Avalara
vs
TaxJar
Avalara offers businesses tax automation with nearly 1,200 integrations, but comes with complex pricing, long implementation, and limited liability protection. TaxJar provides a simple setup for US sellers, but lacks global coverage and a ton of crucial features. Let's deep dive into Avalara vs. TaxJar to decide which platform best suits your needs.
Avalara and TaxJar Compared
Avalara is established in the market, but comes with complexity that modern businesses don't need - hidden fees, lengthy setup, and you still own the liability.
Based on customer reviews, setup can take weeks to months with lack of customer support during implementation.
Costs range from $21,000 to $160,000 annually, plus $14,500 implementation fees. Extra charges for each state filing and VAT registration.
Existing customers report that support is nearly non-existent. Calls result in tickets that apparently go nowhere, with no follow-up or resolution.
Customer reviews describe predatory contract practices, with businesses feeling misled and trapped in agreements that are difficult to exit.
Vast-Association8113
Horrible employees, horrible service, horrible value for the dollar. Predatory business practices. They lie, mislead, and use any tactic to trap you in the contract. avoid at all costs! There are many significantly less expensive and better options out there.
LIAPHX
Don't do it! Avatax is TERRIBLE. Implementation is bitch. Support is horrible. Managed returns are a joke - they've done our returns incorrectly despite asking them to correct (obvious) categories and now we have to amend multiple states and they are trying to charge us (this is an onboarding issue they need to fix.) They cant do NM and HI sourcing correctly. Had to set up custom rules which they agreed with. Without any knowledge of sales tax laws, you wouldn't know, but they are seriously fucking things up. DONT DO IT.
'Don't use this software'
★
★
☆
☆
☆
2.0
Not good. Attempted to cancel, but had to jump through hoops and we are still being charged monthly. We had multiple changes in our dedicated support rep, and he would constantly cancel our scheduled meetings.
⊕
Pros
Initially I thought Avalara was nice because it would calculate taxes on our behalf, then I realized the taxes calculated were wrong.
⊖
Cons
Customer Support was horrendous and slow. Platform was difficult to navigate at times and it is overpriced.
Vast-Association8113
Horrible employees, horrible service, horrible value for the dollar. Predatory business practices. They lie, mislead, and use any tactic to trap you in the contract. avoid at all costs! There are many significantly less expensive and better options out there.
LIAPHX
Don't do it! Avatax is TERRIBLE. Implementation is bitch. Support is horrible. Managed returns are a joke - they've done our returns incorrectly despite asking them to correct (obvious) categories and now we have to amend multiple states and they are trying to charge us (this is an onboarding issue they need to fix.) They cant do NM and HI sourcing correctly. Had to set up custom rules which they agreed with. Without any knowledge of sales tax laws, you wouldn't know, but they are seriously fucking things up. DONT DO IT.
'Don't use this software'
★
★
☆
☆
☆
2.0
Not good. Attempted to cancel, but had to jump through hoops and we are still being charged monthly. We had multiple changes in our dedicated support rep, and he would constantly cancel our scheduled meetings.
⊕
Pros
Initially I thought Avalara was nice because it would calculate taxes on our behalf, then I realized the taxes calculated were wrong.
⊖
Cons
Customer Support was horrendous and slow. Platform was difficult to navigate at times and it is overpriced.
TaxJar works well for US ecommerce but falls short on global expansion. Modern businesses need comprehensive international coverage and advanced automation.
TaxJar automates tax processes in the US but doesn't support Asia, South America, Africa, and Oceania - a dealbreaker for international growth.
Direct integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Amazon, but lacks connectivity with systems like SAP, Oracle, or advanced NetSuite workflows that enterprises need.
While faster than Avalara, TaxJar states "Simple onboarding accelerates the time it takes to get up and running (typically within 7 days)."
No virtual mailbox for tax notices, no automated certificate renewal alerts, and limited AI-powered features compared to modern platforms.
Avalara vs. TaxJar vs. Kintsugi
Why growing businesses choose Kintsugi
Kintsugi was built for how modern businesses actually operate. Get real-time visibility, predictable costs, and automation that works without constant developer maintenance.
Transparent Pricing
No hidden fees or surprises. Clear pricing with no onboarding or implementation fees. Plan tiers based on filing volume or custom quotes for enterprise needs.
Complete Global Coverage
Unlike TaxJar's US-only focus, Kintsugi handles multi-state US compliance plus international VAT and GST across all continents.
AI-Powered Automation
Powered by Vertex, Kintsugi uses AI-driven technology for intelligent tax automation, real-time nexus monitoring, and automatic product classification.
Fast, Easy Setup
No-code setup to sync your sales platform. Get started in hours, not months, with dedicated onboarding assistance and responsive support.
Seamless Integrations
No-code setup with Shopify, Stripe, Chargebee, QuickBooks, and NetSuite. No integration nightmares or hidden consulting costs
Responsive Customer Support
Priority implementation and dedicated success management - not the "tickets that go nowhere" that Avalara customers report.
Avalara vs. TaxJar vs. Kintsugi
See how Kintsugi leads the way when comparing to players like Avalara and TaxJar
Filing & Reporting
Automated filing and reporting dashboards
Automated sales tax reporting and filing through AutoFile
Reports and filing-ready exports
Global Coverage
US and EU (extra fees), calculation-only outside these regions
US only; doesn't support Asia, South America, Africa, Oceania
Multi-state and international jurisdictions (US, global VAT, GST)
High Transaction Volume
Enterprise-level
High-volume sellers on Shopify Plus, Amazon, ERP systems
Real-time computation for millions of transactions per hour
Advanced Reporting
Avalara Insights analytics dashboards
Reporting dashboard shows sales tax collected, owed, and filed by jurisdiction
Finance dashboards with real-time tax liability monitoring
Support & SLAs
Tickets that "go nowhere" per customer reviews
Premium plans include enhanced support SLAs and dedicated account manager
Priority implementation and dedicated success management
Security & Compliance
SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001,
role-based access
No proof of SOC 2 or advanced security certifications
SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, role-based access
Error Insurance
Not available
Not available
Yes, up to total amount paid
Virtual Mailbox
Not available
Not available
Yes (Kintsugi Mail)
Tax Liability
You own it
You own it
Error insurance included
Pricing Transparency
Complex, requires sales contact ($21K-$160K/year)
Premium plans available, requires contact for details
Transparent, no hidden fees
Implementation Fees
$14,500 one-time cost
No explicit implementation fees mentioned
No implementation fees
State Filing Fees
$42-$54 per filing + $25-$475 activation fee
Included in AutoFile pricing
Included in plan tiers
Nexus Monitoring
Economic nexus tracking available
Multi-state tax compliance and automated jurisdiction filing
Real-time nexus monitoring with alerts
Certificate Management
Exemption certificate management available
Exempt non-taxable products via built-in sales tax categories
Alerts when certificates need renewal
Easy Onboarding
Setup takes weeks to months (per customer reviews)
Typically within 7 days
No-code setup, get started quickly
Tax Calculation
Real-time at point of sale
Real-time through TaxJar API
Automated real-time calculations
Platform Integrations
1,200+ (Shopify, NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks)
Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, QuickBooks
Shopify, Stripe, Chargebee, QuickBooks, NetSuite
