Drake vs Lacerte vs UltraTax CS vs ProSeries: The IT Side of Choosing Tax Software
Which tax software is easiest to run securely for a small firm?
All four can be run securely, but they make different demands on your IT. Drake Tax is the lightest on hardware and the most flexible on networking. Lacerte needs the most powerful PCs and supports your own remote desktop server. UltraTax CS has the finest-grained user permissions. ProSeries has clear role-based access but no terminal server support. None of the current versions officially supports Windows 10.
This Drake vs Lacerte vs UltraTax CS vs ProSeries comparison covers the IT side only: how each product is installed, where the data lives, how staff log in, how it is backed up and how people work remotely. It does not cover tax features or pricing. Every detail below comes from the vendors’ own documentation for tax years 2025 and 2026, checked in October 2026.
How do Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax CS and ProSeries compare on IT requirements?
| Drake Tax | Lacerte | UltraTax CS | ProSeries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Install options | Desktop, or network with data on a server | Desktop, or network with a shared system path on a file server | Standalone, or network install on a mapped server drive | Desktop, peer-to-peer, or client-server |
| Hosted option | Rightworks (the only supported host); Drake Tax Online in the browser | Intuit Hosting, run by Rightworks | Virtual Office CS or SaaS on Azure Virtual Desktop | Intuit Hosting, run by Rightworks |
| Your own remote desktop server | Not a supported host | Supported (RDS or Citrix) | Terminal server guidance published | Not supported |
| Windows 10 | Not supported after Drake Tax 2024 | “Not recommended”; current requirements list Windows 11 | Windows 11 listed for desktops | “Not recommended” for 2025; Windows 11 only for 2026 |
| Workstation memory | 8 GB minimum for 2026 (16 GB recommended) | 12 GB minimum (16 GB recommended) | 4 GB minimum (8 GB+ recommended) | 8 GB minimum, SSD recommended |
| NAS for data | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
| Multi-factor sign-in | Authenticator app, on by default, but an admin can turn it off | Intuit account with email, text, authenticator or passkey | Required for staff who transmit e-files | Intuit account, same as Lacerte |
| User permissions | Per-preparer and group security rights | Trustee rights (network licenses) | Advanced security groups by feature | Roles: Administrator, Power User, Preparer, Data Entry |
| Built-in backup | Scheduled full and incremental, local or cloud portal | Backup and restore; Intuit lists every path to include | Backup, including automatic backup when a client closes | Local backup tool; Intuit lists the folders to include |
Sources: Drake Tax 2026 system requirements, Lacerte system requirements, UltraTax CS system requirements and ProSeries system requirements.
Can I still run tax software on Windows 10?
Not on any current version of these four. Drake stopped supporting Windows 10 after Drake Tax 2024. Intuit marks it “not recommended” for the 2025 Lacerte and ProSeries programs and lists Windows 11 only for 2026, and warns that you will lose the ability to sign in to prior-year programs on unsupported operating systems. UltraTax CS lists Windows 11 for workstations.
Windows 10 itself stopped receiving security updates in October 2025, and Windows 11 version 24H2 follows on October 14, 2026. For a firm holding Social Security numbers and bank details, an unsupported PC is also a problem under the FTC Safeguards Rule. Replace or upgrade those machines before January, not during filing season.
Should a tax firm host its software in the cloud?
It depends on how many people work away from the office. All four vendors now offer a hosted route:
- Drake: Rightworks is the only supported hosting provider, and Drake Tax Online, launched in September 2025, runs in a browser on Windows, Mac or Chromebook.
- Lacerte and ProSeries: Intuit Hosting, run by Rightworks, with nightly backups kept for 90 days. Lacerte also supports your own Remote Desktop Services or Citrix server; ProSeries does not support terminal servers.
- UltraTax CS: Virtual Office CS or SaaS, delivered through Azure Virtual Desktop.
Hosting moves the server, backups and patching to the provider, which suits firms with remote staff or no reliable office server. It does not move your obligations: you still need multi-factor authentication, secured staff devices and a written security plan, because the IRS and FTC hold the firm responsible, not the host.
If you stay on premises, the IRS sets a floor for remote access. Publication 4557 describes multi-factor authentication plus a VPN as the minimum standard. Remote desktop opened straight to the internet does not meet it.
Does each tax program support multi-factor authentication?
Yes, but not in the same way, and the differences matter:
- Drake Tax uses an authenticator app and has had MFA on by default since 2021, but the Primary Admin can switch it off for any user. Check that nobody has.
- Lacerte and ProSeries sign in through an Intuit account. By default a code arrives by email or text on a new device; switch staff to an authenticator app or passkey, which are stronger.
- UltraTax CS requires MFA only for staff who transmit e-files. Thomson Reuters recommends it for everyone; make that your policy.
The software login is only one door. The FTC Safeguards Rule requires multi-factor authentication for anyone accessing customer information on your systems, which includes email, remote access and the PCs themselves, whatever the size of the firm.
How should a tax firm back up its data?
Use the built-in backup and then copy it somewhere else. Each program has its own backup tool, but they all write to a local or network folder by default, which a ransomware attack or a failed server can take out along with the originals. Three rules hold for all four:
- No NAS for live data. None of the four supports running data from a NAS. Use a proper server or a hosted option.
- No consumer sync folders for live data. Intuit specifically warns against keeping Lacerte data in Dropbox or OneDrive.
- Back up every path the vendor lists, keep several versions, keep one copy offsite or immutable, and restore a test file before January. The IRS recommends encrypted backups in Publication 4557.
We cover the wider picture in data backup strategies for tax and accounting firms.
What does the IRS expect, whichever software you use?
Tax preparers are “financial institutions” under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, so the FTC Safeguards Rule applies to every firm, including a one-person office. That means a written information security plan, a named person responsible for it, a risk assessment, multi-factor authentication, encryption, staff training and oversight of vendors like your software host. The IRS’s free Publication 5708 is a WISP template; do not pay anyone just to write one.
Line 11 of the PTIN renewal form (Form W-12) asks you to confirm you are aware that preparers are required by law to keep such a plan. Renewal season is a good moment to check that yours exists and matches what is actually in place. Our free readiness check has an FTC Safeguards mode for tax firms, and what a tax firm should ask its IT provider covers the rest.
Which one should my firm choose, from an IT point of view?
- Drake Tax suits small firms on modest PCs that want flexible networking, or a browser option for Mac users through Drake Tax Online. Keep MFA turned on for everyone.
- Lacerte suits firms with stronger hardware and an in-house or managed remote desktop server, since it supports your own RDS or Citrix. Budget for 16 GB workstations.
- UltraTax CS suits firms that want tight control over who can do what, through its security groups. Set MFA for every user, not just e-file transmitters.
- ProSeries suits smaller offices on a simple peer-to-peer or client-server network. Plan for its end of Windows Server 2016 support in January 2027, and use Intuit Hosting rather than a terminal server for remote staff.
Whichever you run, the risks that hurt firms are the same: a stolen email password, an unpatched PC and a backup nobody has tested. Check your own domain with our free email spoofing check, which shows whether someone could send email pretending to be your firm.
Getting Ready for Filing Season?
iTech Plus supports tax and accounting firms across Polk County, including Lakeland, Winter Haven, Davenport and Haines City: Windows 11 upgrades, servers and backups for tax software, multi-factor authentication and FTC Safeguards compliance. Before January, we offer a free IT assessment with a written report. Call (321) 221-7117 or email info@itechplus.co.
General information about software requirements and regulations, not legal or tax advice. Requirements change each tax year; confirm against your vendor’s current documentation.
