Comparison · updated monthly
FreeTaxUSA is one of the cheapest ways to file a US-domestic return. Its expat coverage stops short of PFICs and the FBAR.
FreeTaxUSA is a genuinely low-cost US filing product — free federal and a low flat fee for state — and it's a fair pick for simple domestic returns. It will handle Form 1116 and Form 2555 at a basic level, but it has no PFIC (Form 8621) support and no FBAR workflow. Atamatax is built specifically for the self-serve expat case.
Who FreeTaxUSA is for
FreeTaxUSA fits budget-minded US-domiciled filers, and even simple expats who only need a basic FEIE or Foreign Tax Credit and have no foreign funds. Once you hold PFICs or need to file the FBAR, it runs out of road.
Where each sits
Products in different categories are not better or worse than each other; they are for different returns. The category that matches your situation is the one to compare inside.
FreeTaxUSA
Self-serve tax software
You enter the figures and file the return yourself; the software computes the forms it supports.
Atamatax
Complex foreign-investment workflow
Import the foreign portfolio, identify the PFICs, compute the allocation per holding and per year, reconstruct missing basis, and produce the workpapers.
Professional handoff
The analysis packaged for an accountant to file from — classification with its reason, worksheets per holding, threshold arithmetic, an assumption log.
Self-serve tax software
You enter the figures and file the return yourself; the software computes the forms it supports.
Side-by-side
Price
- Atamatax
- Expat-focused; flat $299 / $499 / $799 per return.
- FreeTaxUSA
- Free federal, low flat state fee — very cheap.
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555)
- Atamatax
- Built into the expat flow.
- FreeTaxUSA
- Supported, but minimally.
Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116)
- Atamatax
- Built-in, with the FEIE-vs-FTC decision guided.
- FreeTaxUSA
- Supported, but minimal — no expat guidance.
Form 8621 (PFIC)
- Atamatax
- Built-in; up to 25 per return.
- FreeTaxUSA
- Not supported (confirmed by FreeTaxUSA staff; you'd attach it manually).
FBAR (FinCEN Form 114)
- Atamatax
- Generated in the same flow.
- FreeTaxUSA
- No FBAR workflow.
FATCA (Form 8938)
- Atamatax
- Covered in the expat baseline.
- FreeTaxUSA
- Limited; not an expat focus.
Treaty positions (Form 8833)
- Atamatax
- Dedicated FR / UK / DE / CA / AU desks.
- FreeTaxUSA
- Not an expat-treaty product.
Integrated e-file
- Atamatax
- Reviewable PDF package with step-by-step filing instructions; you file it.
- FreeTaxUSA
- E-file federal and state.
State returns
- Atamatax
- Federal-only in v1.
- FreeTaxUSA
- All states at a low flat fee.
Each row states what the two products do as of September 2026. We update this page when their offering changes — tell us if it's out of date.
Two Atamatax product lines appear in this table. Self-serve software for one tax year — $299 (no PFICs), $499 (up to 25 Forms 8621) and $799 (treaty positions) — and the Streamlined catch-up preparation tiers at $1,590–$2,990+, which are quoted in writing after a free scope check and prepared with you. They are different services at different prices.
Bottom line
If you're a US-domiciled filer — or a very simple expat with only a basic FEIE or FTC and no foreign funds — FreeTaxUSA is hard to beat on price. But once you hold PFICs (Form 8621) or need an FBAR, it doesn't carry the forms or the workflow. Atamatax is built for the expat case and keeps it self-serve.
Before choosing either
Check the facts the price depends on
- Is my fund a PFIC?Screens a fund or ETF by ISIN or domicile — the count of PFICs is what a per-form price turns on.Free · no signup
- FBAR filing checkerWhether the FBAR applies to your accounts at all — the report domestic software does not file.Free · no signup
- US expat tax calculatorWhich forms your year actually needs, and an outlook on the tax — the list the price on either side should be quoted against.Free · no signup
How this comparison was made
- Competitor facts come from FreeTaxUSA's own published pages — the price list, the plan descriptions, the forms list — and are linked under Sources where a public page exists. Where a price is quoted per case, the table says so rather than guessing a number.
- FreeTaxUSA publishes its pricing per engagement rather than as a list, so the table describes the model and quotes no figure.
- Atamatax's prices are rendered from the pricing configuration the checkout uses, so the table cannot show a price the product does not charge.
- Rows describe scope, not quality: no cell is marked as a winner, and the bottom line says who is better served by the other product.
Out of date? Tell us and the row is re-read. Atamatax pricing · Comparison methodology and index
Sources
Compare on your own situation
Which Atamatax package would your return actually need?
A few questions name the forms, the package and the price for your year — then the comparison above is about you, not about a generic expat.
Or skip the questions: the on-screen draft is free and you pay when you generate the package — start my return.