TradeLog vs GainsKeeper in 2026: Which Trader Tax Software Handles Wash Sales Better?
Both TradeLog and GainsKeeper do the same core job, tracking cost basis across the year and computing wash sale adjustments so your Form 8949 is defensible, but they come at it from opposite directions. TradeLog is Windows desktop software billed annually by trade count, with tiers running roughly $89 for 200 trade records, $139 for 600, and $199 for 1,500. GainsKeeper is a web service from Wolters Kluwer priced by transaction count, from about $59 a year for 150 transactions up to $659 for its Trader Elite tier, and many investors get it bundled at no visible cost through their brokerage.
Scored head to head
| Criteria | TradeLog | GainsKeeper | TXF Converter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | 9.5 | 9.5 | 8.0 |
| Format / TXF support | 8.5 | 8.0 | 9.5 |
| Ease | 6.0 | 6.5 | 9.5 |
| Speed | 6.5 | 7.0 | 9.5 |
| Price | 5.0 | 5.5 | 10.0 |
| Privacy | 7.5 | 7.5 | 9.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 | 7.6 | 9.2 |
Scores from our full 2026 comparison, out of 10. Between the two, GainsKeeper scores higher overall.
Pick TradeLog if
Pick TradeLog if you trade actively, especially options or high-frequency equity strategies, and you want an independent set of books rather than a restatement of your broker's numbers. It is also the practical choice if you have made the Section 475(f) mark-to-market election, since GainsKeeper does not handle MTM reporting, and you are comfortable running Windows or Parallels.
Price: ~Annual license (as of 2026)
Pick GainsKeeper if
Pick GainsKeeper if your broker already offers it inside your account, or if you are a moderate-volume investor who wants basis, wash sales, and corporate action adjustments tracked in the background without installing anything. It is the cheaper entry point at low transaction counts and the friendlier option if you are on a Mac.
Price: ~Annual subscription (as of 2026)
The bottom line
TradeLog is the more thorough accounting engine and the only one of the two that supports Section 475 mark-to-market, but you pay for that with a Windows requirement and a genuinely time-consuming import and reconciliation process, and TradeLog's own documentation concedes that a perfect match to a broker 1099-B is sometimes impossible. GainsKeeper is easier to live with and often free through a broker, though its interface is dated, some broker feeds only reach back about 90 days so you have to keep it updated during the year, and its wash sale treatment tends to follow the conservative broker convention rather than showing you the work. Neither is necessary if your 1099-B already reports correct adjusted basis and you simply need those trades inside TurboTax, which is the case our free TXF Converter covers by turning the broker CSV or PDF into a TXF plus a Form 8949 CSV at no cost.
- ✓Free to try, no signup
- ✓Outputs TXF for TurboTax desktop plus a Form 8949 CSV
- ✓Reads any broker — foreign and small platforms included
- ✓Files processed in-memory and deleted after conversion
Free, no signup. Or see the full ranking of all 6 tools.