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
14 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
17 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
Troy Johnson
April 2nd, 2024
DETAILS
Verified Customer
Review Source
Everything went great I could not thank Optima more, the team that helped me was amazing, the only problem I had was the final resolution meeting which may have helped me understand what is happening now with all the money the IRS is asking for, tried several times to no avail to complete the last meeting then all of the sudden it was closed out.
Helpful Critical Review
Elizabeth Swafford
March 27th, 2024
DETAILS
Verified Customer
Review Source
This is the worst scam of a company I have ever seen! Not only did they not save me money, but I have accrued 1000.00 more in interest. I hate that I ever listened to those commercials! I'm going to end up paying more, than if I would have just went straight to the IRS! No communication whatsoever, and had I not checked on my balance, I probably would have ended up paying a lot more! If I could give ZERO STARS, I would!!!!!
Reviews for Tax Defense Network
Helpful Favorable Review
Zashary Lopez
November 14th, 2024
Review Source
Gavin S. was super helpful, kind, & patient over the phone. He helped me mitigate my finances & didn’t make me feel ashamed for my situation. He kept everything clear & professional. I would recommend anyone who is filing late for taxes to at least have a free consultation to head into the right direction.
Helpful Critical Review
Drea Fahy
November 28th, 2023
DETAILS
Edited February 6th, 2024
Review Source
I was told by Tax Defense Network that I was currently non collectable and am permanently living off SSDI. I now have a lien against me. Threatening letters from IRS. Paid entire bill up front. And now this company won’t answer my calls. Don’t know what I can do now?
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.
