Avalon Tax vs Juno: Cheapest AI Tax Prep for Small Firms

Last verified 2026-10-15. Based on vendor-published facts, third-party reviews, and practitioner reports.

Verdict

On published price, Avalon is cheaper: $15/return on Drake or ProConnect and $25 on CCH Axcess or Lacerte, with no minimums. Juno costs more per return (reported around $30–45) but bundles a first-pass reviewer, binder, and research Advisor, and handles business returns at the same price.

Choose Avalon Tax if you are…

Drake and ProConnect shops
Price-sensitive solo preparers

Choose Juno if you are…

Firms wanting built-in review and research
Firms preparing 1120, 1120-S, and 1065 returns

	Avalon Tax	Juno
Price	$15/return (Drake, ProConnect); $25/return (CCH Axcess, Lacerte); volume discounts from 100+ returns	Flat per-return rate that drops with volume; reported at around $45/return, falling to the low $30s at high volume
Pricing model	Per return, no monthly fees, minimums, or setup costs	Per return, prepaid by volume (same price for a W-2 return or a partnership)
Free trial	—	1 week, 5 free preparations, no credit card, 25 documents per prep, no tax-software export during trial
Best for	Small firms wanting the cheapest per-return prep automation	Small and mid-size firms wanting self-serve trial and simple per-return pricing
Integrations	Drake, ProConnect, CCH Axcess, Lacerte	Drake, CCH Axcess, Lacerte, ProConnect, TaxDome
Company	—	$12M seed led by Bonfire Ventures (Impression Ventures, Xfund participating); CPA-founded
Key features	Populates returns in Drake, ProConnect, CCH Axcess, Lacerte No monthly fees or minimums	Preparer for 1040s and business returns (1120, 1120-S, 1065) Built-in first-pass Reviewer and Binder Advisor (tax research and planning) included on every plan Exports to Drake, CCH Axcess, Lacerte, ProConnect Processes documents in real time as they arrive
Pros	Lowest published per-return price among AI prep tools A r/taxpros user called it "like the GruntWorx that could do more", run by a CPA	Self-serve free trial with 5 preparations, no card One price regardless of return complexity Includes Reviewer, Binder, and Advisor at no extra cost
Cons	—	A r/taxpros user found review time exceeded manual entry at ~$40/return No tax-software export during the trial
Full profile	Avalon Tax →	Juno →

Before you sign

Confirm the tool integrates with the tax software you file in.
Ask for the SOC 2 report and data-retention terms (IRS Pub 4557), and plan for 7216 consent.
Get per-return or credit definitions in writing. Several r/taxpros users report credit costs changing mid-contract.

Sources

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