro, you’ll want to choose another service. But if you are confident that you can file with just general tax assistance, then TaxSlayer could save you money while providing an easy-to-use interface.

TaxSlayer Alternatives

Pricing	$0-$69.99 for federal and $39.99 per state	$0 for federal and $14.99 for state	$0 for both federal and state
Personalized tax advice	Yes	Yes	No
Audit Defense available	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

Filing taxes is an annual ritual that most of us hope to finish quickly and cheaply.

TaxSlayer offers low-cost, online tax prep. Their free version isn’t as comprehensive as other platforms, for example it doesn’t support dependents. However, their paid plans are less expensive than its competitors.

This TaxSlayer review can help you decide if this is the best way to file your taxes.

🔃 This post was updated on 01/04/2025 with the new 2025 pricing.

Is TaxSlayer Really Free?

TaxSlayer lets you file these simple tax returns for free:

• Filing single or married filing jointly
• No dependents
• Taxable income under $100,000
• Standard deduction
• W-2 income
• Both spouses under age 65
• Unemployment income
• Student loan interest
• Education expenses
• Taxable interest of $1,500 or less

Basically, if you only have a W-2 or unemployment income, earn less than $100,000, don’t have any dependents,m and are under age 65, you can file for free. This includes both federal and one state.

TaxSlayer Pricing

The TaxSlayer filing fees can be cheaper than most tax software for federal and state returns.

Simply Free

• Federal cost: $0
• State cost: $0

The Simply Free plan offers one free federal and one free state tax return. You can use this plan if your taxable income is under $100,000, you claim the standard deduction, and you don’t have any dependents. You must also file either single or married filing jointly.

It covers W-2, unemployment, and interest income up to $1,500. If you have any other types of income, such as 1099, business income, rental income, or investment income, you won’t be able to use this plan.

You must take the standard deduction, but you can deduct student loan interest payments and claim education credits.

You can upload last year’s return and get unlimited phone and email technical support, and TaxSlayer will auto-fill your W-2 form to prevent reporting errors.

This free filing option supports fewer tax situations than many other tax software. For example, other platforms let you claim common tax credits for dependents, like the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.

This plan doesn’t include IRS audit assistance like the paid plans. However, these returns are unlikely to cause an audit red flag because of their simplicity.

Get started with the Simply Free Edition

Military

• Federal cost: $0
• State cost: $39.95

Federal returns are free if you’re an active-duty servicemember, but each state return costs the standard $39.95.

All tax situations are included. No restrictions. You’ll also get up to one year of IRS inquiry assistance.

Get started with the Military Edition

Classic

• Federal cost: $22.95
• State cost: $39.95

The TaxSlayer Classic covers all tax situations with no restrictions. All income types, deductions, and credits are covered in the Classic plan.

You’ll also be able to auto-fill your W-2 and 1099 information and e-file. You’ll also get a year of unlimited phone and email support after you file if you have additional questions.

Get started with the Classic Edition

Premium

• Federal cost: $42.95
• State cost: $39.95

With Premium, you’ll get everything from Classic, plus:

• Ask a Tax Pro for one-on-one tax guidance
• Live chat technical support
• Priority customer support
• Up to three years of IRS audit assistance

The Ask a Tax Pro feature can be the best reason to upgrade if you need personal tax advice while preparing your return. Federal filing fees can easily exceed $100 for on-demand tax expert access from other providers. However, the assistance is via email only and is only general tax information. If you need personal advice for your unique situation, you may need to choose another software.

You also get up to three years of assistance if the IRS audits your federal tax return.

Get started with the Premium Edition

Self-Employed

• Federal cost: $52.95
• State cost: $39.95

Freelancers, side hustlers, and the full-time self-employed can benefit from the Self-Employed plan to file your Schedule C.

The service can also send quarterly reminders for estimated taxes.

Plan benefits include:

• Ask a Tax Pro access
• Unlimited phone, live chat and email technical support
• Estimated quarterly tax payment reminders
• Up to three years of IRS audit defense
• Self-employment income and deduction guidance

Receiving a 1099 form for side hustle income doesn’t necessarily mean you should choose this plan. If you have minimal work expenses, the Classic or Premium option can be sufficient for your tax situation.

If you aren’t sure if you need the Self-Employed plan or if Classic will suffice, start with Classic and upgrade to Self-Employed if you have to.

Get started with the Self Employed Edition

Refund Options

If you’re eligible to receive a federal tax refund, there are several ways to receive it. TaxSlayer e-files your return and helps track your refund status.

Direct Deposit

All online tax software offers direct deposit, and a mailed paper check if you pay your tax prep fees upfront. These are the two default delivery options from the IRS.

Direct deposit can be the fastest and easiest way to receive your tax refund. The IRS sends most refunds within 21 days using direct deposit.

Paper Check

The second way the IRS distributes tax refunds is by paper check. There isn’t an extra fee, but it can take up to eight weeks (56 days) to receive your payment.

TaxSlayer Visa Debit Card

You may also choose to receive your refund on a TaxSlayer Visa Debit Card Powered by GreenDot.

This is a reloadable prepaid debit card with no monthly service fees.

The card also includes these features you can use after getting your tax refund:

• Free ASAP Direct Deposit
• No overdraft fees
• ATM access
• Mobile app

Extra fees can apply when you reload your card at local stores or for expedited mobile check deposits.

File and Go

For an additional fee of $39.99, you can deduct your TaxSlayer fees from your tax refund with the File and Go option. The IRS deposits your refund into an escrow account run by Civista Bank (FDIC #12982).

TaxSlayer withholds your tax prep fees and the remaining balance is deposited into your linked bank account or prepaid debit card.

You might choose this payment option if you don’t have a credit card to pay the filing fees or don’t have the upfront cash.

Customer Support

TaxSlayer offers the following support options:

• Online knowledge base articles
• Phone and email technical support
• Email access to a tax professional

These essential tools can be sufficient for most tax situations and help navigate the tax interview. You won’t be able to receive personal tax guidance unless you upgrade your plan, but you can research your questions online.

Upgrading to the Premium or Self-Employed version lets you ask written questions to a tax expert. This access is cheaper than other platforms, but the competition may offer real-time video streaming and screen sharing. The answers will also be general tax information and should not be considered personal advice.

Another reason to upgrade is to get priority technical support. The TaxSlayer support team will respond to you first when you have difficulty navigating the platform.

Key Features

Here are some of the best features TaxSlayer offers to make filing your return easier.

Auto-Import

You can auto-import last year’s tax return by uploading a PDF document from any tax software. The company compares your credits and deductions for this year and last year to see if you forgot anything.

TaxSlayer can also autofill your W2 tax forms, which reduces the likelihood of overlooking a box or mistyping a number.

Unfortunately, TaxSlayer doesn’t upload investment documents.

Ask a Tax Pro

The Premium and Self-Employed plans come with unlimited “Ask a Tax Pro” access.

You can submit questions online to an IRS-certified tax expert and receive an answer via email or on the TaxSlayer platform.

Pricier services may let you share your screen with a tax expert and schedule a consultation. Other platforms may also offer the expert to review your return or complete it for you.

TaxSlayer doesn’t offer full-service assistance, but its lower cost can be sufficient if you only need to ask questions. Keep in mind that this service is email only, and may not give personalized answers. Tax pros give general tax advice. If you think you’ll need specific advice for your situation, you may want to consider a different service.

IRS Audit Assistance

The TaxSlayer Classic and Military plans offer one year of IRS inquiry assistance. Coverage starts when the IRS accepts your e-file return.

You get three years of IRS audit assistance when you upgrade to Premium or Self-Employed. If the IRS audits your return, TaxSlayer provides audit preparation assistance.

However, a TaxSlayer agent won’t provide in-person representation during the audit process.

Self-Employed Help

Similar to other online programs, choosing the Self-Employed tier provides special tools that cheaper levels do not.

For example, the TaxSlayer tax interview wizard can help you find industry-specific deductions you may overlook by choosing a cheaper plan.

You can also print off forms for estimated taxes and receive quarterly reminders you don’t miss a filing deadline.

TaxSlayer also sends tax tips during the year that can help you maximize your self-employment income.

Guarantees

Two accuracy guarantees can provide peace of mind. These guarantees are similar to other online tax prep services.

100% Accuracy Guarantee: TaxSlayer reimburses any federal or state penalties and interest due to a calculation error.

Maximum Refund Guarantee: You can get a refund of your TaxSlayer fees if another tax software calculates a higher refund or smaller tax liability using the same information.

Is TaxSlayer Easy to Use?

The TaxSlayer platform can be easy to use, but you will need to manually enter more tax documents than pricier platforms like TurboTax or H&R Block.

Another platform can be worth the higher fee if you have several brokerage statements to input or have several investment sales to report. The auto-import convenience can save you time and reduce the probability of data input errors.

TaxSlayer Mobile App

The TaxSlayer app is available for Android and Apple devices.

App features include:

• W-2 import
• Tax help articles
• Phone technical support
• Tax refund estimator

Because TaxSlayer doesn’t import tax documents from banks and discount brokers, the app may be best for simple returns that require minimal data entry. You can also start your return using the app and complete the return on a computer that can be easier to use.

Is TaxSlayer Legit?

TaxSlayer is a legitimate app to file your taxes at a low price. The service has a 4.2 out of 5 Trustpilot score, which is higher than most competitors.

One recurring positive TaxSlayer review is the transparent pricing and the step-by-step walkthroughs for simple or complex situations.

Common negative complaints include not being the easiest app to navigate or being the best service if you have investments as you must manually enter all of the investment income. This can be a time-consuming task if you sold multiple stocks or use multiple brokers.

TaxSlayer Alternatives

TaxAct

TaxAct is likely TaxSlayer’s closest competitor. Its paid plans are slightly more expensive, but the free version includes dependants and doesn’t have a maximum income limit like TaxSlayer’s does.

You can add life tax assistance to any plan for $60 and speak to a tax pro over the phone and receive personalized advice, which you can’t do with TaxSlayer.

Here’s our full review of TaxAct for more information.

Go to TaxAct

Free Tax USA

Free Tax USA offers free federal returns for all tax situations, and state returns are only $14.99 each. You can upgrade and add on tax assistance for $39.99 to receive support from tax experts who provide personalized advice. You can contact the tax pros via video call, phone, or chat.

You can also add on audit defense for $19.99.

Here’s our full Free Tax USA review for more information

Go to Free Tax USA

Cash App Taxes

Cash App Taxes has free tax prep for all situations, including free state returns. Its biggest limitation is that you can’t file in multiple states. So if you earned income outside the state you currently live in, you won’t be able to use Cash App.

It also doesn’t provide any tax assistance, so if you think you may have questions, you won’t be able to use Cash App.

Here’s our full Cash App Taxes review for more information.

Go to Cash App Taxes

Summary

TaxSlayer is one of the best discount software because of its competitive prices for complex tax situations. The Ask a Tax Pro is an affordable option too.

Another platform may make it easier to file your taxes for free if you have dependents. Investors with many tax documents may prefer spending the extra money and using TurboTax that syncs with most financial institutions to save time.

The post TaxSlayer Review 2025: Features, Prices, Pros and Cons appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Everyone wants a great interest rate on their savings. But along with a good return, it’s important to do business with a bank that’s accessible and trustworthy.

