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Head-to-head · Tax Software

CoinLedger vs ZenLedger CoinLedger leads by 5 points.

CoinLedger scores 5 points above ZenLedger, led by your tax form, cost-basis method, and complex transactions. CoinLedger ranks #3 and ZenLedger #8 of 11 published tax software. Every term of the gap is on the ledger below; the inputs are on the audit receipt.

CoinLedger78
ZenLedger73
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99 · ranks #3 and #8 of 11
Methodology v2026.10.18Ranking snapshot Evidence verified through 4 published criteria5 score dimensions Receipt #cc-VS-COINLEDGER-VS-ZENLEDGER-fda0e9d3
Published verdictRanking snapshot 3 November 2026

CoinLedger leads by 5 points

CoinLedger scores 5 points above ZenLedger, led by your tax form, cost-basis method, and complex transactions.

CoinLedger #3 of 1178
ZenLedger #8 of 1173
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99; a bar is empty at 41 and full at 99.
Why, term by termCoinLedger leads on 3 of 4 published criteria; ZenLedger on 0. The terms sum to the gap.
TermCoinLedgerZenLedgerWeightPoints
Your tax form8/107/107.7+2.0for CoinLedger+1.0 of 32
Cost-basis method7/106/106.2+1.6for CoinLedger+0.8 of 32
Complex transactions8/107/105.3+1.4for CoinLedger+0.7 of 32
Net of the terms+5.0
Criteria roundingThe criteria block is rounded to whole points before it is spread−0.1
Reproduced gap+4.9
Published gapAfter score rounding and bounds — see the note below7873+5.0

Weight is in points of the 86-point weighted total. Points are score points of the gap between the two.

Quick facts

At a glance

2 of 3 rows read the same for both.
FactCoinLedgerZenLedger
Entry planSnapshothttps://coinledger.io/pricing — fetched 29 September 2026, HTTP 200, plain curl. Header lines: "Each tax report is a one-time purchase." / "Reports available for any year — 2010-2025." / "14 Day Money Back Guarantee". Tier cards as served: "Portfolio Tracking" "$0"; "Hobbyist" "Download a tax report — up to 100 transactions!" "$49"; "Investor" "Download a tax report — up to 1,000 transactions!" "$99"; Pro "Download a tax report — up to 3,000+ transactions!" "$199+", with "If you exceed 3,000 txs, you can purchase additional transactions within the app." The feature block below the cards is still headed "Hobbyist, Advanced, Unlimited plans includes:" — a different set of tier names from the cards, both served on the same page. FAQ: "Our pricing tiers fluctuate based on the number of transactions made during a given tax season." | "CoinLedger supports an unlimited number of transactions. If you exceed the transaction count of our top plan, you can purchase additional transactions within the app." The contract contradicts the one-time framing: https://coinledger.io/terms-conditions (fetched 29 September 2026) says "Unless otherwise set forth on an applicable ordering document incorporating these Terms, the Services are billed in advance on a monthly basis and are non-refundable." Prices unchanged since 19 August 2026.https://zenledger.io/pricing/ — fetched 29 September 2026, HTTP 200, plain curl (page JSON-LD dateModified 29 July 2025; content identical to 19 August 2026). <title> "Crypto Tax Software Plans"; the meta description still says "including a free plan" but no free tier is rendered. DIY cards: Silver "$49" "Per year" "100 transactions or less"; Gold "$199" "Per year" "5,000 transactions or less" "Most Popular"; Platinum "$399" "Per year" "15,000 transactions or less", with "Unlimited Transactions +$600" and "*Unlimited also includes 1 hr of live support"; then "Save 10% when you purchase multiple years!". Comparison table: "Annual Fee" $49 / $199 / $399; "Transactions" "Up to 100" / "Up to 5,000" / "Up to 15,000"; "All Detailed Reports" and "DeFi / Staking / NFTs" on all three. "All plans also include:" "Audit Report", "Tax Pro Access", "HIFO/FIFO/LIFO", "TurboTax Integration" among ten items. Add-on: "Personal product consulting available per request at $150/hr as an add-on." Human-assisted: "Premium Support Consultation- with a ZenLedger Enrolled Agent" "$ 275" "60 minute consultation"; "Tax Pro Prepared Plan - Single Year" "$ 3500" struck to "$ 2800" "Per year"; "Tax Pro Prepared Plan - Multi Year" "$ 6500" struck to "$ 5200" "Per two years"; "Packages are based on time required; prices are estimated. The actual cost for your tax return may be higher depending on your unique situation." Separate product "State & Federal Tax Filing" "$ 30" "per year", "30 day money back guarantee", "No subscription required". Continuity and refunds, same page: "All ZenLedger plans have a 14 day refund policy. Access the report forever, so you can always update or add transactions to your crypto tax reports." — while the nav block on the same page still says "All plans offer a generous 1 year refund policy." (contradiction unchanged since August). Billing count, from https://support.zenledger.io/en/articles/2615544-what-do-you-count-as-a-transaction-for-billing-purposes (fetched 29 September 2026): "Any buy, sell, and trade transaction is counted as a transaction in ZenLedger for billing purposes." Prices unchanged since 19 August 2026.
Asset coverageEditorial——
Region fitSnapshotglobalglobal
From the published criteria

Which should you pick?

