Avalara AvaTax vs Vertex Cloud Indirect Tax
Avalara AvaTax
avalara.com
Vertex Cloud Indirect Tax
vertexinc.comSide by side
| Figure | Avalara AvaTax | Vertex Cloud Indirect Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $58.25/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 1 |
| Spec score · Tax Compliance Software | 8.6 (#7) | 7.8 (#30) |
| Spec score · Tax Engine Software | 8.6 (#5) | 7.1 (#23) |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Filing support level | automated | automated |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington | King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 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. | Vertex’s partner directory includes ERP, e-commerce, procurement, billing, CRM, POS, and accounting integrations, with partners such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, Workday, and NetSuite. |
| Intended users | The product page identifies small businesses, midmarket finance and accounting professionals, enterprise tax departments, developers, and partners as audiences. | Vertex describes O Series as serving businesses including manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, service providers, and sectors such as leasing, telecommunications, healthcare, hospitality, and oil and gas. |
| Purpose | AvaTax calculates tax in real time for sales and purchasing workflows across jurisdictions and tax types. | Vertex Cloud manages indirect tax compliance across global commerce, from tax determination to audit defense. |
| Return filing | Yes | Yes |
| Sales tax calculation | Yes | Yes |
| Security | Avalara says its global AvaTax platform has achieved SOC 2 Type 2 compliance. | Vertex’s Trust Center lists SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and CCPA badges. |
| 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. | Vertex offers a 24/7 online customer community with product documentation, training courses, and support ticket submission. |
| Supported tax types | sales tax,consumer use tax,VAT,communications tax,occupancy and lodging tax,excise tax | Sales and Use Tax,Consumer Use Tax,Value Added Tax,Goods and Services Tax,Harmonized Sales Tax,Provincial Sales Tax,Quebec Sales Tax |
| Tax coverage | The page says AvaTax covers sales, consumer use, VAT, communications, occupancy and lodging, and excise tax scenarios. | Vertex Cloud applies tax logic across more than 20,000 jurisdictions and over 1 billion governed rules. |
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
Vertex Cloud Indirect Tax
- Vertex Cloud Indirect TaxPriced on request
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.
Vertex Cloud Indirect Tax
Vertex Cloud Indirect Tax is a web and API platform for managing indirect tax compliance, from transaction calculations to audit defense. Its tax engine automates sales, use, and VAT calculations on sales and purchase transactions, and supports automated return filing. Listed tax types include Sales and Use Tax, Consumer Use Tax, Value Added Tax, Goods and Services Tax, Harmonized Sales Tax, Provincial Sales Tax, and Quebec Sales Tax. Vertex says the platform applies tax logic across more than 20,000 jurisdictions and over 1 billion governed rules. Other compliance tools include e-invoicing, digital reporting, VAT returns, and secure archiving. Governed AI workflows can support research, transaction anomaly detection, and tax rule creation under human oversight. Integrations span ERP, e-commerce, procurement, billing, CRM, POS, and accounting, including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, Workday, and NetSuite. O Series supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid edge deployment, including container deployment at the transaction point. Its analytics dashboards cover sales and use tax and consumer use tax transactions only. Vertex lists SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and CCPA badges in its Trust Center. Pricing is available on request.