Barclays high-yield savings account earns a competitive yield and doesn’t have fees or account minimums. But as with many online banks, you may notice limitations with the offered products.

In this review of Barclays US online bank, I’ll cover the strengths and weaknesses and present you with a few online banking alternatives to consider. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

NOTE: Interest rates change often, they are accurate as of the publishing date.

At A Glance

• High interest rates on savings
• Low fees
• Savings, CDs, credit cards, and personal loans are available. No checking accounts.

Who Should Use Barclays

Barclays is worth considering if you want to earn a competitive interest rate on your short to medium-term savings.

Unfortunately, Barclays doesn’t offer checking accounts, and there are no brick-and-mortar branches. As a result, you won’t be able to use Barclays for your daily banking needs, such as paying bills, as you won’t receive a debit card or paper checks.

If you’re fine with using Barclays for savings only, then it’s one of your best options for the following reasons:

• Earn competitive yields
• No minimum balance requirements
• Zero account service fees
• 24/7 online account access
• Up to $250,000 in FDIC insurance

Barclays Alternatives

Top APY	3.80% APY	4.30% APY	3.75% APY
Monthly fee	$0	$0	$0
Minimum deposit	$0	$100	$0
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

Who is Barclays Bank?

Barclays is an international bank with its head office in London. In the United States, it offers online banking and credit cards. 

Operating in the US as Barclays Bank Delaware, its online banking accounts are FDIC insured (FDIC Cert# 57203).

Wealth management and corporate finance are also available, but this review only covers Barclays savings accounts and how you can earn a high interest rate on online-only savings accounts and Certificates of Deposit (CDs).

Learn more about Barclays

Who Can Join?

Barclays US banking accounts are open to United States residents at least 18 years old. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to open minor accounts. However, parents can open up to 25 savings accounts, which can be an indirect way to track a child’s savings balance and earn an industry-leading yield.

Bank Fees

There are no fees on any Barclays account, including their certificates of deposit.

For example, you will never pay the following:

• Account maintenance fee (monthly service fee)
• Inactivity fees
• Minimum balance fee 

The only fee you might encounter is for early CD redemptions:

• 90 days of simple interest for terms shorter than 24 months
• 180 days of simple interest for terms longer than 24 months 

Deposit Account Options

Barclays offers clients two options to save their extra money and earn more interest – an online savings account and certificates of deposit (CDs) with terms ranging between 1 and 5 years. Let’s take a closer look at both products.

Tiered Savings

Barclays also has a Tiered Savings account where the interest rate you earn is based on the balance in the account. The rate is up to 4.50% APY if you have a balance of at least $250,000, otherwise you’ll earn 4.25% APY, which is still good.

It is one of today’s best yields. Moreover, it’s significantly higher than what brick-and-mortar banks offer, and you don’t have to worry about monthly service fees or minimum balance requirements.

You can also get a $200 bonus if you open the account by 3/8/2025 and deposit $25,000 within 30 days of opening the account and maintain at least $25,000 in that account for 120 days.

Some of the best account features include:

• Can make unlimited withdrawals per month
• Can receive direct deposits and mobile check deposits

Barclay’s unlimited withdrawals are a nice feature, given that most high-interest savings accounts are limited to six monthly transactions.

It’s also easy to deposit new funds into your account. While your new balance begins earning interest immediately, Barclays will hold your deposits for five business days before they can be withdrawn.

Online CDs

You may also consider placing money you don’t need for at least 12 months into a Barclays certificate of deposit.

Barclays offers term CDs from 6 months to 60 months.

• 6 months: 3.80% APY
• 12 months: 4.00% APY
• 18 months: 3.25% APY
• 24 months: 3.00% APY
• 36 months: 3.00% APY
• 48 months: 3.00% APY
• 60 months: 3.25% APY

Unlike many bank CDs, there are no minimum deposit requirements, so you can easily make a CD ladder. Typically, it’s not uncommon for banks to require at least $1,000 to open a CD – so this low limit is great.

As you’re committing your money for a preset period, you receive a higher APY than the online savings account that lets you make withdrawals on demand. The CDs have an early redemption fee of at least 90 days of interest applies if you don’t wait for the CD to mature.

As of this writing, Barclays does not offer a no-penalty CD.

While you can earn a competitive interest rate, US Treasury Series I Bonds might be a better option as the yields are substantially higher while inflation rates remain elevated. 

The minimum holding period for I Bonds is 12 months, but you must hold for 60 months to avoid an early redemption penalty of 90 days’ interest. So, the holding periods are similar to CDs, but you can potentially earn a staggeringly higher yield.

Learn more about Barclays

Reader Experiences with Barclays

We had a reader, Walter, send in his positive experiences with Barclays:

You asked about the Barclays offer…

I was so intrigued that I forwarded it to my daughter (age 24 and has a healthy savings account, still in a Huntington “savings” account that might as well pay nothing at all) and urged her to read over your info.

I try not to push, but she might as well have her savings work for her and I hope she takes advantage of their offer…$200 to start a good savings plan is just a very good deal.

I have had an active Barclays on-line savings plan (tied to my checking) for years and I find it safe and efficient.  I treat it as our emergency fund and rarely have had to dip into it.  Meanwhile, it chugs along at a very nice (not the top rate, but one I am comfy with) interest rate and is now making us some real money. 

Just this week I added $600 and it took about 5 minutes.  Sign in to Barclays (I use double authentication for safety), type in the amount for transfer and when you want it done.  Boom.  I get a near instant e-mail that says the transfer took place (and this is from my local, bank based checking account—that still prints me free checks).

Barclays provide very handy on-line tax forms at the end of the year.  Print out for tax verification, etc.

I have had no issues/problems with them for many years, so here is my testimonial.

Additional Features

While you won’t get in-person branch access, Barclays has several tools to make it easier for you to bank online. Here are some of the features you can expect to see after opening a Barclays account.

Savings Assistant

You can easily create savings goals using the Savings Assistant tool. This feature lets you estimate how quickly you can achieve your goal at your current savings rate.

CD Calculator

The Barclays CD Calculator lets you quickly see how much interest you will earn if you open a CD. This tool can be vital if you’re living on a fixed income or want to know precisely how much short-term investments make. 

Check Deposits

The Deposit Checks feature lets you easily upload paper check images from a computer, tablet, or phone. You can instantly start earning interest on these deposits, and it’s another reason you don’t need local banking access.

Mobile App

The Barclays US Savings app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This app makes it easy to bank and remote deposit checks on the go. 

Additionally, this app is different than the one you might use for Barclays-issued rewards credit cards. 

Learn more about Barclays

Barclays Alternatives

Depending on what you’re looking for, the following online banks can offer more services and potentially higher yields.

Ally Bank

Ally Bank, has a high-yield savings that earns 3.80% APY on all balances with no minimum or monthly fees. It also offers a checking account, money market, and CDs, all at competitive rates with no monthly fees.

There are no minimum deposits for these accounts, and unlike with Barclays, IRA CDs are also available. Additionally, you can invest through Ally Invest with commission-free trades and powerful research tools.

Read our full Ally Bank review for more information.

Go to Ally Bank

CIT Bank

CIT Bank offers many savings account options, including its Platinum Savings, which earns 4.30% APY if you have at least $5,000 in the account. If you don’t typically have $5,000 in savings, you can opt for the Savings Connect account, which earns 4.00% APY on all balances. Both accounts have a $100 minimum opening deposit.

For more flexibility, you may consider the money market and eChecking accounts which provide debit card access and up to $30 monthly ATM fee reimbursements.

For more information, check out our CIT Bank review.

Go to CIT Bank

Discover Bank

Discover® Bank offers a high-yield savings account that earns 3.75% APY with no balance requirements or monthly fees. First-time members may be able to earn bonus cash by visiting our Discover Bank promotion page. 

You can also open a free checking account that earns debit card rewards (up to 1% back) and access 60,000 surcharge-free ATMs. 

Read our Discover Bank review for more.

Go to Discover

Is Barclays Bank Worth It?

Barclays is a solid choice if your only priority is getting the best possible rate on a savings account or CDs. Their rates are among the highest available, and comparable to Ally Bank, a top competitor.

At the time of this writing, both companies have the same online savings interest rate. Their CD rates are close as well.

The only knock against Barclays is that there is no checking account. This means you can’t write any checks or use a debit card. It’s strictly a savings account.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

Barclays is an excellent option if you’re looking for top rates on high-yield savings accounts and CDs. But, unfortunately, you won’t be able to switch all your banking to this platform as they don’t offer checking accounts.

That said, some people like separating their savings from their other banking. You may not want to keep your long-term savings and spending account under the same umbrella if you struggle to save your disposable income.

Learn more about Barclays

The post Barclays Bank Review: High Rates for Savings appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

First, you'll want to understand the complexity of your taxes. Simple taxes typically include W-2 income and the standard deduction, while complicated taxes usually include a small business. Then, there is everything in between, which includes things like rental income or sold investments.

Next, you'll want to consider how much support you need. Are you comfortable doing your taxes without assistance, or do you want to just hand them over to a tax pro? Or maybe something in the middle, where you file them yourself, but you have a tax expert on hand to answer questions.

No matter which combination of complexity and support you need, there is a tax software that can help you.

Software	Best For	Learn More
	Best Overall	Learn more
	Best Free Tax Software	Learn more
	Best for In-Person Assistance	Learn more
	Best Budget Tax Software	Learn more
	Best Accuracy Guarantee	Learn more

TurboTax: Best Overall

Best For: Those who want all the bells and whistles

• Pricing: $0 – $89 for DIY plan
• Free plan includes state: Yes
• Tax expert available: Yes
• Audit defense available: Yes

TurboTax continues to be the best tax preparation software overall. While this perennial favorite isn’t the cheapest, TurboTax offers more features than most alternatives.

If you qualify for the free version and file before March 31st, 2024 you can add on live tax assistance for free. You will not find this option at any other tax preparation software.

TurboTax has three plans that are based on how much assistance you want.

Do it Yourself Edition

• Federal: $0 – $89
• State: $0 – $39

As the name suggests, the Do it Yourself edition of TurboTax doesn't include any tax assistance. But it's also the cheapest version. In fact, if your tax situation qualifies, you can get both your federal return and your state return for free.

You can file simple tax returns for free with TurboTax when you only have these tax details:

• W-2 income
• Claim a standard deduction
• Limited interest and dividend income (reported on a 109-DIV or 1099-INT)
• Student loan interest
• Earned income tax credit
• Child tax credits

File for free with TurboTax Free Edition. ~37% of taxpayers qualify and it includes Form 1040 + limited credits only. File for free with TurboTax Free Edition. For simple tax returns only. Not all taxpayers qualify. 

If you do have a more complicated tax situation the software will let you know that you'll need to upgrade one of the paid packages.

If you want to itemize, you'll have to upgrade to a paid plan. This will cost you $39 for your federal return and $39 for your state return.

If you have freelance income, small business income, a rental property, or if you sold stocks or crypto you'll need to upgrade to the highest level plan which is $89 for your federal return and $39 for your state return.

Live Assisted

• Federal: $49 – $169
• State: $39 – $49

Live Assisted allows you to add on the ability to speak with a tax professional about your specific tax situation. They can answer questions about the software as well as answer tax questions.

