Instead alternatives

Instead is a free tax planning and prep platform where you pay only for the AI work it does. These 3 tools solve the same problem in different ways. Prices and facts are sourced from each vendor and dated 2026-10-15.

Tool	Starting price	Score	Trial	Best for
Instead Current	Pricing by quote	3.9/5	Demo	Firms adding tax planning as a service
Holistiplan	$749/yr	4.4/5	Yes	Firms and advisors offering tax planning reviews
Basis	Pricing by quote	4.0/5	Demo	Multi-service firms (tax + CAS + audit) wanting AI across the practice
Juno	From ~$45	4.6/5	Yes	Small and mid-size firms wanting self-serve trial and simple per-return pricing

1. Holistiplan

Tax planning · $749/yr · 4.4/5 editorial

Verdict: The standard return-scanning planning tool for advisors and planners.

Switch if

Firms and advisors offering tax planning reviews

Stay with Instead if

Firms adding tax planning as a service

Holistiplan review →Holistiplan pricing →

2. Basis

AI agents for firms · Pricing by quote · 4.0/5 editorial

Verdict: AI agents across tax, CAS and audit for multi-service firms; overkill if you only need 1040 data entry.

Switch if

Multi-service firms (tax + CAS + audit) wanting AI across the practice

Stay with Instead if

Firms adding tax planning as a service

Basis review →

3. Juno

Tax prep automation · From ~$45 · 4.6/5 editorial

Verdict: The easiest AI prep tool to try: self-serve trial, one per-return price for any complexity, review and research included.

Switch if

Small and mid-size firms wanting self-serve trial and simple per-return pricing

Stay with Instead if

Firms adding tax planning as a service

Juno review →Juno pricing →

Scores are TaxPrepBench's editorial rating derived from sourced facts (methodology). Our analysis is based on vendor documentation and public reviews.