Nino vs a traditional CPA
A traditional CPA firm prepares and files your return from the documents you send, usually priced by the form or the hour. Nino’s Advisor plans give you a CPA who files your federal and state returns and plans your taxes all year from your connected accounts, plus a CFP who builds your financial plan, for one flat annual fee. Choose a CPA firm for a return alone; choose Nino when you want filing, tax planning, and a plan from one team.
Filing, tax planning, and a financial plan, side by side
| Feature | Nino | Traditional CPA |
|---|---|---|
| Who prepares your return | A CPA on Nino’s team prepares and files federal and state returns on Advisor plans | A CPA at the firm you hire prepares, signs, and files your return |
| Pricing | Flat annual fee from $3,600, covering filing, tax planning, and a financial plan | Average $280 for a base Form 1040, plus a fee per added schedule and often per state return (NATP 2025) |
| Year-round tax planning | Included, with the same CPA who files your return | Offered by many firms, usually billed by the hour; the average preparer rate is $182 an hour (NATP 2025) |
| What your CPA works from | The current balances of every account you connect to Nino: bank, brokerage, retirement, and crypto from CoinTracker | The documents you send, usually at tax time |
| Financial planning | A financial plan built by a CFP in your first two weeks | Not part of a standard tax engagement; usually a separate advisor and fee |
| Crypto | Built by the team behind CoinTracker; our CPA works from your CoinTracker tax reports | Depends on the firm’s crypto experience; you send your exchange or CoinTracker reports |
| Guarantees | 30-day money-back guarantee on Advisor plans | Set by each firm’s engagement letter |
Why choose Nino over a traditional CPA
Tax planning is included, not billed by the hour
Ask your CPA before you sell stock or crypto, change jobs, or take a bonus, and you get the tax on that decision before you make it. The question is covered by your annual fee, not added to an hourly bill.
Your CPA sees your accounts, not a stack of PDFs
Nino updates your bank, brokerage, and retirement balances daily and pulls your crypto balances from CoinTracker hourly. Your CPA answers from those numbers instead of waiting for documents in spring.
A CFP builds your financial plan
A standard CPA engagement covers your return. Every Nino Advisor plan adds a CFP who builds your financial plan in your first two weeks and reviews it with you at quarterly check-ins.
How a traditional CPA compares
Lower cost for a return alone, and a local office
If all you need is this year’s return, a CPA firm costs far less: NATP’s 2025 study puts the average CPA fee for a base Form 1040 at $280, against $3,600 a year for Nino’s entry Advisor plan. A local firm can also meet you in person and may have years of your returns on file.
Pricing
What you pay and what’s included.
- Nino
- Software starts at $20/month, with a 7-day free trial and no credit card required. Advisor plans start at $3,600/year and include a CPA who files your federal and state returns, year-round tax planning, a CFP-built financial plan, and our Ultra software tier.
- Traditional CPA
- NATP’s 2025 fee study puts the average CPA fee for a base Form 1040 (Schedules 1 to 3) at $280. Each added schedule costs more: about $53 to $61 for Schedule A, $56 to $66 for Schedule D, and $123 to $135 for Schedule C. 54% of preparers charge separately for a state return. Planning outside filing is usually billed by the hour, at an average preparer rate of $182 an hour. Fees vary by firm and city.
Frequently asked questions
Comparing human advisors more broadly? Read our guide to the best flat-fee financial advisors .
Compare Nino with others