CoinLedger

78#3 of 11
Leads
Pick it when
Pick CoinLedger if your tax form matters most — it scores 8/10 to ZenLedger's 7/10 there (weight 32).
Strength
Named form output — 8/10
Tradeoff
Three things, and the second is the one that costs money. (1) You buy on "Each tax report is a one-time purchase." (https://coinledger.io/pricing) and you contract on "Unless otherwise set forth on an applicable ordering document incorporating these Terms, the Services are billed in advance on a monthly basis and are non-refundable." plus "You shall retain access to such Paid Services from the time you cancel until the start of the next billing period, but you will not receive a refund or credit for any days remaining in your current billing period." and "Upon termination, CoinLedger reserves the right to delete all of your Content, data, and other information stored on CoinLedger’s servers." (https://coinledger.io/terms-conditions). Nothing in the Terms says a tax year you already paid for stays downloadable; section 3.3 goes further — "CoinLedger may also remove or delete your Content from the Services at any time in its sole discretion.". Export the Audit Trail and EOY Positions CSVs the day you file, because the audit trail "The Audit Trail is meant as a supplemental document for you or your tax professional's records. Once exported, it can't be uploaded or re-imported back into CoinLedger." (2) If you are a US user with a CoinLedger account opened before November 2025, your basis may not have migrated when you were told it had. https://help.coinledger.io/en/articles/10339065-how-can-i-download-a-snapshot-of-my-2025-cost-basis-reallocation-rev-proc-2024-28 (December 31, 2024) says "This reallocation process will happen automatically on Jan 1, 2025, and no further action is required by you to facilitate this process." while https://help.coinledger.io/en/articles/10309974-how-will-coinledger-support-new-per-wallet-cost-basis-tracking-rules-irs-rev-proc-2024-28 (December 18, 2025) says "If you are an existing user that used CoinLedger before 2026, you will need to opt-in to per wallet cost basis tracking to ensure that you are in compliance with the new IRS rules." Both are live on 2026-08-19. A user who read the first and did nothing spent all of tax year 2025 on universal basis, which by CoinLedger's own words "is no longer allowed to be used in the United States after Jan 1, 2025". (3) Non-US buyers should check the method before the form. Canada's own help page tells you to set the method by hand — "Be sure to also select Adjusted Cost Base (ACB) as your Report Calculation Method." — even though the methods page says the country selection governs; Germany is absent from the country-specific list entirely, so a German filer lands on the FIFO default, and https://coinledger.io/de sells "Built For Germany Tax Rules" while producing no German statutory form and using Australian phrasing ("We know that lodging your taxes can be stressful."). Anlage SO appears only in a blog guide as something you file yourself via Elster.

ZenLedger

73#8 of 11
Pick it when
ZenLedger leads CoinLedger on no published criterion and no score dimension — pick it only if a fact outside the score (country, funding rail, custody) decides for you.
Strength
Named form output — 7/10
Tradeoff
Four things a buyer only finds out after paying. (1) THERE IS NO FREE REPORT. The homepage (loaded 2026-08-19) says "Calculate your DeFi, NFT, & crypto taxes and generate free crypto tax reports.", "Industry-leading pricing with a free crypto tax software plan.", "Choose from our free crypto tax software or full-service plans to meet your needs." and buttons reading "Get Started for Free"; the pricing page's meta description still reads "ZenLedger pricing and cost breakdown. We have many competitively priced crypto tax software plans, including a free plan." — but the rendered pricing table has NO free tier and the word 'free' does not appear in its rendered body at all (Silver $49 is the floor). ZenLedger's own help centre states the real rule: "Creating an account is FREE. Use ZenLedger to import and aggregate your crypto transactions without paying a dime." followed immediately by "You only pay to view, download, and access tax reports each year." The free thing is data entry; every fileable artefact costs money. (2) THE 'ONE-TIME' PLAN AUTO-RENEWS. It is sold as a per-tax-year purchase ("Think of it as similar to TurboTax's business model") but: "When you sign up for ZenLedger and pay for your plan, we will automatically subscribe you to yearly auto-renewal of your subscription. This will automatically charge the card you paid with your first plan with towards the end of the calendar tax year for that next tax year. You will be notified via email 7 days prior to the renewal charge." (3) THE PRICING PAGE CARRIES THREE DIFFERENT REFUND WINDOWS. On one served page: "All plans offer a generous 1 year refund policy." (DIY header) and "All ZenLedger plans have a 14 day refund policy." (table footer) and "Tax Professional Prepared Plans have a 14-day refund policy." and "30 day money back guarantee" (the april filing product). Terms of Use §14 governs the software and says 14 days, adding: "If you request a refund after You downloaded any of the tax forms or CSV files, ZenLedger reserves the right to refuse your refund request or issue a partial refund." You cannot check whether the forms are right for you without forfeiting the refund right. The '1 year' line is not confined to the pricing page — it rides the global nav and is served on the Terms of Use page itself, directly above the clause that contradicts it. (4) IT IS NOT A FILING TOOL AND SAYS SO. The page that names the forms also says: "We are not a full tax reporting software like TurboTax or TaxAct, so, you will need to combine what ZenLedger offers with a service like TurboTax or TaxAct to complete your tax return (if you are filing without the services of a CPA). For more information on how to import your reports from ZenLedger into TurboTax (which we have direct integration with!) please review this article." — and the TurboTax walkthrough that sentence links to is HTTP 404.
Self-identify in 10 seconds

