IRS Free File vs TaxAct
AI visibility head-to-head, Tax Software — run #78 (2026-08-01). Current scores are statistically indistinguishable (overlapping 95% CIs).
IRS Free File
41.0
95% CI38.0–43.2
Industry rank#3
perplexity41.3
google-search35.1
openai-search40.9
google34.3
openai42.9
anthropic40.6
vs
TaxAct
36.3
95% CI33.9–38.6
Industry rank#4
perplexity29.0
google-search25.2
openai-search34.5
google26.9
openai40.0
anthropic31.3
By question type
Share of answers mentioning each brand, split by the intent behind the question. The panel asks 10 prompts of each type, so a lead here shows where one brand wins — not just that it wins overall.
| Question type | IRS Free File | TaxAct |
|---|---|---|
| Recommendations “What's the best option for me?” | 36% | 49% |
| Comparisons “How do the top options stack up?” | 15% | 27% |
| Ready to buy “Which one should I actually get?” | 36% | 60% |
| Problem-solving “I have this problem — what fixes it?” | 60% | 46% |
| Informational “How does this kind of product work?” | 39% | 17% |
Bold marks the higher point estimate; the headline verdict above uses non-overlapping confidence intervals. Methodology
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