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It's a split decision.
Choose TaxCloud if you need sales tax filing plus real-time calculations, state registrations, or Streamlined Sales Tax coverage; its plan rates are not published. Choose TaxJar if you want a clear entry price: Starter costs $39/month for 200 orders and two AutoFile credits yearly. Both offer a 30-day trial and no free plan. TaxJar lists integration caps; TaxCloud lists order and return ranges, so compare your expected usage before switching.
01Side by side
| TaxCloud | TaxJar | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Plan price not published | $39/month for Starter |
| Free plan | No free plan; 30-day trial | No free plan; 30-day trial |
| Best for | Businesses needing calculations, filing, or SST coverage | Businesses wanting published pricing and AutoFile credits |
| Core strength | Filing, calculations, nexus tracking, and registrations | Calculations, automated filing, and aggregated reports |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations and data | Prebuilt integrations, ERP integrations, and API | Up to 3 or 10 integrations by plan |
| Team and seat costs | Additional users are free | Additional-user pricing not published |
| Support | Phone and email support on listed plans | Starter email; Professional adds phone and onboarding |
TaxCloud Choose TaxCloud if
- Choose TaxCloud if you need real-time calculations and filing.
- Choose TaxCloud if you need state registration support.
- Choose TaxCloud if SST coverage in 24 states matters.
TaxJar Choose TaxJar if
- Choose TaxJar if you want a published $39/month starting price.
- Choose TaxJar if 200 monthly orders fit your Starter plan.
- Choose TaxJar if you want AutoFile credits included by plan.
02Pricing compared
TaxJar is easier to budget for: its pricing page lists Starter at $39/month for 200 orders and two AutoFile credits per year. Professional is $99/month, also for 200 orders, with four AutoFile credits. Annual pricing saves 10% or more, but exact rates are not published. Extra credits cost $50 on Starter and $55 on Professional.
TaxCloud does not publish plan rates, so compare its usage ranges and add-ons before switching. Starter covers 100–20,000 monthly orders and 1–50 returns; Premium covers 200–40,000 orders and 1–50 returns. Filing subscriptions start at $39/month, while pay-as-you-go filing is listed as low as $20 per filing. Both products offer a 30-day trial and no free plan. TaxCloud says annual plans save up to 16% versus monthly billing.
03Features and depth
Both products cover sales tax calculations and filing, but the listed details differ. TaxCloud says it calculates tax across 13,000 jurisdictions, tracks economic nexus, handles state registrations, and prepares, files, and remits returns. It also offers Streamlined Sales Tax filing and registration in 24 states as an SST Certified Service Provider. Its Premium plan includes real-time calculations, ERP integrations, and API access; Starter focuses on reporting and filing.
TaxJar lists real-time calculations, automated filing, aggregated reports, AI-driven categorization, and economic nexus tracking. Its plans cap data integrations: Starter includes up to three, while Professional includes up to 10 total integrations. AutoFile credits are also limited by plan. TaxCloud lists data-import integrations on Starter and ERP integrations and API access on Premium, but does not publish a comparable integration count. If state registration or SST coverage matters, TaxCloud names those capabilities explicitly; the published TaxJar details do not.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The available plan details point to different checks before a move, not a clear winner on ease of use. TaxJar gives you fixed order and integration caps to compare against your current volume: both listed plans include 200 orders per month, with different integration and AutoFile limits. Its plans include email support; Professional adds phone support, onboarding, and a Customer Success Manager.
TaxCloud lists broader order ranges, from 100 to 20,000 on Starter and 200 to 40,000 on Premium, plus 1–50 monthly returns. Both plans include phone and email support. Its rates and overage costs depend on usage and are not fully published, so confirm expected order and return volumes with the pricing page before committing. Both products offer a 30-day trial.
Questions people ask
How much is TaxCloud?
TaxCloud does not publish its Starter or Premium plan rates in the published pricing details. Filing subscriptions start at $39/month, and pay-as-you-go filing is listed as low as $20 per filing. Extra order and return charges may apply, so confirm costs for your expected volume.
Is VAT better than sales tax?
That depends on where you sell and what tax obligations apply. The information here compares TaxCloud and TaxJar for sales tax compliance; it does not cover VAT features, rates, or filing. We can’t rank VAT against sales tax software from these details.
Who are Avalara’s main competitors?
TaxCloud and TaxJar are two sales tax compliance options covered here, with features for calculations, nexus tracking, and filing. The published information does not identify Avalara’s main competitors or compare Avalara’s plans, so we can’t name a definitive competitor list.
What is the best tax software?
There is no single best choice for every business in these details. TaxCloud lists state registrations and SST coverage, but its plan rates are unpublished. TaxJar publishes a $39/month entry plan with a 200-order cap. Choose based on your needed features and volume.