Optima Tax Relief vs Tax Defense Network
Optima Tax Relief and Tax Defense Network (TDN) are two of the biggest names out there when it comes to tax relief. Both companies have established reputations for success in negotiating with the IRS and employ a competent team of tax professionals to handle a wide variety of tax situations.
If you are trying to decide between these two companies, the top choice might not be obvious. Both companies have pros and cons outlined below. We also break down which company wins in terms of expertise, user experience, state availability, cost, and minimum debt requirement.
Ultimately, you can’t go wrong choosing either of these companies. Consider scheduling a free consultation with both before making a decision, if both are available in your state.
Read on for more data on Optima Tax Relief and Tax Defense Network to help you decide which of these two top contenders might be the better fit for you.
Overview
Optima Tax Relief
Undisclosed
Undisclosed
Free Consultation, IRS Tax Relief, State Tax Relief, Tax Settlement Negotiation, Individual Tax Preparation
IRS CE Provider, NAEA
13 Years
Tax Defense Network
Undisclosed
Undisclosed
Free Consultation, IRS Tax Relief, State Tax Relief, Tax Settlement Negotiation, Account Monitoring, Tax Audit Representation, Individual Tax Preparation, Small Business Tax Preparation
AICPA, NATP, ASTPS, NAEA
16 Years
Ratings
Optima Tax Relief
Tax Defense Network
Pros & Cons
Optima Tax Relief
PROS
- IRS Power of Attorney in 50 states
- Simple, 3-step process
- 15-day, money-back guarantee
- Broad range of services
CONS
- Minimum debt requirement of $10,000
- Less than 15 years old
Tax Defense Network
PROS
- Multiple accreditations
- 15 years in business
- Low minimum debt requirement of $5,000
CONS
- No physical locations in certain states
Reviews
Optima Tax Relief
Reviews
Tax Defense Network
Reviews for Optima Tax Relief
Helpful Favorable Review
Lori Breitenbruck
July 19th, 2023
New York, NY
DETAILS
Review Source
It has been very easy to work with Optima! The process takes a little longer than I expected. I wish the Irs would see how I've lived in poverty all these years struggling, that's why I became behind on my tax debt. I'm still struggling and am scared of what my retirement will be! I wish the IRS would go after the big fish and help people like me! I feel with Optima on my side, everything will be ok! Thank you!
Helpful Critical Review
Shari
August 1st, 2023
FL
DETAILS
Review Source
I have been asked repeatedly for a review but I am at the start of the process and nothing has happened yet except for me filling out forms. I give two stars for taking up my time before I can give an honest review of the process.
Reviews for Tax Defense Network
Helpful Favorable Review
Kristin Fairband
September 17th, 2019
Henderson, CO
Overall my experience was pretty good. The communication was clear and prompt. When I had a question I received an answer back quickly, usually within 24 hours. The document filing was secure and safe, the process was understanding. I never felt mislead. As for the ending result, it was not what I expected, but all my tax issues are solved.
Helpful Critical Review
Gloria Mason
June 4th, 2023
Rocky Mount, NC
DETAILS
I wasn't impressed with the overall settlement. It is a small business and charges were applied to personal . Tax lien placed on my home. As far as I am concerned very little was resolved with a large payment for the services
The Final Word
Company Experience and Expertise (Winner: Tax Defense Network)
Tax Defense Network has been in business about three years longer than Optima Tax Relief. Both companies employ tax professionals including attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents.
Tax Defense Network also holds four industry accreditations (AICPA, NATP, ASTPS, and NAEA), whereas Optima currently holds an NAEA accreditation but not the others held by TDN. Optima is an approved IRS CE Provider, however, which is another form of accreditation we don’t see at TDN.
Ultimately, time in business doesn’t always mean more expertise, and you can feel confident that both of these companies know what they are doing when it comes to handling IRS issues, negotiating tax debt, and resolving other tax scenarios.
User Experience (Winner: Optima Tax Relief)
User experience is a broad category that includes ease of use of the company’s website, quality of the company’s services, likelihood of customers to recommend, etc.
Both Optima and TDN have easy-to-use websites where you can quickly find information related to tax relief or get in contact with the company about your specific situation.
Optima, however, scores better among its customer reviews for some other user experience categories. On a scale out of 10, Optima averages an 8.4 for likelihood that people will recommend it to others, whereas TDN averages a 7.0. Optima also averages 4.3 out of 5 stars for quality of services, whereas TDN averages 3.8 out of 5 stars.
For these reasons, Optima wins in the user experience category.
State Availability (Winner: Optima Tax Relief)
Optima Tax Relief offers services and holds IRS Power of Attorney in all 50 states. TDN has physical locations in over 30 states; however, we can't find any information about the other states that don't have physical TDN locations, and a quick search for services in Montana, for example, yielded no results.
Thus, it appears that Optima is available to you no matter where you live in the United States, whereas you would need to verify on TDN’s website that the state in which you live is covered by its services.
Cost (Winner: Tie)
Cost among tax relief companies is difficult to compare. Many are not transparent about pricing on their websites because cost varies so much from one tax case to the next. Usually, the best way to compare pricing among tax relief companies is to schedule a free consultation with each company you are considering and see what your quote is after the company analyzes your tax situation.
That being said, Optima seems to charge between $2,000 to $5,000 to resolve IRS tax debt, which is about 5 to 15 percent of your tax debt. Tax Defense Network charges between $2,500 and $3,000 on average for its tax relief services.
Since these prices are comparable and since there is so much nuance in tax relief pricing, the two companies tie in this category.
Minimum Debt Requirement (Winner: Tax Defense Network)
Tax Defense Network has a lower minimum debt requirement ($5,000) than Optima Tax Relief ($10,000). This means that for smaller amounts of tax debt, TDN is the better option as it is more likely to accept your case even if you owe less than $10,000 in tax debt to the IRS.
Tax Defense Network or Optima Tax Relief: Which Is Better?
These two companies are neck and neck when compared to one another. Both Optima and Tax Defense Network are highly rated and well liked by their clients. They both employ an impressive team of tax professionals and have resolved millions of dollars of tax debt to date.
If you’re not sure about state availability, Optima might be the easiest option, since it is available in all 50 states. However, if you already know TDN offers services in your state, then it is a great option as well.
If overall star rating matters to you, Optima’s rating is higher. It boasts a 4.4 out of 5 rating with over 1,500 reviews. Tax Defense Network is right around a 4 out of 5 rating, but has almost double the amount of reviews, with over 2,700. Optima also ranks higher in each of the subcategories ranked by consumers: value for money, quality of services, company trustworthiness, and likelihood to recommend.
In the end, we feel confident recommending you schedule a free consultation with either (or both) of these companies before making your ultimate decision.