This plan also includes the option to have a tax pro review your return before you file it.

Full Service

• Federal: starts at $89
• State: $49

With the Full Service plan, you just hand over your taxes to a pro, and they complete them for you. Exactly what you will pay will be determined by the complexity of your taxes, but if you just want to skip the whole thing, this is definitely an option.

Here's our full review of TurboTax for more information.

Go to TurboTax

H&R Block: Best for In-Person Tax Prep Assistance

Best For: Those who may want in-person assistance

• Pricing: $35 for federal and $37 for state on Deluxe plan
• Free plan includes state: Yes
• Tax expert available: Yes
• Audit defense available: Yes

H&R Block has four plans, one of which is free. All paid packages get access to an AI tax assistant. If you want a human tax pro you'll have to upgrade all the way to having H&R Block file your taxes. There is no hybrid option where you file your taxes with the ability to ask questions.

Free Online

• Federal: $0
• State: $0

H&R Block's free plan is fairly comprehensive. It includes:

• W-2 income
• Social Security income
• Unemployment income
• Interest income
• Education credits
• Earned income credits
• Child tax credit

It doesn't include itemized deductions, investment income, or small business income. Also, the free edition imports your prior-year tax return from most tax software competitors.

Deluxe Online

• Federal: $35
• State: $37

If you'd like to itemize, you will need to use the Deluxe Online version. You must also upgrade to this version to deduct home mortgage interest and real estate taxes on a Schedule A form. You can also use the Deluxe version if you have freelance income but no expenses.

Other perks the free version doesn’t come with include:

• Six years of online storage of tax forms and documents in MyBlock
• Technical support by phone and chat

Premium Online

• Federal: $65
• State: $37

You'll need the Premium Online version if you sold investments or earned rental property income. Note that you can auto-import your investment documents from select online brokers.

For tax assistance, you'll have access to an AI chatbot that can answer general tax questions. It will not be able to answer questions about your specific situation.

Self-Employed Online

• Federal: $85
• State: $37

The highest-tier Self-Employed Online is necessary when you have these tax return details:

• Import Uber driver tax information
• Advanced business tax deductions or asset depreciation

If you have business expenses to deduct, you'll need this plan. It includes the AI Tax Assist, allowing you to ask general tax questions but not questions specific to your situation.

Here's our full H&R Block review for more information.

Go to H&R Block

FreeTaxUSA: Best Budget Tax Software

Best For: Taxpayers on a budget

• Pricing: $0 for federal and $14.99 for state
• Free plan includes state: No
• Tax expert available: Yes
• Audit defense available: Yes

FreeTaxUSA is perfect for people who want to get their taxes done as cheaply as possible but don't qualify for a totally free plan with another provider. All federal returns are free, and state returns are only $14.99 each.

The free plan covers all tax situations and you can add access to tax professionals for just $39.99, which is cheaper than most other tax software programs. You can also add on audit defense for $19.99, this is full audit support where the agents will speak to the IRS on your behalf.

You can upgrade to the Deluxe version for $7.99, which gives you priority support and unlimited amendments.

Here's our full review of FreeTaxUSA for more information.

Go to FreeTaxUSA

TaxAct: Best Accuracy Guarantee

Best For: Those who want an accuracy guarantee

• Pricing: $32.99 for federal and $39.99 for state on the Deluxe plan
• Free plan includes state: No
• Tax expert available: Yes
• Audit defense available: Yes

The experience isn’t as fancy as TurboTax or H&R Block but TaxAct provides similar results. If you’re switching from one of these pricey tax prep programs, you can import last year’s return free of charge.

All of the tax software on this list offers accuracy guarantees, with most reimbursing you for the cost of the software and paying any penalties and interest that accrued. But TaxAct's accuracy guarantee also includes up to $100,000 in legal fees if you had to hire a lawyer.

Free

• Federal tax return cost: $0
• State tax return cost: $39.99

Note that you can't file for completely free with TaxAct. The federal return is free if you qualify, but the state return will cost you just about $40. You can add on live, human tax assistance for $59.99.

The free online version of TaxAct is similar to the other self-prepare software options. Supported tax events include:

• W-2 income
• Unemployment income
• Retirement income
• Child tax credit
• Earned income credit
• Current students
• Student loan interest

You can import last year's tax return from either H&R Block or TurboTax. You also get chat and phone technical support and self-help access to an online tax glossary consisting of over 300 tax terms.

Another nice perk can be getting assistance with completing your FAFSA for college financial aid.

TaxAct provides up to one year of online access and six years of PDF access to your return for the free prep option and the premium tiers.

Deluxe

• Federal: $24.99
• State: $44.99 per state

The Deluxe version covers everything in the free plan, but also includes:

• Itemized deductions
• Child and dependent care
• Mortgage interest
• Real estate taxes
• Unemployment income
• Health savings account (HSA)
• Adoption credits

Like the free plan, you get free technical support and online access to the self-help Answer Center library. You can also add on live tax assistance for $59.99.

Premier

• Federal: $49.99
• State: $39.99

The TaxAct Online Premier version is when you sell investments or a house, earn rental property income or have foreign bank and financial accounts. This version also supports royalty and Schedule K-1 income.

Premier covers everything in Deluxe and includes:

• Stock sales
• Home sale
• Rental income
• Schedule K-1 income
• 1099-K income and expenses

TaxAct has a Stock Assistant feature that allows you to import your trade data, which can save a lot of time. As with the other plans, you can add on live tax assistance for $60.

Self-Employed

• Federal: $69.99
• State: $39.99

You will need to use the TaxAct Self-Employed version if you have freelance income or business income and expenses.

The Self-Employed version covers everything from Premier and also includes:

• Freelance and self-employment income (Form 1099-MISC or 1099-NEC)
• Business and farm income
• Personalized business deductions
• Depreciation

You also get year-round planning resources to pay your business taxes and quarterly taxes. You can add on live tax assistance for $60.

Here's our full TaxAct review for more information.

Go to TaxAct

How to Choose the Best Tax Software

You'll want to understand your specific tax situation to decide which online tax preparation companies have the features you need.

Qualify for Free Tax Returns

There are many tax software platforms to choose from and comparing the options can be time-consuming. The best place to start is by seeing which software will most likely prepare your taxes for free.

Understanding exactly what your taxes consist of is important here. If you only have W-2 income and will take the standard deduction, then you can likely file with any tax software for free. Choose the one you feel more comfortable with.

Notice the cost of the state return as well. Just because the federal return is free, doesn't mean the state return is.

Cash App Taxes is completely free for most tax returns, but you have to do it through the app, which can be a bit of a headache.

Cost to File State Tax Returns

Many online tax prep programs advertise the cost of filing a federal return with highly visible lettering. However, state tax return prep costs can be a little harder to find. If you need to file one or multiple state tax returns, this “hidden fee” can add up quickly.

If you have several state returns to file, consider FreeTaxUSA. Most tax situations qualify for a free federal return, and state returns are only $14.99 each.

Be aware that just because a tax software advertises a free federal return doesn't mean that the state return is also free.

Compare Advanced Features

Once you have a ballpark estimate of how much it will cost to prepare your taxes, see which software has the best features. For example, spending a few extra dollars to auto-import your financial documents can be worth the time savings.

You might also choose a specific software for on-demand access to a tax expert for your tax questions. Cheaper tax software may only provide tech support when you need help navigating their platform.

Access to a Tax Professional

Most online tax software programs offer access to a customer service rep for tech questions. However, you'll need to talk to a tax professional if you have tax questions. This is rarely free, so if you think you may have tax questions, research how much it costs to add on access to a tax pro.

The least inexpensive way to access a tax pro is through FreeTaxUSA, you can add on this feature for just $39.99. If you want to skip the hassle, you can also have a tax professional do your taxes for you with both TurboTax and H&R Block.

Audit Support

If the idea of getting audited scares you, you can add on audit support for most online tax software when you file. You can't add it after you've been audited. It's kind of like insurance. You pay a small fee upfront and hope you never have to use it.

There are two kinds of audit support. One is informational, meaning that if you get a letter, you can call, and they will answer your questions and give you directions on how to handle it. But they will not write letters for you or appear in court.

The other is full audit support. This is where they will handle all of the details for you. They will speak to the IRS on your behalf. This is typically provided through a third-party service.

Who Should Use Tax Software

If you have a simple tax return, you will likely find online tax software simple and easy to use. Even if you are nervous about doing your own taxes, you may be surprised at how easy it actually is. Tax preparation software is set up to walk you through each step so you won't miss anything.

Even if you have a more complicated tax situation, you will probably find that tax filing software makes it easy to get your taxes done quickly and accurately.

If this is your first time filing your taxes and you don't feel comfortable, consider a tax preparation software that allows you to add on the ability to speak to a tax professional. This way, you'll have someone to ask if you get stuck.

TurboTax allows you to start with the Do It Yourself version and then add on Live Assistance for tax questions. Then, if that isn't enough help, you can upgrade to Full Service, where they take over and complete your taxes for you.

Who Shouldn't Use Tax Software

Business owners typically have an accountant file their taxes for them, especially if they are getting into more complicated tax situations, such as depreciation of assets.

Also, if the whole idea of doing your taxes stresses you out to the point where you'd rather avoid it entirely, then having an accountant do it for you might be the best idea. You don't want to procrastinate when it comes to doing your taxes.

Paying a little extra to ensure they are done accurately and on time will be worth the cost. It will help you avoid penalties and interest and save your sanity.

Summary

Which tax software is best will depend on your specific situation. If you have a simple tax return, you can likely file your state and federal income tax online easily. More complicated tax situations will require a little more digging to find the perfect solution.

What is your favorite tax prep software? Are you going to switch to a different platform this year?

The post The Best Tax Software for 2025 appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

The best budgeting apps can help you craft an ideal budget and track other financial metrics such as your net worth, savings rate, and spending patterns. One such app, Lunch Money, offers many features to make budgeting easier, including automatic account syncing, adding manual accounts, and customizing the data.

Lunch Money offers several perks that some competitors are less likely to provide, such as multicurrency support and community-developed plugins to personalize the budgeting experience.

Our Lunch Money review digs into the various features that can help you make and stick with a budget.

At a Glance

• Easy-to-use budgeting tool
• Create a monthly budget and track your spending
• Create customized rules that make for easy transaction categorization
• Tracks net worth
• Supports 90+ currencies, including crypto

Who Should Use Lunch Money?

Lunch Money is easy to use and great for beginners. It is not a zero-based budgeting app, meaning you don’t have to give every dollar a job. This is perfect for beginners since it allows for more flexibility, especially if you aren’t already confident in exactly how you currently spend your money.

It also offers a calendar view of transactions for further insight into your spending habits. Use this to see patterns and help change habits. For example, if you consistently go over budget on restaurants, you may see that you spend most of your restaurant money on Friday nights. You can then know to pay extra close attention to this on Fridays.

Lunch Money makes it easy to ensure you’re not overspending without the rigidity or extensive upkeep that more detailed budget apps often require. Its net worth calculator and manual account tracking are valuable secondary benefits.

Lunch Money Alternatives

Price	$109 annually	$2.99 per month	Free or $6-$12 per month
Free trial	34 days	30 days	N/A
Zero-based	Yes	No	No
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

What Is Lunch Money?

