Avalara AvaTax vs Symmetry Tax Engine
Avalara AvaTax
avalara.comSymmetry Tax Engine
symmetry.comSide by side
| Figure | Avalara AvaTax | Symmetry Tax Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $58.25/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 1 |
| Spec score · Tax Compliance Software | 8.6 (#7) | 8.2 (#16) |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington | Scottsdale, Arizona, United States |
| 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. | The Web API supports secure HTTPS with JSON and XML, while the SDK offers interfaces including C/C++, Java, .NET, .NET Core, and Delphi. |
| Intended users | The product page identifies small businesses, midmarket finance and accounting professionals, enterprise tax departments, developers, and partners as audiences. | Symmetry lists software developers, payroll or HR service providers, large employers, payroll managers, entrepreneurs, and payment companies as potential users. |
| Jurisdictions covered | 12000 | 7000 |
| Purpose | AvaTax calculates tax in real time for sales and purchasing workflows across jurisdictions and tax types. | Symmetry Tax Engine is a gross-to-net payroll tax calculation engine for building, embedding, and scaling payroll platforms. |
| Support | 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. | Symmetry says support includes help with tax accuracy, jurisdiction questions, API and SDK integrations, onboarding, and filing guidance. |
| Supported tax types | sales tax,consumer use tax,VAT,communications tax,occupancy and lodging tax,excise tax | Federal withholding; FICA; paid family and medical leave; SDI/VDI/employee SUI; courtesy withholding; FUTA; SUTA; benefits and pre-tax benefit rules; city; county; school district; municipality; earned income; privilege; local services; JEDDs/JEDZ |
| Tax coverage | The page says AvaTax covers sales, consumer use, VAT, communications, occupancy and lodging, and excise tax scenarios. | It covers federal, state, local, and employer taxes across all 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, and Canada. |
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
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.
Symmetry Tax Engine
Symmetry Tax Engine calculates gross-to-net payroll taxes for software platforms, payroll providers, employers, and payment companies. It covers federal, state, local, and employer taxes across all 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, and Canada, with calculations for more than 7,000 jurisdictions. Listed tax types include federal withholding, FICA, paid family and medical leave, unemployment and disability taxes, benefits and pre-tax benefit rules, and local taxes such as city, county, school district, and municipality taxes. Deployment is available as a hosted Web API or an on-premise SDK installed in a customer’s environment. The API supports JSON and XML; the SDK supports Windows, Linux, and macOS, with interfaces including C/C++, Java, .NET, .NET Core, and Delphi. The paid product has no free plan, offers a trial by contacting Symmetry, and has pricing on request. Symmetry is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was founded in 1984.