Keeper
Keeper is a highly-rated app for self-employed individuals and small business owners, praised for simplifying tax tracking and filing, but it faces significant criticism for hidden costs, unauthorized charges, and customer support issues.
Keeper is an app designed to simplify tax tracking and filing for freelancers and small business owners, with many users finding it easy to use and helpful for deductions. However, a notable number of recent reviews highlight issues with undisclosed pricing, unauthorized subscription charges, and difficulties with customer support and app functionality.
Free vs paid
The app is advertised as free, but users report that core functionalities like calculating deductions, generating reports, or filing taxes require a paid subscription R2R92R121. Some users were led to believe it was entirely free, only to encounter paywalls after significant data entry R2R92R127. Paid plans offer features like expense tracking, deduction identification, and tax filing services, with some users praising the value compared to traditional accountants R4R27R61. However, even paid users sometimes report issues with the app's ability to accurately track expenses or provide comprehensive tax advice, leading to additional manual work or missed deductions R87R133R65.
Value complaints
- Ads misleadingly claim the app is free, but it requires a subscription for core features.R2R127R110R121
- Users report being charged for subscriptions without explicit consent or after canceling free trials.R5R21R48R110
- Subscription prices are considered too high, especially for AI-powered services, or for the value received.R2R6R22R77
- Prices are not displayed upfront, requiring users to link accounts or start trials before seeing costs.R24R111R119R122
- Subscription prices can change unexpectedly, or users are pressured to upgrade to more expensive plans.R13R133
Where it delivers
- Simplifies tax tracking and filing for self-employed individuals and small business owners.R9R12R15R17
- Helps identify and track deductible expenses, saving users money and time.R9R12R28R32
- Offers a more affordable alternative to traditional tax preparers or accountants.R4R27R61R62
- Provides responsive and knowledgeable customer service, including access to tax professionals.R4R20R25R45
- User-friendly interface and easy to navigate.R8R12R15R17
It is worth paying for Keeper if you are a self-employed individual or small business owner, especially a 1099 contractor or gig worker, who needs an easy way to track expenses and deductions, and you are comfortable with its automated system R4R9R12R28. It can be a good value if you find traditional tax preparers too expensive or time-consuming R4R27R61R62.
You should skip Keeper if you are looking for a truly free tax solution, as the app is not free despite some advertisements R2R127. Also skip if you are uncomfortable with apps requiring your phone number to create an account or if you have complex tax situations that require meticulous manual entry or specific integrations R36R44. If you prioritize robust customer support or are wary of unexpected charges, you should also consider alternatives R5R14R21.
Evidence note: The lifetime rating is high, but a significant portion of recent negative reviews focus on monetization practices and customer support, which are critical for a financial app. The positive reviews often praise ease of use and time-saving aspects, but some of these may predate the more aggressive monetization complaints.
Frequently asked
Is Keeper Tax really free?
What are the common complaints about Keeper Tax?
Does Keeper Tax work with all bank accounts and credit cards?
Can Keeper Tax help with complex tax situations or missed deductions?
What reviewers actually said
Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.
- [R2] Not free like ads said: The ads said it was a free to use app it’s not,I can’t afford a $200 subscription or $400 when I will only get $72 also said my file went through but LIED scammers
- [R127] Ads say it’s 100% free and of course there’s a trial: Would have loved to use this “100% free” app but as soon as I get started I am accosted by the unmovable “select your free trial” screen and I can’t use any features until I select one. So tired of this marketing scheme. Stop claiming your apps are free.
- [R110] Charged $200 for an app that wasn’t working: I set up a trial with this service and my bank account immediately disconnected. However they still found a way to charge my for a yearly subscription despite the app not functioning because my bank disconnected on their end. I also never recall being asked if I consented to a charge, and picked this app because the ad says it’s a free tax service. Thei
- [R121] Pay to use: Let's you connect your bank accounts and everything but once all that is done it asks to pay either annually or monthly. If there was a free version of use it
- [R5] A SCAM & FRAUD: Keeper Tax is a fraud. They offer you a 14-day free trial and then charge your account immediately and ignore emails. Avoid this scam of a company.
- [R21] No Good: They took money from my account with out authorization there’s no number to call and no live support in this matter
- [R48] Scamming app: I downloaded this app in 2023 and used it for one day. I linked my bank account so they can check for my tax deduction and i deleted the app after known that this app is not what i need. I never signed up for subscription or even agreed to pay anything. It was free app when i downloaded it. After a year in 2024 they charged me $192 which is not even their cheapest plan and never bill
- [R6] 300$ for what: it’s powered by ai and they want 300$ a year to use it??? that’s crazy.
- [R22] 16$ a month: This is way too expensive for the service you’re providing through ai
- [R77] One Discrepancy Fixed: I did the job as expected and have references for why it selected options, such as a standard deduction for my LLC. I think that the price is pretty steep, considering that I have done my own taxes for five years, but with 14 years of cybersecurity engineering and systems engineering, I wanted to use the prompt. I have to think about how much access was given, and I will be
- [R24] Good app… Butt: They make you jump to rough hoops just to get to the bones and make you start a free trial which isn’t right. Display the prices upfront if you trust and believe in your app. Simple as that
- [R111] Taking data: You should tell people about the price before taking all the data and connecting bank info etc
- [R119] Not upfront about cost when you start signing up: Nowhere did it say that it would be a subscription. Of course I figured it would be, but if the app is going to make you sign up to do a “free trial” before giving you any information then there should be a warning that it requires a subscription. I know that it’s trying to hook you before making you pay, but dang, feels really dishonest to me. oth
- [R122] vague: Vague info like the subscription prices and until you get into the app. Can only pay yearly
- [R13] BE CAUTIOUS: I was about to file my taxes using Keeper after completing the forms it asked for, and it initially charged $99. Suddenly, the price increased to $199. I will look for an alternative since there are many options on the market.
