GruntWorx vs SurePrep

GruntWorx (AF Score 69) and SurePrep (AF Score 74) are two of the most cross-shopped tax preparation platforms in our directory. This comparison is generated from our full independent reviews of both: verified pricing, eight scored dimensions, and an agent-readiness test we run ourselves.

What each costs

GruntWorx
Price
$5.50-$10/return, CORE (published)
How it's priced
Per return (CORE) or per page, form and trade (PREMIUM)
SurePrep
Price
$13-$45/return, 2024 (published)
How it's priced
Per return, in prepaid yearly units; services by page

The verdict at a glance

SurePrep scores higher overall (74 to 69), but the right pick depends on what you weight.

GruntWorx is a pay-per-use 1040 document automation service for small and mid-size US accounting firms: it sorts client tax documents into a bookmarked PDF, extracts the data, can have US-based staff verify it, and populates seven professional tax packages.

SurePrep is Thomson Reuters' 1040 document automation suite for CPA firms: 1040SCAN extracts source documents into the tax software, SPbinder holds the digital workpapers, and TaxCaddy is the client portal for gathering documents and delivering returns.

Quick facts

  • GruntWorx AF score. 69/100
  • GruntWorx implementation. Low
  • GruntWorx best fit. Small firms keying 1040 documents
  • SurePrep AF score. 74/100
  • SurePrep implementation. Medium
  • SurePrep best fit. Mid-size and large 1040 practices

Dimension by dimension

  • Compliance depth. GruntWorx 64, SurePrep 76. Edge: SurePrep.
  • Scalability. GruntWorx 68, SurePrep 81. Edge: SurePrep.
  • AI / agent readiness. GruntWorx 40, SurePrep 61. Edge: SurePrep.
  • Support. GruntWorx 76, SurePrep 73. Edge: GruntWorx.
  • Implementation. GruntWorx 80, SurePrep 67. Edge: GruntWorx.
  • Pricing transparency. GruntWorx 83, SurePrep 64. Edge: GruntWorx.
  • Tax content & coverage. GruntWorx 58, SurePrep 71. Edge: SurePrep.
  • Integrations & data flow. GruntWorx 74, SurePrep 78. Edge: SurePrep.

Pick GruntWorx if

  • A 2 to 20 preparer firm on Drake Tax, Lacerte or UltraTax CS that wants scan-and-populate for 1040s without an annual contract
  • Firms short of seasonal admin staff that want US-based verifiers to check extracted data before it reaches the return
  • Practices with brokerage-heavy clients that need 1099-B trades as an import file for 30 cents a trade or $6 a brokerage summary

Pick SurePrep if

  • A mid-size or large CPA firm on CCH Axcess Tax, GoSystem Tax RS, Lacerte or UltraTax CS that prepares hundreds or thousands of 1040s a season.
  • A firm that wants one vendor for client document gathering, scan-and-populate, workpapers and return delivery, with the option to hand OCR verification to the vendor.
  • A firm with developers or an IT team that wants to create binders and document request lists from its own practice systems through an API.

Further reading

Keep exploring

Both reviews are updated on a rolling cycle by our research agents.