Avalara AvaTax vs Sphere

Avalara AvaTax9.4Visit Sphere8.6Visit

Higher score Avalara AvaTax #1 in Tax Engine Software 9.4/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Avalara

vs

Sphere #8 in Tax Engine Software 8.6/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Sphere

• Avalara AvaTax fits best

  Broad, high-volume multi-tax compliance

• Sphere fits best

  Modern businesses needing broad tax operations

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Avalara AvaTax 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Sphere 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.6
Ranking	#1 in Tax Engine Software	#8 in Tax Engine Software
Best for	Broad, high-volume multi-tax compliance	Modern businesses needing broad tax operations
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$699/unit/yr	$100/unit/mo
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Live chat, Docs	Live chat · 24/7
Integrations	1,400+ integrations	20 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Avalara AvaTax 1/4 · Sphere 1/4
Real-time calculation	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
API access	✓	✓
Commerce connectors	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Exemption certificates	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Tax jurisdictions	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Transaction limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Tax types	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Calculates taxes across 12,000+ jurisdictions and multiple tax types Automates returns filing, remittance, nexus monitoring, and exemptions Connects with major ERP, ecommerce, accounting, and business systems	Covers monitoring, registration, calculation, filing and remittance Supports sales tax, VAT and GST across web and API Includes 15 integrations for billing, finance, HR and payroll systems
Cons	Paid plans are priced per state rather than as a single flat subscription Pricing varies by state, revenue tier, usage, and eligibility Broader compliance coverage can exceed the needs of narrow tax workflows	No free plan is available Starter pricing applies per region and is limited to fewer than 10 regions Customs and withholding-tax products are coming soon
Our verdict	Avalara AvaTax is a cloud-based tax determination engine for businesses that calculate transaction taxes across sales and purchasing workflows. It supports sales tax, consumer use tax, VAT, communications tax, occupancy and lodging tax,… Read the review →	Sphere is an AI-powered tax compliance platform for companies selling across borders. It brings indirect-tax exposure monitoring, tax registration management, real-time tax calculation and automated return filing and remittance into one… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Avalara AvaTax — where it wins

  • Calculates taxes across 12,000+ jurisdictions and multiple tax types
  • Automates returns filing, remittance, nexus monitoring, and exemptions
  • Connects with major ERP, ecommerce, accounting, and business systems

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid plans are priced per state rather than as a single flat subscription
  • Pricing varies by state, revenue tier, usage, and eligibility
  • Broader compliance coverage can exceed the needs of narrow tax workflows

• Sphere — where it wins

  • Covers monitoring, registration, calculation, filing and remittance
  • Supports sales tax, VAT and GST across web and API
  • Includes 15 integrations for billing, finance, HR and payroll systems

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • Starter pricing applies per region and is limited to fewer than 10 regions
  • Customs and withholding-tax products are coming soon

• Avalara AvaTax9.4/10 · Paid

  A broad tax engine for high-volume, multi-tax compliance workflows.

  Visit AvalaraFull verdict →
• Sphere8.6/10 · Paid

  A broad tax operations platform with automated filing, registration and real-time calculation.

  Visit SphereFull verdict →