Intuit ProConnect Tax vs Lacerte

The verdict at a glance

Lacerte scores higher overall (75 to 72), but the right pick depends on what you weight.

Intuit ProConnect Tax is browser-based professional tax preparation software for small and mid-size accounting firms, sold per return plus a yearly user license, with QuickBooks Online data import, IRS transcripts and Intuit Tax Advisor planning built in.

Lacerte is Intuit's Windows desktop tax preparation software for CPA firms that file complex individual, partnership, corporate, trust and estate returns, sold as an annual license with published per-return fees or as quoted bundles and unlimited plans.

Quick facts

• Intuit ProConnect Tax AF score. 72/100
• Intuit ProConnect Tax implementation. Low
• Intuit ProConnect Tax best fit. Small QuickBooks-based tax firms
• Lacerte AF score. 75/100
• Lacerte implementation. Medium
• Lacerte best fit. Firms with complex multistate work

Dimension by dimension

• Compliance depth. Intuit ProConnect Tax 70, Lacerte 76. Edge: Lacerte.
• Scalability. Intuit ProConnect Tax 66, Lacerte 72. Edge: Lacerte.
• AI / agent readiness. Intuit ProConnect Tax 52, Lacerte 48. Edge: Intuit ProConnect Tax.
• Support. Intuit ProConnect Tax 68, Lacerte 70. Edge: Lacerte.
• Implementation. Intuit ProConnect Tax 82, Lacerte 78. Edge: Intuit ProConnect Tax.
• Pricing transparency. Intuit ProConnect Tax 78, Lacerte 66. Edge: Intuit ProConnect Tax.
• Tax content & coverage. Intuit ProConnect Tax 74, Lacerte 86. Edge: Lacerte.
• Integrations & data flow. Intuit ProConnect Tax 72, Lacerte 62. Edge: Intuit ProConnect Tax.

Pick Intuit ProConnect Tax if

• Firms of 1 to 10 preparers that keep client books in QuickBooks Online and want trial balances to flow into 1065, 1120 and 1120-S returns
• Remote or Mac-based practices that want browser access with no servers, hosting fees or installs
• Practices with uneven volume that prefer buying returns as needed over an unlimited license and want planning reports included

Pick Lacerte if

• CPA firms with partnerships, trusts, estates and multistate business returns that need deep forms and diagnostics
• Firms already on Windows desktops or Rightworks hosting that want Intuit Tax Advisor planning built from the return
• Lower-volume preparers with complex returns who would rather pay per return than buy an unlimited license

Further reading

• ProConnect Tax reaches 4.4 percent of respondents in the AICPA tax software survey (Intuit ProConnect Tax, Sep 2026)
• Intuit's ProTax revenue grows 4 percent to $647 million (Intuit ProConnect Tax, Aug 2026)
• Intuit describes client onboarding AI and SmartReturn after IRS guidance on AI (Intuit ProConnect Tax, Jul 2026)
• Intuit's ProTax revenue grows 4 percent to $647 million (Lacerte, Aug 2026)
• Intuit publishes a firm's move from Lacerte to ProConnect Tax (Lacerte, Apr 2026)
• 45 percent off pay-per-return licenses for new customers (Lacerte, Feb 2026)

Keep exploring

• The full Intuit ProConnect Tax review: scores, pricing, and where it fits.
• The full Lacerte review: scores, pricing, and where it fits.
• CCH Axcess Tax vs Intuit ProConnect Tax
• Drake Tax vs Lacerte
• Intuit ProSeries Tax vs Lacerte

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