XY Planning Network is a network of more than 2,300 independent fee-only advisors, and each firm sets its own price and decides whether it will file your tax return. The closest alternatives are Garrett Planning Network, NAPFA, Facet, Domain Money, and Nino. The first 2 are directories like XYPN, and Facet and Domain Money sell flat-fee CFP memberships. If you need financial planning, tax, or both, pick Nino: software from $20 a month, or a CPA and CFP team on one flat fee from $3,600 a year with federal and state filing done in house.
What is XY Planning Network?
XY Planning Network, usually shortened to XYPN, is a membership network for financial advisors who run their own fee-only firms. The advisors are XYPN’s customers. An Emerald membership costs a firm $544 a month and comes with compliance support, a software stack, continuing education, and NAPFA membership. XYPN says it has more than 2,300 advisors.
The part consumers see is the Find an Advisor directory. Only members who hold the CFP mark can be listed there. You search it by state or specialty, message a few firms, and hire one. From then on your contract and your bill are with that firm.
What does XYPN guarantee about an advisor?
It guarantees how the advisor gets paid. To join, an advisor has to be fee-only under the CFP Board’s definition, sign a fiduciary oath, offer planning without an asset minimum, serve clients virtually, and pass a BrokerCheck screen. XYPN won’t approve anyone with a regulatory fine, arbitration, or settlement over $10,000. Under those rules an advisor can’t earn commissions or sell you products.
What the fee buys is up to each firm. XYPN’s consumer FAQ says each advisor sets their own pricing, usually as a flat fee, a monthly subscription, or hourly sessions. Its membership rules let advisors “offset planning fees with AUM,” so a member can also charge a percentage of the assets it manages. To see what a specific firm charges and what it includes, read its profile and its Form ADV, the disclosure every registered advisor files.
How much does an XYPN advisor cost?
There is no network price, so the most useful public number comes from XYPN itself. Its 2026 pricing guide for advisors cites Kitces Research: the median subscription planning fee in 2024 was $4,500 a year, about $375 a month, and it’s commonly paired with a setup fee. That median covers subscription planners across the industry, so use it as a rough benchmark and get each firm’s number in writing.
Will an XYPN advisor file my taxes?
Some will. On October 2, 2026, XYPN published a guide for its advisors on adding tax services, and it lists 5 ways a firm can do it:
- Review a return someone else prepared
- Build tax projections during the year without preparing the return
- Prepare and file the return
- Prepare the return and plan all year
- Plan in house while an outside CPA or enrolled agent files
In 2 of the 5, the firm that plans also prepares your return. In the other 3, someone else files it: you, your tax software, or another preparer you pay on your own. A profile that says “tax planning” can mean any of the 5.
That split matters most for moves that only work if the return reports them correctly. A backdoor Roth is the simplest example. The planner has you put $7,500 into a traditional IRA without a deduction and convert it to a Roth. Your return then needs Form 8606, which records that the $7,500 went in after tax. If whoever prepares the return never hears about the contribution, the conversion arrives on a 1099-R as $7,500 and can get reported as income, so you pay tax twice on the same money. The person who knew about the contribution and the person who filed the return worked at different firms. More on the mechanics in backdoor Roth.
So the first thing to ask an XYPN advisor is who signs your return. A paid preparer has to sign it and put a PTIN, their IRS preparer number, on it. If the answer is someone at the planner’s firm, you have one team. If it’s anyone else, add that preparer’s fee to the planning fee and ask how the 2 of them will share what the plan changed before April.
What are the best XY Planning Network alternatives?
Garrett Planning Network, NAPFA, Facet, Domain Money, and Nino. Garrett and NAPFA are directories of independent fee-only planners, so they come with XYPN’s tradeoff: you pick a firm first and find out its price and tax scope after. Facet and Domain Money are single companies with published flat fees and a CFP, and both file returns on their higher tiers through Taxfyle, an independent tax preparation platform. Nino starts as software and adds a CPA and CFP team who plan and file on one flat fee. If you need financial planning, tax, or both, Nino is the one that does all of it with its own team.