Launched in 2019, Lunch Money is a personal finance app that allows you to create a budget, track your spending, and monitor your net worth, among other things. Its founder is a solopreneur who describes it as “a multicurrency personal finance tool for the modern-day spender.”

But you don’t need to be a world traveler or conduct business with clients from multiple countries to get the most out of Lunch Money. Its budgeting tools suit ordinary households needing to track daily spending.

Some of the core features include:

• Budgeting
• Cryptocurrency wallet tracking
• Net worth tracker
• Recurring expenses
• Rules and transactions utilities
• Stats and trends

Lunch Money is suitable for different budgeting strategies, especially if you want access to the customizable tools, automation features, and colorful displays that elevate Lunch Money above budgeting spreadsheets and pen-and-paper budgets.

However, Lunch Money isn’t for everybody, as it only offers a web version – there is no mobile app. While that will deter some, a web browser allows the platform to produce more powerful tools plus additional screen visibility.

Go to Lunch Money

How Lunch Money Works

After you create your account, you can auto-connect your various banking accounts and include the value of other tangible assets. The setup process takes a little time as you will need to categorize a handful of transactions and designate category-based spending goals. 

How much time it takes depends on the number of accounts you want to track and the complexity of your budgeting goals. The setup process took me about as long as other paid apps, but it’s not as overwhelming as some data-heavy budget software.

Tech-savvy users can also utilize the developer API to build customized plugins that usually require a spreadsheet budget app. Suppose you’re like me and want a basic budgeting app. In that case, you can easily add transaction rules and auto-categorization tools to minimize ongoing maintenance.

I’ve used many budgeting tools and found Lunch Money to be among the better ones. My first impression was that connecting banking accounts using Plaid and calculating expenses was easy. I’m able to add manual accounts and assets by uploading CSV files or entering transaction details by hand. And I can easily compare my spending by month and view itemized transactions.

In my opinion, Lunch Money is easier to use and has more functionality than most budgeting apps. It also has a different feel than deluxe budgeting apps like YNAB, blending the best features and functionality from both.   

Lunch Money Pricing

You can try out Lunch Money with a 14-day free trial that doesn’t require providing your credit card details. After that, it’s $10 monthly, or you can purchase an annual subscription for $100.

This pricing is competitive with other premium budgeting apps. The 14-day trial period is sufficient time to set up your finances and test out the software to see if it fits your budgeting and financial planning goals.

Go to Lunch Money

Best Lunch Money Features

Here are some of the most valuable financial tools to track spending, make financial goals, and monitor your net worth.

Account Syncing

Lunch Money automatically syncs to most banks and online brokerages to upload your latest transactions from these account types:

• Checking accounts
• Credit cards
• Cryptocurrency wallets
• Employee compensation
• Investment accounts
• Loans
• Real estate
• Savings accounts
• Vehicles

You can also manually add accounts if you don’t want to connect accounts or have non-linkable accounts and assets. For example, you may have a family loan you wish to track or the market value of alternative investments.

Budgeting

The Lunch Money budget method has you set spending limits for a monthly budget. You can easily compare your actual spending to your planned expenses and your average monthly spending.  

It’s easy to add single categories and category groups to track spending without experiencing data overload. You can treat categories as income and exclude them from the budget totals, like credit card payments, to prevent skewing your numbers. 

You can view the transactions by category with graphs and line items to see a high-level overview or an in-depth look on the same screen. For instance, you may want to track spending by merchant. 

This approach is not as aggressive as a zero-based budget that requires a purpose for every earned dollar. Zero-based budgets require a more extensive commitment but can make your spending and saving habits more efficient than a self-directed budget like Lunch Money.

Lunch Money’s flexibility is ideal if you want a more casual budgeting approach that requires less oversight. Additionally, a category-based budget is more of a traditional budgeting strategy that can fit your needs, whether you’re new to budgeting or have already developed money management skills and don’t need much hands-on help. 

Calendar

The budget calendar is a relatively new feature that offers another way to track your finances. Each date includes the income and expenses in monthly or two-week increments.

Multicurrency Tracker

Many personal finance apps only support local currency. However, a small subset of the world’s population works with multiple currencies, and this app can accurately log cross-border transactions in over 90 currencies, including crypto.

Net Worth Calculator

The net worth tracker can help visualize your hard work reducing expenses, saving the difference, and earning investment income. This feature is an excellent addition, offering additional value for your paid subscription.

Go to Lunch Money

Transaction Rules

By automating your finances, you can spend less time categorizing transactions and reduce the probability of giving up when budgeting takes too much time. Lunch Money suggests rules that you can apply to transaction imports. You have the ability to create custom rules too.

Rules are available for these topics:

• Budget category
• Payee
• Recurring transactions
• Tags

Each rule adopts an “if…then…finally” order flow so you can add conditions, identify specific labels, and decide how long to run a rule or delete existing ones. Not all budget software offers this level of customization.  

Trends

One of the biggest advantages of using a budgeting app is viewing your spending habits and savings rate with colorful charts and data boxes using customizable search filters. These statistics make it easier to predict your most expensive months and budget categories. It can project how much you can save each month and achieve future goals.

I appreciate tracking my net worth and spending patterns in real time to eliminate the possibility of negative financial surprises. There have been times when you think you will have more money in the bank to pay an expensive bill but don’t and can’t quickly figure out why. These insights provide the knowledge to avoid financial mistakes. 

✨Related: Best Budgeting Apps for Couples

Is Lunch Money Safe?

Lunch Money uses bank-level security and two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect your personal data. Additionally, it won’t sell your information and only has read-only access. You may also decide to upload CSV files instead of linking your accounts through Plaid to prevent ongoing access in case your account gets compromised. 

Lunch Money Alternatives

YNAB

You Need a Budget (YNAB) has a web and mobile platform using the zero-based budget method. The ultimate goal of YNAB is to “live on last month’s income,” which means that at the start of each month, you’ll have a fully funded budget and spending plan. But you don’t have to be at that point to get started.

This platform, with its extensive setup walkthrough, is ideal if you’re living paycheck to paycheck or need hands-on help with making a spending plan.

Live workshops can also help you create a YNAB budget and utilize the platform’s features. You can also enjoy the 34-day free trial.

Here’s our full YNAB review for more information

Go to YNAB

Simplifi

Simplifi by Quicken is an easy-to-use personal finance app. You can create custom budgets based on your income and expenses, including real-time updates given your linked accounts. There are also bill reminders, investing tracking, and the ability to track your net worth.

It costs $2.99 a month when billed annually with a free 30-day trial.

Here’s our full Simplifi review for more information.

Go to Simplifi

Rocket Money

Rocket Money has a free plan that can help you track spending and manage your subscriptions. With the paid version, you can have it cancel subscriptions automatically. Rocket money will also negotiate your bills for a 40% success fee of the total savings for the first year.

Rocket Money works on any computer or mobile device. Although their iOS and Android apps offer more features.

Here’s our full Rocket Money review for more information.

Go to Simplifi

FAQs

The post Lunch Money Review: Track Your Budget and Your Net Worth appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

They are easy to use and can give you reports so you can analyze your spending to make adjustments for the future.

	Best for	Learn more
	Planning ahead	Learn more
	Multiple currencies	Learn more
	Investment tracking and cash flow management	Learn more
	Beginner budgeters	Learn more
	Subscription management	Learn more
	Dave Ramsey fans	Learn more

YNAB

Best for: Planning ahead

• Price: $109 annually
• Free trial: 34 days

YNAB (You Need a Budget) is for serious budgeters. This app does more than just tell you where you spent your money. You will assign every dollar that hits your bank account to a spending or saving category.

YNAB adheres to four basic rules so you can pay this month’s bills with last month’s paycheck:

1. Give every dollar job
2. Embrace your true expenses
3. Roll with the punches
4. Age your money

YNAB is well worth the $109 yearly fee. According to YNAB, first-time budgeters save an average of $600 in the first two months. It’s also free to college students for one year. You can have unlimited budgets and collaborators.

YNAB works with almost any internet-connected device including Alexa and your Apple Watch.

Here's our full You Need a Budget review for more information.

Go to YNAB

Lunch Money

Best for: Multiple currencies

• Price: $100 if billed annually
• Free trial: 14 days

If you want a well-designed app that does budgeting really well – Lunch Money is your tool. It doesn’t try to be the Swiss army knife of apps, it focuses on budgeting. You can sync your bank accounts or manually upload a CSV (if data security is a concern). Once your data is in Lunch Money, you can play with it however you want – split transactions, tag and categorize them. It also handles multiple currencies very well.

Once you set your budget, you can put your transactions in the right place and know exactly where your spending is going. There’s a 14-day trial but otherwise it costs $10 a month or $100 a year.

And you would have no idea it’s built by a single person, it’s quite amazing! 

Here's our full review of Lunch Money for more info.

Go to Lunch Money

Empower

Best for: Investment tracking and cash flow management

• Price: Free
• Free trial: N/A

Empower is one of your best free options if you care more about tracking your net worth and investment performance than budgeting. Their platform syncs your bank and investment accounts. To see how rich you really are, you can manually add the value of tangible assets like your house, vehicles, and collectibles.

The free investment tools include a retirement tracker and fee analyzer. If you want to retire rich, these tools are a great starting point. The only time Empower costs money is if you use their optional wealth management service.

What’s also nice is that Empower has a suite of investing tools too. This way when you’re ready to start investing, the tool can grow with you and you won’t have to switch to something else.

Here's our full Empower review for more information.

Go to Empower

Simplifi by Quicken

Best for:

• Price: $2.99 a month when billed annually
• Free trial: 30 days

Simplifi by Quicken is a personal finance app with a clean design that is easy to use. The budgeting tools are impressive. You can create custom budgets based on your income and expenses, including real-time updates given your linked accounts. There are also bill reminders, investing tracking, and the ability to track your net worth.

It costs $2.99 a month when billed annually. It has no ads, and there is a free 30-day trial.

Here's our full Simplifi review for more information.

Go to Simplifi

Rocket Money

Best for: Subscription management

• Price: Free plan available
• Free trial: 7 day for premium plan

Rocket Money's free plan can help you track spending and manage your subscriptions. You can sync your money accounts to get spending reports and make a basic budget. If you want it to cancel subscriptions automatically, you'll need to sign up for the Premium plan, which is between $6 and $12.

You can also use Rocket Money to negotiate bills for a lower cost. It’s free to start the negotiation process. Rocket Money keeps a 40% success fee of the total savings for the first year. At least you don’t have to get on the phone and do it yourself. You can save the most money with a cable TV bill or a contract cell phone plan.

Rocket Money works on any computer or mobile device. Although their iOS and Android apps offer more features to automate your finances.

Here's our full Rocket Money review for more information.

Go to Rocket Money

Everydollar

Best for: Dave Ramsey fans

• Price: $79.99 when billed annually
• Free trial: 14 days

Dave Ramsey fans should consider Everydollar. This zero-based budgeting strategy is similar to the money envelope system. If you don’t know where to start with making a budget, you can start with the standard Everydollar budget template. Their debt snowball feature can help you make a plan to get out of debt.

