Best Cloud Hosting for Tax Software (Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax) (2027)

Desktop tax preparation still wins on speed and form coverage for many firms — Drake, Lacerte, and UltraTax users know the workflow cold. The problem is the machine it runs on: a prep-season server in a closet is a single point of failure in the two months your firm cannot afford one. Cloud hosting moves that desktop environment to a managed data center, so any staff member can reach the same licensed software, the same data, from anywhere. One provider anchors this space for accounting firms; here's how it fits, and what else to weigh before you sign.

What tax software hosting actually is#

Application hosting means a provider runs a Windows desktop environment in its data center, installs your licensed tax software on it, and streams the screen to your browser or remote-desktop client. Your data lives on the host's storage, backed up on the host's schedule. Nothing is installed on your local machines, so a dead laptop in March costs you an afternoon, not a season.

The model fits three situations: firms running desktop-only prep software that has no modern web version, multi-preparer firms that need everyone in the same return at once, and any firm with remote or hybrid staff who all need the same environment.

How we evaluated#

Hosting for tax software comes down to four things: supported applications (does the host run your exact prep software and version year?), security and compliance posture (encryption, backups, SOC reporting, WISP support), peak-season performance and support (January-to-April is when hosting either pays off or collapses), and pricing structure (per-user, per-app, or bundled — and how quotes scale). We weighted supported-app breadth and peak-season support heaviest, because those are the terms you cannot renegotiate in February.

1. Rightworks (formerly Right Networks) — best overall#

Rightworks — the rebranded Right Networks — is the incumbent in accounting-specific application hosting, and its positioning shows it: the company reports serving thousands of firms and thousands of accounting, tax, and business app integrations, and it builds for accounting professionals specifically. For a Drake, Lacerte, or UltraTax shop, that specialization matters — the host knows tax season, supports the applications preparers actually run, and bundles managed security, backups, and support into the platform rather than selling them as add-ons.

The trade-offs are the flip side of incumbency. Pricing is quote-based and per-user, so you will not find a rate card to compare against a competitor's, and larger firms feel the per-seat math. You are also trusting one vendor's data center and support queue with your entire prep season — a strong reason to confirm backup-restore and support-escalation terms in writing before you sign. Check the vendor's current plans and request a quote against your exact staff count.

Also in this market#

The hosting space has credible alternatives worth quoting alongside Rightworks:

• AceCloud markets application and QuickBooks hosting aimed at accounting firms, with plans per user and app.
• Swizznet positions itself around QuickBooks hosting for accountants and bookkeepers, with a focus on collaborative multi-user access.
• Drake Hosting Solutions is Drake Software's own hosting plan for Drake Tax users — but note it runs on Rightworks' cloud under a Drake-Rightworks partnership. Drake lists it at $114 per user per month for 1-9 users as of October 2026 (the Drake Tax license is billed separately), and it is the natural first quote if Drake is your only hosted application. Since it is the same underlying platform as Rightworks direct, treat AceCloud and Swizznet as your true comparison points.

We have not carded these alternatives as full product listings yet because none of the programs is signed; the notes on this draft carry the vendor pages to verify against. Get quotes from at least two of them so the per-user math is real rather than assumed — and if you quote both Rightworks direct and Drake's hosting plan, remember they share one platform, so price an independent host as well.

Managed hosting vs. running your own server#

A self-managed server or a peer-to-peer office network looks cheaper until you price the failure modes: no off-site backups, no redundant power, single-machine bottlenecks, and whoever in the office is nominally "the IT person." Managed hosting moves those costs into a subscription. The honest case for self-hosting today is narrow: a firm with genuine IT staff on payroll, strict data-location requirements a host cannot meet, or a single-preparer shop that can tolerate downtime. For everyone else, a host that specializes in accounting applications is the lower-risk path into the season.

Pair hosting with the rest of your prep stack#

Hosting is one layer of the stack. If you are still choosing the software itself, our best tax software for professional preparers comparison covers the desktop and cloud field. Once returns start moving, 1099 e-filing services and W-2 e-filing services clear the information-return side of the season without paper.

Verdict#

For firms running Drake, Lacerte, or UltraTax on desktop, Rightworks is the default first quote: accounting-specific hosting, the applications preparers actually use, and security and support bundled in. Quote it against AceCloud or Swizznet so the per-user pricing is competitive rather than assumed — Drake shops can add Drake Hosting Solutions to the list, keeping in mind it rides the same Rightworks cloud — and do it before December, because onboarding a whole firm mid-season is a stress test nobody wants.