H&R Block vs Smart Clerk (2026): Pricing, Features & Which to Choose

Who comes out ahead

Based only on the facts in our directory. The right pick still depends on the job you need done.

Lower starting price
Smart Clerk
From $29/mo against from $65/mo
Free plan
Tie
Both have one
Higher rating
Smart Clerk
3.8 against 3.9
Same job?
Yes
Both are Finance & Fintech AI tools

Side by side

Compared on	H&R Block	Smart Clerk
Our rating	3.8	3.9Better
Starts at	$65/mo	$29/moBetter
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Category	Finance & Fintech AI	Finance & Fintech AI
Plans	From $65/mo	From $29/mo
Key features	AI Tax Assist for conversational answers to tax questions Explanations of forms, deductions and key terms Built on Azure OpenAI with guidance from the Tax Institute Live tax professional help and tax pro review options Online filing plans from Free to Self-Employed	Live feeds from 10,000-plus US and Canadian banks Statements accepted in any format, language or country AI transaction categorisation that learns P&L and balance sheet generation Vendor spending consolidation with Excel and PDF export
Pros	Free filing tier available Human tax experts remain an option beside the AI assistant AI answers draw on a team of CPAs, tax attorneys and enrolled agents	Handles statements from banks outside the integration list Read-only connections with end-to-end encryption Genuinely free tier for a single account
Cons	Paid online plans cost $65 to $130 before state fees State filing adds $49 per state on paid plans AI answers are general tax guidance and do not replace a tax professional's advice	The 99 percent accuracy figure is the vendor's own Historical data costs extra per account per year Automated books still need an accountant before filing
Company	H&R Block	Smart Clerk

Prices come from each vendor's pricing page, last checked 20261005. Check the vendor before you buy.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Is H&R Block better than Smart Clerk?

In our reviews H&R Block scores 3.8 and Smart Clerk scores 3.9. The better pick depends on the job. H&R Block: Tax preparation company whose AI Tax Assist answers filers' tax questions conversationally inside its online software, built on Azure OpenAI and backed by H&R Block's Tax Institute. Smart Clerk: Reads bank statements in any format and produces a P&L and balance sheet from them.

Which is cheaper, H&R Block or Smart Clerk?

Smart Clerk has the lower starting price: from $65/mo for H&R Block and from $29/mo for Smart Clerk.

Do H&R Block and Smart Clerk have free plans?

Yes, both have a free plan.

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