VAT Sense vs VATlayer

VAT Sense is a REST API for VAT number checks and tax-related data, intended for use in other services. It validates numbers against live records in the UK, EU, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, South Africa, and Brazil, and provides EU VAT rates plus VAT and GST rates from other countries. It also supplies country data, currency conversions to GBP and EUR using official HMRC and European Central Bank rates, and VAT-compliant invoicing information. A validation can include an official government consultation number when the requester provides its own VAT number. The API requires HTTPS and HTTP Basic Auth. VAT Sense says client-side CORS requests are not supported because they could expose account API keys, and says the service uses 256-bit SSL. Client libraries are available for Python, Node.js, PHP, Go, Ruby, C#/.NET, and Java; the documentation also links to Postman collections. General limits are 300 requests per minute, with UK VAT validation limited to 3 requests per second. A free plan is available, and the pricing note lists paid plans from $6.99/mo. Plan prices exclude VAT, and payment can be in GBP, USD, or EUR.

VATlayer is a REST-based JSON API for checking EU VAT numbers, finding VAT rates, and calculating VAT-compliant prices. Its validation endpoint can return company information for a VAT number. The rate endpoint identifies a country from a two-letter code, a supplied IP address, or the client IP address. Price calculations can also work backward from an amount that already includes VAT. VAT information covers 28 EU member states and draws on multiple data sources, including European Commission databases. Results are provided in real time, with an average response time around 0.50 seconds. The API reports uptime around 99.9%, though public uptime statistics are not offered. The Free plan allows 100 requests per month for non-commercial use with limited functionality. Paid plans start at $9.99/mo and include commercial use. Usage notices arrive by email and dashboard at 75%, 90%, and 100% of the monthly allowance; overage fees apply after it is reached. Paid customers can access the API using 256-bit HTTPS encryption.