Ipiña Tax

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Every tax season, I sit across the table from someone who drove thousands of miles for work and has no idea how many. They know they drove for Uber, cleaned houses across town, or ran deliveries all year. What they don’t have is a record. And without a record, one of the biggest deductions a self-employed person can take starts slipping away.

I’m Francisco, a tax preparer and IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent. I’ve been preparing returns since 2022, and most of my clients work for themselves. So I tried six of the most popular mileage tracker apps to figure out which ones I’d actually recommend to the people I work with.

Here’s what I found.

My Quick Picks

App	Best for	My rating	Free version?	Link
Everlance	Best combination of mileage + expenses	5/5	Yes, manual only	Visit site
Stride	Easiest free option	4.5/5	Yes	Visit site
MileIQ	Easiest automatic tracking	4.5/5	Yes, limited trips	Visit site
TripLog	Best for detailed records	4.5/5	Yes	Visit site
Hurdlr	Best for freelancers	4.5/5	Yes	Try Hurdlr
Gridwise	Best for gig workers	4.5/5	Yes	Visit site

Why Your Mileage Matters More Than You Think

For 2026, the IRS standard mileage rate for business is 72.5 cents per mile. That adds up fast. If you drive 15,000 business miles in a year, that’s about $10,875 you don’t pay tax on. For a lot of my clients, mileage is the single biggest deduction on their return.

But the IRS doesn’t take your word for it. You need a log, and for each business trip it should show:

• the date;
• where you started and where you went;
• the business purpose (for example, “DoorDash deliveries” or “cleaning job at a client’s house”);
• the miles driven.

The key is keeping it as you go, not rebuilding it in April. Every app on this list does that for you. Prefer a spreadsheet? My Driver Mileage Log ($7) has all four columns ready and totals your deduction automatically. (En español.)

What I do when a client has no mileage records

One situation I run into often is a client realizing too late that they never kept track of their business mileage. My first reaction isn’t to guess. I go back through whatever information we have (appointments, calendars, customer addresses, receipts, and work schedules) to see how much of the driving can actually be reconstructed.

It works, but it’s slow, and it’s never as complete as a real log. That’s one of the reasons I like automatic mileage apps so much. I’d much rather have a client spend a few minutes reviewing their trips each week than sit down at tax time and try to remember an entire year of driving.

What I Looked For

I didn’t judge these apps like a tech reviewer. I judged them the way I think about my clients: would this actually help someone show up at tax time with clean records? I paid attention to:

• How easy it is to start. If an app is confusing, people stop using it.
• Automatic tracking. The best log is the one you don’t have to remember to start.
• Sorting business vs. personal trips. This is where most mistakes happen.
• Expenses and reports. Can you hand the results to your tax preparer without extra work?

1. Everlance: Best Combination of Mileage + Expenses

My rating: 5/5

Everlance was probably the most balanced experience for me. It didn’t feel as bare-bones as a basic mileage tracker, but it also didn’t feel overwhelming. The automatic mileage tracking was easy to understand, and I liked having expenses in the same place. (The free tier is manual; automatic tracking comes with the paid plans.)

My experience: what I appreciated most was not having to maintain a separate system for every receipt and business trip. I could record the mileage, categorize trips, and keep expenses organized without jumping between several apps. I still wouldn’t let it run completely unattended, though. Review your trips and fix anything that’s off.

Bottom line: one of my first choices for someone who wants mileage and expenses together.

2. Stride: Easiest Free Option

My rating: 4.5/5

Stride was probably the easiest app for me to pick up and start using. I didn’t have to spend time figuring out where everything was. I could see my mileage and separate business trips from personal driving without the process feeling complicated.

The thing I liked most was the simplicity. If I were handing an app to a client who isn’t very comfortable with technology, this is one I’d feel good recommending.

My experience: after using it for a while, I caught myself checking the app regularly instead of waiting until the end of the week to remember where I’d driven. That’s exactly the habit I want my clients to build.

Bottom line: if you want something simple and free, Stride is hard to ignore.

3. MileIQ: Easiest Automatic Tracking

My rating: 4.5/5

The first thing I noticed with MileIQ was how little I had to think about tracking. Once it was set up, the app did most of the work in the background. I really liked the swipe-style classification: deciding whether a drive was business or personal took seconds. The free plan covers a limited number of drives per month, so most full-time drivers will need the paid plan.

My experience: this is the app I’d hand to someone who tells me, “I always forget to write down my mileage.” I hear that every season, and it’s exactly the problem an automatic tracker should solve. The one thing that bothered me: I wouldn’t trust automatic tracking completely without reviewing it. I still went through my trips to make sure everything was classified correctly.

Bottom line: a great choice if your biggest problem is remembering to log your miles.

4. TripLog: Best for Detailed Records

My rating: 4.5/5

TripLog felt much more comprehensive than a basic mileage app. There are more settings and options, but that also means you can do more with the information once a trip is recorded. I especially liked having mileage and expenses together. As soon as I started thinking about the information as tax records, the reporting features became really useful.

