What are alternatives to O’Connor for a Texas property tax protest?
O’Connor & Associates markets full-service Texas property tax protests. Its protest-services page says the firm files, attends informal and ARB hearings, and you pay half of first-year tax savings, with no flat fee unless it reduces taxes. You can still file yourself. This page lists published alternatives. It is not a ranked best list and it is not a Protestly-versus-O’Connor head-to-head.
What are alternatives to O’Connor for a Texas property tax protest?
O’Connor is a Texas protest firm. Its 2026-09-06 protest-services page says it files, attends informal and ARB hearings, and charges half of first-year tax savings with no flat fee unless it reduces taxes. Alternatives are DIY Form 50-132, a flat-fee packet you file yourself, or another firm. Protestly is a $29.99 TX/FL/GA packet and does not file. Outcomes are not guaranteed.
Published alternatives
File Form 50-132 yourself: Texas law lets the owner file a Notice of Protest with the appraisal district. The Comptroller’s protest guide states you must bring evidence to the ARB; saying the district is wrong is not enough. Cost is your time. Protestly is not required.
Buy a self-serve evidence packet: Pay a published flat fee for comps and a hearing-ready PDF, then file yourself. Protestly is $29.99 for Texas, Florida, and Georgia and does not appear. AppealDesk publishes $49 nationwide. Smart Protest publishes $79 for a Texas analysis packet.
Hire a different Texas firm: Other retrieved firms also file and appear on contingency. Ownwell publishes 25% of Texas savings with no minimum. NTPTS states contingency pricing in Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant without a homepage percentage. Smart Protest publishes 20% for its agency option. Read each live contract.
How do O’Connor, a packet, and DIY compare?
What does the homeowner pay? O’Connor (as published): O’Connor’s protest-services page states you pay half of first-year property tax savings, with no flat fee unless they reduce taxes.
What does the homeowner pay? Self-serve packet (Protestly): Protestly charges a flat $29.99 one-time packet fee and no success fee. You keep 100% of any tax savings. AppealDesk’s homepage states $49 one-time.
What does the homeowner pay? DIY with the appraisal district: No vendor fee. You spend time gathering comps, filling Form 50-132, and attending informal review or the ARB.
Who files the protest? O’Connor (as published): O’Connor states it files the property tax protest. Signing a Texas appointment of agent (Form 50-162) is typically how a firm files in your name — confirm on the enrollment contract.
Who files the protest? Self-serve packet (Protestly): You file. Protestly does not contact the appraisal district. AppealDesk and Smart Protest’s $79 packet option also state the customer files.
Who files the protest? DIY with the appraisal district: You file Form 50-132 with your CAD by May 15, 2026, or 30 days after the Notice of Appraised Value, whichever is later.
Who appears at informal review and the ARB? O’Connor (as published): O’Connor states it attends the informal and formal hearings. The same page also says it files for binding arbitration and coordinates judicial appeals. Confirm what the signed agreement covers.
Who appears at informal review and the ARB? Self-serve packet (Protestly): You appear, or you use a written submission if the CAD allows it. Protestly does not attend hearings and is not a substitute for an agent.
Who appears at informal review and the ARB? DIY with the appraisal district: You appear. The Comptroller’s protest guide puts the evidence burden on the owner at the ARB.
Where does it work, and for which properties? O’Connor (as published): O’Connor markets Texas protests on poconnor.com. Its enrollment form lists residential and commercial property types. Confirm your county and property type before you enroll.
Where does it work, and for which properties? Self-serve packet (Protestly): Protestly currently supports Texas, Florida, and Georgia homeowner packets. It does not sell commercial-agent representation.
Where does it work, and for which properties? DIY with the appraisal district: Any Texas CAD where you can file Form 50-132. Florida VAB and Georgia BOE use different forms if you are outside Texas.
Who this comparison is for
Texas homeowners who searched for an O’Connor tax protest alternative and want a sourced map of DIY, packet, and other-firm options. It is not a review of O’Connor’s results, not a star rating, and not legal advice.
