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How ActiveACB Compares

Every Canadian ACB tool has a different design philosophy. This page compares the ActiveACB ACB calculator with AdjustedCostBase.ca, MyACB, and Sharesight on workflow fit and Canadian tax-calculation coverage, not an exhaustive feature audit. Competitor details were last checked against each product’s public pages on October 24, 2026.

Feature ActiveACB AdjustedCostBase.ca MyACB Sharesight
Broker import workflow Yes, IBKR, Questrade, Wealthsimple, CIBC, TD, Qtrade and National Bank Direct Brokerage parsed directly, any other broker via the built-in column mapper Premium spreadsheet imports with five broker templates and custom templates CSV upload with column mapping and pre-built broker schemas Broker integrations and spreadsheet imports
Canadian ACB focus Yes, built specifically for CRA capital-gains reporting Canadian ACB and capital gains Canadian ACB and capital gains Canadian ACB capital gains report within a portfolio tracker
Superficial loss handling Yes, full CRA three-limiter formula Warnings within one portfolio. The user applies the rule, as described in its superficial loss guide Flags potential losses across tracked accounts for review. Affiliated-person repurchases may need manual handling Not listed
FX cash pool ACB Yes User-maintained currency entries, described in its foreign cash guide Not listed Its Canadian CGT report includes foreign cash holdings
Options exercise and assignment Full, all four CRA cases Supports options on capital account with user-entered exercise details in its options workflow Not listed Not listed
Corporate actions Yes, splits, mergers, ROC, standard cost-base spinoffs, with taxable spinoffs flagged Premium spin-off and exchange wizard Splits, return of capital and DRIP Splits, consolidations, reinvestments and return of capital in its Canadian CGT report
Per-leg FX conversion (buy-date cost, sell-date proceeds) Yes, Bank of Canada daily rates on each leg Transaction exchange rates with Premium rate lookup, described in its foreign securities guide Not listed Suggested transaction-date exchange rates can be accepted or edited in its trade editor
ETF ROC and reinvested distribution data Yes, 200+ Canadian funds from issuer primary documents Premium fund tax data import and T3 preview Tax Factor Sync for ETF and mutual fund return of capital and reinvested capital gains Canadian fund tax-factor import not listed. Its CGT report accounts for return of capital and reinvestments
Reconciliation against broker figures Yes, IBKR broker bridge plus a T5008 checker for any broker T3 preview can be compared with brokerage-reported fund tax data Not listed Not listed
Cross-account tax view Yes, multi-account upload in one calculation Combines personal non-registered accounts in one portfolio, as its multiple-account guide explains Superficial loss checks span tracked accounts Tax reports run per portfolio, not across consolidated views
Manual correction path Yes, inline trade editor plus Raw Trades XLSX re-import Transaction editing Manual entry alongside CSV upload Trade and adjustment editing
Test transparency Over 13,000 automated test cases across the project Not listed Not listed Not listed
Best fit Canadian investors who want direct-file tax calculation ACB ledger with spreadsheet imports and educational guides CSV-based ACB tracker with synced ETF tax factors Portfolio performance, dividend tracking and tax reporting

Sources and scope

Checked October 24, 2026. “Not listed” means the reviewed public pages did not document that feature, not that the product cannot do it. These are documented workflows, not results of testing competitor software. Features can depend on the plan and the data supplied.

When to use a different tool

AdjustedCostBase.ca
Best choice if you want a mature ACB ledger with excellent educational content and you are comfortable reviewing each entry yourself. It is especially strong as a learning resource. Premium offers spreadsheet imports with templates for Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE, TD Direct Investing and Wealthsimple, plus custom templates, fund tax data and a T3 preview. Its superficial loss warnings cover one portfolio at a time, and the user applies the rule. ActiveACB checks the accounts included in the calculation and applies supported superficial loss adjustments.
MyACB
Best if you want an ACB tracker built around CSV uploads, with a column mapping wizard, automatic superficial loss flags and synced ETF tax factors. ActiveACB reads seven brokers’ exports directly, and its column mapper imports any other trade-history CSV or XLSX. Match the columns once and the same tax engine runs the full calculation for every event the mapper can represent.
Sharesight
Best if you want portfolio performance analytics, dividend reporting, and broad broker connectivity in one product. Sharesight is a broader investment-tracking platform. ActiveACB focuses on Canadian tax calculations from uploaded transaction histories.
Your broker’s T5008
Fine if you buy and hold with no re-trades, no options, no U.S. securities, and no superficial losses. The CRA’s own T5008 instructions say Box 20 “may or may not reflect your adjusted cost base.” For any complexity beyond simple buy-and-hold, that number is often not enough.

Frequently asked questions

How does ActiveACB compare to AdjustedCostBase.ca?

AdjustedCostBase.ca is a mature ACB ledger with excellent educational content, and a strong choice if you are comfortable reviewing entries yourself. Its Premium plan offers spreadsheet imports with five broker templates and custom templates, plus fund tax data. ActiveACB parses IBKR, Questrade, Wealthsimple, CIBC, TD, Qtrade and National Bank Direct Brokerage exports directly, imports any other broker through a column mapper, and applies the superficial loss rule across accounts, per-leg Bank of Canada FX conversion and verified ETF return-of-capital adjustments automatically.

How does ActiveACB compare to MyACB?

MyACB is an ACB tracker built around CSV uploads, with a column mapping wizard, automatic superficial loss flags and synced ETF tax factors. ActiveACB parses seven brokers’ exports directly and imports any other broker’s trade-history CSV or XLSX through its column mapper. Match the columns once and the same tax engine processes supported events.

How does ActiveACB compare to Sharesight?

Sharesight is a broader investment-tracking platform with portfolio performance analytics, dividend reporting and wide broker connectivity. ActiveACB calculates Canadian taxes from uploaded histories, covering ACB pooling, superficial losses, FX cash pools, options and corporate actions on a Schedule 3 report.

Is my broker’s T5008 enough on its own?

It can be if you buy and hold with no re-trades, no options, no U.S. securities and no superficial losses. CRA’s own T5008 instructions say Box 20 may or may not reflect your adjusted cost base. Beyond simple buy-and-hold that number is often not enough, which is why ActiveACB includes a T5008 checker that reconciles the slip against a full calculation.

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