TaxTidy vs SparkReceipt: 2026 Comparison
SparkReceipt is a serious receipt and document capture tool. It scans in bulk, pulls receipts out of your email, reads bank statements, sorts spending into Schedule C-relevant categories, and pushes the result into QuickBooks or Xero. TaxTidy overlaps with a good deal of that and then goes somewhere different with it: every expense is placed on a numbered Schedule C line, carried into a PDF report with its receipt image printed alongside, and counted toward an Audit Readiness Score that tells you exactly which records would not survive a question. One tool is built to feed your books. The other is built so that the year holds up.
What you get with TaxTidy
- Your first 25 scans are free for good, with no card at signup. You can run the pile through TaxTidy and look at the actual output before any money changes hands.
- Every expense lands on a numbered Schedule C line — Line 22 for supplies, Line 24b for the deductible meal — and that line travels with it into the CSV export and the PDF report, so nothing has to be re-sorted at tax time.
- Your Audit Readiness Score answers the question a category total cannot: which of these could you actually prove? It names the expenses missing an image, a category, a date or a vendor, and the number moves as you close them.
- On Pro and above, the PDF report prints the full-size receipt image next to the expense it supports, grouped by Schedule C line. It is built to be handed to an accountant or produced for an auditor.
- Fin answers US tax questions against your own expenses — whether a purchase counts, what you spent with a vendor, how the quarter is tracking — instead of pointing you at general guidance.
- The free calculators for mileage, home office, quarterly tax and self-employment tax are on the site with no account at all, so you can sanity-check a number before you commit to anything.
Feature comparison
| Feature | TaxTidy | SparkReceipt |
|---|---|---|
| Try it before you pay | First 25 scans free, no card | 7-day trial, card required |
| Photograph receipts from your phone | ✓ | ✓ |
| Upload a batch of receipts at once | Shoebox Mode — the whole camera roll | Up to 100 at a time |
| Receipts pulled in from email | Smart Inbox forwarding address (Pro) | Automatic fetching, including past mail |
| Expenses on numbered Schedule C lines | Line 22, Line 24b and the rest, carried into every export | Schedule C-relevant categories |
| A score showing what proof is missing | ✓ | – |
| Receipt image inside the tax report | Full-size image beside each expense (Pro) | PDF and CSV export |
| AI assistant | Fin, answering US tax questions against your expenses | SparkAgent, for finding and tagging documents |
| Bank statement import | Statement PDF or CSV (Pro) | PDF, CSV and Excel, plus bank feeds in beta |
| Accountant access | CPA plan | Free guest access included |
| Users included | One account | Three, with more available |
| Pushes into accounting software | CSV with a Schedule C Line column (Pro) | QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier and an open API |
Pricing
TaxTidy
- TaxTidy Free$0 — first 25 scans
- TaxTidy Pro$12.99/month ($99.99/yr)
- TaxTidy CPA$19.99/month ($179.99/yr)
SparkReceipt
- SparkReceipt Elite$16.65/month
- SparkReceipt Elite, annual$199.98/year (3 users)
- SparkReceipt extra seat$58/year
SparkReceipt pricing is taken from its published plans and can change. Check their site for today's rate.
Choose TaxTidy if
Choose TaxTidy if you are filing a US Schedule C and the thing you want at the end of the year is a defensible return rather than a tidy document library. It suits the sole operator whose questions are "which line does this go on?" and "can I prove it?", and who would rather start free than start a trial.
What SparkReceipt does well
- Capture is genuinely strong. It takes up to a hundred receipts in one upload, fetches receipts straight out of your email including past mail, and reads bank statements in PDF, CSV or Excel.
- Accountant access is free and included, so your bookkeeper can look at the same data without anyone moving up a tier.
- Three users come with the plan, which makes it workable for a couple running a business together or a small team.
- It plugs into the tools around it — QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zapier and an open API — so it can sit upstream of whatever books you already keep.
- SparkAgent handles the document side in plain language: finding, tagging, categorising and reconciling across everything you have uploaded.
Choose SparkReceipt if
Choose SparkReceipt if capture breadth matters more than US tax output — you are outside the United States, you handle multiple currencies, you want receipts pulled automatically from years of email, or you need several people and an accountant in the same account without paying more. It is also the better fit when the destination is QuickBooks or Xero and you want a direct integration rather than an export.
The bottom line
These two products are closer than most pairings on this page, and SparkReceipt is good at what it does. The difference is where each one is aiming. SparkReceipt is capture that feeds your books; TaxTidy is capture that ends in a US tax position you can defend, with the receipt image attached to the line it supports and a score telling you where the gaps are. Your first 25 scans cost nothing, which is the cheapest way to see which of those you actually want.
Frequently asked questions
How is TaxTidy different from SparkReceipt?
Both scan receipts well. TaxTidy is narrower and deeper on the US return: each expense is placed on a numbered IRS Schedule C line that follows it into every export, the Audit Readiness Score tells you which records lack proof, and the PDF report prints the full-size receipt image beside the expense it supports. SparkReceipt is broader on capture and integration, with automatic email fetching, an open API and direct pushes into QuickBooks and Xero.
Does SparkReceipt have a free plan?
Not on its current pricing page. SparkReceipt offers a seven-day free trial of its Elite plan and asks for a card to start it. TaxTidy takes a different approach: your first 25 scans are free for good, with no card and no expiry, which is enough to put a real batch of receipts through and look at what comes out.
How does the pricing compare?
SparkReceipt lists Elite at $16.65 a month, or $199.98 a year with three users included and extra seats at $58 a year, and it runs promotional rates from time to time. TaxTidy is $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year for Pro, and $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year for CPA, on top of a free tier of 25 scans. Both companies change prices, so check each site before you decide on figures.
Can I move from SparkReceipt to TaxTidy?
Yes. Export your expenses from SparkReceipt as a CSV and import it into TaxTidy on Pro or above. TaxTidy reads the rows, assigns each one a Schedule C line, and matches them against receipts you have scanned. Anything arriving without an image shows up as a gap in your Audit Readiness Score, so you immediately know which records still need paper behind them.
TaxTidy provides expense organization tools based on the most current US tax law available to it. TaxTidy is not a CPA, Enrolled Agent, or licensed tax professional. All categorizations, deductions, and tax calculations are estimates. Please verify all data for accuracy and consult a certified tax professional before filing.
Start with your first 25 scans free
Photograph a receipt and watch it land on the right Schedule C line, with an Audit Readiness Score that shows you exactly what is still missing. No credit card.
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