How this comparison was evaluated
We used O’Connor’s protest-services page retrieved 2026-09-06 (fee, who files, who appears), other companies’ public fee pages from the same day, and the Texas Comptroller protest guide (Form 50-132, evidence burden, May 15 / 30 days). We did not invent win rates. We did not republish O’Connor’s self-reported client-savings totals. Firms named in research notes but not independently retrieved (TaxStand, Citizens Tax Protest Project, Gill Denson, Texas Protax) are omitted from fee cells.
Current information
Last reviewed 2026-09-06. Re-check O’Connor’s live page and any enrollment contract before you pay; fees and coverage change. This page is scheduled for re-verification within 90 days.
Pricing and fee model
O’Connor publishes a contingency: half of first-year tax savings, no flat fee unless they reduce taxes. That is not the same as Ownwell’s published 25% Texas contingency or Smart Protest’s 20% agency option. A Protestly packet is a flat published fee, not a share of savings.
Geographic and service availability
O’Connor’s retrieved marketing is Texas protest work, including an enrollment form that lists residential and commercial types. Protestly’s published packet is TX/FL/GA homeowners only. NTPTS’s homepage lists Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant. Confirm the county on the firm’s current site, not this summary.
Evidence, filing, and hearing differences
O’Connor’s page says the firm prepares evidence and attends hearings. A packet vendor delivers a PDF you own and file. DIY means you assemble closed sales, condition photos, and an equal-and-uniform set from public records. None of those paths guarantees a lower value.
Who may prefer O’Connor
Owners who want someone else to calendar the deadline, file, negotiate, and speak at informal review and the ARB, and who accept half of first-year savings if the value drops. Owners with commercial or mixed property types that a homeowner packet does not cover should confirm O’Connor’s current scope rather than assuming a $29.99 packet is the matching job.
Who may prefer Protestly
Owners in Texas, Florida, or Georgia who will file themselves and want a flat $29.99 comps packet instead of a percentage of first-year savings. Protestly does not represent you, does not use Form 50-162, and does not contact the district.
Who may prefer DIY with no vendor
Owners who will pull CAD records, closed sales, and condition proof themselves. The Comptroller lists those items as typical hearing evidence. Cost is time only. HCAD’s FAQ describes iFile as the easiest way to file a Harris County protest online.
Key limitations and questions to ask
Does half of first-year savings apply if the value does not drop? Does it cover ARB only, or also arbitration and district court? Which counties are in scope? Who owns the evidence if you cancel? Can you still speak at the hearing? Re-check the live contract; this page is not a substitute for it.
Educational comparison only. Protestly is not a law firm, tax advisor, or protest agent. It does not file, appear, or guarantee a reduction. Competitor prices, coverage, and contracts change; confirm on the linked official pages before you pay. This is not legal or tax advice.
Search your address for a $29.99 evidence packet. Protestly does not file or appear. Related: /property-tax-protest-services, /guides/property-tax-protest-consultant-vs-diy, /pricing, /texas.
FAQ
What is an O’Connor property tax protest alternative?
Three published options: file Form 50-132 yourself, buy a flat-fee evidence packet and still file yourself, or hire another contingency firm. Protestly is the packet option for Texas, Florida, and Georgia and does not file or appear.
How much does O’Connor charge to protest property taxes?
O’Connor’s protest-services page retrieved 2026-09-06 states you pay half of first-year property tax savings, with no flat fee unless they reduce taxes. Confirm the live enrollment contract; this is not a quote.
Does O’Connor file the protest and attend the ARB?
Yes, according to that page: O’Connor states it files the protest and attends informal and formal hearings. It also states it files for binding arbitration and coordinates judicial appeals. Protestly does none of those jobs.
Does Protestly replace O’Connor at a Texas ARB hearing?
No. Protestly sells a self-serve evidence packet. You file and appear, or you hire a firm that files and appears. A packet is not agent representation.
Can I protest Texas property taxes without hiring O’Connor?
Yes. Texas law lets you file Form 50-132 yourself. A company is optional help for filing and hearings in exchange for a published share of savings if the value drops.