New check
Comparison
Internal Revenue Service | An official website of the United States government and TurboTax both land on Depends.
Free and unavoidable for US federal taxpayers . use it for payments, transcripts, and refund checks.
TurboTax fits filers with complex personal returns who value guided prep or expert filing enough to pay premium, upsold pricing.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | US taxpayers checking refund status | First-time filers wanting guided prep |
| Who it's not for | Non-US taxpayers . this covers US federal tax only | Simple W-2 returns chasing actually-free filing |
| Privacy | No public CVE findings in reviewed sources, but watchdog audits failed and past taxpayer-data breaches are documented; impersonation scams are widespread.12 | Known incident history: 2019 credential-stuffing breach, 2021 account-takeover warnings, 2024 breach lawsuits. |
| Support quality | Hours-long phone waits reported. | Reddit reports worst-ever customer service |
| Public sentiment | Google Play rates the official app 4.0/5 across 75.5K reviews, while Reddit and Trustpilot users complain about lagging refund status and hours-long support waits.² | Users praise the guided experience but Reddit and complaint boards focus heavily on surprise fees, upsells, and poor Full Service outcomes. |
| Biggest gotcha | Phone support: multi-hour waits, per Trustpilot reviewers . plan around it | 'Free' marketing trap: most customers ended up paying, per settlement and press. |