- [R133] Unreliable, missed obvious deductions: I stumbled on valid, significant, deductions *myself* (a non-expert) which the Keeper team had totally missed even after I asked if everything was missing. Often a response from the tax experts was slow, (my direct contact however was pretty responsive) and at one point there was pressure to up-sell to a more expensive plan, which I actually didn't need. Prob
- [R9] Best Experience: As a Photographer I’ve been using this app for years! I can say for a fact it’s the easiest experience I’ve ever had with both tracking my deductibles and filing my taxes. I highly recommend this app to everyone.
- [R12] Amazing!: This app offers so much! Makes me feel safe and comfortable. Super easy to use and keeps track of all my expenses! 100/10 recommended!
- [R15] So easy a caveman can do it: Keeper was a life saver for me.
- [R17] Best app: Thank you so much made my taxes so easy
- [R28] Lifesaver for Small Business Owners: Keeper has made tracking expenses and preparing for taxes so much less stressful. It’s easy to use, keeps everything organized, and saves me a ton of time. As a small business owner, this app has been a game changer. Highly recommend!
- [R32] SUPER EASY!!!!: It’s super simple, link your bank account(s), then just as you swipe your card or use that account you can determine whether transaction is a deduction or not and also under what category they fall under if they are deductible
- [R4] Great For Small Business: I’m so glad that I found Keeper! My tax pro was very knowledgeable and helpful with making sure what all they had to offer. I paid the yearly subscription which was way less expensive than going to someone locally. Now I am not afraid to do my taxes anymore!
- [R27] Love: This is my third year, using Keeper to keep track of all of my business expenses, as well as filing my taxes with them. I love it. It is so much easier and so much more put together than going to Jackson Hewitt or anyone plus you don’t have to pay a crazy amount of money for someone else to file.
- [R61] Easiest, quickest and cheapest: 10/10 recommend, I had some big company called bench do my book keeping last year and they had a separate company do my taxes and it was a long, drawn out and horrible experience. They charged me $499 month and I still had to use excel spreadsheets. Keeper was a fraction of the price and there AI Assistant is advanced and is very helpful. Keeper is definitely and ke
- [R62] Highly recommend getting this app: I absolutely love this app! I spent so much time and money on someone else to do my taxes and this app saved me from breaking the bank and a headache! So grateful that this exist 💖
- [R20] Always great!: Responsive and knowledgeable
- [R25] What a find!: As a self employed single person business, I was drowning with trying to pay accountants year after year. Only to be treated like I’m not worth their time. Keeper was super easy to use and I always received great knowledge and friendly service ether it was the AI answering me or an actual person. I love that I could easily speak to a human if I needed to! Highly recommend!
- [R45] Great customer service: I’ve been using this app for about 8 months for my carpentry business and have zero complaints. Great customer service and support!
- [R8] Nice !!: Easy and simple
- [R92] It’s not a free trial!: I don’t appreciate that they claim a free trial and I spent two days itemizing my deductions and found out at the end of alllllll that work that if you want it to calculate or produce a report, you have to pay. I get it, but saying it up front would have saved me a lot of time since I already pay for quickbooks. Deleting the app!
- [R14] Good luck if you need support: Their only support is through messages (which starts with an AI Bot) and then when it does escalate to a “person” it’s not actually a back and forth chat, so you are only able to send a message and get a very vague message back in reply. Of course they say “let me know if you have any questions! I am happy to assist!” , but then when you reply you get the bot again a
- [R36] Doesn’t work with Chase cards: I loved this app when I first got it. I got the paid version and it made filing my business taxes so much easier! But I use Chase cards for business and this year there have been 5 instances so far of the app disconnecting from my card. Each time I have to re-connect the card and then when that doesn’t work, contact customer service. The chat bot and CS are both grea
- [R44] No apple card linkage: I’m a gig driver and was gonna use this app to track expenses and file taxes. But can’t link apple card acct which I use for daily purchases because I use apple pay all the time so I get best cashback. No apple card link allowed = lost me as a customer.
- [R123] add more credit unions: please add psecu
- [R87] Still had to do the math myself: So the app is great in keeping track on expenses BUT just two things I don’t like which I would’ve expected this app to do but for some reason it didn’t add up together the expenses as individual categories. The spreadsheet that it provides you it’s very confusing and yet doesn’t count all the categories. Now I have the $20 monthly plan so maybe if I get the more e
- [R89] Skipped over 2k worth of gas: I want to say it picked up random things on my bank like Sephora? But skipped over gas. It was so random. I absolutely would not trust this app to track anything if you do door dash or uber eats. I kept all my receipts and sat there baffled at how sephora is a write off but gas isn’t lol? I think it randomly selects things for you. Yikes.
- [R65] Do my own math????: The reason I got this app was because a I wanted to link it to my debit card and choose the transactions that are business related and add them for me. So I can plug n play. It categorized them…I could do that. However, when it came to translating the information to my taxes, it didn’t give me a dollar amount. I have 120 transactions travel. I actually have to go in and add up
Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store