Why Our Members Switched
Amadae vs TurboTax
Amadae is best for
- Creators and solo businesses whose tax bill is decided all year, not in April
- People who want S corp strategy, payroll, and quarterly payments handled for them
- Anyone who wants a real accountant to ask, not a help article
TurboTax is best for
- W-2 filers and simple returns that take an evening
- People who enjoy preparing their own return and want the cheapest path
The verdict
TurboTax is the best-known way to file your own taxes, and for a W-2 return it is hard to beat. But it is an April tool: it records the year you already had. It does not keep books, run payroll, model an S corp election, or manage quarterly payments before the deadlines that decide your bill. Amadae is real accountants doing that work all year, with the return as the last step. Choose TurboTax if your return is simple and you enjoy doing it. Choose Amadae if your income comes from a business and you want the tax bill managed, not just reported.
DIY tax filing software · Updated 2026-09-29
TurboTax pricing vs Amadae
Amadae
All plans 100% deductible
- LLC plan from $249/month: monthly bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, business and personal returns, real accountants
- S corp plan from $349/month: adds payroll, reasonable salary and the S corp return
- A free financial review comes first, so you know what you would save before paying
TurboTax
- Free edition for simple returns; paid DIY tiers for self-employment income, state filing usually extra
- TurboTax Live assisted and full-service options cost substantially more, priced by complexity
TurboTax pricing changes every season and varies with promotions, so check current rates on turbotax.com. Amadae Accounting is quoted after a free review.
Feature comparison
| Amadae | TurboTax | |
|---|---|---|
| Automated bookkeeping on its own ledger | ||
| Business and personal tax filing | Included with Amadae Accounting | You prepare your own return in the software |
| Quarterly estimated taxes | Calculated and scheduled for you | Prints vouchers if you ask; payment and strategy are on you |
| S-corp formation and election | ||
| Business banking and cards | ||
| Invoicing and payments | ||
| Intelligent Assistant (Mozart) | Included in every module | AI assist inside the filing flow |
| Personal finance and forecasting |
Not sure if TurboTax or Amadae fits better? A 30-minute call tells you exactly where you stand.
Learn MoreFree 30-minute review. No pitch deck.
Pros and cons
Amadae
Pros
- Real accountants keep the books, run payroll, and plan taxes all year
- S corp election, reasonable salary, and quarterly payments handled for you
- The return is built from books that never fell behind, not a shoebox of forms
- Mozart, the Intelligent Assistant, answers questions about your numbers
Cons
- More than a simple W-2 filer needs
- A monthly service, not a one-time spring purchase
TurboTax
Pros
- The most polished DIY filing flow on the market
- Cheap for simple returns, free for the simplest
- Live tiers add expert review if you want a second set of eyes
Cons
- You do the work: gathering, entering, and standing behind every number
- No bookkeeping, payroll, or S corp strategy behind the return
- It reports the year you had; it cannot change it
What TurboTax does well
TurboTax made self-filing mainstream for a reason. The interview flow is genuinely good, the math is right, and for a W-2 household the whole job can be done in an evening for little or no money. Even for simple 1099 income, the self-employment tiers walk you through Schedule C competently.
Software records the year; an accountant shapes it
Your tax bill is mostly decided before you ever open filing software: whether you elected S corp status, what salary you paid yourself, whether quarterly payments went out on time, and whether your books captured every deduction. TurboTax enters the picture after all of that is settled, so the best it can do is report the outcome accurately.
Amadae works on the other side of the calendar. Accountants keep the books monthly, model the S corp election before it is due, run payroll at a defensible salary, and schedule quarterly payments with safe-harbor logic. By the time the return is filed, it is the summary of a plan, not a surprise.
How to choose
If your return is a W-2 and a few forms, use TurboTax and keep the savings. If you earn business income, the honest comparison is not the software fee against Amadae's monthly plan, it is the tax you pay with no strategy against the tax you pay with one. Amadae's free financial review will show you that difference on your own numbers before you commit to anything.
What you get with Amadae
One flat monthly price. Real accountants who know how creators get paid.
- Automated bookkeeping on its own ledger
- Business and personal tax filing
- Quarterly estimated taxes, calculated and scheduled
- S-corp formation and election
- Business banking and cards, built in
- Intelligent Assistant (Mozart) included in every module
Free 30-minute review. Transparent pricing.
Plans from
$249/mo
If you make $40K - $69K. Flat, no hourly bills.
- Monthly profit and loss reports
- Tax set-aside management
- Expense categorization
- Real-time financial dashboard
- Business bank account connections
- Individual tax return included*
Common questions
TurboTax vs Amadae FAQ
Is TurboTax good enough for self-employed people?+
For simple 1099 income with tidy records, yes, the self-employment tiers file a competent Schedule C. What TurboTax cannot do is keep your books during the year, run payroll, elect S corp status, or manage quarterly payments, which is where most of the tax savings for a real business live.
Is an accountant worth it compared to TurboTax?+
It depends on the income. A W-2 filer usually does not need one. A business owner usually saves more than the fee: Amadae members save about $10,000 a year on average, mostly from S corp strategy, salary planning, and deductions captured in monthly books rather than reconstructed in April.
Does Amadae file the same forms TurboTax does?+
Yes, and more. Amadae prepares and files business returns, S corp returns with K-1s, and the owner's personal return, with quarterly estimates handled during the year. Every filing comes with IRS acceptance confirmation you can verify.
Can I switch to Amadae after years of filing with TurboTax?+
Yes. The free review looks at your prior returns, often finds missed strategy, and Amadae onboards your books mid-year so the next return is built on clean numbers.
See how Amadae compares to TurboTax
Free 30-minute review. We tell you exactly what you would save.