Can a tool built mainly for the UK market cover an entire crypto portfolio? For investors in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, and for expats in the UK, that's the real question. Recap was founded in the UK in 2018 and has focused on HMRC reporting from the start. CoinTracking was founded in Munich in 2012 and has been active since the early days of the German crypto market.
The difference shows up where it matters: DACH tax reports, a Source of Funds report, and German-language support aren't available with Recap. Today, over 2.2 million users worldwide trust CoinTracking, a platform that delivers HMRC-compliant reporting and DACH tax reports at the same time.
Quick Comparison: CoinTracking vs. Recap at a Glance
| Feature | CoinTracking | Recap |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 | 2018 |
| Founding location | Munich | United Kingdom |
| Market focus | DACH | UK |
| Billing | 1 year / 2 years / Lifetime | annual only |
| Lifetime plan | ✅ | ❌ |
| Entry price | from €39/year | from £119/year |
| All tax years with one plan | ✅ | ✅ |
| Unlimited plan (no transaction cap) | ✅ | ✅ (from Pro) |
| DACH tax reports (DE, AT, CH) | ✅ | ❌ |
| HMRC compliance (UK) | ✅ | ✅ |
| DeFi & NFT | ✅ | ✅ |
| Source of Funds | ✅ | ❌ |
| German-language support | ✅ | ❌ |
| Full-service expert team | ✅ | ❌ |
| White-label for tax advisors | ✅ | ❌ |
| DATEV integration | ✅ | ❌ |
| ISO 27001 | ✅ | n/a |
| Server location | EU (Germany) | n/a |
| Anonymous registration | ✅ | ❌ |
Both tools offer HMRC-compliant reporting. Beyond that, only CoinTracking offers DACH tax reports, a Source of Funds report, a lifetime plan, and German-language support.
Recap offers only annual subscriptions. Choosing CoinTracking means paying less, both in a direct year-to-year comparison and, even more so, over the long term with the lifetime plan.
Price Comparison: Recap vs. CoinTracking
Both platforms count every historical tax year into the price, with no separate surcharge per year. The structural difference lies in the model: Recap offers only annual plans, while CoinTracking adds a lifetime plan on top. Anyone planning for the long term gets an option with CoinTracking that Recap doesn't offer.
CoinTracking Pricing (as of June 2026)
| Plan | Price/Year | Transactions (Limit) | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | Portfolio view | no tax report |
| Starter | €39 | 200 | Tax reports |
| Pro | €129 | 3,500 | Auto-import, API access |
| Expert | from €219 | from 20,000 | Source of Funds included, tax optimization |
| Unlimited | €769 | unlimited | all features |
| Corporate | €1,599/year | unlimited per account | 3 accounts, white-label |
Transactions are counted cumulatively across all years combined. You'll find all the details on the CoinTracking pricing page. On top of that, there's a 7-day free trial and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Recap Pricing (as of June 2026)
| Plan | Price/Year | Transactions (Limit) | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £119 | 5,000 | All previous years included |
| Pro | £219 | unlimited | CSV export, Tax Loss Harvesting |
| Company | £349 + VAT | unlimited | 10-day Matching Rules, Chargeable Gains Report |
Recap offers three annual plans and no lifetime model. Important: the 10-day Matching Rules, HMRC's bed-and-breakfasting rule, are available only in the Company plan and aren't included in Basic or Pro. If you need them for professional HMRC reporting, you'll pay £349/year plus VAT. Recap grants a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Example 1: A Beginner With One Tax Year, 100 Transactions
| Scenario: 1 tax year, 100 transactions | Annual cost |
|---|---|
| CoinTracking Starter | €39 |
| Recap Basic | £119 |
CoinTracking Starter, at €39, comes in significantly cheaper than Recap Basic at £119, while covering up to 200 transactions, including a full tax report. There's another difference beyond price: Recap Basic mainly supports UK tax reporting through HMRC, not DACH reports.
