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Accounting & Finance · head to head

Airbase vs Avalara

Airbase logo

Airbase

Accounting & Finance

The first all-in-one spend management platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Avalara logo

Avalara

Accounting & Finance

Tax compliance done right

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Airbase airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.; Avalara plans start at $699 per state per year, so multi-state sellers multiply that figure rather than paying one subscription
  • They diverge on capability: Airbase covers Corporate cards, Avalara covers Tax calculation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbase and Avalara actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbase and Avalara differ
AttributeAirbaseAvalara
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Api
Founded20172004

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting & Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbase

  • Corporate cards
  • Bill payments
  • Expense management
  • Procurement
  • Approvals
  • Sage Intacct
  • Xero
  • Slack

Only in Avalara

  • Tax calculation
  • Returns filing
  • Exemption management
  • Document management
  • Real-time rates
  • Shopify
  • Magento
  • SOC 2

Both cover

  • NetSuite
  • QuickBooks
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbase

  • Spend managementnot Avalara
  • Expense reportingnot Avalara
  • Vendor paymentsnot Avalara

Avalara

  • Real-time sales tax calculation at checkoutnot Airbase
  • Multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determinationnot Airbase
  • VAT, lodging, communications and excise tax calculationnot Airbase
  • Feeding tax results into an ERP or ecommerce platform through the APInot Airbase

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbase

  • Airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.

Avalara

  • Plans start at $699 per state per year, so multi-state sellers multiply that figure rather than paying one subscription
  • Billed by transaction, where one API call is one transaction, so cost tracks invoice volume
  • The free option is limited to the Streamlined Sales Tax programme, in up to 25 states and only for qualifying businesses

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbase

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense reports
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$10/month
    • Advanced approvals
    • NetSuite sync
    • Procurement
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom workflows
    • API access
    • Dedicated support

Avalara

$29/month
  • AvaTax$50/month
    • Tax calculation
    • Exemption certificates
    • Returns filing

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbase if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want bill payments.
Airbase review

Choose Avalara if

  • You need tax calculation.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want returns filing.
Avalara review

Questions people ask

Is Airbase or Avalara better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbase starts at $29/month and Avalara at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Avalara?
Airbase starts at $29/month and Avalara at $29/month.
Does Airbase or Avalara run on more platforms?
Airbase runs on Web, Ios, Android. Avalara runs on Web, Api.
What is Airbase best used for?
Airbase is most often used for spend management, expense reporting, vendor payments. Of those, spend management and expense reporting are not what Avalara is typically brought in for.
What can Airbase do that Avalara cannot?
Airbase covers Corporate cards, Bill payments, Expense management, Procurement. Avalara covers Tax calculation, Returns filing, Exemption management, Document management. Both handle NetSuite, QuickBooks, Web support.
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