My experience: it took me longer to get comfortable with TripLog than with Stride or MileIQ. Once I understood the settings, though, I appreciated having more control over how it tracked my driving.

Bottom line: I’d pick TripLog when mileage isn’t the only thing you need to keep organized.

5. Hurdlr: Best for Freelancers

My rating: 4.5/5

Hurdlr felt less like a mileage app and more like a tool for running a small business. I liked seeing mileage alongside expenses and income. For someone who’s self-employed, that makes a lot more sense than having a separate app for every part of the business. Automatic mileage tracking is on its paid plans.

My experience: the automatic tracking saved me time, but I still made a habit of checking my trips, which was much easier than trying to remember my driving at the end of the month. What really stood out is that Hurdlr is built around the question I wish more of my clients asked: “How much am I actually making after my business expenses?”

Bottom line: I’d choose Hurdlr for a freelancer or independent contractor who needs more than mileage tracking. Try Hurdlr here →

6. Gridwise: Best for Gig Workers

My rating: 4.5/5

Gridwise immediately felt different because it’s built for gig workers. Instead of looking only at mileage, I could see mileage alongside the money I was making and the time I was spending driving. That makes the information much more useful for anyone doing Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or similar work.

My experience: I liked looking at driving from the point of view of profit instead of just “How many miles did I drive?” At the same time, if all I wanted was a basic mileage log, Gridwise felt like more app than I needed.

Bottom line: for a gig worker, this is one I’d definitely try. For a traditional business owner who only needs mileage, I’d choose something simpler.

Which One Should You Choose?

• You want free and simple: Stride.
• You want mileage and expenses without complication: Everlance.
• You always forget to log your miles: MileIQ.
• You want detailed records and don’t mind a learning curve: TripLog.
• You’re a freelancer or independent contractor: Hurdlr.
• You drive for Uber, Lyft, or DoorDash: Gridwise.

An Example I Use With Clients

Here’s how I explain mileage tracking: imagine starting the day at home, driving to a customer, going from that customer to another job, stopping at a supply store, and then driving home.

At the end of the day, you’ll probably remember the jobs. What you won’t remember is the exact distance between every stop. Now multiply that by every workday of the year.

That’s where automatic tracking earns its keep. Let the app record the driving, then review the trips and decide which ones were actually business. That’s much easier than trying to reconstruct everything months later.

Set Up Your App So It Actually Works

A lot of “the app missed my trip” problems come down to phone settings. Before you rely on any of these apps:

• Allow location access “Always”, not just while using the app. Automatic tracking needs it.
• Turn off battery saver for the app if your phone has it, so it isn’t shut down in the background.
• Take a short test drive and check that the trip shows up before your first workday.
• Use one app only. Running two trackers at once makes it easy to double-count miles.

My 5-Minute Weekly Habit

If you take one thing from this article, take this. Once a week, open your app and:

1. mark every trip as business or personal;
2. add a short purpose to business trips (“cleaning job”, “DoorDash shift”);
3. fix any trip that looks wrong;
4. snap photos of any receipts from that week.

Five minutes a week beats five hours of guessing in April.

What to Bring Your Tax Preparer

When you come in at tax time, this is what makes my job (and your deduction) easy:

• your mileage report for the full year, exported from the app;
• your total miles for the year, business and personal, and your car’s odometer reading on January 1;
• the date you started using the car for business;
• parking and toll receipts for business trips, which can usually be deducted on top of the mileage rate.

Want the full list? Download my free Tax Document Checklist for self-employed and 1099 workers. (Versión en español gratis.)

Standard Mileage Rate vs. Actual Expenses

You can usually deduct your car costs one of two ways: the standard mileage rate (72.5 cents per business mile for 2026), or your actual costs like gas, repairs, insurance, and depreciation, multiplied by your business-use percentage. Most of the drivers I work with are better off with the standard rate, and it’s much simpler. Your choice in the first year you use a car for business can limit your options later, so it’s worth getting right.

Mileage Mistakes I See Every Tax Season

• No log at all: guessing your miles is the fastest way to lose the deduction in an audit.
• Only counting miles with a passenger or order: miles driven between trips while you’re working can count too. Ask your preparer about your situation.
• Counting your commute: driving from home to a regular workplace is generally not deductible.
• Relying only on Uber or Lyft’s numbers: the gig app’s summary may not include all your business miles.

FAQ

What is the IRS mileage rate for 2026?

72.5 cents per mile for business use, up from 70 cents in 2025.

Is a free mileage tracker good enough for taxes?

Yes, as long as it records the date, destination, purpose, and miles for each trip, and you use it consistently.

Can I start tracking mid-year?

Yes. Start today. A partial-year log is far better than none, and for earlier months, your calendar, receipts, and job records can help fill in the gaps.

Do I need a separate car for my business?

No. You can use your personal car. You just deduct the business miles, which is exactly why a good log matters.

About the author: Francisco is a tax preparer and IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent who has prepared returns since 2022. He works mostly with self-employed clients, gig workers, and ITIN filers in English and Spanish.

This article is for general information only and isn’t tax advice for your specific situation.