There is a free version, but you'll have to manually add each transaction. Upgrading to the Plus version costs $79.99 annually but automatically downloads your bank account and credit card transactions.

Here's our full Everydollar review for more information.

Go to Everydollar

How to choose a budgeting app

You need to find a budgeting app that you'll use. That's the most important thing. What one person thinks is the best tool might not work for someone else. An app you download and then never use isn't doing you any good.

Desktop vs App

Some tools don't have a desktop version; others don't have an app. Some have both. If you know you will never pull up your budget on your computer; then you'll want to ensure you are happy with the app. On the other hand, if you prefer a larger screen, then the app's functionality will matter less.

Planning vs tracking

Some apps, especially the free or less expensive ones, are more about tracking your spending after the fact than budgeting. If you want to plan your spending ahead of time you'll need a tool that allows for that. If you only want to know where you spent your money at the end of the month, then you'll be frustrated by a software that insists you plan your spending.

Price

While price is always a concern, it's not the most important part of choosing a good budgeting app.

How to make the most out of your budgeting app

Once you've decided to give an app a try, you'll want to make the most of it.

Start simple

When you start a new program, it's easy to get carried away and create too much detail. Instead, start simple and add categories as you go, especially if you are new to budgeting. This will allow you to get a feel for the software without dealing with too many details.

For example, you could have a “food” category and budget all groceries and restaurants in there, rather than having it broken up.

Log in daily

Good budgeting requires frequent check-ins, especially as you get used to a new system. Nothing will kill your motivation faster than logging in and seeing 40 transactions that need to be categorized. The more often you check-in with your budget, the easier each interaction will be.

Plus, categorizing transactions is much easier when you remember what you spent the money on.

Give it at least three months

No matter which tool you choose to use, there will be a learning curve. Stuff will come up that you weren't expecting, and you'll have to adjust. This is normal! Making adjustments doesn't mean you failed at budgeting. The longer you stick with the program the easier it will be to use.

It's very common for a new budgeting system to take three months to settle in, even for experienced budgeters. Make sure you give the system enough time to start working.

Dealing with an irregular income

If you have an irregular income, you'll want to have a clear understanding of what your average monthly expenses are, and when you have extra income, set that side for leaner months.

You may want to consider an app like YNAB. The goal of YNAB is for you to live on last month's income, so you start the month knowing exactly what you have to spend.

Dealing with surprise expenses

Surprise expenses happen to everyone. When you first start budgeting, they will happen all the time, but the more you deal with these expenses, the less often they will surprise you.

When something happens every year, such as car registration costs, take the total amount and divide it by 12. From that point forward, set aside that amount for car registrations. Then next year, you'll have those funds sitting in that category ready to go. No more surprises! This is called a sinking fund.

Each time you do that you'll have one less surprise expense going forward.

But, of course, sometimes things happen that you truly weren't expecting, such as a trip to urgent care or a blown tire. These expenses are a job for your emergency fund. A fully funded emergency fund is six month's worth of living expenses. However, even a partially funded emergency fund will be a great help!

When you need to dip into the emergency fund, you should stop all other savings until you've replenished the fund.

The post 6 Best Budgeting Software Tools appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

If you have quick hands, a sharp mind, and are familiar with the rules and strategies of some popular games online – you can turn that expertise into real money in competitive tournaments and head-to-head matches.

Mobile games are a fun activity in your free time. Unlike early phone games, such as Angry Birds and Flappy Bird, which were for entertainment only, today, it's easy to find games that pay real money.

Many rely on competition, so being quick and strategic can pay off. From arcade games to trivia, you can have fun and make a little money in your spare time.

Many games are free to download, while some may require in-app purchases. These games are all legit being run by large corporations with millions in revenue and funding.

We list them all below this table, but these are our favorites (and why):

Name	Why We Like Them	Start Playing	Learn more
Swagbucks	Oldest reward play system with a ton of options	Go to Swagbucks	Learn more
Blackout Bingo	Free, two minutes per round, very easy to play	Go to Blackout Bingo	Learn more
Bubble Cash	Skill-based Bubble popper game	Go to Bubble Cash	Learn more
Freecash	A variety of games, apps & surveys	Go to Freecash	Learn more
Solitaire Cash	Many varieties of solitaire	Go to Solitaire Cash	Learn more
Solitaire Cube	Short solitaire games (solo and tourney)	Go to Solitaire Cube	Learn more
Bingo Cash	Wide variety of bingo games	Go to Bingo Cash	Learn more
Rewarded Play	Play many different games to earn reward points	Go to Rewarded Play	Learn more
Pool Payday	Play pool on your phone to win prizes	Go to Pool Payday	Learn more
Cash'em All	100% free, earn based on time played	Go to Cash'em All	Learn more

1. Swagbucks –

Works With: Android and iOS devices

Prize Options: PayPal and gift card rewards

Swagbucks can be one of the best platforms to discover new moneymaking games and other rewarding activities. You can earn between $1 and $45 per game by reaching certain levels. Each game offer lists the accomplishments you must achieve and the completion deadline. Most games require you to complete the milestones within 14 days.

You will find games for many niches, including Adventure, Bingo, Casino, Card games, Dice, and Puzzles.

The offers update regularly as new games launch. You'll find other options to make money as you complete a mission.

Several other activities can earn rewards points: online surveys, shopping online, scanning paper receipts, signing up for product offers, and watching videos.

Another reason to consider Swagbucks is for the low payout thresholds. Amazon gift card redemptions start at $1. You will need $5 to request PayPal cash or gift cards to other brands.

Why We Like Swagbucks

• Many game genres
• Multiple ways to make money besides playing games
• Some games don’t require in-app purchases
• Amazon gift card payments as small as $1
• PayPal Cash rewards start at $5

You only need to be 13 years old to join Swagbucks.

Here's our full Swagbucks review to learn more

Go to Swagbucks

2. Blackout Bingo

Works With: Android and iOS

Prize Options: Cash and merchandise

Blackout Bingo is available for Android and iOS mobile devices and users can win cash prizes. It's one of our favorite games that pay real money because each round takes just two minutes and is free. Players compete against other users who see the same balls and game cards. You will need to be the first player to get “BINGO” to win prizes.

There are several ways to earn points for this game:

• Daub the correct box when a number is called
• Bingo and Double Bingos
• Speed completion bonuses

It’s also possible to earn boosts that can help you claim squares without waiting for the caller to call the corresponding number.

You can redeem your points for PayPal cash prizes and merchandise like t-shirts and phone cases.

Please Note! Cash tournaments are available in most of the world. Cash tournaments are not enabled in the following states: AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, SD. If you don’t live in a prize-enabled region, you can still play for free.

Why We Like Blackout Bingo

• Free to play
• Massive community on Facebook (41k members!)
• Play against people with similar skill levels
• 4.5 stars on 86.6K reviews on Apple Store, 4.5 stars on 9.4K reviews on Google Play Store

Go to Blackout Bingo

3. Bubble Cash

Works With: Android and iOS

Prize Options: Cash

Bubble Cash is a skill-based pop shooter game where you get to test your skill in classic Bubble Shooter games. It's both fun and competitive where you get a chance to solve a puzzle (who can pop all their bubbles first) against other people and compete for prizes.

Unlike some other games, where there's an aspect of luck involved, with Bubble Cash there is no luck – every player gets the same layout so it's really about how fast and how accurate you can pop. The top three ranking wins in these real-money tournaments.

It's free to play, there are no ads and you can cash out with PayPal. Cash prizes are not available in Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota.

Why We Like Bubble Cash

• Very little luck is involved
• Free to play
• Cash-out through PayPal
• 4.6 stars on 81.1K reviews on the Apple Store, 3.5 stars on 112 reviews on the Galaxy Store

Get Bubble Cash for iOS

Get Bubble Cash for Android

4. Freecash

Works With: Android and iOS

Prize Options: Cash, crypto, gift cards

Freecash is a rewards program that allows you to earn coins that are convertible to cash, crypto, and gift cards, when you play games, answer surveys, and complete offers. It started as Freeskins.com, which allowed gamers the chance to earn free skins when they completed offers, played games, and answered surveys.

They've since expanded to appeal to everyone.

Why We Like Freecash

It has games, but it also offers other ways to earn rewards. It's completely free, and you get free coins when you join, so you are that much closer to rewards.

Here's our full review of Freecash to learn more.

Go to Freecash

5. Solitaire Cash

Solitaire Cash is the solitaire game offered by Papaya Gaming, one of the largest gaming companies in the world. It's a completely free game that you can download right now and play against other people around the world.

Solitaire Cash offers a lot of variety from classic Klondike Solitaire. If you're a Solitaire aficionado, you'll find a familiar version. If you like to bounce around, you may discover a new version you love even more.

The design is smooth and sleek, so you won't be frustrated when you play—it's fast-paced and engaging.

Free to download and play gem tournaments. If you enter cash tournaments, you can even earn real money. Cash tournaments are unavailable in Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, South Carolina, and Washington.

With 351K ratings, it has a 4.6 out of 5 on the Apple App Store.

Go to Solitaire Cash

6. Solitaire Cube

Works With: Android and iOS

Prize Options: Cash and merch

Solitaire Cube is a fast-paced solitaire game where each hand only takes a few minutes. You can compete against individuals or in multiplayer tournaments.

Tournament entries start at $1, but higher payouts require a larger buy-in. You can win cash prizes or redeem your winnings for merchandise.

Practice rounds are free and a great way to learn the rules. You can also play for fun when you don’t want to spend money.

Please Note! Cash tournaments are available in most of the world. Cash tournaments are not enabled in the following states: AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, SD. If you don’t live in a prize-enabled region, you can still play for free.

Why We Like Solitaire Cube

• Quick tournaments
• Cash or merchandise rewards
• Practice rounds are free
• 4.6 stars on 88K reviews on Apple Store, 4.5 stars on 7K reviews on Google Play Store

Go to Solitaire Cube

7. Bingo Cash

Works With: Android and iOS

Prize Options: Cash (PayPal & Apple Pay)

If you enjoy Bingo and think you can beat the masses, you'll enjoy Bingo Cash from Papaya Gaming. It's free to download and play with a variety of options. If there's a version of Bingo you like, this app will have it.

The best part is that you're matched with people of similar skill, and the top three finishers are considered winners. You don't have to be at the top of the heap; being in the top three is good enough.

You can earn real money when you enter cash tournaments if you are not a resident of Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, South Carolina, or Washington.

Why We Like Bingo Cash

• Free to play with cash prizes
• The top 3 are the winners
• With 82.6K ratings, it has a 4.7 out of 5 on the Apple App Store.

Go to Bingo Cash

8. Rewarded Play

Works With: Android only

Prize Options: Gift card rewards

Rewarded Play is an Android app where you play games (like Solitaire, Wheel of Fortune, Yahtzee, Mahjong, etc.) and earn reward points that can be converted into gift cards at places like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, etc. If you enjoy playing games, they can introduce you to the most popular ones available, and the more you play them, the more points you earn.

This isn't like other games where you have to deposit cash and compete against other people to earn money in tournaments. It's completely free, and many people earn their first gift card within 48 hours.

Rewarded Play has been downloaded over 10 million times and has 4.3 stars on 171K reviews on the Google Play store.