Which one is actually for you?

CoinLedgerLeads

Choose CoinLedger if your tax form matters most

  • Your tax form: 8/10 against 7/10 for ZenLedger (weight 32)
  • Cost-basis method: 7/10 against 6/10 for ZenLedger (weight 26)
  • Complex transactions: 8/10 against 7/10 for ZenLedger (weight 22)
ZenLedger

ZenLedger leads CoinLedger on no published criterion

  • Choose it only if something outside the published criteria decides for you — your country, a funding rail, or custody.
Criterion by criterion

Scorecard

Published criteria · weight in points of 868 of 8 cells scored. Strength is read from the evidence file; the weight is the published one. Methodology

Your tax form

by 1 of 10weight 7.7 of 86CoinLedger leads
CoinLedger8 out of 10
ZenLedger7 out of 10

Cost-basis method

by 1 of 10weight 6.2 of 86CoinLedger leads
CoinLedger7 out of 10
ZenLedger6 out of 10

Complex transactions

by 1 of 10weight 5.3 of 86CoinLedger leads
CoinLedger8 out of 10
ZenLedger7 out of 10

Record portability

weight 4.8 of 86Tie
CoinLedger7 out of 10
ZenLedger7 out of 10

Score dimensions

weights sum to 86

The published score is five dimensions, each weighted for the category. "Published criteria" is the criteria block above; the other four are the engine's own terms — availability, friction, trust record, measured data. Each bar is one side's points out of that dimension's maximum; the weight beside the name is its points of the 86-point weighted total. The published criteria above can fill 24 of the block’s 30. A weight marked “constant here” belongs to a dimension every ranked product in the category holds at the same value: it still counts in the total, and it orders nothing here.

Availabilityweight 20 of 86 · constant here
CoinLedger14/20ZenLedger14/20
Tie
Published criteriaweight 30 of 86
CoinLedger18.1/30ZenLedger16.2/30
CoinLedger leads
Frictionweight 10 of 86 · constant here
CoinLedger2.7/10ZenLedger2.7/10
Tie
Trust recordweight 8 of 86 · constant here
CoinLedger3.2/8ZenLedger3.2/8
Tie
Measured dataweight 18 of 86 · constant here
CoinLedger8.3/18ZenLedger8.3/18
Tie
Decision rulePublished order

Choose CoinLedger unless the term ZenLedger leads on is the one you are buying.

ZenLedger leads CoinLedger on no published criterion and no score dimension — pick it only if a fact outside the score (country, funding rail, custody) decides for you.

The published order weighs every criterion the same way for everyone. To weigh them your way, run .

From the published order

Next best action

If this isn't your case

Other matchups worth comparing

How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores
  • Regulatory failure: no licence where you are, or a forced market exit.
    Scored by Which country's actual tax form comes out at the end — named, and for the year I am filing? · 32% (CoinLedger 8/10, ZenLedger 7/10)
  • Exit failure: you cannot get out at par, on time, or with what is yours.
    Scored by Can my accountant take this without redoing it — and if I stop paying, does my per-lot basis still leave with me? · 20% (CoinLedger 7/10, ZenLedger 7/10)
  • Information failure: the number is wrong or bought, or your data leaks.
    Scored by Which lot did it decide I sold, and does that method match what my tax authority actually requires? · 26% (CoinLedger 7/10, ZenLedger 6/10)
    Scored by My history has DeFi, staking, NFTs, a rug and ten transfers between my own wallets — what does it do with each one? · 22% (CoinLedger 8/10, ZenLedger 7/10)
Every failure family that applies to this category is scored.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

CoinLedger scores 5 points above ZenLedger, led by your tax form, cost-basis method, and complex transactions. Published scores, out of 100: CoinLedger 78 (rank 3 of 11 tax software), ZenLedger 73 (rank 8 of 11).

Related pages

Go deeper

Reviewed Next review by Methodology v2026.10.18
How this page is reviewed

Reviewed means both products compared here was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.

Accountable for this review: Mathias Siemonsmeier, Founder.

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