Example 2: An Active Investor Over Multiple Years
| Scenario: 5 years, 1,800 cumulative transactions | Cost over 5 years |
|---|---|
| CoinTracking Pro (Lifetime plan) | €569 (one-time) |
| Recap Basic | £595 (5 × £119) |
CoinTracking Pro costs a one-time €569, within the transaction limit of 3,500 cumulative transactions. Recap Basic already adds up to £595 after 5 years, with no end to the annual costs in sight. Anyone investing for the long term pays less with CoinTracking than with Recap in as little as five years.
Features in Detail: Where Are the Differences?
Both tools handle imports, automatic classification, and tax reports solidly. The difference shows up where it matters for DACH users or investors with an international portfolio: country-specific tax reports, calculation methods, and the support behind them.
Crypto Tax Report Compared
| Feature | CoinTracking | Recap |
|---|---|---|
| Full PDF tax report | ✅ | ✅ |
| German tax report | ✅ | ❌ |
| Austria report | ✅ | ❌ |
| Switzerland report | ✅ | ❌ |
| UK/HMRC report (Section 104) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Crypto gains & losses | ✅ | ✅ |
| Crypto income | ✅ | ✅ |
| Crypto holding period | ✅ | ✅ |
| WISO Steuer export | ✅ | ❌ |
| DATEV export | ✅ | ❌ |
| Per-wallet calculation | ✅ | ✅ |
| Tax calculation methods | 14 | n/a |
| Source of Funds | ✅ | ❌ |
CoinTracking covers the entire DACH region with country-specific reports, while Recap mainly offers UK tax reports through HMRC, along with reports for the US and South Africa. On top of that, CoinTracking offers 14 tax calculation methods, DATEV export for handing everything straight to your tax advisor, and the Source of Funds report, all features Recap doesn't offer.
Countries and Tax Forms
| Country (country-specific report) | CoinTracking | Recap |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | ✅ | ❌ |
| Austria | ✅ | ❌ |
| Switzerland | ✅ | ❌ |
| United Kingdom (UK) | ✅ | ✅ |
| United States (US) | ✅ | ✅ |
| South Africa | ❌ | ✅ |
| Australia | ✅ | ❌ |
| Canada | ✅ | ❌ |
| Spain | ✅ | ❌ |
| Belgium | ✅ | ❌ |
| Italy | ✅ | ❌ |
| Netherlands | ✅ | ❌ |
| Norway | ✅ | ❌ |
| Sweden | ✅ | ❌ |
| Finland | ✅ | ❌ |
| Denmark | ✅ | ❌ |
| Poland | ✅ | ❌ |
| Ireland | ✅ | ❌ |
| New Zealand | ✅ | ❌ |
| India | ✅ | ❌ |
| Portugal | ✅ | ❌ |
| Country-specific reports total | 20+ | 3 |
| Countries total (generic report) | 100+ | n/a |
CoinTracking supports over 20 countries with specific tax reports, while Recap offers 3 country-specific reports, covering the UK, US, and South Africa, and is mainly geared toward the UK market. For anyone with an international portfolio, tax obligations in multiple countries, or DACH ties, that's a decisive difference.
Portfolio Tracking & Analysis
| Feature | CoinTracking | Recap |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time portfolio | ✅ | ✅ |
| Realized gains | ✅ | ✅ |
| Unrealized gains | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cost basis | ✅ | ✅ |
| Balance per exchange | ✅ | ✅ |
| Balance per currency | ✅ | ❌ |
| Missing transactions | ✅ | ✅ |
| Automatic sync | ✅ | ✅ |
| NFT support | ✅ | ✅ |
| NFT Center (dedicated section) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Coin Charts (market data) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Tax Loss Harvesting | ✅ | ❌ (no dedicated tool) |
| Tax-free coins after holding period | ✅ | ❌ |
| 25+ configurable reports | ✅ | ❌ |
| Margin/futures import (automatic) | ✅ | ✅ |
| FIFO simulation per wallet | ✅ | ❌ |
| Daily history overview | ✅ | ❌ |
| Duplicate check | ✅ | ❌ |
| Trade Analysis (coin-pair analysis) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Public portfolio (sharing) | ✅ | ❌ |
CoinTracking wins on analytical depth: over 25 configurable reports, an automatic duplicate check, and portfolio insights that Recap doesn't offer. On Tax Loss Harvesting, Recap stays at the informational level: it lacks a dedicated in-app tool for active optimization, while CoinTracking has built this process directly into the platform.
