A 150-return office keeps about $7,200 a season by switching from Drake.
A busy one keeps far more. Same tax software you'd expect — every state, 1040s and business returns, works from your phone. What's different is what you don't pay: no transmission fee, no bank-product markup, no state fee stacked on every refund transfer.
What a Drake office keeps by switching to Unity
Where Drake is genuinely good
Drake has earned its reputation — more than 50,000 tax professionals use it, its customer support is well regarded even at the height of the season, and it bundles a document manager, tax planner, and write-up tools that experienced preparers rely on. If you've built your office around Drake, you know exactly why people stay.
The software isn't the problem. Here's what is.
The fee stack
Transmission fee — every return. ~$24, bank product or not.
Bank product fee — every refund transfer. ~$40, pulled from the refund.
State fee — every refund transfer. Another ~$14.
And the part Drake offices know well: the "Drake dollars" rebate. It feels like money back — but it's a rebate out of a fee stack you paid into first. Unity doesn't charge the stack, so there's nothing to rebate.
At 300 returns with a 70% refund-transfer rate, that stack clears $20,000 a season. Unity's total for the same office: $6,000.
Enter your return volume and current software.
Enter your numbers and compare your current per-return fee stack against Unity's flat $20 per accepted return.
Congratulations!
They make money a different way than we do.
The software looks the same because, at the professional tier, it is. But Drake — like the rest — earns its keep on the stack: transmission, bank-product markup, per-return charges. That's their revenue model. It's why they can't take those fees off. The fees are the business.
Unity built it the other way around. One honest fee, per accepted return, nothing hidden underneath. Same software, opposite business model — and one of them doesn't come out of your clients' refunds. That's the catch. There isn't a catch.
Everything you get for the flat $20
The software
- Every state, 1040s and business returns
- Cloud and desktop, work from anywhere
- Interview mode and direct forms entry
- 60+ forms in Spanish — prepare in either language, print in either
The banking
- Republic Bank refund transfers — no fee from the refund
- Direct deposit, check, or card
- Advances for clients who need money sooner
The extras
- Unlimited e-signatures — free
- Free mobile app — clients start on their phone
- Client portal, year-round storage
- Live webinars and on-demand training library
The support
- Onboarding often within 24 hours, one-on-one
- Free data conversion from current software
- Year-round support with a bilingual first line
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an office save switching from Drake to Unity?
About $48 per return. At 300 returns a season with a typical refund-transfer rate, that's roughly $14,300 a year — the difference between Drake's per-return fee stack and Unity's flat $20.
Is Unity's software as good as Drake?
It's the same tier of professional software — 1040 and business returns in every state, cloud and desktop, guided interview mode, e-signature, and bilingual support. The savings come from the business model, not from a lesser product.
What about Drake dollars / rebates?
A rebate is money paid back out of a fee stack you paid into first. Unity doesn't charge the stack, so there's nothing to rebate — you just keep more from the start.
How hard is it to switch?
Free data conversion from Drake, setup often within 24 hours, done with a Unity onboarding specialist.