Comparison
Blue J vs CoCounsel Tax
Blue J and CoCounsel Tax (from Thomson Reuters) both answer tax questions with citations, and both are listed in our Income Tax category. This page puts what each vendor publishes, and what public reviews say, side by side, for accountants, CPA firms, tax professionals and bookkeepers building a shortlist. We do not rank tools or say which is better; the right choice depends on your firm and clients.
At a glance
| Tool | Who it's for | Published pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Blue J | Tax professionals from sole practitioners to local and larger firms. | Individual: $1,498/year per user; Team: contact for pricing; 7-day free trial, no credit card required |
| CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters) | Tax professionals and firms. Thomson Reuters positions the CoCounsel Tax Essentials plan for staff who prepare, review, organize or draft tax work, and for firms new to CoCounsel. | Pricing not published, contact vendor. |
Key differences
| Topic | Blue J | CoCounsel Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Blue J lists an Individual plan at $1,498 per year per user, a Team plan with pricing on request, and a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. [2] | Thomson Reuters does not list a price on the CoCounsel Tax Essentials plans page. It says a Tax Research add-on is priced per user. [8] |
| Usage limits | Blue J says its Individual plan includes unlimited questions, drafting and file uploads, and unlimited in-line citations and source lists. [2] | On CoCounsel Tax Essentials, each user receives up to 20 citation-backed tax answers per week grounded in Checkpoint content. Document uploads, summaries and standard AI conversations do not count toward that allowance. [8] |
| Sources and Checkpoint | Blue J says its Individual plan covers full US federal and SALT tax. [2] | Thomson Reuters says Essentials uses Checkpoint content to ground answers, but does not require a Checkpoint subscription and does not include the Checkpoint Edge research library. Firms that already subscribe to Checkpoint can link to content at their subscription level. [8] |
| Teams and upgrades | The Blue J Team plan adds dedicated support, guided onboarding and training, firm-wide usage insights, and SSO with custom access controls. [2] | Firms can add the Tax Research module to Essentials for deeper research. Thomson Reuters says Essentials is currently for tax workflows only. [8] |
| Security | Blue J lists SOC 2 Type II compliance on its pricing page. [2] | Thomson Reuters says CoCounsel Tax Essentials includes SOC 2 Type II compliance. [8] |
Blue J
Blue J is an AI-powered tax research platform that returns answers to tax questions. The vendor says 6,000+ firms use it. [1]
Who it's for: Tax professionals from sole practitioners to local and larger firms. [1]
Published pricing: Individual: $1,498/year per user; Team: contact for pricing; 7-day free trial, no credit card required [2]
Pros cited in reviews
- A CPA reviewer says it delivers fast, authoritative, well-cited answers. [3]
- Fast research with source citations. [4]
- Practitioners say it drafts detailed replies to client questions quickly. [4]
Cons cited in reviews
CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters)
CoCounsel is Thomson Reuters' generative AI assistant, with versions for tax (CoCounsel Tax) and legal professionals. [7]
Who it's for: Tax professionals and firms. Thomson Reuters positions the CoCounsel Tax Essentials plan for staff who prepare, review, organize or draft tax work, and for firms new to CoCounsel. [8]
Published pricing: Pricing not published, contact vendor.
Pros cited in reviews
- Accountants report fast research, useful citations and time savings. [9]
- Document summaries save time, per practitioners. [9]
Cons cited in reviews
- Essentials caps citation-backed answers grounded in Checkpoint at 20 per user per week; document uploads, summaries and standard AI conversations do not count toward it. [8]
- Some practitioners find it less detailed than Blue J. [10]
- No prices are published; the Tax Research add-on is priced per user. [8]
How to choose
- Confirm it works with your tax software (for example CCH Axcess, UltraTax, Lacerte, Drake or ProConnect).
- Check which return types it supports (1040, 1065, 1120S and so on).
- Ask how answers and prepared figures are cited or traced to source.
- Review data security and retention terms.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Blue J and CoCounsel Tax?
Blue J is an AI-powered tax research platform that returns answers to tax questions. CoCounsel is Thomson Reuters' generative AI assistant, with versions for tax (CoCounsel Tax) and legal professionals.
How much do Blue J and CoCounsel Tax cost?
Blue J: Individual: $1,498/year per user; Team: contact for pricing; 7-day free trial, no credit card required. CoCounsel Tax: pricing not published, contact the vendor. Confirm current pricing with each vendor.
Which is better, Blue J or CoCounsel Tax?
We do not rank tools. Compare who each is for, the integrations you need and the cited pros and cons above, then ask both vendors for a demo on your own data.
Do I need Checkpoint to use CoCounsel Tax?
Not for the Essentials plan, according to Thomson Reuters. Essentials uses Checkpoint content to ground answers but does not include the Checkpoint Edge research library. Firms with a Checkpoint subscription can link to content at their subscription level.
Is there a weekly limit on CoCounsel Tax answers?
On the Essentials plan, Thomson Reuters says each user receives up to 20 citation-backed tax answers per week grounded in Checkpoint content. Document uploads, summaries and standard AI conversations do not count toward it.
Does Blue J have a free trial?
Yes. Blue J lists a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. Its Individual plan is listed at $1,498 per year per user.
Sources
- https://www.bluej.com/
- https://www.bluej.com/pricing
- https://www.taxtech500.com/all-products/blue-j/reviews/289
- https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1l8jdne/bluej_ai_tax_research/
- https://axoonai.com/tools/blue-j/
- https://www.capterra.com/p/182577/Foresight/
- https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/cocounsel-tax
- https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/products/cocounsel-tax/plans-pricing
- https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1mqivie/thomson_reuters_cocounsel_tax/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1o98zd0/cocounsel_checkpoint_edge_vs_bluej_vs_cch/
Last checked: 2026-10-18