Long-term investors pay once with CoinTracking: no annual renewal, no price increase.
Regulatory Context: Source of Funds and DAC8
The relevance of the Source of Funds report keeps growing: for larger withdrawals or account openings, banks and tax authorities increasingly ask where crypto assets came from. On top of that, there's a new reporting requirement for crypto service providers: starting in 2026, crypto service providers collect transaction data, with the first report due to Germany's Federal Central Tax Office, the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, in 2027. With the Source of Funds report in the Expert plan, you're prepared for both requirements. Recap offers no equivalent solution for this.
What CoinTracking Offers That Recap Doesn't
CoinTracking goes beyond the basics: with over 14 years of DACH focus, local tax rules, complex DeFi portfolios, and special documentation requirements aren't an afterthought bolted on later, they're the core of the product. That shows up in 14 calculation methods, over 25 configurable reports, DATEV export, historical price data, and connections even to exchanges that closed long ago.
With full-service, a German-speaking team of experts handles the entire process, from import to the finished tax report. Tax advisors also get white-label reports. Getting started carries no obligation: a free 15-minute initial consultation in German. Recap offers neither German-language support nor a full-service or white-label option for tax advisors.
Which Tool Fits Whom?
Both tools have their place, but for most serious crypto investors, the path leads to CoinTracking. The breakdown below shows why.
When CoinTracking Is the Better Choice
CoinTracking is the better choice if any of the following applies to you:
- You're subject to tax in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, including in addition to the UK.
- You hold a portfolio across international exchanges and want to track every transaction on one platform.
- You need a Source of Funds report and want to be prepared for DAC8.
- You'd rather pay once and use the lifetime plan.
- You expect knowledgeable, German-language support.
- Your tax advisor needs white-label reports or DATEV export.
When Recap Is Enough
- You're taxed exclusively in the United Kingdom and have no international tax obligations.
- Your entire portfolio sits on UK platforms and HMRC reporting is your only requirement.
Switching From Recap to CoinTracking
Three steps are all it takes to bring your history over:
- Connect your data: Link your exchanges and wallets directly to CoinTracking via API, for example Coinbase or Binance. This is the recommended method, since the complete history comes straight from the source. Alternatively, you can export your transaction history from Recap as a CSV file and import it into CoinTracking.
- Check the classification: Review the imported transactions, for example staking and DeFi positions, or transfers between your own wallets.
- Generate your tax report: Create your crypto tax report, for HMRC, Germany's Anlage SO, or both at once.
Your entire crypto history stays fully intact.
More Tool Comparisons
- CoinTracking vs. Koinly
- CoinTracking vs. Blockpit
- CoinTracking vs. CoinLedger
- CoinTracking vs. CoinTracker
Conclusion: Recap or CoinTracking?
CoinTracking is the better choice and offers more: country-specific tax reports for over 20 countries, detailed portfolio analysis, German-language support, and a lifetime plan make CoinTracking a more cost-efficient, substantially more capable crypto tax calculator. Anyone with tax obligations in multiple countries has far more options with CoinTracking.
See the difference for yourself
Import your trades, generate a full tax report and get your Source of Funds documentation, all with one CoinTracking plan.
Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, tax, or legal advice. Tax rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time, so always confirm current requirements with a qualified tax advisor before making decisions based on this content. The author and publisher are not responsible for any losses or damages incurred as a result of using the information in this article.