AkuCalc vs Avalara AvaTax
AkuCalc
clarustaxtech.com
Avalara AvaTax
avalara.comSide by side
| Figure | AkuCalc | Avalara AvaTax |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $58.25/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 9 |
| Spec score · Sales Tax Software | 7.4 (#10) | 8.5 (#4) |
| Spec score · Tax Engine Software | 7.5 (#13) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Seattle, Washington |
| Implementation | Clarus describes a guided rollout with configuration, integration setup, testing, and training; timelines vary with systems, data complexity, and integration requirements. | Every customer gets access to a sandbox before going live, and the page says Avi, Avalara's AI implementation assistant, guides configuration. |
| Integrations | The integrations page lists Microsoft Dynamics 365, Business Central, F&O, Dynamics GP, Acumatica, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, and NetSuite among featured integrations. | Avalara states it has more than 1,400 signed partner integrations and names Shopify, NetSuite, QuickBooks, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Salesforce, and Oracle among them. |
| Intended users | AkuCalc is aimed at finance teams, tax departments, controllers, ERP teams, and growing businesses, particularly manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers managing multi-state sales tax exposure. | The product page identifies small businesses, midmarket finance and accounting professionals, enterprise tax departments, developers, and partners as audiences. |
| Purpose | AkuCalc calculates sales tax within ERP, ecommerce, and billing workflows. | AvaTax calculates tax in real time for sales and purchasing workflows across jurisdictions and tax types. |
| Reporting | AkuCalc provides transaction data for reporting, reconciliation, return preparation, and audit workflows. | The product page describes AI-driven reporting, natural-language search, dashboards, and audit-ready trails. |
| Support | Clarus says customers can get responsive support from US-based professionals who understand sales tax operations. | Avalara describes support plans with Standard, Priority, and Enterprise options; stated initial response SLAs are 24 hours, 8 hours, and 1 hour respectively, and Enterprise Support is available 24/7. |
Plans
Avalara AvaTax
- Core Compliance$79 a month
- Core Compliance + SST Services$69 a month
- CustomPriced on request
- Tax Calculation and Returns Compliance Package$699 a year
- Tax Calculation (AvaTax)Priced on request
- Core Compliance + SST Services Monthly$69 a month
- Core Compliance Monthly$79 a month
- Core Compliance + SST Services Annual$699 a year
- Core Compliance Annual$799 a year
In their own words
AkuCalc
AkuCalc is an API product for calculating sales tax inside ERP, ecommerce, and billing workflows. It covers all US tax jurisdictions, including more than 13,000 jurisdictions, and supports Canada. Calculations use transaction addresses for rooftop-accurate results, while rates and rules update automatically as regulations change. Businesses can configure taxability by product, jurisdiction, and transaction type; complex or research-intensive mappings are scoped separately. A valid certificate stored in AkuCert is applied automatically as an exemption. The API connects custom ERP, ecommerce, billing, and other business systems, and featured integrations include Microsoft Dynamics 365, Business Central, Dynamics GP, Acumatica, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, and NetSuite. Transaction data supports reporting, reconciliation, return preparation, and audit workflows. Clarus describes guided implementation covering configuration, integration setup, testing, and training, with timing depending on systems and data complexity. AkuCalc is aimed at finance, tax, controller, ERP, and growing-business teams. Pricing is on request through a custom quote.
Avalara AvaTax
Avalara AvaTax calculates tax in real time for sales and purchasing workflows. It covers sales tax, consumer use tax, VAT, communications tax, occupancy and lodging tax, and excise tax, and supports automated return filing and tax registration. Address validation uses geospatial technology to match transactions to tax regions rather than relying on ZIP codes. AvaTax connects with ecommerce, ERP, accounting, sales, and purchasing systems, and its REST API supports calculation, document modification, and address validation. Product taxability codes, AI-assisted item classification, custom rules, exemption certificate management, and jurisdiction-specific tax research support tax decisions. Reporting includes dashboards, natural-language search, and audit-ready trails. The service is available through web and API, with integrations including Shopify, NetSuite, QuickBooks, SAP, and Salesforce. Core Compliance costs $79 per month; Core Compliance + SST Services costs $69 per month for qualifying sellers. Qualified sellers may receive state-funded services in up to 25 states. Pricing also varies by plan and transaction volume.