TaxCloud vs Avalara: 2024 Comparison

Switch to TaxCloud from Avalara and pay on average 30% less* for the same features. Learn why TaxCloud is the Avalara alternative that charges less for all essential functions. That’s right: cheaper tax filings, less expensive API calls, affordable integration, and more. No lock-in contracts and human support through the whole setup process.

Avalara

AvaTax

TaxCloud

Starter (or Premium)

Cost (annually)
$$$$ Volume & feature-based pricing
From $199 to $799/annually
Setup fee
$$$$
No setup fee
Orders included
Per-order pricing
Starter up to 1,200 (or Premium up to 2,400)
Ecommerce platform integrations (Shopify, BigCommerce, Odoo, etc.)
Payment processors integrations (PayPal, Stripe, etc.)
Subscription management integrations (Recurly, etc.)
ERPs integrations (QuickBooks, Oracle Netsuite, etc.)

Key Features

Avalara

AvaTax

TaxCloud

Starter (or Premium)

Product tax code catalog
Exemption certificates
Address verification API
Economic nexus checker
Economic nexus notifications
Single state tax filing
($42-$54/filing + activation fee)
$30/filing
Nationwide tax filing
$$$$
$349/month
Nationwide audit support
$$$$
$349/month
Streamlined Sales Tax (STT) discounts
Transaction detail reports
Jurisdiction-level reports
CSV import
Email support
Phone support
Chat support

Why TaxCloud?

Online sales tax software with real human support

Online sales tax software with real human support

Don’t want to wait months on end just to get an answer to your problem? TaxCloud is known for our industry-leading personalized support. With TaxCloud, we help you every step of the way so you’re never on your own. We make it easy to talk to a real human to get help with everything from setting up integrations to what to do if you’re audited. Your business needs are unique and so is our approach to helping you succeed.

Streamlined Sales Tax Certified Service Provider

Streamlined Sales Tax provider

TaxCloud is a Certified Service Provider with the Streamlined Sales Tax (STT) program. That means we can easily manage your sales tax filing, registration, renewal, exemption certificates, and more. We can even reduce your audit risk.

Tax calculation and filing automation

Tax calculation and filing automation

Stay focused on your business – leave your taxes to us. We calculate sales tax in real-time and we’ll make sure that you never miss a deadline or waste hours trying to figure out one of a state’s hundreds of sales tax laws via our filing automation!

Sales Tax Integrations for eCommerce

Simple sales tax integrations

Does the word ‘integration’ scare you or your IT team? Don’t worry. Our integrations are simple. If you can’t figure out how to set them up or you have difficulties just give us a call and we’ll help you get set up.

What you get with TaxCloud

Price vs value

Go to any review site and you’ll find Avalara customers talking about how expensive their solution is or being sold services they don’t need. There’s a reason they don’t list their pricing online. TaxCloud provides you with both a lower price and much more value for your dollar.

“We used Avatax to help monitor economic nexus and file returns. We were initially quoted under $1000 for the year for this service. I have now been charged upwards of $6,000 in a 12 month period. Mind you, we file returns for one state, and our business has less than 3,500 transactions per year.” – Carrie, TrustRadius

Sales tax compliance for ecommerce

We’ve got your sales tax compliance covered from the initial sale to your filing. We started TaxCloud to give companies like yours peace of mind around sales tax compliance. We’ll simplify sales tax collection, calculation, and remittance for you – and keep you compliant.

TaxCloud includes expert sales tax advice and support

With 15+ years in sales tax tech experience, TaxCloud doesn’t just help you automate your sales tax compliance – we also offer expert sales tax advice and support. Have a question about nexus rules in a state? Need advice on how to navigate sales tax holidays? We can help!

Support

FAQs

Our team is on hand to answer your questions.

Avalara is publicly traded company offering global sales and use tax compliance software. Since their IPO, the company has primarily focused on serving enterprise customers. Avalara helps ecommerce businesses calculate tax rates, prepare returns, and manage their sales tax compliance.

Unlike many other sales and use tax software options, it allows customers to only get the services they need. But while in theory that should make their services cheaper, many customers say they end up spending more with Avalara.

TaxCloud provides you with industry leading features and support. Have a question you need answered? You’re not just a support ticket with us. You can get in touch via chat, email or phone and reach a real person on the other end.

For that reason, TaxCloud is the right choice for small to medium ecommerce businesses ($1 million-$50 million in revenue). We’re a perfect fit for growing companies that want to automate their sales tax compliance in the US.

Avalara is a great choice for large global companies that already have specialized in-house tax experts who can handle their hands-on integration, customization, and ongoing support needs. Smaller businesses or those without teams of tax professionals might struggle with Avalara’s self-serve model.

Avalara changes customers with overdue bills 1.5% per month or the maximum rate permitted by law, whichever is lower. If a customer fails to make timely payments, Avalara can change your payment terms to make them shorter in the future. If your account is suspended, Avalara may charge a reactivation fee that’s equal to 50% of Avalara’s current service activation fee or $250, whichever is greater.

It’s easy! We’ll help you when you’re ready to make the switch but here are some things you’ll have to do:

  • Download your individual transactions from Avalara
  • Export your sales tax reports
  • Integrate TaxCloud into all your e-commerce platforms and marketplaces
  • List all the states you’re currently charging sales tax in as well as all registration numbers, logins, passwords, and filing frequency
  • Describe the products you sell according to taxability rules
  • Provide us with all your business information needed to register for sales tax in new states
  • Share your banking information for the account you wish to pay sales tax from

 

That’s it! It’s easy to get started!

Avalara announced to their BigCommerce app customers in 2024 that they were eliminating their small business API-only pricing tier for sales tax calculations in their BigCommerce integration. All BigCommerce integration customers are now required to use Avalara’s calculation and filing services, starting at $5,000.