Why We Like Rewarded Play

• Many different types of games
• You don't have to pay to play – games are free
• You earn points based on how long you play
• You can convert points to gift cards

Go to Rewarded Play

9. Pool Payday

Works With: Android and iOS

Prize Options: Cash

If you enjoy angles and digital pool, consider Pool Payday. It can be a fun app to play against friends for free or participate in cash tournaments. You will need to pay a small entry fee to enter tournaments.

If you win a tournament, you can use PayPal, Apple Pay, or other digital wallets to make payments.

You can earn bonus points by completing trick shots, bank shots, speed, and ball placement.

Please Note! Cash tournaments are available in most of the world. Cash tournaments are not enabled in the following states: AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, SD. If you don’t live in a prize-enabled region, you can still play for free.

Why We Like Pool Payday

• Cash prizes
• Several ways to earn bonus points
• Unlimited free practice rounds
• 4.6 stars on 80K reviews on Apple Store, 4.5 stars on 1.6K reviews on Google Play Store

Go to Pool Payday

10. Cash'em All

Works With: Android

Prize Options: Paypal, gift cards

Cash'em All is an app that pays you to play their free games – there are no ads, no deposits, no in-app purchases – you earn rewards based on how long you play games on their list. You don't have to win tournaments or put in any of your money, and the reviews are positive. How much you earn will depend on the game, how often you play, and how long you've had to play it.

Why We Like Cash'em All

• You earn rewards based on time played, not a competitive
• No ads, no in-app purchases, no deposits – 100% free
• 4.3 stars on 1.26 million reviews on Google Play

Go to Cash'em All

11. Mistplay

Works With: Android devices only

Prize Options: Retail gift cards and Visa prepaid cards

Mistplay is exclusively for Android users and only offers game apps to redeem for reward units and gift cards. There are many game options to choose from, and you can make in-app purchases to reach advanced levels sooner.

The platform lets you redeem units for awards as small as 50 cents for Amazon gift cards. Other redemptions start at $5 for prepaid virtual Visa gift cards. Some gift cards may require a minimum $10 balance. The higher reward levels tend to have a higher per-unit value. You can also redeem for PayPal gift cards.

You will earn units as you install and complete the in-game milestone. In addition to earning units when reaching higher levels inside games, you will earn units with the Mistplay loyalty program. Having a higher loyalty status can help you earn bonus units.

Why We Like Mistplay

• Multiple game options
• Can earn loyalty bonuses
• Gift card rewards start at $0.50

Go to Mistplay

Disclosure: The merchants do not endorse and are not affiliated with the Mistplay loyalty program. Brands and trademarks displayed belong to their respective holders.

12. Cash Giraffe

Works With: Android

Prize Options: Cash, PayPal, and gift cards

Cash Giraffe is a fun way to earn money or gift cards while you play a variety of games. There are all types of games – arcade, adventure, casual, and strategic. There are no in-app purchases, no deposits, and no advertisements.

You're given points simply for playing the games, and everything is tracked by time. You don't have to gamble or compete against other people; it's just for playing.

Why We Like MyPoints

• No purchase necessary
• You are given points based on time played
• Many cash-out options

Go to Cash Giraffe

13. InboxDollars

Works With: Android, iOS, and computers

Prize Options: Cash, PayPal, and gift cards

InboxDollars offers multiple ways to earn cash rewards, including games.

There are a few free games you can play, like Mahjong, Solitaire, and Outspell. However, the best opportunities are GSN games that require purchases. You get 18% cashback on your GSN credit purchases.

Here are some of the better ways to make money with this platform:

• Surveys
• Online shopping
• Redeeming coupons
• Reading sponsored emails
• Videos

Completing specific tasks lets you earn instant win scratch games to win cash prizes. The Scratch & Win cards have a maximum prize of $100 if you’re an active member.

The redemption minimum is $25, and the payment options are direct deposit, paper check, PayPal, and gift cards.

New members get a $5 signup bonus by joining InboxDollars.

Why We Like InboxDollars

• Earn rewards for GSN games
• Different tasks can earn money
• Cash and gift card rewards

Here's our full InboxDollars review to learn more.

Go to InboxDollars

14. MyPoints

Works With: Android, iOS, Windows PC, and Apple/Mac

Prize Options: Cash and gift cards

MyPoints only offers games that require purchases to play. The platform partners with WorldWinner for cash tournaments.

Instead of entering these daily tournaments directly through WorldWinner, MyPoints lets you get 4 points per $1 of game entries. First-time players can also make a one-time deposit.

You can practice these games for free; the entry fee starts at 25 cents. If you’re successful, your daily winnings can be more than playing games that require several days of play to meet the payout requirements.

You can play games from these franchises – Angry Birds, Bejeweled, Scrabble, Solitaire, Spades, Super Plinko, Trivial Pursuit, and Wheel of Fortune.

There are several other ways to earn reward points on MyPoints, and no purchase is necessary for several of them. Some options include taking online surveys, watching videos, and trying new apps.

If you’re willing to spend money, online shopping and in-store purchases and product trials are also available.

You only need $3 to redeem your rewards for gift cards to Amazon and $5 for many other restaurants and stores. PayPal cash redemptions start at $10.

Here's our full MyPoints review to learn more.

Why We Like MyPoints

• Gift card prizes start at $3
• PayPal rewards start at $10
• Several ways to earn points
• Can win WorldWinner cash tournaments

Go to MyPoints

15. Dominoes Gold

Works With: Android and iOS

Prize Options: Cash and gift cards

Another timeless game, Fives (also known as Muggins, All Fives, Five Up, and Doer Di), lets you earn real money through Dominoes Gold. You can compete in daily tournaments to win cash prizes.

First, you can play free games against your opponent to improve your skills. However, you won’t play them head-on but against the computer with an identical board. The human with the most points wins.

Once you’re ready to win real money, you can compete in live tournaments versus other players. Winners can receive PayPal cash, gift cards, merchandise, and sweepstakes.

Please Note! Cash tournaments are available in most of the world. Cash tournaments are not enabled in the following states: AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, SD. If you don’t live in a prize-enabled region, you can still play for free.

Why We Like Dominoes Gold

• Cash and gift card prizes
• One of the few apps to offer Dominoes
• Daily tournaments
• 4.7 stars on 26.1K reviews on Apple Store, 4.5 stars on 2.2K reviews on Google Play Store

Go to Dominoes Gold

16. Big Buck Hunter: Marksman

Works With: iOS and Android

Prize Options: Cash, PayPal, and gift cards

I remember playing Big Buck Hunter in local bars all the time during college, I had no idea (but am not at all surprised) it was ported to smartphones and offer you the ability to compete against other players to win cash prizes.

If you've never played it, the premise is simple: You're a hunter, and you need to shoot bucks (male deer). You tap and hold to look down the scope of your rifle, drag to aim, and then release to fire the rifle. Hit the buck, and you get points. Hit female deer or does (they're the ones without antlers), and you lose points.

It's not a difficult game, but it's not easy either. You can win cash prizes by competing in tournaments or playing against other players.

Why We Like Big Buck Hunter

• Can compete against other players
• Gives you a bit of a challenge

Go to Big Buck Hunter

17. Money Well

Works With: Android

Prize Options: Cash, PayPal, and gift cards

Money Well is another game platform that awards you tickets for playing the games on their app. When you play, you earn tickets you can use to get gift cards and discount vouchers from various brands. You can also earn cash payouts.

There are no in-app purchases, money to deposit, or advertising. You are awarded tickets just by playing, and the tickets are based on time alone. There's no need to win; you don't compete in tournaments, and you can always see how many tickets you earn.

Why We Like Money Well

• No in-app purchases or advertising
• Don't need to win or compete to earn

Go to Money Well

18. Scrambly

Works With: Android

Prize Options: Cashback and gift cards

With Scrambly, you can earn cash rewards for completing various tasks, such as answering surveys for marketers, testing apps, and playing games. Scrambly's purpose is to help brands get consumer feedback or test out new apps — and those brands are happy to pay you in exchange for your time.

Your rewards can come as cash back via Visa, Amazon, or PayPal, or you can redeem virtual gift cards with Google Play, Apple, Spotify, and Walmart.

Cashouts are instant, with just a $1 minimum to PayPal, and you can withdraw as much as you like.

Why We Like Scrambly

• Lots of reward redemption options to choose from
• Instant cashouts at just $1 to PayPal

Go to Scrambly

Money-Paying Games FAQs

Here are some frequent questions about playing games that pay real money.

Summary

As you can see, there are many ways to make money by playing games. Whether you prefer casino games, adventure, puzzle, or arcade games doesn't matter. While some platforms have a pay-to-play policy, you can stack cash and gift cards for your efforts.

The post 18 Best Games That Pay Real Money (February 2025) appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Rocket Money is an app that can help you manage your finances, cancel unwanted subscriptions, and negotiate your current bills. In addition to subscription management, it allows you to monitor your credit and net worth.

The budgeting features sync with your accounts, allowing you to categorize your transactions against your budget easily.

There is a free plan and a “pay-what’s-fair” plan that costs between $6 and $12 per month.

At a Glance

• Subscription management and cancelation services
• Bill negotiation services
• Budgeting features
• Credit and net worth tracking
• Free and paid plan available

Who should use Rocket Money

Rocket Money’s best features are the subscription management and the bill negotiation service. If you struggle to overcome the friction of canceling unwanted subscriptions, Rocket Money is a must. It will pull all your subscriptions into one place. On the free plan, it gives step-by-step instructions on how to cancel and will cancel them for you on the paid plan.

The bill negotiation service is available on both plans; you’ll pay a percentage of your savings.

Alternatives to Rocket Money

Primary service	Budgeting	Net worth tracking	Bill negotiation
Pricing	$14.99 monthly or $109 annually	Free	50% of annual savings
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

What Is Rocket Money?

Rocket Money is a budgeting app for Android and Apple devices. 

There are both Free and Premium plans, each with various perks. 

Some of the member perks include:

• Account tracking
• Subscription management
• Balance alerts
• Subscription cancellation assistant
• Bill negotiation
• Budgeting
• Credit score tracking
• Net worth tracking

You’ll get the most from Rocket Money if you use it to monitor your spending and the subscription management tools. Its free tools make it an ideal budgeting app, but the premium subscription remains affordable if you don’t need hands-on budgeting help.

Go to Rocket Money

How Does Rocket Money Work?

You can follow these steps to join Rocket Money:

1. Download the Android or Apple mobile app
2. Link your financial accounts
3. Analyze spending habits
4. Look for ways to save money
5. Create budgeting and savings goals
6. Monitor financial progress with regular updates.

Rocket Money Features

Account Syncing

Rocket Money links your banking, credit card, and investment accounts through Plaid. This third-party service has read-only access and doesn’t store your sensitive details for extra privacy. 

Your account balances update daily the first time you log into your account. The app will send spending insights and alerts when direct deposits hit your account. Linking as many accounts as possible makes it easy to see how much you spend and earn accurately. 

After linking your accounts, you can begin categorizing your transactions. Rocket Money auto-categorizes most transactions, so the ongoing maintenance requirements are minimal.

Manage Subscriptions

This feature is one of Rocket Money’s most useful features.