How do XYPN, Garrett Planning Network, NAPFA, Facet, Domain Money, and Nino compare?
| Platform | What you pay (seen 2026-10-07) | Who you work with | Who files your taxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| XY Planning Network | Set by each firm: flat, subscription, or hourly, sometimes plus a percentage of assets. Kitces 2024 subscription median cited by XYPN: $4,500/yr | An independent CFP firm from the directory | Depends on the firm: 2 of XYPN’s 5 tax models include preparing your return |
| Garrett Planning Network | Hourly or by project; rates vary by member; quote after a free Get Acquainted session | An independent planner (CFP or PFS) | Depends on the member |
| NAPFA | Set by each firm; fee-only | A NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor (CFP, fiduciary oath) | Depends on the firm |
| Facet | Core $2,600, Plus $5,500, Complete $8,700 a year (list) | A CFP team, with investment management | Taxfyle partner on Plus and Complete |
| Domain Money | Essential $3,900, Strategic $5,200, Comprehensive $9,000 in year 1; renewals $2,900, $4,200, $8,000 | A dedicated CFP | Taxfyle partner on Strategic and Comprehensive |
| Nino | Software $20, $100, or $200/mo; Advisor $3,600, $4,800, or $12,000 a year | A CPA and CFP team on Advisor plans | Nino’s in-house CPA, federal and state, on every Advisor plan |
Sources: XYPN Emerald pricing and membership standards, XYPN Find an Advisor, XYPN pricing guide, XYPN tax services guide, Garrett Planning Network FAQ, NAPFA membership, Facet pricing, Domain Money pricing, Nino pricing. Prices change; confirm on each site. Not personalized advice.
Why is Nino the best XY Planning Network alternative for planning and taxes?
At Nino the planner and the preparer are on the same team. Your CPA prepares and files your returns and works with your CFP on tax decisions during the year, so a Roth conversion planned in November is on the return in April without a handoff between firms.
You can start with software: Basic at $20 a month, Pro at $100, or Ultra at $200, which adds year-round tax projections. Advisor plans add the people. Essential is $3,600 a year for 1 person with federal and state filing. Plus is $4,800 for 2 people with joint and multi-state filing. Premier is $12,000 and adds business, personal, and international filing. Every Advisor plan includes Ultra software and a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you get a quote before you join.
$3,600 is $900 a year below the $4,500 subscription median XYPN cites, and it includes your federal and state return. Nino doesn’t charge a percentage of assets, and your investments stay where they are. For every plan, see Nino pricing.
When does Garrett Planning Network fit?
Garrett Planning Network fits when you have 1 or 2 big questions and want to pay for the hours they take. Members bill hourly or by project, rates vary by member, and there are no income or account minimums for hourly work. You get a fee quote after a free Get Acquainted session. More in Garrett Planning Network alternatives.
When does NAPFA fit?
NAPFA fits when you want a fee-only CFP and would rather search an association’s directory than a network’s. Its top member tier, NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor, requires the CFP mark, fee-only planning, a sample plan or peer review, and a fiduciary oath at joining and every renewal. XYPN’s Emerald plan includes NAPFA membership, so the same advisor can belong to both. Price and tax scope are set firm by firm there too.
When does Facet fit?
Facet fits when you want a CFP and investment management in the same membership. List prices are $2,600 for Core, $5,500 for Plus, and $8,700 for Complete per year, with promo prices shown through October 9. Tax filing comes on Plus and Complete through Taxfyle. Memberships are annual and non-refundable under Facet’s terms. More in Facet alternatives and Nino vs Facet.
When does Domain Money fit?
Domain Money fits when you want a dedicated CFP on a flat fee that drops after the first year. Essential is $3,900 in year 1 and renews at $2,900, Strategic is $5,200 and renews at $4,200, and Comprehensive is $9,000 and renews at $8,000. Filing starts at Strategic through Taxfyle, and Domain’s own pricing page says it is not a CPA or accounting firm. More in Domain Money alternatives.
When should you stay with your XYPN advisor?
Stay if you trust your advisor, their firm prepares your return or you’re happy filing it yourself, and the fee makes sense for the work. A planner who knows your situation well is hard to replace. Ask the 5-model question when your plan includes moves that have to show up correctly on the return, like Roth conversions, stock sales, or estimated payments, and the person filing isn’t on the planner’s team.
Next step
If you want the person who builds your plan and the person who files your return on one team, book a free consultation or start with Nino pricing. This page is educational, not tax, legal, or investment advice. Confirm current fees and terms with each provider before you sign up.