Keeper Tax vs CentSense: Which Is Better for Freelancers in 2026?

Published: April 12, 2026 · Reading time: 10 min

TL;DR: Keeper Tax ($16/month) connects to your bank and passively finds deductions. CentSense ($5/month) is receipt-first — snap receipts, AI maps to Schedule C lines in real time. CentSense includes mileage tracking; Keeper does not. Choose Keeper if you want passive discovery; choose CentSense if you want the lowest-cost, no-bank-link receipt-to-Schedule-C workflow.

Both Keeper Tax and CentSense are built for freelancers and 1099 workers. But they take fundamentally different approaches to expense tracking — and the right choice depends on your workflow.

The Core Difference

Keeper Tax: How It Works

Keeper Tax scans your bank and credit card transactions and identifies expenses that are likely deductible. The AI flags potential deductions (a Notion subscription, a Zoom charge, a gas purchase) and asks you to confirm.

Strengths:

• Passive discovery — finds deductions you might have missed because you forgot to track them
• Low friction — no need to photograph every receipt; your transactions are imported automatically
• CPA support (higher tier) — connects you with a CPA for filing assistance

Limitations:

• Requires bank/credit card access — a dealbreaker for freelancers who are privacy-conscious
• Works best for people with clear business-only payment methods
• Doesn't include mileage tracking — you need a separate app
• More expensive: $16/month vs. $5/month for CentSense

Best for: Freelancers who frequently forget to track expenses and want AI to do the discovery work passively from their bank feed.

CentSense: How It Works

CentSense is receipt-first. You snap a photo of every receipt, and the AI extracts vendor, amount, date, and line items — then maps the expense to the specific Schedule C line (Line 24b for meals, Line 22 for software, Line 8 for advertising, etc.).

Strengths:

• Line-level accuracy — each expense is mapped to a specific Schedule C line number at capture
• No bank link required — privacy-first approach
• Mileage tracking included — $0.725/mile for 2026, IRS-compliant log
• Batch upload — clear a backlog of receipts in one session
• Client projects — separate expense tracking per client
• Much lower price — $5/month vs. $16/month
• Free tier — 10 AI scans/month at $0

Limitations:

• Requires active receipt capture — you need to scan as you spend
• No passive discovery from bank transactions
• No CPA filing support

Best for: Freelancers who prefer a receipt-based, no-bank-link workflow and want the lowest-cost Schedule C tracker with mileage included.

Feature Comparison

Receipt Scanning

Keeper Tax: Scans bank transactions, not physical receipts. You can attach receipt photos to transactions, but the primary workflow is transaction-based.

CentSense: Built around receipt photos. Point your camera at any receipt — restaurant, gas station, software invoice — and AI extracts all the details. Works for paper receipts, emailed PDFs, and screenshot receipts.

Winner: CentSense for receipt-first workflows; Keeper for bank-transaction workflows.

Schedule C Categorization

Keeper Tax: Maps bank transactions to expense categories that align with Schedule C. The mapping happens at the transaction level.

CentSense: Maps each receipt to a specific Schedule C line number immediately upon scanning. Your export shows every expense already labeled with its IRS line (Line 8, Line 22, Line 24b, Line 30, etc.).

Winner: Tie — both map to Schedule C, but CentSense provides more specific line-number detail at capture.

Mileage Tracking

Keeper Tax: No built-in mileage tracking. You need a separate app (Stride, TripLog, or MileIQ) to log business miles.

CentSense: Mileage tracking included in the Solo plan at $0.725/mile (2026 IRS rate). Logs trips with all 4 IRS-required fields.

Winner: CentSense — mileage is included at no extra cost.

Privacy and Bank Access

Keeper Tax: Requires linking your bank account or credit card. Your transaction history is accessed and analyzed.

CentSense: No bank access required. You scan receipts manually. Your bank account stays completely separate.

Winner: CentSense for privacy-conscious users.

Price

Keeper Tax:

• Premium: $16/month
• Premium + CPA Filing: $300/year

CentSense:

• Free: 10 AI scans/month
• Solo: $5/month or $50/year

At $5/month vs. $16/month, CentSense is 69% cheaper than Keeper Premium.

Winner: CentSense — significantly lower cost for comparable core features.

CPA Support

Keeper Tax: Offers in-app CPA filing assistance at higher tiers ($300/year for the full filing plan). This is a unique differentiator.

CentSense: No CPA support. Exports a clean CSV that you take to your own accountant.

Winner: Keeper Tax for freelancers who want CPA filing within the same app.

Side-by-Side: Keeper Tax vs CentSense

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Keeper Tax if:

• You frequently forget to track expenses and want AI to find them passively
• You're comfortable linking your bank account
• You want in-app CPA filing support
• You don't mind paying $16/month

Choose CentSense if:

• You prefer receipt-based tracking (snap as you spend)
• You don't want to link your bank account
• You need mileage tracking included (no extra app required)
• You have multiple clients and want per-client expense separation
• You want the lowest cost — $5/month vs. $16/month
• You want a free tier to test before committing

Switching Between Apps

Both apps export CSVs, so switching mid-year is possible. Export your data from whichever app you're leaving, save it for reference, and start fresh in the new app.

For CentSense: you can import your historical expense CSV as a reference file and start scanning new receipts from the switch date.

Try CentSense free → — 10 AI scans/month, no credit card required.