You may intuitively have a ballpark estimate about your fixed living expenses, such as utility bills, food, and childcare. What about your subscriptions? Especially subscriptions that bill annually. It’s very easy to forget about these bills until it’s too late, and you’ve accidentally paid for another year.

After linking your accounts, Rocket Money looks through your transaction history for recurring subscriptions and lists them in one place so you can easily see them.

This feature is a good exercise in determining which services you regularly use and the others you can live without. 

Bill Cancellation

Premium subscribers can have the app cancel subscriptions on their behalf. Free users will receive step-by-step directions to stop service, which can save you time despite doing the hard work yourself.

This feature is helpful if you’re the type to keep putting off canceling because it takes too long or — if you’re like me — you aren’t exactly sure how to do it, so you just don’t. 

Go to Rocket Money

Bill Negotiation

All subscribers can see if Rocket Money will negotiate your existing bills for a lower rate. This is an excellent exercise to practice at least once a year for services you can’t live without to ensure you’re paying the best price.

Some of the best savings opportunities include:

• Cable or satellite TV
• Home Internet
• Postpaid phone plans (i.e., Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile)
• Satellite Radio
• Newspapers

Cable bills and contract cell phone plans have the most potential for discounts. The bill negotiator may see if they can switch you to a newer plan that has the same features as your existing plan but is cheaper. There may also be loyalty bonuses or limited-time promotions that can reduce your bill for the following year. 

The service claims to have an 85% success rate in lowering your bills. You pay a one-time success fee and get to decide how much of the first year of savings to contribute as payment.

Rocket Money can also try to save money on these expenses:

• Car insurance
• Bank overdraft fees
• Bill payment late fees

Budgeting Features

In addition to real-time spending alerts and direct deposit notifications, Rocket Money lets you create a simple spending plan. The budgeting tools are not as powerful as some free budgeting tools, but they can help you quickly see if you’re living within your means for the month.

This budgeting app generates a monthly report summarizing your spending and income patterns. It’s also possible to analyze these topics throughout the month:

• Bills paid
• Current spending
• The income left for savings.
• Money left for spending
• Monthly earnings so far

Most reports are available on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly period.

Premium members can create unlimited budgets and use account sharing so you can budget with another premium member.

Smart Savings

Premium subscribers can use the Smart Savings feature to contribute to their savings goals automatically. You can decide how much to save and how frequently to withdraw from your linked checking account. 

To prevent account overdrafts, the service skips withdrawals when you have insufficient funds in your account. 

Your cash goes into an FDIC-insured account until you’re ready to spend it. Unfortunately, you may not earn interest on these deposits. Instead, consider a high-yield savings account to make money on your short-term savings. 

Go to Rocket Money

Net Worth Tracker

Premium members can also track your net worth through your linked accounts. This feature may not be as essential as budgeting or tracking spending, but it’s another way to monitor your financial progress.

There are more powerful net worth tracking tools, but Rocket Money does an adequate job.

Credit Score Monitoring

Free users can view their Experian VantageScore 3.0 credit score for free. The app refreshes your score monthly. Although this isn’t the same score that most lenders use to make credit decisions (that would be the FICO Score from the Fair Isaac Corporation), it will give you a good estimate of your creditworthiness.

You can also see areas of improvement that can help you achieve a good credit score. However, free subscribers won’t be able to access their credit report.

Premium members can view their full Experian credit report. This report updates monthly, so be sure to access it regularly to avoid missing an update.

This is a nice feature, and it helps assess your complete financial picture. Keep in mind there are several ways to check your credit score for free with more constant updates. Other credit monitoring services may retrieve your score from more credit bureaus and possibly offer your FICO Score.

Rocket Money Pricing

Two different membership plan options are available: Lite and Premium. Pricing for Lite is free, and Premium is $3 – $12 but features a “Pay What’s Fair” option, which I’ll explain in more detail below.

A 7-day free trial is available on the Premium plan.

Free

The Lite plan is the standard option and is free for life. 

Its benefits can get the job done and include the following:

• Account linking
• Balance alerts
• Subscription management
• Spend tracking
• Daily account syncing

The free plan is best if you want to monitor your spending and account balances but don’t need hands-on help canceling or negotiating a lower price for recurring bills. 

The budgeting tools are limited to two categories, which can be sufficient to avoid overspending on your most significant monthly expenses.

Premium: $6-12 / month

The Premium plan offers a 7-day free trial, and then you choose to pay between $6 and $12 per month. This app follows a “Pay What’s Fair” strategy, so you can decide how much to spend.

According to Rocket Money, the average paid user pledges $6.99 monthly.

To help you decide if Rocket Money Premium is worth it, these are the available perks:

• Unlimited budgets
• Credit score and full credit report (vs. credit score only)
• Automated subscription cancellations
• Bill cancellation concierge
• Net worth tracking
• Real-time account syncing (vs. daily syncing)
• Shared accounts
• Premium chat
• Export data

You might want to upgrade to the premium plan if you want unlimited budgets, shared accounts, or automated subscription management tools.

Go to Rocket Money

Is Rocket Money Safe?

Yes, Rocket Money is a safe way to monitor your banking account transactions, look for ways to reduce spending, and track your credit score.

Most personal finance software apps use the same third-party service (Plaid) to connect to your accounts. This software doesn’t store personal information on its servers and uses bank-level security to protect your account. In addition, when you need to share your data with others, you can scramble it for additional privacy.

Alternatives to Rocket Money

Rocket Money can help improve your finances, but these other services can be better if you need hands-on help with a specific need. If none of these sound good, also check out our list of the best budgeting apps for couples.

You Need A Budget (YNAB)

If you want a serious budget and to stop living paycheck to paycheck, You Need A Budget (YNAB) is an excellent option. YNAB isn’t free, though; it costs $14.99 monthly or $109 annually, but there is a 34-day free trial to see if it’s a good fit.

The YNAB budget follows a zero-based budget approach, assigning each dollar to a specific task. So, you have to plan to spend or save every dollar you make, which is a well-tested and effective budgeting method.

The app walks you through the budgeting process and reviews many monthly expenses that are easily overlooked with basic budgeting tools like Rocket Money or Mint.

The spending and net worth reports are also robust. There are also several financial calculators to help you plan upcoming goals.

For more information, check out our full YNAB review.

Go to YNAB

Empower Personal Dashboard

Empower Personal Dashboard is arguably the best free net worth tracker available today, as you can link all of your banking and brokerage accounts and add manual accounts. The service includes basic spend tracking tools to categorize transactions and ensure you live within your means.

Creating savings goals and reviewing your investment portfolio’s asset allocation and fund fees is also possible. It has a suite of planning tools that are useful for retirement planning, but they will try to sell you on their wealth management services.

Read our Empower Personal Dashboard review for more information.

Go to Empower

BillCutterz

BillCutterz can negotiate your existing bills on your behalf, and you only pay if it saves you money. BillCutterz can save you on bills such as, cell phone, cable, internet, satellite radio, and more. It takes about 48 hours after you submit the bill to find out if you’ve received any savings.

BillCutterz charges 50% of the annual savings it negotiates for you. For example, if they save you $20 a month on your cell phone bill, they will charge $10 per month for 12 months or $120. You can pay monthly or get a 10% discount by paying in full right away.

Go to BillCutterz

FAQs

Is Rocket Money Worth It?

Rocket Money can be an effective way to make a free budget if you want to track spending easily and don’t need hands-on help. The paid subscription can be worth it if you need unlimited budgeting access and other money-saving tools. The “Pay What’s Fair” option makes it an even better value.

But while the app has several additional features, not everyone will find them all useful. If you’re looking for more in-depth tools for budgeting or tracking your spending, consider other options, such as YNAB or Personal Capital, in addition to Rocket Money.

Since it is free, it doesn’t hurt to try it out. You can also test drive the premium services to see if you find value in them.

The post Rocket Money Review: Is Rocket Money Safe? appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Anyone who trades stocks and pays attention to technical analysis knows how valuable a good stock screener can be. But with dozens of stock screeners to choose from, how do you find one that’s right for you?

Finviz is a popular choice for beginner and experienced investors alike, offering features like charts, heat maps, insider trading, and portfolio tracking.

In this Finviz review, I dive into everything Finviz has to offer, including its key tools and pricing. I also share a few Finviz alternatives.

At a Glance

• Beginner-friendly technical analysis of U.S. stocks
• Lots of features on the free plan
• Free plan allows up to 50 portfolios and 50 tickers per portfolio
• Paid plan allows up to 100 portfolios and 500 tickers per portfolio

Finviz Alternatives

Free plan	No	Yes	No
Pricing	starts at $249 per year	starts at $239 per year	starts at $79.99 per year
Proprietary ratings	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

What Is Finviz?

Finviz, which is short for Financial Visualizations, is an investment research site that can help you find investment ideas or dig deep into a specific ticker. You can use it for technical and fundamental analysis.

You can research the following asset types:

• U.S. stocks and ETFs
• Forex
• Futures
• Crypto

Finviz is one of the better free stock analysis tools because of its extensive, beginner-friendly tools, plus a surprising amount of data, which are generally behind a paywall with other platforms.

The technical research features go further than most online stock brokerages, which are great for fundamental analysis and typically offer in-depth charting, too.

Finviz Features

Finviz offers multiple research tools to help you evaluate potential investments and monitor your current positions. Here’s a closer look at its key features.

Homepage

The Finviz homepage makes it easy to digest what’s happening in the market and is divided into the following sections:

• Current trading day performance for the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow
• Top-performing and worst-performing stocks of the day
• Tickers with a trading price near a certain trading pattern (wedge, triangle)
• Headlines
• Market calendar
• Latest insider trading
• Earnings release dates
• Futures
• Forex and bonds

Other discount brokerages or advanced trading platforms may offer similar details, but with Finviz, anybody can access this information without creating an account.

The page layout is easy to understand thanks to the distinguishable categories and red or green performance indicators. Scanning the homepage can be an excellent way to monitor the market and decide where to start researching.

Stock Screener

Finviz’s stock screener makes it easy to compare U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, although you cannot compare ADR and OTC stocks or commodity stocks where the common stock trades on foreign exchanges.

Despite its limitations with common stocks, Finviz has many free and premium research tools. You can screen stocks through customizable filters, including:

• Descriptive: Exchange, industry sector, dividend yield, average volume, etc.
• Fundamental: P/E ratio, price-to-sales, insider transactions, EPS growth, etc.
• Technical: Simple moving average (20-day, 50-day, 200-day), RSI, etc.

You can select filters from the descriptive, fundamental, and technical tabs to see a list of stocks matching the criteria below.

From there, you can choose different tabs to compare the stocks by various metrics, such as:

• Valuation (P/E ratio, PEG ratio, and other investment ratios)
• Financial (Dividend rate, return on equity, gross margin, profit margin)
• Ownership (Outstanding valuation, insider ownership percentage, float short)
• Performance (Investment returns for the past week, month, quarter, year)
• Technical (Simple Moving Average, RSI, price change from open, gap)

Viewing the charts, heat maps, and news headlines for screened stocks is also possible.

Charting

Many stock trading apps have impressive charting tools that let you perform technical analysis and buy stock shares on the same platform, but many overlook research tools in favor of free trades and micro-investing.

Consider charting stocks in Finviz when your go-to investing app only offers a basic historical price chart. 

All users can view prices on daily, weekly, or monthly trading intervals. You can also adjust the candlestick display to your preferred setting, making it easier to spot trends.

Several basic upper and lower indicators automatically display on each chart:

• 20-day simple moving average (SMA)
• 50-day SMA
• 200-day SMA
• Volume

It’s important to note that you must upgrade to FINVIZ*Elite to overlay with over 100 technical indicators, have drawing capabilities, and view in full screen. You can also see if a paper trading simulator offers the features to test short-term strategies.

Heat Maps

The visually appealing heat maps feature lets you view the performance of individual stocks and ETFs. Companies are organized by industry (technology, communication services, healthcare, energy, railroads).

Bigger boxes indicate a larger market cap. A green shade suggests the stock trades at a higher price for the trading day, while a red hue is for lower pricing.

Extending the performance interval from one day to a year is possible. You can track year-to-date performance too.

The map can track additional metrics such as:

• P/E ratio
• Float short
• Dividend yield
• Analyst recommendations
• Earnings date

You can also filter the stock listings by S&P 500 or ETF.

The world filter displays a global map and places the stock ticker where the company headquarters are.

Groups

The Groups feature highlights the performance of sectors over a specific trading range. You can compare the performance of various industries, such as energy, finance, and real estate.

It’s also possible to look at the performance of subsectors within a particular industry. One example is comparing the performance of oil and gas exploration to midstream providers by selecting the Energy industry.

The color-coded bar charts make it easy to gauge the performance of a sector. Some of the graphs also break down the results by the underlying companies, which can make your research even easier.

To further explore an industry or sector, simply tap the chart row, and a separate tab opens with the screener page for the underlying stocks.

Portfolio

The Finviz portfolio tracker can help you monitor the performance of your holdings and watchlist positions.

Free accounts can make 50 different portfolios, and premium members can create up to 100. Being able to create so many lineups is a nice feature and helps personalize your user experience for research purposes.

Trackable metrics include:

• Current market value
• Total loss or gain
• Today’s performance

You can also evaluate your portfolio using interactive and portfolio-related heat maps.

One potential drawback is having to input each position detail manually. Accurate tracking means entering the acquisition date, average purchase price, and position size. Additionally, the tracking tools are relatively basic in several aspects.

Other portfolio trackers are better in this regard, as they can automatically upload your details, giving you more time to research investments.

Watchlists

Finviz recently added a watchlist feature to help you monitor potential investments within one of your Finviz portfolios.

When inspecting a stock or ETF, click “add to portfolio.” Next, you can choose “Watch” under the transaction type, with “Buy” and “Sell Short” being the other two options.

News

Many free and premium stock research services aggregate news headlines. You can see ticker-specific headlines or scan the “News” or “Blogs” columns to get a gist of what’s happening and potentially learn something new.

Many articles are free, but others hide behind the paywall or require a subscription after maxing out your monthly allotment of free articles.

You can access articles from the following outlets through Finviz:

• Bloomberg
• Fox Business
• MarketWatch
• Mish Talk
• New York Times
• Reuters
• Zerohedge

For investors who love staying on top of stock news, Finviz is one of the best ways to scan the headlines for free.

Insider Trading

If a company’s senior leadership buys or sells shares, it can indicate how the share price will trend. Corporate executives periodically sell shares and exercise options to receive monetary compensation. Still, there are times when their actions can encourage you to dig deeper in case you want to follow their lead.

These details are free to access as executives must file forms with the federal government disclosing sizable trades.

You can filter the data in the following ways:

• Latest insider trading (lists the most recent trades first)
• Top insider trading recent week (biggest trades by nominal value)
• Top 10% owner trading recent week (largest transactions from investors with a minimum 10% ownership stake)

Tracking down this data without the help of a service like Finviz can be time-consuming. You may also find that you overlook reported trades as you try to track several executives.

Futures

Investors who like to trade commodities or stock futures will find Finviz’s Futures feature helpful as you can view price quotes, performance, and charts for these investment options:

• Indices (DJIA, Nasdaq 100, Russell 2000, DAX, VIX, etc.)
• Bonds (Treasury Bonds: 2-year, 5-year, 10-year, 30-year)
• Currencies (USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, CAD, CHF, AUD, NZD)
• Energy (Brent crude oil, WTI crude oil, natural gas, gasoline)
• Grains (Corn, oats, soybeans, wheat) 
• Meats (Live cattle, feeder cattle, lean hogs)
• Metals (Gold, silver, platinum, copper, palladium)
• Softs (Cocoa, coffee, cotton, lumber, orange juice, sugar)

Forex

Aggressive forex traders can retrieve the pricing for currency pairs between international currencies. You can view the price chart at intervals of five minutes, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.

Most comparisons measure the performance of a foreign currency to the U.S. dollar (USD). The research tools are relatively basic compared to the platform’s stock screener and heat maps, which more investors will probably use to buy long or sell short.

Crypto

If you dabble in cryptocurrency, you can easily see price quotes for highly traded tokens like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. Most quotes price the token in U.S. dollars and Euros.

Clicking on a price quote lets you view a basic price chart consisting of a 5-minute to one-year increment. Similar to stock charts, you will need to be an elite member to customize the chart display and indicators. These price quotes and charts can complement those offered by crypto portfolio trackers.

Alerts

Receive free alerts when a stock or ETF performs a specific action, such as:

• Crossing above or below a target trading price
• Fundamental or technical metrics
• Becomes overbought or oversold
• Significant insider trading

Premium members can receive alerts based on real-time data, while free users may need to rely on delayed inputs.

Backtests

Backtesting is one of the best reasons to upgrade to a paid membership. Portfolio analysis tools like Finviz can track your actual investment performance but also see how adjustments could change your historical performance.

While nobody knows how the stock market will perform in the future, backtesting lets you test your portfolio against similar market conditions so you can be prepared for more situations.

This service tests your portfolio against 24 years of historical information. You can also compare it against the SPY benchmark (S&P 500) and with 100 technical indicators.

How Much Does Finviz Cost?

Finviz offers two free plans and one paid membership tier. You may want to start with one of the free tiers to test out the platform to see if it’s worth upgrading.

Some investors will want to opt for the paid membership because of the ad-free experience, backtesting, and real-time price quotes.

Free

Anyone can use the stock screener and charting tools. You cannot save previous screens or track your portfolio, but you don’t have to provide your email address. This is uncommon, as many platforms want your contact details to market premium products.

Basic features include:

• Delayed quotes, charting, and streaming
• Maps and Groups are delayed 3 to 5 minutes.
• Three years’ access to statements
• Screener rows per page (20 tables/36 charts/10 snapshots)

Registered

Registering for a free account lets you save presets, track portfolio positions, and make basic customizations.

In addition to the Free tier features, you also get these perks:

• Portfolios: Up to 50 per user
• Tickers: Up to 50 per portfolio
• Screener presets: Up to 50
• Customization: Layout and signals

Creating up to 50 portfolios lets you track your investment returns for multiple strategies and thematic investing.

FINVIZ*Elite

FINVIZ*Elite is Finviz’s premium tier and is ideal for frequent traders and those who want full access to the program. You will pay $39.50 monthly or $299.50 yearly (that boils down to $24.96/month).

Upfront payment is necessary for either subscription plan, but you can request a full refund during the first 30 days. So, use the first month to test drive the platform.

Core benefits include:

• Real-time stock quotes (includes premarket and aftermarket data)
• Advanced charts (Intraday, overlays, drawing tools, full-screen layouts)
• Advanced screener (Data export, customized filters, statistics view)
• Correlations (Positive and inverse correlations between selected stocks and ETFs)
• Backtesting (24 years of historical data, 100 technical indicators)
• Alerts and notifications (Instant email and push notifications)
• Ad-free layout
• Eight years of financial statements (vs. three years for registered users)
• Up to 100 portfolios (vs. 50 portfolios for registered users)
• Up to 500 tickers per portfolio (vs. 50 tickers for registered users)
• Max 200 screener presets (vs. 50 for registered users)
• Screener rows per page (100/120 charts/50 snapshots)

Finviz Free vs. Elite

Whether you should stick with the free version of Finviz or upgrade to the elite tier depends on your research needs, current research tools, and trading frequency.

When to Use Finviz Free

The free version is best for casual investors who tend to be long-term holders or only place a few transactions yearly. Further, the free features are sufficient to monitor your current portfolio or keep an eye on the broad market.

Even if you trade frequently, you may use the screener to find watchlist candidates with your selected fundamental and technical metrics. Then, you can use your brokerage or standalone tools with better charting capabilities to research and place a trade.

When to Upgrade to Finviz*Elite

The premium membership is best for frequent traders who rely on real-time data and want advanced screening and charting tools. Getting the message box saying you need to upgrade to a paid subscription to continue researching is a nuisance.

The $300 annual fee is significant, and you will need to trade regularly and use the Finviz tools consistently to justify the price. Still, this fee is competitive with similar stock research apps and more affordable when purchasing an annual membership.

Alternatives to Finviz

The following websites are also excellent places to research potential investments and check up on current holdings. Before signing up with Finviz, I recommend checking out other platforms.

Morningstar Investor

Morningstar Investor is an appealing stock screener for fundamental investors. The screener contains over 200 filters to identify stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds matching your criteria. In addition, the Morningstar analyst team curates lists of the highest-rated stocks and funds for many categories, which serves as an excellent starting point.

A premium subscription also includes portfolio analysis and investment tracking tools that can help optimize your asset allocation and investment strategy. There is also much bullish and bearish commentary about the market and specific investments.

Read our Morningstar Investor review for more.

Learn More About Morningstar Investor

Seeking Alpha

Seeking Alpha has many overlapping research tools. You can read bullish and bearish commentary written by independent contributors for just about any stock and ETF. Finviz doesn’t really offer stock analysis but is better for researching stock metrics.

Seeking Alpha includes proprietary ratings that can make it easier to assess potential investments. Additionally, the premium version syncs with your brokerage accounts which saves time and prevents data input errors to quickly see the ratings of your holdings and track your investment performance.

You can learn about the differences between the free and premium memberships in our Seeking Alpha review, but compared to Finviz, the free research tools are somewhat limited.

Learn More About Seeking Alpha

Stock Rover

Fundamental investors and those with a buy-and-hold investment strategy may want to consider Stock Rover. Like Finviz, it’s got fundamental and technical stock screens, but the additional research tools cater to long-term investors instead of short-term traders.

Stock Rover’s customized stock screens can model legendary investors and prominent hedge funds, a unique feature. You can also read research reports and automatically sync your brokerage portfolios for effortless tracking and updates.

Four different plans are available, including a free membership. For more information, check out our Stock Rover review.

Learn More About Stock Rover

FAQs

Learn More About Finviz

Final Thoughts on Finviz

Finviz is an excellent stock research service that offers some of the best free research tools. It should be one of the first places you look for fundamental and technical analysis when you’re unsatisfied with your brokerage tools.

You can benefit from using Finviz whether you’re a short-term trader or long-term investor. It’s also an excellent research companion to investment newsletters, which provide a basic background for the monthly investment idea but still require further research before buying shares.

I don’t recommend Finviz if you prefer trading stocks from your phone since the site isn’t mobile-friendly and doesn’t have a stock screener app.

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